Community MusicWorks Blog
June 03, 2014
Things
have been busy at the Daily Orchestra Program! From learning the story
of Johann Sebastian Bach’s life (in three action-packed installments,
complete with cliffhangers) to performing two concerts, our students
have had no shortage of things to do and music to learn! As usual they
have been embracing it all with enthusiasm, and as we draw closer and
closer to the end of the school year the fruits of their hard work are
starting to show themselves in exciting ways.
We
spent much of this semester preparing a full program of music,
including four short pieces. The first-year Britten Orchestra worked
hard to improve their bow holds and instrument posture and showed off
their ease of playing their open strings with the boot-tapping favorite
“Tuning Hoe Down.” Meanwhile, the second-year Beethoven Orchestra
learned some new, more advanced left-hand finger patterns in order to
play a pizzicato bass line for the D-jam Blues (our rendition of Duke
Ellington’s C-jam Blues). This meant that the Beethovens actually filled
in the role Adrienne Taylor played for them last year, while the
Brittens took over for the Beethovens. We also added to the program a
cute song referencing the Grimm’s Fairy Tale “The Elves and the
Shoemaker,” and last but not least the classic theme from the William
Tell Overture by Rossini.
We
were lucky enough to have two opportunities to perform our repertoire.
On the last day before spring break we turned our room at Federal Hill
House into an auditorium and presented to families and staff members a
full half-hour of music, complete with solo performances! There were
feelings of pride and happiness emanating from all corners of the room,
and we sent everyone off for spring break feeling victorious!
After
spring break we returned to perform the same program again (just like a
professional orchestra might do!) at a special event for the Olneyville
Housing Corporation. Our students were calm and poised in the face of
flashing cameras and chatting event-goers, and their families, anxious
not to miss a single moment of the performance, crowded the stage and
filled the air with support and cheers after each number.
Now
we are in the final stretch to the end of the year, and we are working
on some exciting projects. We’re also learning about the life of Ludwig
van Beethoven, while we learn to sing and play his famous melody Ode to Joy.
-- Lisa Barksdale
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