One of the parents at St. Bernadette who has been very supportive of my efforts handed me a flyer from the Hamilton Spectator for the 2007 Brott Music Festival. If you haven't attended, visit www.brottmusic.com and go see something! We are very fortunate to have musicians of this calibre playing in our city.
On the back page of the flyer was an article entitled "An Education In Music". Here are some excerpts:
Brott Music thrills Burlington students
It was one of those make-or-break moments when all eyes in the room are on you. Dawn-Marie Filkin was up the challenge.
She was - with about one minute of training from one of the world's best - about to conduct a symphony orchestra.
For real. In front of her entire school.
The Holy Rosary Catholic Elementary Student had just begun violin lessons not too long ago and now found herself chosen at random by Maestro Boris Brott to take a try at waving the baton for the National Academy Orchestra.
"I was so happy to be picked to learn how to conduct," says Dawn-Marie. "It felt amazing."
Dawn-Marie conducted Fucik's Entrance of the Gladiators and received resounding cheers from her schoolmates. It was the crowning glory on a one-hour concert that enthralled the 450 students gathered in the school gym on June 7.
"Boris' and the National Academy's enthusiasm captivated us," says Holy Rosary principal Mary Tessari.
The concert was just in time to celebrate the inauguration of a new instrumental music program at Holy Rosary in Autumn 2007.
Since 1999, Holy Rosary students have been among the 150,000 schoolchildren who have attended Brott Music Education concerts every fall at Hamilton Place. Principal Tessari says those concerts are essential to any student's experience of music.
"Music encourages self-expression and self confidence in young children," she says. "Boris Brott and the National Academy Orchestra allow students to listen to the various sections of the orchestra. Our student [sic] are now very excited about choosing to play an instrument from trombone to drums, to flute and saxophone!"
Brott, who is also Principal Family & Education Conductor with the National Arts Centre in Ottawa is legendary for his one-hour introductions to the orchestra which mix music, art, visuals, film, and dance.
...
This fall, the Brott Music Festival presents Trick Or Treat to a Wicked Beat (Oct. 30) and The Inuit: Hear Our Story, Hear Our Song (Nov. 29). Tickets are only $5 per person. Teachers may book estimate class numbers any time over the summer.
For more information, call 905.525.SONG or email education@brottmusic.com
This would be a fantastic field trip: http://www.brottmusic.com/concert_education.asp. You may still be able to get individual tickets for your children. If you're a St. Bernadette parent interested in having your child attend, please leave a comment on this blog!
Friday, July 06, 2007
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Why go to all this trouble?
If you've read my introductory post, I'm sure the suspense is killing you. What were the results from the survey? What other junk did you find in your kids' backpacks?
Before I get to that, I am pleased to announce: the blogosphere has just come alive with relevant posts!
If you're reading this, I expect the arguments presented in the links above are nothing new. You already know that music is good for the social, cultural, spiritual, emotional and intellectual health of your child. Nevertheless, there is one other very important reason for having a band class, that is often overlooked in "Music Makes You Smarter" articles: IT'S FUN!
Now I'm not suggesting that education must always be fun. On the contrary, I credit much of my own schooling for preparing me for the stupefying boredom of adulthood. :-) So, when an activity is as much fun as band, and when it is part of the mandated curriculum...well...why wouldn't you want a band program at your school?
Before I get to that, I am pleased to announce: the blogosphere has just come alive with relevant posts!
- HorseSense or Nonsense?
- Stephen Shore writes about teaching music to kids with autism.
- This Is Your Brain On Music.
- This post from Just Above Sunset is a bit long, but it's really worth the read. If Michael Dana Gioia is "a tad naive" then I am in big trouble here!
If you're reading this, I expect the arguments presented in the links above are nothing new. You already know that music is good for the social, cultural, spiritual, emotional and intellectual health of your child. Nevertheless, there is one other very important reason for having a band class, that is often overlooked in "Music Makes You Smarter" articles: IT'S FUN!
Now I'm not suggesting that education must always be fun. On the contrary, I credit much of my own schooling for preparing me for the stupefying boredom of adulthood. :-) So, when an activity is as much fun as band, and when it is part of the mandated curriculum...well...why wouldn't you want a band program at your school?
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Let's take it from the top...
I've had this blogger account for a year now, and was wondering what to do with it. This week I had a sudden inspiration: I would document my efforts to enhance the music life at my kids' elementary school!
This 'blog is for parents interested in starting an instrumental music program at St. Bernadette Elementary School in Dundas, Ontario. I hope it will also be useful to any parents involved with similar efforts at their children's schools.
When my oldest child was preparing to enter Junior Kindergarten, I was excited by a program that the HWCDSB offered at the time: in-school piano lessons. Sadly, the board cancelled this program just around the time we were signing my daughter up.
I decided to join the Catholic School Council to learn more about how these decisions are made. I served as Treasurer that year and discovered a very generous, caring community. I was also fortunate to work with two fine principals: Mr. T (not the guy from the A-Team and Rocky III) and Mrs. A.
Mr. T brought me to a council meeting at his previous school (Holy Name of Mary in Ancaster). I was overwhelmed by an enthusiastic group of parents, who were all working hard to get a program started at their school. They had commitment from the parent community and the new principal. They had funding set aside for purchase or rental of instruments and equipment. I was fired up to bring this energy back to my kids' school.
I thought the first thing to do would be to survey the parent community. I wasn't sure if there was sufficient interest in a music program at the school. In May 2005, I prepared a one page sheet to go home with the students. The council thought it would be best to wait until September to avoid pre-summer sensory overload. I couldn't argue with that, knowing how many forms I have to dig out of the kids' knapsacks!
This 'blog is for parents interested in starting an instrumental music program at St. Bernadette Elementary School in Dundas, Ontario. I hope it will also be useful to any parents involved with similar efforts at their children's schools.
When my oldest child was preparing to enter Junior Kindergarten, I was excited by a program that the HWCDSB offered at the time: in-school piano lessons. Sadly, the board cancelled this program just around the time we were signing my daughter up.
I decided to join the Catholic School Council to learn more about how these decisions are made. I served as Treasurer that year and discovered a very generous, caring community. I was also fortunate to work with two fine principals: Mr. T (not the guy from the A-Team and Rocky III) and Mrs. A.
Mr. T brought me to a council meeting at his previous school (Holy Name of Mary in Ancaster). I was overwhelmed by an enthusiastic group of parents, who were all working hard to get a program started at their school. They had commitment from the parent community and the new principal. They had funding set aside for purchase or rental of instruments and equipment. I was fired up to bring this energy back to my kids' school.
I thought the first thing to do would be to survey the parent community. I wasn't sure if there was sufficient interest in a music program at the school. In May 2005, I prepared a one page sheet to go home with the students. The council thought it would be best to wait until September to avoid pre-summer sensory overload. I couldn't argue with that, knowing how many forms I have to dig out of the kids' knapsacks!
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