 Middle and Upper Elementary have been exploring Garageband on their iPads, learning how to record as well as program drums and synthesizers. It has been a blast seeing everyone's creative ideas. Lower Elementary has been practicing their rhyming skills, coming up with funny lyrics for "Down by the Bay" and "She'll be Comin' Round the Mountain."
Middle Schoolers have been working on research projects about their favorite musical artists. We have also been learning about text scores—a type of sheet music that uses descriptive text rather than precise pitches and rhythms to communicate ideas. High Schoolers gave some wonderful and informative presentations about musical artists they've been researching. We also learned a little bit about audio and the physics of sound using oscillators and oscilloscopes. – Tobias Banks, K-12 Performing Arts Teacher Spring Sing
Thank you to everyone who was able to join us for another fantastic celebration of music in our Spring Sing. We are grateful to Tobias Banks, our talented music teacher, who is able to encourage and support our budding musicians. It is even more remarkable how cohesive the musicians played together, noting that our elementary and middle school only have music one day per week. You can see remarkable growth in our high school music students who take music class as a full semester or year long elective. To all our participants, congratulations! Support Stanbridge's Fund-A-Need and enter to win incredible donation prizes. Are you still finalizing your plans for Stanbridge’s Spring Break April 14-18? Why not make a difference while entering for a chance to win an unforgettable getaway? Donate to our Spring Gala Fund-A-Need and you could win a five-night stay in South Lake Tahoe at the luxurious Marriott Timber Lodge! This spacious two-bedroom, two-bath villa offers the perfect home base for exploring the beauty of Lake Tahoe. Hike the scenic Mount Tallac Trail, visit Emerald Bay, or unwind at Carson Hot Springs. After a day of adventure, indulge in Mongolian-style cuisine at FiRE + iCE Grill and Bar, then relax in the resort’s modern fitness center, outdoor pool, whirlpool, and sauna. This incredible getaway is available from Sunday, April 13th, through Friday, April 18th. Looking for something closer to home? Treat your child and their friends to an action-packed afternoon at LaserMaxx in San Carlos! Use our gift certificate to create a Deluxe Party Package, which includes:
Other exciting prizes include:
Our Fund-A-Need this year will be raising funds for permanent shade structures in the high school and the elementary/middle school lunch courtyard. Those of you who attended the Spring Sing today, saw that we could REALLY use them! All funds raised at the gala this year will support this campus project. Stay Strong, Bulldogs! Julie Smith Head of School In the Elementary division, we have been learning about program music. Program music is instrumental music that tells a story without words. We listened to Smetana's "The Moldau," a piece for orchestra that follows the course of the river Moldau, depicting the scenery along the way. Together we heard a farmer's wedding party, a group of mermaids dancing under the moonlight, and some powerful river rapids! The Middle Schoolers are hard at work preparing their songs for the Spring Sing, coming up on March 21st! It's been very exciting seeing students who performed for the first time at the Winter concert continue to take on new musical challenges and step into the spotlight in new ways. High School has been working on their Garageband projects and preparing for the Spring Sing, as well. We've been exploring different styles of classical music, focusing this week on Minimalism. We learned how composer Steve Reich creates complex music based on simple ideas as we listened to and discussed his "Clapping Music" and "Piano Phase." – Tobias Banks, K-12 Performing Arts  This year, the focus of our Spring Gala fundraiser was Celebrating The Arts at Stanbridge… and we continue the celebration every day! As the Public Relations Support Intern, Senior Aaron Fong has observed both Music and Visual Art classes during 4th period Bridges Internships. His surveillance gives readers a sense of our comprehensive onsite Arts programming. Greetings! Music class at Stanbridge Academy allows students K-12 to express their individual emotions, tones, and creativity. Matt Robidoux’s Music class inspires students! It gives them the opportunity to learn how to read music, understand technique, and learn how to play musical instruments such as the drumset. Middle School (MS) is learning how to use hand drums as percussion, as well as understanding the variations of beats while playing a musical instrument. A special guest [Tim Russell, the Dance Department’s Music Director at University of Wisconsin, Madison] visited Stanbridge. The guest demonstrated an instrument that students found very interesting. It’s called the Suitcase Drum. The suitcase drum features a cymbal, a snare, tongos, and a cowbell. Students tried out the sound effects on the suitcase drum, which can be great for kids to try at home. Also, students listened and played along with the beat with the drumkit and the suitcase drum to provide rhythm. The students transitioned from playing the drums into the instrument of the week. The instrument was called the Mbira. The Mbira was classified by musicologists as an African musical instrument traditional to the people of Zimbabwe. The Mbira consists of a wooden board with a few keys to pluck on, which is a seventeen thumb piano. The Mbira was produced by ethno musicologists, who study music from different cultures all over the world. Students watched a presentation on Google Slides along with a video on Youtube about the Mbira. The Middle School students tried out the Mbira with their thumbs to pluck the keys for major and minor tones. The Middle School Topaz group I observed learned an interesting word: “Solfege”. Solfege tells the students about the syllables for music notes that can be used for a choir or any other performance -- Do, Re, Mi, Fa, So, La, Ti, and Do. Students sing along the Solfege with the assistance of Matt on guitar by using different keys using A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. After playing the Mbira, they learned about a musician named Moondog. Moondog is a person who dressed up as a viking and performed street music. Students sang out a quick song called “Do Your Thing”, a song from Moondog. They were handed out a music sheet to follow along with the lyrics. Aaron's interview with Matt Robidoux answered additional questions about music classes at Stanbridge Academy.
Q: Why is it important for schools to offer music?
A: I am a supporter of arts curriculum in schools - it helps so much with social/emotional learning, and solidifies mathematical and scientific concepts for students who engage in a musical practice. Music is also great for exercising gross and motor skills. Q: Why is it important for schools to offer instrument instruction? A: Learning a musical instrument provides a firm external structure with lots of room for creativity and personal growth. For example, at Stanbridge one can engage in music class in a number of ways depending on which instrument one chooses. Q: What are the cognitive thinking skills learned through music? A: Structured study of music has been proven to enhance language-based reasoning, short term memory, and planning skills. I have also seen it help students to learn more about themselves, or “come into their own” if you will. Q: What courses of study do you need to become a music teacher? A: Generally someone teaching music in a school has at least a [Bachelor of Arts] in music education and sometimes a teaching certificate. I would also say that teaching music happens in many ways; in community programs, via individual lessons instruction, and in ensemble settings. Q: What is your favorite part of being a teacher? A: Providing students with the tools to understand how music works and eventually be themselves, and engaging in something I am passionate about all day every day. In general, I enjoy being part of this wonderful Stanbridge community! |
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