Week 8: Practicing for Our Performance

This week our kindergartners began practicing for their upcoming November 10th concert, which will feature the work they've been doing in their violin, general music and Humanities classes.  They are very excited about this concert because it acts as a rite of passage to playing the real violin.

I don't have much to add in the way of interesting pedagogical tips, other than the students love when I ask them to shout out in a Texas cowboy drawl:  "Look, mom and dad!  Here's my one-armed bow hold."  Then they proceed by putting one hand behind their back as they pick up the bow with the other and place their fingers in the right order and position:

1. Thumb!
2. Middle!
3. Ring!
4. Pointer!
5. Pinkie perched on top!

As I hear anecdotes from parents, students and teachers concerning this violin program, I'm reminded again and again how important it is for every child to have the arts as part of his or her public education.

• A mom shared with the kindergarten teacher that her son had been practicing bow hold with a stick over the weekend.  
• A child-care provider noticed one of our students making Mr. Fox with his bow hand during his free-time
• A student came up to me in the hall to tell me that he dreamed about playing violin.
• Another parent shared that when she asks her son what was his favorite part of the day, he consistently responds,"Violin!"

With that said, I'd like to leave you with a YouTube video that Shelley Toon Hight, an incredible visual artist whom I had the pleasure to teach alongside, shared during last summer's Juneau Art Institute for public school teachers and administrators.  The video is called "Art, I Want You" and reminds me why the arts should be a right of every child.

Week 7: Twinkle, Twinkle and Up Like a Rocket!

Glacier Valley Kindergartners Practice Bow Hold with "Up Like a Rocket" Exercise

Before the Abreu Fellowship ended last June, Katie Wyatt of KidzNotes shared with me all of her Suzuki tips and exercises for young children.  One of them focused on building bow hold strength while maintaining correct hand position.  Here it is:

UP LIKE A ROCKET (sung to Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star)

Up like a rocket           (lift bow above head)
Down like the rain        (lower frog to belly button)
Back and forth            (move bow side to side)
Like a choo-choo train  

'Round and 'round         (circle bow around your head) 
Like a great big sun
Tap your head             (tap frog on your head)
Bumpy thumb              (show your thumb knuckle out)
Pinkie push-ups, 1,2,3     (tap your pinkie on bow 3 times)
Bow to your side,          (rest bow on shoulder)
Now watch me.            (watch to take a bow)


This week we put bow to paper violin by playing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.  To help support a continual "up, down" bow direction, we adapted Shelley Gill's Twinkle, Twinkle Northern Lights from her book The Alaska Mother Goose and created our own Alaskan version.  Here it is:

An Alaskan Twinkle
Twinkle, twinkle little starlight
Sparkling in the arctic clear night
Up above the mountain ridgeline
Blue-green ribbons dance with spruce pine
Twinkle, twinkle little starlight
Sparkling in the arctic clear night

Right now the kindergartners are singing the bow direction "down, up" rather than the lyrics, but our hope is to invite the audience to sing along with them as part of their finale piece for the concert. Here is a short video clip of the students "playing" Twinkle, Twinkle with Mr. Xia.  You see their kindergarten teacher, Miss Hickman, moving through the group helping individual students make adjustments.  I can't emphasize enough hoe important the collaboration between classroom teacher, music teacher and community artist has been to the success of our program.

One question I have for folks out there using paper violins as a pedagogical component of their strings program is, "Does theis process help students stick with the important, but oftentimes boring, steps needed to master bow and violin holding positions?

My initial thoughts are "Yes."  Each week the students see progress as we add another piece to their paper violin, which logically corresponds to a skill they mastered.  They seem willing to stay the course knowing that with each new skill, they are getting that much closer to the real thing.  I don't know if they'd have the same attitude and patience if the violin was handed to them the first day.  They might expect to be able to play right away and then become frustrated with the process when our eager kindergartners learn the realities behind playing an instrument.   Any thoughts out there?

Week 6: Peer Mentoring Begins at an Early Age

Ongo, one of Mr. Xia's "teaching assistants," helps MacKenzie with her bow hold

One of El Sistema's principles is "Place trust in our youth." In the nucleos throughout Venezuela, children are encouraged to become peer mentors at an early age.  Students take their responsibilities as class leaders and teachers quite seriously, and it's incredible to watch the respectful interaction that occurs when they are given the opportunity to help a fellow classmate.

As an El Sistema-inspired initiative, JAMM also supports peer mentoring at an early age.  We had our first opportunity this week continuing our work with the bow hold.  Mr. Xia explained that the bow hold is probably the most difficult skill to master - some will pick it up more quickly than others, but it's important that everyone learn it correctly.  The "perched pinkie" and bent thumb were usually the two culprits as Mr. Xia and I quickly traveled around the room checking each student's bow hold.  We are still using dowel rods as bows, but have added the BowMaster bow grip to help with finger placement.  Xia found them at a discounted price and plans to use them for the kindergartners' bows when they move to their real violins in early November.

As students "passed off" on their bow hold, they were promoted to teaching assistants who could travel throughout the room to help their classmates.  There was an excitement in the room as more students worked diligently at their bow hold to become an assistant while others enjoyed the undivided attention of one of their teaching classmates. 

This week also marked the last addition of parts to the paper violin:  strings and tailpiece!  Now we can begin rehearsing for our Paper Violin concert scheduled for the second week in November by putting bow to strings.  The song we practiced this week:  The Wheels on the Bus.  I watched the staff of La Rinconada use this song to build bow handling skills in the documentary, El Sistema.  I've also since learned that this song is used by many Suzuki teachers.  Here are the verses we plan to include and practiced this week:

1. Wheels on the bus go 'round and 'round (bow circles the face)
2. Windows on the bus go up and down (move frog above head and then back down to stomach)
3. People on the bus go in and out (move bow toward and then away from body)
4. Wipers on the bus go swish, swish, swish (rock bow back and forth like wipers using index and pinkie to push)
5. Doors on the bus open and close (place bow on strings, bow away from body using only elbow and then bow towards ear)
6. Horn on the bus goes beep, beep, beep (tap bow on strings for each "beep")

The kindergartners' favorite is the last verse, although you'd never guess with such intense concentration on their faces:

(left to right) Deep in concentration, kindergartners rehearse Wheels on the Bus for their upcoming concert

Building Attention and Focus through Movement

Glacier Valley Kindergartners and 1st Graders "Flock" to Help Build Focus Skills through Movement

Glacier Valley Elementary School values collaboration among its staff and parents.  I am very fortunate to work with teachers who enjoy team teaching and integrating the arts across the curriculum.  In particular, the P.E. teacher, librarian and counselor often combine their classes on Fridays with the music classes to create a class called Humanities.  We began this class several years ago with the intermediate grades, which helped build community among all of the classes, as well as allow all four specialists to team and learn from each other. Topics covered during Humanities class include dancing, cooperative games, visual arts, conflict resolution and guest speakers from our community. 

This year we expanded our Humanities class to the Kindergarten and K/1 multi-age classes.  I think everyone thought we were crazy to try this with over 80 young students in the gym, but as you will see in the video clip below, it can be done!  The incredible teachers who make it happen are:

• Rod Crist - Counselor
• Susan Denton - Physical Education teacher
• Susan Sielbach - Librarian and Arts Integration Specialist

This video documents an activity called "Flocking" which we learned from a dear friend and teaching artist, Ryan Conarro.  Ryan has worked with many of our teachers to integrate drama into the core curriculum, as well as directed the production of Tides and Tempest - a play that our 4th & 5th graders performed at the Kennedy Center when we won their National Creative Ticket award (given to only five schools in the nation each year).

Flocking is an incredible way to help build focus, attention, teamwork and eye-hand coordination through movement and supports the work we are doing with our kindergartners in their JAMM violin program.   Flocking is a technique in which a group moves in no set pattern or formation, but all perform the same movements simultaneously.   We describe the concept to the students as a flock of birds following the movements of its leader.  As we progress, students take on that lead role and can then pass the movement off to another student who is at the back or on either side of the "flock."  We haven't gotten that far in Humanities with our little ones, but Susie, Rod, Susan and I have begun passing off the lead position to each other and added scarves.  It's beautiful to watch.  Enjoy!

Thank you, Rod, Susan and Susie.  I look forward to our Humanities classes each Friday and learn so much from working with you!

Weeks 4 & 5: Making Bow Hold Exercises Interesting

Mrs. Steininger's Class Show "Mr. Fox" Bow Hold While Holding Their Violins

How do you make bow hold exercises engaging for children so that they'll practice them on their own?  Turn them into a story!

Storytelling is a very effective teaching strategy.  I witnessed Gustavo Dudamel use storytelling to help connect members of the National Youth Orchestra of Venezuela to a difficult passage that they were rehearsing in Mahler's Symphony No. 1 .  After hearing his story, the difference in their expressiveness was incredible.

The story I developed to help teach bow hold certainly is no masterpiece, but it draws attention to the important elements, especially those that students may overlook or find challenging.  

Here's the process of how our story evolved for bow hold:

Step 1:  Xia GuoHua shows me what the first step to a bow hold position looks like, emphasizing how difficult it is for kids to keep their thumb bent (see photo).  Then I imagine what it could become in a child's imagination.  I saw a fox!  Fortunately, there is an American folksong called Fox Went Out a Chilly Night that has many verses which translates into many opportunities for students to practice their bow hold position!

Step 2:  To introduce the hand position, I sing Fox Went Out a Chilly Night to the class.  Before doing so, I show them how to make a fox with their hand, specifically focusing on the position of the thumb, which now becomes the fox's jaw jutting out so that he can bring back enough kill to feed his family, "eight, nine ten."  His mouth also makes an "O" which the students will hear in the refrain of the song.

Here's the first verse:

The fox went out on a chilly night,
He prayed for the moon to give him light,
For he'd many miles to go that night,
Before he reached the town-o, town-o, town-o
He'd many miles to go that night,
Before he reached the town-o.
(For the rest of the lyrics)

Each time we sang "town-o" the students opened the fox's mouth, making sure his jaw made the "O" shape.  During the song, Mr. Xia moved throughout the group using a black marker to draw a line on each child's thumb and middle finger for exact placement of the "fox's mouth."  This was their first experience with bow hold position.  Instead of making it a rote exercise with no connection, we activated their imaginations: a fox with a song to accompany him! 

Step 3:   Xia would now like them to practice placing a pencil directly on the black line of the middle finger and then move thumb off and on the pencil several times, checking to be sure that the joint is bent.  Have them do this several times!  Arghh!! How are we going to make this interesting?

Answer:  Create a commercial for Mom or Dad, which we practiced over and over again to our young musicians' delight!  Here's the script:

• The pencil became a bone (which came from the last verse of the song - "and the little ones chewed on the bones-o."
• The student taps the pencil or "bone" against the line on his or her middle finger 16 times (to support rote counting beyond 10 in their classroom). At that point, the bone stays glued to the middle finger and the child exclaims, "It's not nice to tease Mr. Fox.  Let him have his bone."  And then the "fox gnaws on his bone" 16 times using his thumb lifting on and off the pencil.  
• If the thumb joint is not extended, the child points to Mr. Fox and says, "Behave, Mr. Fox" and corrects their thumb position.
• If the thumb joint is correctly bent, the child says, "Take a bow, Mr. Fox."

Step 4:  Mr. Xia would like our kindergartners to place the remaining fingers (in a specific order) on the pencil.  Again, creating a story helped make it meaningful for kids.  I explained that once the fox had his bone he needed to head home quickly to feed the rest of his family, so ....

1. He clamps down on the bone with his other tooth (ring finger)
2. Then he points ahead toward the direction home  (index finger)
3. And, he keeps one ear perked, in case the farmer follows him (pinkie on top of pencil)

Kim Poole, who volunteers in the classroom, wrote this rhyme to help the kids remember the order:

The fox taught me how to hold my bow
He clamps it in his jaw just like so
He adds another tooth so it won't be loose
My pointer goes up toward the head of the goose
My pinkie curls up to make an ear
So if the farmer's coming he can hear

Step 6:  They are ready to move on to their dowel rod bows!  (see photo below)

Other exciting news this week:  we've added fingerboards and bridges to the paper violins.  We're almost there!

Jamal proudly models his bow hold!

Drumming as Part of the Curriculum

Kindergartners and 1st graders from Mrs. Peters' class pose with their drums donated by Remo and World Music Drumming

Thanks to the generous support of Remo Belli of Remo Drums and Will Schmid of World Music Drumming, JAMM was gifted enough drums to outfit an entire classroom of students. World Music Drumming embraces many of the principles of El Sistema, including group ensemble, use of complex repertoire and folk music from the Americas and joyful music-making.

This past summer I attended three World Music Drumming workshops while making my way back to Juneau. They included Drumming Up the Fun for 3 - 8 year old children, Kids Choir and Drums and Level 2 Drumming. All of the workshops gave me skills, strategies and lesson ideas to meaningfully integrate drumming into the music and school curriculum.

When students entered the music room this year, colorful drums lined the walls. We started out the year drumming to help build ensemble skills, introduce complementary rhythm patterns and reinforce active listening, while focusing on the lead drummer. Although I have drummed with my students in the past, this year was the first time I tried it with kindergartners and it was incredible to watch!

I use a strategy, I term "Levels." Each time the class accomplishes a skill, we move on to the next skill level. The important note here is that they must still maintain all of the previous skills mastered. In one 40-minute kindergarten class, the students reached Level 12!

Here's the process:

• Level 1: Strong standing position (hands are initially behind their backs so they aren't tempted to hit the drums at random)
  
• Level 2: Echoing the lyrics to a song (you first need to know how to sing the song before you can accompany it on the drums)
  
• Level 3: Enunciating the lyrics (aka "Vegetable Mouth" - "words are much more exciting when you say them like crunchy vegetables in your mouth")
  
• Level 4: Smiling while saying the lyrics
  
• Level 5: Mouthing the words while teacher sings
  
• Level 6: Singing the lyrics
  
• Level 7: Sitting at the drum: edge of seat, flat feet, straight back and hands on your knees
• Level 8: Clapping the last note of my drum rhythm (which signals stop) while I chant it
  
• Level 9: Clapping the last note of my drum rhythm while I play it on the drum
  
• Level 10: Placing that last note of my drum rhythm as a low tone on the middle of the drumming and "freezing."
• Level 11: Practicing steady beat (not easy for these little guys!)
  
• Level 12: Playing your own rhythms, but stopping together on the drum signal
  

After each skill, I announce, "Take a bow, you have reached Level __ in drumming." From singing to holding a steady beat, the class is determined to reach higher levels of skill mastery. By the end of the lesson, they had reached Level 12. These levels are not written in stone and are often created as the lesson evolves, which is why I sometimes forget the corresponding number (you'll see this in the video below). The students are pretty good at keeping tally. In the video, I've documented the Levels process in an edited version.  Also take note of the tremendous focus, control, eye-hand coordination and delayed gratification of these young musicians, as well as their pride and joy.

Week 3: Repetition Done Kinder Style

The JAMM violin program continues to focus on areas of control, focus and practice of fine and gross motor skills. Arctic Carpet's donation of 30 carpet squares helped define our "stage" and reinforce for our kindergartners the concept of performance. We certainly recommend them. Thank you, Arctic Carpet!

The video below gives a brief summary of our first three weeks, highlighting how we practiced the same skills over and over again, but delivered them in a variety of ways to keep them interesting.

Thank you, Kim Poole, for volunteering regularly in our JAMM classes. She provided much of the videotape you'll see in this clip. Kim recently won a seat for the Juneau School District School Board. Congratulations, Kim!

Week 2: Standing/Holding Positions & Making Bows

This week we split the classes in half so that Mr. Xia could work more closely with students to help them master their violin standing and holding positions.  The other half spent their session in the classroom with the kindergarten teacher making their violin bows. The class came together on the last day to "pass off" on their stances, "take a bow" for reaching Level 6 and celebrate the fact that they're ready to receive their paper violins next week.
Bow Making Process (30 minutes):

1. An adult cuts hard wood dowel rods (3/8 x 48 inches) in half - enough for each child to have one.
2. Children do the rest:  Cover the dowel rods completely with beeswax to fill in niches.
3. Sand the dowel rod with medium grit and finish with a finer grade.  
4. Test to be sure there's no remaining beeswax residue by rubbing a dark cloth over the dowel rod.  If it sticks or leaves a residue, keep sanding until it's nice and smooth.  

So how do you make violin standing and holding positions engaging for a kindergartner so that they'll repeat and practice it at home?  Turn it into a Superhero Stance!   Ashiya, Nakia and Jarrell demonstrated each step below with a poem to help them remember:

"Like a hero standing tall,
Victorious, ready, proud and strong.
Yes! Button by shoulder, chin to side
Lift my arm up, I'm ready to fly."

Position 1:  "Like a Hero Standing Tall" (Feet Together)

Position 2:  "Victorious" (Feet in a "V" Shape)

Position 3:  "Ready" (Left Foot Forward)

Position 4:  "Proud and ..." (Head Up)

Position 5:  "Strong."  (Left Arm Out Showing Your Muscles)

Position 6:  "Yes!" (Elbow Inward above Stomach)

Position 7:  "Button by Shoulder, Chin to the Side" (Button Placed on Side of Neck with Chin on Chin Rest)

Position 8:  "Raise My Arm Up, I'm Ready to Fly ." (Lift Up Arm & Hold Position)

Congratulations, You've Reached Level 8 in Violin!  Take a Bow!

Week 1: Setting the Stage for Our Kinder Musicians

Tazer and Mr. Xia play Dvorak's Humoresque for Glacier Valley kindergartners

How do you inspire a kindergartner to play violin and persevere through those initial squeaks and squawks?  Answer:  Invite Tazer to perform!  Tazer (photo above) started playing at age five, but now has two years of violin lessons under his belt.  Now how do you inspire a parent to persevere through those same squawks?  Answer:  Invite David, a high school student who started playing at age five, to immediately follow Tazer.   Both are students of Mr. Xia. 

In a span of five minutes, our kindergartners and their families witnessed the tremendous musical growth, stage presence and maturity that can occur when a child receives consistent musical support throughout his or her school years.

That is how Glacier Valley Elementary School kicked off its first week of JAMM, along with two evenings of "paper violin" building for kindergartners and their families.  The paper orchestra project comes directly from the Venezuelan free music education program, El Sistema, which has served over 1 million children.  There, children and families hand craft paper string instruments so that young learners can develop respect, care and discipline for their instruments while also building basic musicianship skills, such as singing.  Thank you Josbel Puche and Veronice Useche, both teachers at  La Rinconada Nucleo in Caracas, for sharing this project with me and so many others. 

Our JAMM event had an incredible turn-out both nights.  Families from two of the four kindergarten classes were encouraged to come one night so that they'd have the opportunity to mix and mingle with parents and kids from their child's class.  The other two classes came the following night.  Two major supporters of the JAMM program attended as well:  Paul Douglas from the Douglas-Dornan Foundation and Sally Rue from the Association of Alaska School Boards.  Each were presented with a completed paper violin (see photo below).

Kindergarten teachers, Kaye Peters and JoAnn Steininger, pose with Paul Douglas of the Douglas-Dornan Foundation holding his Paper Violin (photo by Ryan Aguilar)

Sally Rue noted that the kindergartners at her table easily identified all of the parts to her paper violin, which the students learned in their first week of violin classes.  Thank you, Lisa Miles, Juneau Suzuki teacher, for sharing your lyrics "Parts of a Violin" which is sung to Lightly Row, a Suzuki piece in Book 1.  During this event, kindergartners also sang "Five Little Monkeys" with their arms held high above their heads to show their parents how they are building upper body strength through song and finger play in preparation for holding their real violin.  Their favorite part of the song is at the end when the alligator misses the last monkey.  They all sing, "Miss me, miss me, now you gotta kiss me."

Kindergartners sing "Five Little Monkeys" (photo by Michael Penn)

For those students whose families couldn't attend, some of our Glacier Valley 5th graders became a kinder buddy and together built the violin during the school day.

Kaden helps his kinder buddy finish her paper violin

Thank you Tazer, Alexander and David for inspiring our 65 kindergartners and their families with your beautiful playing!  For more details about our paper violin building event, check out this front page article from The Juneau Empire:  Unique music program spreads to Juneau starting with paper violins.

Ashiya carries her violin over to the table to dry (photo by Michael Penn)

Paper Violin Process: A Venezuelan, Scottish & Alaskan Blend

Glacier Valley Teachers, Susie Denton and Susan Sielbach, Refine Paper Violin Process

One way to help realize Dr. Abreu's wish of bringing El Sistema initiatives to the US and the rest of the world is to document and share what we do.  The Paper Orchestra is just such an example.  As I mentioned in my last posting, the teachers at La Rinconada Nucleo generously shared how and why they developed the paper orchestra.  When I traveled to Stirling for a month last spring to intern at Sistema Scotland's Big Noise program,  Jennifer Nicholson, a violin teacher there, shared how Big Noise had adapted the paper orchestra process to meet their needs.  Now back in Alaska, we are also adapting the process to respond to time constraints and available materials.  We'd like to pass the gift along. 

Here's the process:  A Blending of Ideas Venezuelan, Scottish and Alaskan Style

We used the same cardboard construction process as our friends in Scotland, but rather than cover the violin with copper wrapping paper, we covered our cardboard with recycled brown packing paper dipped in a glue, paint and glaze mix.   This concoction came from the creative and collective minds of Glacier Valley teachers, Susie Denton and Susan Sielbach.  Together they created a mixture that gives a beautiful golden wood-like hue to our paper violins.  For thirty 1/4-size cardboard violins you'll need to mix together (approximately) 8 cups glue, 4 cups water, 1/2 cup brown tempera paint and 2 oz. of bronze glaze. 

All of the following pieces were precut, so that families could tape together the main violin pieces and cover the violin body and neck in the paint  mixture within an hour's time. 

Step1:  Your template depends on the size of violin.  We made 1/4-size violins.  Measure and trace the violin you'll be using.  Big Noise Tip:  Make sure that the cardboard strips are cut with the corrugation going vertically.  Also loosen or bend the strips along the edge of a table before taping so that they can conform easily to the curves of the violin. 

Step 2:  The traced violin body is on a folded piece of paper.  The crown piece at the bottom right-hand corner covers the neck (with the crown point connecting to the back of the violin body. 

Step 3:  With Step 2 pieces cut-out and violin taped, you're ready for the painting process!

Step 4:  Strips are dipped in the glue/paint mixture and molded along the violin edges.  Big Noise Tip:  You may need to clip along edges of overlap for a clean fit.

Step 5:  To make sure that your violin body cut-out doesn't tear, we recommend painting directly on the top of the cardboard violin, then place body cut-out and then paint over it.  Repeat the same process for the back.  Then let it dry.

Step 6:  What would we do without duct tape! 

Step 7:  After the violin has dried, you can begin adding parts.  We added parts as kindergartners mastered certain skills.  For example, once they learned the violin standing positions, they received the paper violin with a chin rest.  Big Noise Tip:  The recyclable apple containers make great chin rests.  We painted ours with black tempera paint and used duct tape.  Little pieces of cardboard are glued under the tailpiece and fingerboard to give it a lift.

Step 8:  Each week, a new piece is added to make meaningful connections to learning and skill level.

Step 9:  Final product!   Have an adult string the instrument.   Big Noise Tip:  Use an open-eye needle to string the holes made by a bookmaker's awl (or thumb tack) for the bridge and tailpiece.

Thank you, Josbel Puche and Veronica Useche of La Rinconada in Caracas, as well as Jennifer Nicholsen and Alan Govias of Big Noise Sistema Scotland for sharing your paper orchestra with us!  I also want to thank Susan Sielbach and Susie Denton, my teaching partners at Glacier Valley Elementary School, for giving this process an Alaskan twist!

YOLA at HOLA Teacher Training in LA

Who said living in Alaska would be difficult to stay connected to the El Sistema USA network!  Certainly not Gretchen Nielsen, Director of Educational Initiative of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and graduate Abreu Fellows, Christine Witkowski and Dan Berkowitz (see photo).

They invited me to participate in their teacher training for the Los Angeles Philharmonic's second El Sistema-inspired program:  Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA).  Christine is now the Project Manager of this program and Dan is the Project Manager of Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles (YOLA).  HOLA and Juneau, Alaska Music Matters (JAMM) are launching similar programs:  violin for its youngest participants and band instruments for its older students.

The goals of the training included:

1. Building community among staff through making music together
2. Developing HOLA goals and objectives for year one
3. Creating a shared teaching philosophy as it relates to El Sistema principles. 
4. Providing teacher training for newly purchased World Music Drums and curriculum
5. Developing a unified vision of classroom agreements and expectations 

It was an ambitious plan for four days, but we did it with time to weave music making, sharing and performing throughout.   We began the first day of training sharing a favorite quote about education, learning and/or leadership and ended on the last day with a drumming performance outside the HOLA building, which will soon house the newly El Sistema-inspired music program!  We have plans to keep our kids connected through shared repertoire, as well as pen pals and Skype.  HOLA has an incredibly talented, experienced and passionate teaching staff.  Thank you Dan, Christine, Gretchen, Brandon, Blake, Bruce, Claire, Emily and Nikki for inviting me in.  I came home to Juneau feeling like an extended part of the YOLA at HOLA family and equipped with more ideas and tools to begin JAMM at Glacier Valley Elementary School. 

Here's the quote from Socrates, which I shared on our first day:  "Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel" 

Kindergarten Teachers Get Their First Violin Lesson

Xia GuoHua gives Glacier Valley kindergarten teachers their first violin lesson

In my last posting, I detailed our first violin donation by recent Juneau Douglas High School graduate, Kyle Kahklen, who was inspired by the work of El Sistema after watching the documentary. His donation of a full-size violin was put to use the next day when JAMM's violin instructor, Xia GuoHua, gave a 1-hour violin lesson to Glacier Valley Elementary School's four kindergarten teachers: Carly Hickmann, Kaye Peters, JoAnn Steininger and Tia Vreeland.

After sharing his approach and goals for the kindergarten violin classes, Xia taught the basics to our teachers including violin, bow hold, open strings and bowings. Our teachers were just as excited as the kids to be learning how to play the violin. By the end of the lesson, they were playing a beautiful open string duet with Xia. Check it out!

JAMM would like to offer adult violin lessons to kindergarten parents, but are in need of full-size violins. Any violins out there collecting dust? If so, please let us know. Contact Lorrie Heagy at heagyl@jsd.k12.ak.us or 907-780-1405.

JAMM's First Donated Violin

How fitting for JAMM's very first violin donation to come from one of Juneau's youth!

Kyle Kahklen, a recent graduate of Juneau Douglas High School, heard about El Sistema after watching the documentary film about this Venezuelan phenomenon.  He said he knew immediately that's where he wanted to send his violin.  Kyle was thrilled to learn that an El Sistema-inspired program was beginning in his hometown at Glacier Valley Elementary School and dropped by the school during our teacher inservice to present his violin.  The entire staff cheered and applauded!

Peer-mentoring and leadership are celebrated components of every El Sistema ensemble and classroom throughout Venezuela.   Kyle's gesture reaffirms for me this core belief:  Trust Our Youth.  Thank you, Kyle for this wonderful gift!

JAMM: Juneau, Alaska Music Matters

It's official!  Juneau, Alaska joins Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Atlanta and Durham, NC to bring El Sistema-inspired programs to communities that use the power of music and the social experience of ensemble to inspire young children and help them develop key skills for life.

In Juneau, the program is JAMM:  Juneau, Alaska Music Matters


Glacier Valley Elementary School, a Title I school, will pilot Juneau's first JAMM program for the 2010-11 school year by offering violin instruction to all kindergarten classes three times a week, in addition to their general music class.  As the school's returning music teacher, I'll be teaming with the kindergarten teachers and local violin instructor to offer group lessons during the school day to every kindergartner free of charge.  We will also incorporate percussion and drumming as part of the program, and thank Remo Belli and Will Schmid of World Music Drumming for their donation of a 40-piece World Music Drumming from Remo.  Their donation brought joy to many in Boston and the New England Conservatory and will continue to to do so in Juneau.

It's no secret among the Abreu Fellows that I am a big proponent of partnering with public schools.  There is such potential to reach more children, collaborate between music teacher and community artist and connect school with community.  Also there is incredible music teaching already happening in the US so I'm proud to note that many of the Abreu Fellow initiatives are connecting to existing programs and expanding services, rather than replacing them.  Our common goal is for all children to access the life-long benefits that early music training brings by making it a consistent part of every child's education.

Because JAMM is based on cognitive research that show playing an instrument at an early age develops skills for success, the Association of Alaska School Boards is a major supporter of this project.  We are grateful for their investment in early youth engagement, school connectedness and social/emotional skill development and will make every effort through increased funding to expand to after-school hours and more instruments, grade levels and schools.

If you'd like to support JAMM and help us reach our goal, please consider making an online donation through the Glacier Valley Parent Group using the secure Network for Good button in the sidebar.  In the Designation field type:  JAMM.

You can also send a check to "GVPG - JAMM, PO Box 32126, Juneau, AK, 99803."

Juneau, Alaska is proud to be the home of the world's
most northern "nucleo."

As I mentioned in an earlier posting, I will continue using this blog as a place to share and document the work of JAMM so that we can collectively build upon our knowledge base.  

I leave you with a photo of Glacier Valley Elementary School, a place where a family of staff, parents and students make things happen by working together and connecting with an incredible Juneau community! Thank you Juneau for believing in this program!

Glacier Valley Elementary School in Juneau, Alaska

Final Week: Inaugural Abreu Fellows Graduate

The inaugural class of Abreu Fellows celebrate their graduation outside the New England Conservatory in Boston, MA

After a whirlwind spring semester marked by two months in Venezuela and a month internship in Scotland, the inaugural class of Abreu Fellows held their graduation ceremony at New England Conservatory this past week.  We are excited to put into practice what we have learned during this incredible year and thank New England Conservatory, TED and FESNOJIV for investing in us, this program and the El Sistema movement throughout the US and world.

It has been an honor to share this year with such a diverse group of people, who are all passionate about music and its power to effect change in our youth and communities.  I've learned from each and everyone of them.  TED posted a Prize Report on our graduation, as well as reflections from the past year.  Here's where we'll be this coming year, leading El Sistema-inspired programs in cities across the country.

• Dan Berkowitz – was hired as Program Manager at Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles (YOLA), the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s initiative to establish youth orchestra programs in underserved communities throughout Los Angeles.

• Lorrie Heagy – will launch a school-based El Sistema inspired program called Juneau, Alaska Music Matters (JAMM) at Glacier Valley Elementary where she will continue teaching as a music teacher and librarian.

• Rebecca Levi and David Malek – will co-lead an El Sistema inspired program at The Conservatory Lab Charter School in Boston. 

• Dantes Rameau – will be Executive Director of the Atlanta Music Project, a new organization serving school-age children. 

• Alvaro Rodas – will be the Project Director of his own grassroots start-up, the Corona Youth Music Project/Núcleo Corona (Queens, New York)

• Stanford Thompson – will be the Program Director of "Tune Up, Philly!" a program of the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra.

• Christine Witkowski – will be Program Manager for HOLA (Heart of Los Angeles), the LA Philharmonic’s second El Sistema inspired program site.

• Katie Wyatt – will be a founder and the Executive Director of KidZNotes, an El Sistema inspired in- and after-school program that provides orchestral music training in the poorest neighborhoods of Durham, North Carolina.

In my next blog posting, I'll describe next year's plans for JAMM and will continue using this blog as a place to share and document the work of the program.

As I pack up my last box headed for Alaska, I'd like to thank Irene Smalls for making my stay in Boston such a memorable one.  I met this incredible children's book author as my landlady, but said goodbye to her as a friend.  She autographed and gifted me a set of her books, which will bring joy to hundreds of school children in Juneau, Alaska when they find them on the library shelves at Glacier Valley Elementary School.  Thank you, Irene!