This past week was my Birthday week in Orlando. My students were extremely kind and giving on my Birthday providing me with more than enough cupcakes, cakes, cookies, candy bars, balloons and well-wishes. It was certainly a great way to head into Spring break which officially started yesterday, Friday, and will continue until April 2nd.
Besides it being my Birthday week, this week was full of new ideas and new opportunities. On Thursday, my co-op announced that we will be doing a workshop and concert next Friday with the Florida State University Chamber Choir under the direction of Dr. Andre Thomas. Dr. Thomas is a phenomenal conductor, music educator, composer and philosopher of choral music who not only teaches full time at FSU but also takes part in clinics and honor choirs all across the world on a regular basis. He is one of the most sought after clinicians in the country. It just so happens that Dr. Thomas heard about the choral program at Freedom high school and decided he wanted to do a collaborative activity with our students, so thus we have a workshop. Next Friday, all of our students will combine with the FSU chamber choir at the Cathedral in downtown Orlando to share our choral music, combine on a couple of songs, give a final concert and complete a professional recording of our works. Not only is this a huge experience and opportunity for the students, it is a huge excitement for me. I have heard so much about Dr. Thomas during my stay in Orlando and am beyond excited to see him work and hear his ensemble. It is the unexpected opportunities like these that make coming to Florida even more worth it and enjoyable than I ever expected it to be.
In my piano class, my students have finally discovered that the electronic keyboards they use everyday have greater functions than just a standard keyboard. They have figured out how to make different noises, sounds, instruments and beats using the keyboard settings and have decided we should do some sort of project employing these features. My response? Why not?! What better way to encourage individual creative practices while at the same time explore features of the keyboard? When they return from break, we will begin a project where they will have to use the settings on the keyboard and the application Garageband that is available on their Mac computers (the keyboards are all hooked up to the Macs) to create tracks that we will then record and compile in a class mix tape. While there will be some restrictions like duration and timeline, most of this assignment will be left up to the imagination of the students. I am very eager to see what they come up with musically with their tracks as well as technologically with the software and keyboard. Hopefully I will have some awesome tracks to share with you all by the end of the project!
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Monday, March 12, 2012
Superior
Last Friday, the choirs of Freedom High School participated in the district-level music performance assessment that is required of every choral program in our district and, if I am not mistaken, throughout the state. It is a way of measuring how well your program is doing at this point in the year. The process consists of each ensemble singing a 15 minute set of music for three adjudicators and then completing a sight singing exercise portion that consists of both rhythmic and harmonic sight singing. Freedom took three ensembles to this assessment and I am proud to say that all three ensembles received Superior markings from all three adjudicators on their performances as well as Superior markings for their sight singing completion! Such markings are nearly unheard of in the state of Florida and certainly uncommon in our county. For a school to be so daring as to bring three ensembles and then complete the assessment with such high marks is astounding, or at least, so said the adjudicators.
While receiving high markings at an important event such as this is great for the program and for the school, there was something about this evening of music making that was more significant to me. These students, all 154 of them, gave of themselves and gave their hearts to the performance of these pieces. While the audience consisted of mostly other choral students from the district and their parents, the students at Freedom felt that this music had a story worth conveying to this audience, and they did so in an inspirational manner.
At the end of the Patriot Singer's set, the top ensemble, the audience burst to their feet in a roar of applause because the ensemble had done more than sing a pretty song, they had impacted lives. Mr. Won, my co-operating teacher, has a phrase he likes to say around the chorus room that I think fits perfectly into this story. He says, "We do not perform to impress, we sing to inspire." Such is the culture of the Freedom High School chorus program. These students do not need the accolades and the praise to know that what they are doing is pretty or good, they get that from their teachers. But what satisfies them more is knowing that their musical product can and does change lives.
Last Friday night was a life changing experience not just for the kids singing in the ensemble or the audience members in attendance, but for me, a choir nerd from Missouri who never ceases to be amazed by the raw talent and selflessness his students convey each and every day.
While receiving high markings at an important event such as this is great for the program and for the school, there was something about this evening of music making that was more significant to me. These students, all 154 of them, gave of themselves and gave their hearts to the performance of these pieces. While the audience consisted of mostly other choral students from the district and their parents, the students at Freedom felt that this music had a story worth conveying to this audience, and they did so in an inspirational manner.
At the end of the Patriot Singer's set, the top ensemble, the audience burst to their feet in a roar of applause because the ensemble had done more than sing a pretty song, they had impacted lives. Mr. Won, my co-operating teacher, has a phrase he likes to say around the chorus room that I think fits perfectly into this story. He says, "We do not perform to impress, we sing to inspire." Such is the culture of the Freedom High School chorus program. These students do not need the accolades and the praise to know that what they are doing is pretty or good, they get that from their teachers. But what satisfies them more is knowing that their musical product can and does change lives.
Last Friday night was a life changing experience not just for the kids singing in the ensemble or the audience members in attendance, but for me, a choir nerd from Missouri who never ceases to be amazed by the raw talent and selflessness his students convey each and every day.
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Surprise!
Today I received a daunting, albeit exciting, surprise. At the end of the day, my co-operating teacher, Mr. Wondemagegnehu (Mr. Won, for short), came up to me and said "alright, you gotta go be me." I thought he meant he needed me to go make some phone calls for go pick something up in preparation for our competition tomorrow. I was wrong! He continued to inform me that he had scheduled to do a clinic with a local middle school choir after school today without realizing that he had to be our school's musical rehearsal. Rather than rescheduling the clinic, he sent me in his place.
I was extremely nervous going into it, though I am not sure why. I have taught middle school choir before and knew, for the most part, what I was going to need to do. But something about not knowing the repertoire, not knowing the students or the teacher, and knowing that I was supposed to replace Mr. Won had me very intimidated.
I arrived at the school which is clearly from the early 70s and has not been updated since. When I reach the choir room, I am greeted by shouting children and I think to myself, "strap in; it's gonna be bumpy." I quickly found out that this group was the last class of the day and that the ensemble I would work with was coming as soon as the bell rang. When they arrived, the students were very attentive and polite, which made the situation much less uncomfortable for me. After hearing them sing through their two pieces, I began to "clinic," something I didn't feel extremely worthy of doing, yet had to do.
It was a spectacular experience. The ensemble was quite talented; very musical, expressive, sang with good tone, articulate vowels and consonants, etc. As I worked with them, I felt my nerves drift away as I realized that this was just like working with my high school students, only with a different sound coming back at me. I ended up having a blast and realized that not all middle school choirs have to sound or be treated like a middle school choir. I was touched when they asked me to come back some time to share more musical ideas with them. I can only hope that their teacher enjoyed it and appreciated as much as the kids did, and that they will continue to work on and apply some of the concepts I addressed. What a fun way to end the week, eh?
I was extremely nervous going into it, though I am not sure why. I have taught middle school choir before and knew, for the most part, what I was going to need to do. But something about not knowing the repertoire, not knowing the students or the teacher, and knowing that I was supposed to replace Mr. Won had me very intimidated.
I arrived at the school which is clearly from the early 70s and has not been updated since. When I reach the choir room, I am greeted by shouting children and I think to myself, "strap in; it's gonna be bumpy." I quickly found out that this group was the last class of the day and that the ensemble I would work with was coming as soon as the bell rang. When they arrived, the students were very attentive and polite, which made the situation much less uncomfortable for me. After hearing them sing through their two pieces, I began to "clinic," something I didn't feel extremely worthy of doing, yet had to do.
It was a spectacular experience. The ensemble was quite talented; very musical, expressive, sang with good tone, articulate vowels and consonants, etc. As I worked with them, I felt my nerves drift away as I realized that this was just like working with my high school students, only with a different sound coming back at me. I ended up having a blast and realized that not all middle school choirs have to sound or be treated like a middle school choir. I was touched when they asked me to come back some time to share more musical ideas with them. I can only hope that their teacher enjoyed it and appreciated as much as the kids did, and that they will continue to work on and apply some of the concepts I addressed. What a fun way to end the week, eh?
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Where is time going...?
I cannot believe how quickly time is going by. So much has happened in the last few weeks.
This past week, I spent one day observing at another local high school that has a stellar program going. It has been unreal seeing how strong the arts are in Florida. I have come to find that the funding and advocacy for the arts is huge here, more so than in any other state, for the most part.
Wednesday through Saturday, I was at the Southern Division ACDA conference in Winston-Salem, NC. It was an inspirational experience. I had the fortune of hearing some of the best choirs the South has to offer, networked with conductors, composers, teachers and singers from all over the country, and was reminded why I want to be a choral conductor. I enjoyed seeing my conductors from New Jersey who were headlining; Dr. Miller conducted the high school honor choir, which was stunning, Dr. Jordan gave a session on conducting, breath, and body mapping, and Lynnel Jenkins conducted the junior high honor choir, which was also outstanding. Seeing them quenched the bit of homesickness I had been experiencing for Westminster. The highlight of the concert, without question, was a concert by a professional choral ensemble called Seraphic Fire. They are truly one of the most outstanding ensemble I have ever had the pleasure to hear. Here is there website, for those interested: http://www.seraphicfire.org/ I would recommend listening to their music either on Spotify or YouTube; it will probably change your life. Also, Andrea Ramsey, a composer and music educator, gave a great session on the personal impact of singing in choir on students in 7-12 grade. She presented some wonderful research illustrating how important a vocal music experience is to the overall development of people as students and citizens. It reminded me of John Dewey's theory of Teacher as Social Servant, which is the foundation of my Philosophy of Teaching, so I was pretty stoked to sit in on this session.
This week, we have state competition for the top three ensembles. It is going to be crazy doing final preparations, but I think in the end the students will recognize how worth it it is. I am looking forward to hearing the other ensembles from other schools because this district is full of a lot of talent and skill. It is going to be a treat. I will also be having my second observation this week which should go smoothly.
The Vocal Jazz ensemble I started three weeks ago has already memorized one piece and is halfway through a second, so I find myself looking for new repertoire. Ideas? I came across a pretty great arrangement of Empire State of Mind by Alicia Keys while at this conference, and while it is not altogether "jazzy", I think they will really enjoy it and sing it well, so that is next on the docket.
Anyway, I will try to update more regularly. Hope this is providing a nice glimpse into life at Freedom High School!
This past week, I spent one day observing at another local high school that has a stellar program going. It has been unreal seeing how strong the arts are in Florida. I have come to find that the funding and advocacy for the arts is huge here, more so than in any other state, for the most part.
Wednesday through Saturday, I was at the Southern Division ACDA conference in Winston-Salem, NC. It was an inspirational experience. I had the fortune of hearing some of the best choirs the South has to offer, networked with conductors, composers, teachers and singers from all over the country, and was reminded why I want to be a choral conductor. I enjoyed seeing my conductors from New Jersey who were headlining; Dr. Miller conducted the high school honor choir, which was stunning, Dr. Jordan gave a session on conducting, breath, and body mapping, and Lynnel Jenkins conducted the junior high honor choir, which was also outstanding. Seeing them quenched the bit of homesickness I had been experiencing for Westminster. The highlight of the concert, without question, was a concert by a professional choral ensemble called Seraphic Fire. They are truly one of the most outstanding ensemble I have ever had the pleasure to hear. Here is there website, for those interested: http://www.seraphicfire.org/ I would recommend listening to their music either on Spotify or YouTube; it will probably change your life. Also, Andrea Ramsey, a composer and music educator, gave a great session on the personal impact of singing in choir on students in 7-12 grade. She presented some wonderful research illustrating how important a vocal music experience is to the overall development of people as students and citizens. It reminded me of John Dewey's theory of Teacher as Social Servant, which is the foundation of my Philosophy of Teaching, so I was pretty stoked to sit in on this session.
This week, we have state competition for the top three ensembles. It is going to be crazy doing final preparations, but I think in the end the students will recognize how worth it it is. I am looking forward to hearing the other ensembles from other schools because this district is full of a lot of talent and skill. It is going to be a treat. I will also be having my second observation this week which should go smoothly.
The Vocal Jazz ensemble I started three weeks ago has already memorized one piece and is halfway through a second, so I find myself looking for new repertoire. Ideas? I came across a pretty great arrangement of Empire State of Mind by Alicia Keys while at this conference, and while it is not altogether "jazzy", I think they will really enjoy it and sing it well, so that is next on the docket.
Anyway, I will try to update more regularly. Hope this is providing a nice glimpse into life at Freedom High School!
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Week 4
What a week it has been... and it's only Thursday. This week, my co-op and I have been splitting class time so that I do warm ups, sight singing and one piece for rehearsal and he would rehearse two other pieces. My personal goal for this week has been to focus on direct instruction in rehearsal so that we can accomplish more tasks in a more efficient manner and keep the rehearsal moving rather than leave it feeling like little was achieved. It has proven to be extremely successful and has made the pacing of the rehearsal much more energetic.
Two days ago in rehearsal, I saw one of my students with his phone out as if he were taking a picture of me while I was turning off the metronome, and when I asked him what he was doing he quickly put it away and looked concerned that I would take his phone from him. I let it go since he is not a student who typically has his phone out or is distracted in rehearsal. Then yesterday morning I get on the high school chorus Facebook page and found that a video had been posted of me... I press play and all of a sudden I was squashed by a huge boulder!!! At first I was concerned, but then I realized that it was done out of love and that they would never have wished such a fate for me. Just one example of how great my students are. Care to watch? Check it out on Facebook here: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=369453189748800
Today, I taught the entire day by myself. It went extremely well. My goal of using more direct instruction went extremely well, especially in the Varsity chorus and Patriot Singers. The most exciting part of the day was the voice lessons I got to teach. There are three sections of voice lesson classes and so I taught five different students throughout those classes. I have loved working one-on-one with students on their solo voice work because it challenges and stretches a different skill-set that I have not had the chance to use while at Westminster. The role has completely reversed from being a student who receives lessons on a weekly basis to now giving multiple lessons everyday. I love hearing from the students that something we discover together works well and is showing improvements for their voice.
It has been a great week and while I am excited for the weekend to see my students in their first concert, I am definitely bummed that it is the end of the week tomorrow.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Week 3...? Where has the time gone?
I cannot believe it is week 3 of student teaching already! The time has literally flown by. Let's play a bit of catch up. While there is much to mention, I will try to condense it and focus on writing more often from here on out...!
Week 1: I moved into my house and spent most of it filing music into my computer. I realized I have arguably too much choral music for a college student, but so it goes. My house is extremely nice and my roommates are very cool guys. Above are a couple of photos to illustrate this greatness. The first is my first Orlando sunset that I saw as I drove into the city at the end of a 15 hour drive... The second is shot of one of my neighbors... No big deal.
Week 2: I started teaching this week. I spent the first day mostly observing, getting a feel for how things work in this program, meeting all of the faculty and administrators, and starting to interact with the students. Right away I recognized how fortunate I was to be working with such a great program. The first period is All-School chorus which has already proven to be my most challenging course. This is the group of students who are not 100% interested or invested in being in choir but need a fine art credit. It has been exciting to come up with ways to get them excited about coming to choir first thing in the morning. One example is that we will be starting Katy Perry's "Firework" tomorrow in rehearsal as it is something they requested. We'll see how that goes. Second period is Junior Varsity Chorus. This ensemble is the next level up from all-school. They are extremely motivated and strive to be better everyday, which I thought would take a lot of work to instill, but they bring that attitude themselves. These kids clearly want to work hard so that they have a chance to be in Varsity chorus next year. Which leads to third period, Varsity Chorus. This is the first auditioned ensemble that is a phenomenal example of hard work, dedication, and musical prowess. The first time I heard them sing, I was inspired. Fourth period I teach a group piano class full of beginners. They mostly work through repertoire using the Alfred book for piano, but recently I have started teaching them lessons on scales so they can sharpen up their technique. Fifth period is my "planning" period, but typically I teach students voice lessons who want additional work vocally. Sixth and Seventh period are more voice lesson classes in which I teach which ever students who are eager private voice in about 20 minute segments. The last period, which is technically after the school day has ended, is Patriot Singers, the top ensemble of 40 singers that meets everyday. This is the group that originally inspired me to come to Freedom High School. This ensemble is breathtaking. Getting to work with them is the highlight of my day every single day. There you have a daily rundown. Typically, I hang out after school to work with students who may want assistance, help with the spring musical "Legally Blonde," or to work on lesson plans and practice my voice music.
That has been my life for the last three weeks. I won't drag this post on with tons of stories and details, but trust there are plenty to share. My co-workers are awesome, my students are inspirational, my roommates are great guys, and this entire experience so far has been beyond anything I could have envisioned! Here are some more pictures to give you a feel for the school and my new life! :)
The first is the front entrance of Freedom High School. The second is the sunrise the other morning as I walked into school... I could get used to this.
Week 2: I started teaching this week. I spent the first day mostly observing, getting a feel for how things work in this program, meeting all of the faculty and administrators, and starting to interact with the students. Right away I recognized how fortunate I was to be working with such a great program. The first period is All-School chorus which has already proven to be my most challenging course. This is the group of students who are not 100% interested or invested in being in choir but need a fine art credit. It has been exciting to come up with ways to get them excited about coming to choir first thing in the morning. One example is that we will be starting Katy Perry's "Firework" tomorrow in rehearsal as it is something they requested. We'll see how that goes. Second period is Junior Varsity Chorus. This ensemble is the next level up from all-school. They are extremely motivated and strive to be better everyday, which I thought would take a lot of work to instill, but they bring that attitude themselves. These kids clearly want to work hard so that they have a chance to be in Varsity chorus next year. Which leads to third period, Varsity Chorus. This is the first auditioned ensemble that is a phenomenal example of hard work, dedication, and musical prowess. The first time I heard them sing, I was inspired. Fourth period I teach a group piano class full of beginners. They mostly work through repertoire using the Alfred book for piano, but recently I have started teaching them lessons on scales so they can sharpen up their technique. Fifth period is my "planning" period, but typically I teach students voice lessons who want additional work vocally. Sixth and Seventh period are more voice lesson classes in which I teach which ever students who are eager private voice in about 20 minute segments. The last period, which is technically after the school day has ended, is Patriot Singers, the top ensemble of 40 singers that meets everyday. This is the group that originally inspired me to come to Freedom High School. This ensemble is breathtaking. Getting to work with them is the highlight of my day every single day. There you have a daily rundown. Typically, I hang out after school to work with students who may want assistance, help with the spring musical "Legally Blonde," or to work on lesson plans and practice my voice music.
That has been my life for the last three weeks. I won't drag this post on with tons of stories and details, but trust there are plenty to share. My co-workers are awesome, my students are inspirational, my roommates are great guys, and this entire experience so far has been beyond anything I could have envisioned! Here are some more pictures to give you a feel for the school and my new life! :)
Sunday, January 15, 2012
And we're off...
Tomorrow I head off to Orlando. I will be leaving at about 3:00 AM and driving for a good 17 hours... All of this after having just returned to Princeton from the Westminster Choir tour through the South. Tour was one of the most rewarding and beautiful experiences of my life, and I could not have asked for a better way to end my time with the Westminster Choir. The final concert was by far one of the most musically enriching experiences I have had. Along with that, saying goodbye to the choir was one of the hardest things I have done in my life. I have grown to truly love every member of the choir and it will be rough not singing and interacting with these people on a regular basis.
But with all of that said, I am moving on to what should be a completely different but equally rewarding experience. I have just over 1,000 miles to travel tomorrow before getting my fingerprints taken on Tuesday and then getting settled the rest of the week before beginning my first day next Monday.
I thought it would be nice to let you all experience a little bit of the program I will be working with. Here is a link to the choir's YouTube channel where you can enjoy several recordings of the amazing music these students have made recently: http://www.youtube.com/user/FHSChorusOrlando. This will give you a taste of the caliber of singing present at Freedom.
Just this week I found out some of the pieces we will be working on this semester with the choirs and I could not be more excited to get started. Among them are Jefferey Ames "For the Sake of Our Children" and the "Lacrimosa" from Mozart's Requiem, two pieces that have had the pleasure to sing at different points in my life. I am looking forward to now getting a chance to conduct these great works.
For now, I hope you all enjoy listening to selections from the choir. I cannot wait to start this journey in a few hours and will certainly keep everyone posted on how the trip goes. In just 24 hours I will be unloading at the K-Life house in the beautifully warm Orlando!
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