Juneau Jazz & Classics and Community Day

Juneau Jazz & Classics brings Awadagin Pratt to JAMM

Juneau Jazz & Classics is celebrating its 25th year of "encouraging the appreciation of jazz, classical and blues music among people of all ages."  Every May for two weeks, this incredible organization under the leadership of Linda Rosenthal, brings jazz and classical musicians from all over the country to perform in Juneau.  Many of these artists visit schools to perform concerts, coach young musicians and share their enthusiasm for music.

This year, Glacier Valley was honored to host two Jazz & Classics artists:  The Jasper Quartet and Awadagin Pratt.  Both were able to work with our kindergarten violinists.  They encouraged musicality, proper technique and performed right alongside them.  What made Awadagin's visit so special was that he specifically asked to work with the "music teacher in Juneau with the El Sistema nucleo." For the Juneau community, his request confirmed that JAMM is part of a recognized national network and that the work its doing is supported by others thousands of miles away.  Thank you, Awadagin.  Your gentle spirit and ability to connect with our kids made your visit a memorable one!

JAMM performs for Community Day at the University of Alaska Southeast

 JAMM also gave Glacier Valley its first opportunity to participate in Juneau Jazz & Classics' Community Day.  This free all-day event held on the campus of the University of Alaska Southeast offers food, educational programs and musical performances.  Our kindergartners and 4th & 5th grade Morning Musicians performed in the beautiful Egan Library, which made our students' first visit to this college campus a welcoming one.  Again, we had an amazing turn-out by Glacier Valley families whom stayed after the concert to enjoy the rest of the festivities with their kids.

Here's a short clip of them playing E String Concerto and Variations on Boil Them Cabbage Down.

Thank you, Juneau Jazz & Classics, for bringing the community into the school and the school into the community.  Happy 25th Birthday!

HeArt & Sole Ballroom Program Highlighted in DC

 While traveling to Washington, DC, for the National Teacher of the Year event, I had the opportunity to meet with folks from the US Department of Education.  They wanted to hear from teachers about how best to engage students, families, community and strengthen professional development for teachers.

I was excited to share Glacier Valley's HeART & Sole Ballroom program, where P.E. and music teachers collaborate with librarian and counselor to offer all 3rd through 5th grade students two sessions/week of ballroom dancing under the leadership of Pat Belec, Juneau dance instructor.  This 8-week residency culminates in a performance of all 200 students who showcase their moves for the community and school.  Dance steps include meringe, swing, tango, fox trot and electric slide.   Twenty-four of them are selected through an audition process to perform two weeks later for the Juneau Douglas High School Dance Team Show. 

Here's the link to the US Department of Education's blog posting of our program:  Waltzing Students to Fitness, Health and Rhythm.

If you'd like to see them in action, the video of their performance, earning a standing ovation, is posted above.

Delivering Paper Violins to Alaskan Senators in DC

National Teacher of the Year Event at the White House with President Obama

While waiting in line to meet the President of the United States, I wondered how much time I'd have to speak with him and what I would say.  For security reasons, the state teachers of the year could not carry anything with them when they entered the Oval Office for their photo with President Obama.  But if I could, I knew exactly what I'd present:  a paper violin carefully handmade by parents and students of our JAMM program.  It would be the perfect segue into a conversation about the importance of arts education.  In the few seconds that I had to shake the President's hand, I told him what an honor it was to meet him and to thank him personally for making children a national priority.  He thanked me for traveling such a long way.

Here is President Obama's address in the Rose Garden before announcing Michelle Shearer as the 2011 National Teacher of the Year.  Michelle represents teachers' voices so well and tackles tough questions with intelligence, heart and determination. 

I did get to spend a short time with Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, and thanked him for keeping the arts on the national education agenda.  With so much focus on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), I encouraged him to include the arts as an equally important discipline.  Instead of STEM, advocate for STEAM!  He shared this wasn't an easy task, but is still trying.

I am proud to say that both Alaskan Senators Mark Begich and Lisa Murkowski publicly support arts education.  They made time in their schedules to meet with me to hear about the arts initiatives happening at Glacier Valley Elementary School and about the effects these programs are having on our children socially, emotionally and academically.  Thank you both for your dedication and commitment to Alaska's children.  It was an honor to meet both of you!

Senator Mark Begich

Senator Lisa Murkowski

JAMM Performs for the Alaska Folk Festival

Glacier Valley Elementary School is located in "the Valley," which is only ten miles away from downtown Juneau.  But distance is relative and in a community with only 40 miles of road, ten miles can seem like worlds apart.   As the music teacher at Glacier Valley, I learned early on that very few of our students took advantage of the Alaska Folk Festival.  This music  festival showcases local and national musicians throughout the week at no cost, but ... it's located downtown. 

This year, JAMM changed that when it was accepted as a musical act to perform for the festival's family concert.  Both violin and guitar club program collaborated for this concert with 4th & 5th grade guitarists learning the chords to accompany the kindergartners' violin pieces.   With buses available to transport musicians and their families to the event, we had an incredible turn-out! 

As we crammed onto the mainstage, I shared with the audience JAMM's hope to have 120 violinists performing here at this time next year.  You should have heard the applause!

Here is a short clip of our students playing a folk festival favorite - Boil Them Cabbage Down.  I also included our exit song, which I learned from James Hill, one of thes author of Ukulele in the Classroom.  He played the ukulele at this year's NAMM conference in Anaheim.  The whole audience joined in and then he added When the Saints Go Marching In as a partner song.  Here are the lyrics:

Up above my head,
There's music in the air.
Up above my head,
There's music in the air.
Up above my head,
There's music in the air.
I really do believe,
It's aheadin' somewhere. 

 Thank you, Glacier Valley community for supporting this event.  Music brings people together and on this day you helped bridge two communities.  "I really do believe we're a-headin' somewhere."

JAMM performs with the Glacier Valley Guitar Club at the 2011 Alaska Folk Festival (photo: Klas Stolpe, Juneau Empire)

Juneau Student Symphony Collaborative Concert

Juneau, Alaska Music Matters and Juneau Student Symphony perform "Life of the Child"

While studying in Boston, Venezuela and Scotland for the Abreu Fellowship, I witnessed professional orchestra members playing alongside the youth of their communities as a way to help inspire, play authentic music together and demonstrate to their communities that the orchestra is invested in music education.  One powerful example was Gustavo Dudamel's decision to open the LA Phil's season at the Hollywood Bowl with YOLA (Youth Orchestras of Los Angeles) kids playing alongside LA Phil orchestra members.  It was very inspiring both for the musicians, both young and old, and a packed crowd of new audience members.

I hope to see Juneau foster the same kind of mentorship:  kindergarten violinists performing with middle/high school students and members of the Juneau Symphony so that they can experience in one concert the trajectory of their musical life from age five to adulthood.

Rick Trostel, conductor of the Juneau Student Symphony, took that first step by inviting JAMM to perform in the symphony's spring concert.  Rick composed a piece specifically for this collaborative event called The Life of the Child.  Our young musicians echoed the simple melody of the orchestra to represent musically how children learn from their parents.  We played to a packed house bringing new audience members to both organizations.

I want to thank Rick Trostel for seeing the long term opportunity that our young JAMM violinists and their families can bring to the Juneau Student and Juneau Symphonies.

Thank you, JAHC and The Calder Quartet

Calder Quartet plays "Open String Blues" with a JAMM kindergarten class  (photo: Michael Penn,  The Juneau Empire)

Juneau has rich offerings in both arts and culture, and the Juneau Arts and Humanities Council (JAHC) plays a huge part!   They bring artists from all over the country to perform in Juneau, often including concerts for kids during the school day.  The Calder Quartet was one such group who performed a morning concert at our local high school.  Through a Rasmuson Arts Excursion grant, all of our JAMM kindergartners were able to attend.  The Calder Quartet played an eclectic mix of music - both classical and modern - demonstrating to our students the many different styles in which the violin can play.

Here are reflections from a post activity that our kindergartner teachers conducted:

"How did the music make you feel?"

• "It made me feel better."
• "It made me want to dance."
• "It made me feel happy and like I'm in a whole orchestra.  I felt like I was playing the violin."
• "It made me fell kinda weird, because the one with the hair like mine did music weird."
• "It made feel good and sad."

When asked, "Did the music create an image or story in your mind?" the children answered:

• "Yes!  It made me remember about my great grandpa and my uncle who died." 

What made this experience even more memorable for our students was the quartet's surprise visit to a JAMM rehearsal.  Our kindergartners could now perform for them!  Ms. Hickmann's young class of musicians played A and E String Concertos for Ben, Andrew, Jonathan and Eric and then invited them to play along for Open String Blues.  The quartet is photographed above playing on JAMM quarter-sized violins.

Thank you, Calder Quartet, for making time in a very busy schedule to visit Juneau, Alaska Music Matters.  When we met in Los Angeles during the El Sistema Symposium in 2010, you shared how excited and supportive you are of El Sistema-inspired initiatives.  By visiting JAMM, the northern-most initiative, you have inspired Juneau's next generation of musicians. 

And Nancy DeCherney, Executive Director of the Juneau Arts and Humanities Council, thank you for investing in the artistic lives of Juneau's children!

Guohua Xia and Lorrie Heagy stand with The Calder Quartet

Alaska Administrators' Arts Retreat at Glacier Valley

Glacier Valley Elementary School was selected as one of two Alaskan schools to host this year's Administrators' Arts Retreat: Growing Art Education Leaders for Alaska. Thirty-five administrators, principals and superintendents from all over the state visited Glacier Valley to learn first-hand how we integrate the arts to help motivate and engage our students, while building a positive school climate.

This event occurred the same week that I was in Dallas attending the Teacher of the Year conference, but was left in the very capable hands of an incredible team of Glacier Valley staff, parents, sponsors and students who packed in just a few short hours:

• visits to classrooms showcasing arts-integrated lessons,
• tour of artwork exhibited throughout the hallways,
• observation of the performing arts in Humanities class (photo below), and
• lunch and panel discussion with key constituents of our Art is Elementary program

Performing Arts as Part of GV's Humanities Class (photo by Bethany Vaughn)

Our guests also found the interaction with our Student Ambassadors to be one of the highlights of the morning (see photo below).  Eighteen 4th and 5th graders were selected for their leadership qualities and participation in many of the arts activities offered at Glacier Valley.  As part of their preparation for this prestigious role, students practiced handshakes, eye contact and greetings at the door.  Mrs. Sielbach, our librarian and arts integration specialist, gave them tours of the artwork exhibited throughout the halls so that they could speak knowledgeably about both visual art elements and integrated core subjects.  Students practiced at home and came to school dressed in their best attire, ready to escort our guests from room to room, answer any questions and proudly share personal anecdotes of why the arts are an important part of their school day.

Student Ambassadors Greet Visiting Administrators (photo by Bethany Vaughn

Here are some of the journal reflections from the administrators about their time at Glacier Valley:

I would be so proud to be the leader in a school like GV.  The enthusiasm from teachers and students alike, the collaboration, passion - just a few of the things I will strive to promote and support. The development of community relations was so powerful. 

At GV I saw: 

•  75 kids engaged in rhythm dancing under control, without the need of adult redirection
• teachers relying on each other, who had obviously prepared
• lots of extra people helping out
• parents at the forefront of the program
• A principal allowing to let the control move among his staff
• lots of smiles and serious engagement

Thank you to Bethany Vaughn, a parent at Glacier Valley, who donated her time by photographing the entire event.  A slide show of her work and the day's events are posted above.  Also, thank you, Susie Denton, Katrina Laneville, Susan Sielbach and Ted Wilson for leading the charge!

Glacier Valley Student Ambassadors pose with Principal, Ted Wilson

Visiting B Sharp in Ft. Worth, Texas

The teaching staff at the El Sistema-inspired B Sharp program in Ft. Worth, Texas

While attending the National Teacher of the Year conference in Dallas, I was able to visit the newly established B Sharp program in Ft. Worth, Texas.   This El Sistema-inspired program began in October, 2010 and offers ten hours of weekly music instruction as an after-school program for first grade students at Como Elementary School.  The students rotate through four classes including bucket band, choir, musicianship and violin instruction.  I was particularly interested in visiting this program because of its public school partnership and the after-school component for 1st graders. 

Funded by the Goff Foundation, B Sharp's mission is to "bring about social change using ensemble music as the tool to build individuals and communities."  The program's director, Osvaldo Mendoza, worked with the ORCHKids program in Baltimore and developed a youth orchestra in Juarez, Mexico before heading up B Sharp in August.  Currently, the program enrolls about 40 students.

Osvaldo and the teaching staff had kindly altered their Friday sessions so that I could observe all four classes in one day.  In that 2-hour time period, I saw incredible teaching and along with it, engaged students.  Many of El Sistema's fundamentals were present in the different sessions, including joyful music-making.

For example, in the musicianship class, Robert Winckel had his kids on the edge of their seats playing the game, SoLaMi (at first, I thought it was "Salami!") where the class had to identify melodic patterns that contained a so-la-mi sequence.  He also used his wedding ring as "moveable do" as he placed it between his fingers, now representing a musical staff.  This entire activity was presented as a magic trick, which he encouraged his students to do at home :) 

Amanda Vessels, who teaches bucket band, instantly motivated her students with this one comment: "I'm looking for teachers."  She kept the lessons playful, but always with a positive discipline that demanded focus from the students and respect for proper drumming technique.  Amy Jines used movement in her choir by exploring vocal pitch through a ball toss. 

Afterward, Osvaldo and Jill Goff from the Goff Foundation treated me to dinner where we had a chance to talk all things El Sistema.  After living and breathing it for one year as an Abreu Fellow, it was re-energizing to be able to sit down with folks who held the same interest and passion for this work.  We inspired one another and plan to stay connected as we continue growing our programs.  Thank you, Jill, Osvaldo and the entire B Sharp teaching staff for welcoming me into your classrooms.  You are doing great work!

Standing with Jill Goff and Osvaldo Mendoza

Coming Full Circle: Franz Felkl Visits JAMM

Thirteen years ago, Franz Felkl visited my classroom at the Juneau Community Charter School.  He was only six years old at the time and was taking violin lessons with Guohua Xia,  who is now JAMM's string director.   I had just arrived in Juneau and was given the opportunity to help develop the school's curriculum - one that integrated the arts. 

I wanted all twenty of my 3rd, 4th & 5th grade students to have violin lessons as part of their school day.  Fortunately, Mr. Xia agreed to be their teacher.  He took a huge leap of faith with me that year!  It was the first time either one of us had led such a large class.  Little did we know that this newly-formed teaching relationship would continue to grow and meet even greater challenges with sixty kindergartners at Glacier Valley's JAMM program years later.

Franz performed for my kids that year and helped inspire a very successful instrumental program that continues today.  Mr. Xia and I knew back then how talented Franz was.  I remember how shocked the students were when he told them that he hadn't missed a day of practice, even on vacation when he traveled on the ferry!

Franz is now 20 years old and is currently pursuing a Music Education degree at University of Alaska Fairbanks.  When he returned to Juneau for winter break, I invited him to work with our kindergartners and do what he did thirteen years ago:  perform and inspire a young generation of musicians.  He did just that. 

Here is a short video clip documenting the magic spell that Franz cast over Mrs. Steininger's kindergarten class.  Franz, knowing that you started violin at the same age with the same teacher gives our kindergartners a sense of what they too can accomplish!    It is an honor to see you come full circle - from student to music teacher.   Already, you've become a great teacher.  Thank you again! 

JAMM in January - Continuing to Inspire While Tackling the Basics

Mr. Xia's Chamber Ensemble, Aurora Strings, performs for our JAMM violinists before Winter Break

Even though JAMM had used the paper violins to teach and reinforce bow and violin holding skills during the fall semester, Mr. Xia knew that the transference of these skills onto the real violin might take some time.  In order to keep our kindergartners inspired while focusing on these important details, Mr. Xia invited his younger chamber ensemble, Aurora Strings, to perform at our school before winter break. 

During the performance, it was fascinating to observe how much more discerning our kindergarten audience had become since the beginning of the year.  They no longer sat in pure amazement, but rather watched as musical peers - studying each bow stroke, comparing violin stances and looking ahead to finger placement on the fingerboard.  Their comments reflected their own understanding of playing as a group - "I noticed how your bows all went in the same direction."  They saw how much Tazer had progressed since performing for them at the beginning of the school year.  This performance also carried much more significance and respect from our JAMM violinists. They sat as an audience knowing how much practice time is required to prepare for a concert and appreciated how long the Aurora Strings could stand and hold up their violins!

Returning from winter break, our kindergartners walked into violin class with a confidence and pride.  They were playing A String Concerto with long bow, holding up their violins for a class count to 100 and could identify which string Mr. Xia played on his violin with over 80% accuracy!  They learned how to place their fingers on each fingerboard tape.  The conductor of the Juneau Symphony had even paid them a special visit to see this up and coming group of young orchestra members.  They were invited to play alongside the Juneau Youth Symphony in March, and the youth symphony's director, Rick Trostel, had written a composition specially for them, called Life of the Child. They were playing music! 

Students in Ms. Hickmann's class practice making a box before placing their first finger on the tape.

With this new-found confidence came a testing of boundaries.  For example, during Mr. Xia's instructions, students would sit on the floor with their violins in front of them.  They learned the routine of "spiders in your lap" or hands in your lap to help resist the temptation of touching the violins and it worked. But now that their violins made sound, several of our students began plucking the strings while Mr. Xia talked.  When a reminder didn't work, all it took was a warning that their violin would be replaced with a paper one until their hands learned to stay in their laps and the plucking immediately stopped.  Little did I know that the paper violin would serve so many purposes:  pedagogical tool, behavioral motivator and community builder.  Thank you, Josbel and the incredible teaching staff at Nucleo La Rinconada in Caracas, for sharing your paper violin process with us.

Kim Poole, JAMM volunteer extraordinaire, checks Amira's finger position

World Music Drumming Summer Workshops

Last summer, I was fortunate enough to attend three World Music Drumming workshops to help prepare me for the start-up of our JAMM program.  I attended

1. Pittsburgh, PA:  Drumming Up the Fun! (ages 3 - 8) with Melissa Blum 
2. Oconomowoc, WI:  Kids, Choir and Drums Mix It Up with Lynn Brinckmeyer
3. Portland, OR:  Level II Drumming with Kofi Gbolonyo

Each workshop gave me a slew of ideas and practical applications that I could use immediately in the classroom for ages 5 and up.  Drumming, dance and song are a part of every workshop, and Will Schmid and his staff make learning at any level accessible and fun.  The video posted above includes highlights from all of the workshops that World Music Drumming offers, including Marimba.  Click on this link to download World Music Drumming Summer Workshops 2011.

Thank you, Will Schmid and the entire teaching staff at World Music Drumming, for providing such a rich music curriculum!

Winter Concert Filled with Dance and Rock 'n' Roll

Dance is an integral part of Glacier Valley's arts program (photo by Bethany Vaughn)

Even though this is the first year of our JAMM violin program, Glacier Valley has been incorporating music, dance, visual arts and drama into its curriculum for years.  Movement is key to learning and is often cited in current research as one of the best ways to get the brain's attention and keep it.  The Venezuelan orchestras are famous for the way in which their musicians move to express music and they certainly keep their audiences in rapt attention.

I shared a short video clip in an earlier posting about how Glacier Valley uses folk dance and song to help teach the different systems of the human body. This short introduction to folk dance helped our 4th & 5th graders embody a steady beat and prepare them for their 8-week ballroom dance residency with local dance instructor, Pat Belec, in January 2011.  In addition to the Human Body System dances, our winter concert also featured the Morning Musician and Rock Bands, and a dance that I learned from Michelle Quigg at World Music Drumming workshops two summers ago.  The kids love this dance, which we often use as part of our Humanities classes with K/1 and 4/5.   Here is a short video clip highlighting the concert: 

Community Partnerships and Marimba!

Betsy, Tasha and Sarah from The Canvas teach Zimbabwean Marimba
to Glacier Valley 3rd and 4th graders

El Sistema utilizes the power of community partnerships and networks to help run its centers throughout the country.  It has successfully struck a balance between local autonomy to reflect the needs of each community, while at the same time creating a national program that gives students from even the remotest areas opportunities to grow and challenge themselves musically.

Our Art is Elementary program at Glacier Valley also partners with community organizations to provide our students with rich arts experiences.  One of those partners is The Canvas, Juneau's community arts studio, which offers classes in an inclusive environment for adults, youth and individuals with disabilities.  Last year the Canvas provided expert potters for an after-school Clay Studio.  This year, their teaching artists taught a marimba workshop to our 3rd and 4th grade students as part of a two-week artist residency. The Artist in the Schools program is made possible through a partnership between the Alaska State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts, with additional support from the Rasmusson Foundation and the Glacier Valley Parent Group.

Vaipuna plays the bass or the "elder" of the Marimba family who speaks little, but whose voice carries much weight

The Canvas purchased this 7-piece Zimbabwean Marimba set for its clients because of its accessibility and community building potential.  After offering Marimba classes to the community, they wanted to offer these beautiful instruments to local schools through the artist-in the-schools program and hoped Glacier Valley would help pilot it.  We were happy to work with The Canvas again, particularly on this project because it exposed our students to a new musical experience grounded in ensemble.  Thanks to Auke Bay Elementary School, who loaned us several of their Orff xylophones, our music room was fully equipped so that every child could play a mallet instrument.

Betsy Sims, Sarah Newsham and Tasha Walen are Canvas teaching artists who offer marimba as part of the Canvas' community class offerings for children and adults. This residency has been beneficial to both organizations.  The Canvas hopes to expose our Glacier Valley families to the kinds of arts programs they offer downtown, while Glacier Valley students experience ensemble playing with a beautiful instrument unaffordable to the school.  Glacier Valley has also offered to loan its African drums to the Canvas so that they can offer youth workshops during the summer months.  Together, Glacier Valley and Canvas are sharing resources, reaching more students and building a larger audience interested in community arts opportunities.

Here is a short video documenting the rehearsal process.  Enjoy!

Friday Morning Rock Band

Rod Crist teaches Eric, one of our 5th graders, the electric bass

During my Abreu Fellowship last year, I had the opportunity to travel to Venezuela to observe how each music center or "nucleo" reflected the unique culture and needs of its community.  El Sistema capitalizes on the social experience of ensemble to motivate students, and throughout my two-month travels there, I saw ensembles of all kinds, many of which took place in the same center including folk, classical, choral, jazz and percussion.  Witnessing such a variety of ensembles shattered any preconceived notion I had that El Sistema was purely an orchestral program.

What inspired me the most was the ability of each nucleo to find opportunities for these ensembles to play together.  Instruments that I had never imagined playing alongside one another were doing so effortlessly.  I remember vividly a community concert of 500 musicians performing the Venezuelan national anthem - choir accompanied by a full orchestra and a Venezuelan folk ensemble strumming alongside them.   El Sistema removed any musical barriers that might have existed between these distinct ensembles and demonstrated beautifully the unifying power of music.  Thanks to my time in Venezuela, I came back to Juneau with an entirely different vision of what ensemble might look like in Juneau.  Thank you, FENOJIV, for this wonderful gift.

Standing with members of a Venezuelan Folk Ensemble

At Glacier Valley, we already had a guitar club and morning band, but the two groups had never played together.  My trip to Venezuela changed all of that.  When I returned to Juneau,  I talked with Rod Crist, guitar club instructor, about ways to bring these two ensembles together in a meaningful way.  I shared with him my visit to a Boston school, where an entire 5th grade class played in a rock band, every Friday afternoon.  Their program was inspired by School of Rock, which offers students ages 7 - 18 the opportunity to play in a band in front of a live audience.  Rick Saunders, the school's music teacher, helped the classroom teacher run the rock band, which included vocals, drums, guitars, keyboard, brass and woodwinds.  Students explored the musical genre of rock and roll while developing music skills in improvisation and chord structure.  These two experiences helped inspire the launching of Glacier Valley's Rock Band!

Both Rod and I were new at this, but I remembered another fundamental from Venezuela: "Don't wait, just start!"  Fortunately for us, Ben Martinez came along (left photo).  He was a new transplant to Juneau and had begun an after-school rock band program for elementary students in Maryland, called Treehouse School of Music.  With funding from a Rasmuson Cultural Collaborations grant administered by the Alaska State Council on the Arts, Ben was able to join our team to share the work he did back in Maryland, as well as inspire our young musicians.  Morning band and guitar members who mastered certain skills in their respective ensembles were invited to join this Friday morning jam session.  Needless to say, the importance of practice took on a whole new meaning as students lined-up to "pass off" on their music.

Instead of playing in the friendly key of C, the Rock Band wind section had to challenge themselves to play in the key of E and B to accommodate the guitars.  Clarinets and trumpets had to master notes not introduced in the beginning band book until much later, but because these notes were repeated over and over again throughout the rock songs in an exciting way, success came quickly and easily.

The wind section of our rock band takes on more challenging keys with enthusiasm!

Another unexpected benefit was the inclusion of a Morning Musician alum (8th grader, Quinn) whose brother currently plays trumpet at Glacier Valley.  Thanks to the dedication of his dad who drives Quinn to school after Rock Band practice, Quinn is able to join us on drums, as well as help teach one of our fifith graders how to play the drum set.  Next step:  student rock band vocalists!

Quinn and his dad help connect our elementary program with the middle school

Quinn's participation helps bridge elementary with middle school and foster peer mentoring, two more fundamentals of El Sistema.  Quinn's dad, Russell, also secured a donation of a drum set for our band, another example of why one shouldn't wait ... things will eventually fall into place.  Thank you, Russell, and all Glacier Valley parents who support their child's musical development by getting them here at 7 a.m.  Some of our students now come to school at 7 a.m. four times a week - playing in band, guitar club and Rock Band.  We have a total of 47 students (almost half of the entire 4th & 5th grade student body) choosing to come to school early for these musical opportunities.  Clearly, music motivates and engages kids, giving school life! 

Here's a short clip of the rock band in rehearsal.  For my Facebook friends, you can access the movie on Juneau Music Matters blog:  http://juneaumusicmatters.blogspot.com/

Morning Musicians: Band and Guitar Clubs

The flute section of Glacier Valley's Morning Musician program rehearse separately for the first month to master skills specific to their instrument

One reader asked if Glacier Valley still offers its early morning band program for 4th and 5th graders called Morning Musicians.  We certainly do and its going strong!  Currently we have thirty-five students coming to school twice a week at 7 a.m. to learn how to play the clarinet, trumpet or flute.

Initially funded through a Rasmuson Cultural Collaborations grant, Morning Musicians is now funded through the Juneau School District.  For the first month, each section meets with an instructor to learn skills specific to their instrument and then join together in October to begin playing as an ensemble.  Many thanks to Bill Paulick from Juneau Brass and Winds, Sharon Denton and Rachel Sielbach for helping me make that first month a successful one.  

Also this year, thanks to our guidance counselor, Rod Crist, we've added a morning Guitar Club for 4th and 5th graders. Rod incorporates music therapy as part of his curriculum teaching Skills for a Healthy Life and has written songs to promote positive social skilss, self-esteem and coping skills.  As the kids say, "Mr. C Rocks!" And he does, every Wednesday morning at 7 a.m. teaching our students traditional American folk songs.  As Rod's assistant, I hope to learn as much as I can along the way.

Fortunately,  GAMA (Guitar and Accessories Marketing Association) and its partners, NAMM (International Music Products Association) and MENC (The National Association for Music Education) offer summer guitar workshops every year for music teachers all over the country.  As a MENC member, I can take this class for $300 and come away with one-week of guitar lessons geared for teaching in the classroom, a guitar, curriculum materials and 3 graduate credits from Duquesne University.  For more information on this incredible opportunity:  Get Guitar in Your School!

Learning anything requires practice, which makes meeting only once a week for guitar club a challenge.  So how do we get in more practice time as an ensemble?  Answer:  the Guitar Club became the back-up band for a school performance incorporating folk dance and song to help teach science concepts. The 4th and 5th grades at Glacier Valley were studying the systems of the human body, so the P.E. teacher, music teacher and counselor decided to combine their classes in the gym to help reinforce these science concepts through movement and song. 

Doug Eldon's Lyrical Life Science Series uses the melodies of traditional folk songs to teach science.  He has four books:  Earth Science, Human Body, Plants and Mammals, and I highly recommend them.  By adapting the folk dances that the students had learned from the New England Dance Master Series, we were able to combine science, dance, song and guitar all in one! 

Did the kids mind the repetition?  Not at all.  The students enjoyed the physical and social aspect of dance (as well as waiting their turn to sashay down the set) while the guitarists felt a sense of purpose, providing the music for rehearsal, day after day.  By the time our school performance came around, guitar chords were habitual and science concepts, ingrained.   See for yourself: