Here’s what one teacher did since they couldn’t sing during the pandemic. Students of Saint-Michel-Garicoïts de Cambo School, in the Basque region of southwest France, have given a *striking* performance using their bodies. Using an elaborate mixture of claps, leg slaps, stomps, finger clicks and taps, the 185 students transform the orchestral movement into a body percussion. The sound is fascinating and to top it off a drone recorded the performance. The ensemble rehearsed in groups of 50 every day for five months during the 2020 school year. All students are masked in the final performance, one to remember as part of their pandemic learner.
The story was shared on Classic fm digital radio and found at THIS LINK.
This is a letter from Sandra Barry, President of the Maine Music Educators Association (MMEA) sharing the recording from the Maine All State Jazz Choir singing Just the Two of Us.
Dear Jazz All-State Musicians, Parents, Educators and Guests;
The Maine Music Educators Association is thrilled to present the 2020-21 Jazz All-State Festival! This performance represents a great opportunity for some of Maine’s finest high school jazz musicians to come together as ensembles and work with highly regarded jazz educators and musicians from across the United States.
In this year of all years, the vital importance of music in our lives could not be more obvious. Great performances and favorite pieces buoy our spirits, inspire, and soothe us. Before the wonderful performances come the work. The hours of practice, preparation and effort from each individual is an accomplishment unto itself, but goes largely unseen and unheard. To our musicians and the people who support them, we thank you. We know the work is challenging, and the time and self-discipline to prepare is difficult to find. This year, you also faced isolation, technical hurdles and perhaps limited access to your teachers and peers. You did it anyway. You are a unique group of musicians who can be proud of the inclusion you earned in Maine Jazz All-State 2021.
Planning for this yearly event begins as the final notes sound at the concert, led by Jazz Vice President Matt Waite of Millinocket. Matt’s vision, attention to detail and thorough planning has set the stage for an outstanding student (and teacher!) experience. We are so appreciative, Matt! Special recognition goes to Instrumental Jazz Chair Becky Mallory and Managers Kyle Smith, Honors Jazz Band, Michelle Snow, SATB Jazz Choir, Pat Michaud, Jazz Combo and Mike Sakash, Jazz Band.
Before the actual festival, students prepare audition materials. An audition is like no other experience, and this year students and teachers alike had to shift to an online format. Brian Hutchinson, Auditions Chair and retired music educator from Winslow, worked all summer on behalf of MMEA to learn and modify an entirely new platform. Brian’s persistence, technical ability and background as a music educator resulted in an opportunity for over 1,000 students to audition for state and district events this year. Brian also assembled and supported the adjudicators who heard each audition. This would not have been possible without you, Brian!
Normally, the festival host would have put in countless hours of effort. This year our host was the internet, corralled and controlled by Webmaster Adam Metzler of Mars Hill. Adam ensured that we had Zoom Rooms galore, and provided great technical advice and expertise. Thank you, Adam! At every step of the way, assisting us all is MMEA Executive Director Beth LaBrie. Whether it be ordering music, delivering T-shirts or answering the endless questions, Beth guides MMEA in all manner of details, big and small. Kudos Beth!
This festival exists because of the need to create, perform and experience music. Join me in thanking Maine’s music educators for their efforts to inspire, instruct and guide our students, culminating in this event we witness today. Their work in these unprecedented times is nothing short of heroic.
Finally, we thank you–parents, guardians, family, friends and community members. Your support of these musicians is a crucial factor in their success. Continue to support music education for all in any way you can. Our children need and deserve robust and exemplary music programs and opportunities throughout the state of Maine.
The State of Maine Bicentennial Parade presented by Poland Spring, is back on, now scheduled for Saturday, August 21, 2021, in Lewiston and Auburn.
This statewide parade will feature an intergenerational marching band, under the direction of John Neal, and we are hopeful that you will pass this invitation to participate along to your band members and any others you know in Maine who have musical talent. We would love to have horns, woodwinds and percussion performers from all across our great State.
We are also eager to welcome other full bands, whether marching or on a float, to participate in the parade, if your group is interested in performing as an individual unit. Please visit our webpage, www.Maine200Parade.com for all the information and the participation form.
Please do not hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions and thank you for helping to spread the word about the opportunity to participate in this historic event. We are on social media at @OfficialME200 if you could also please share our posts about the parade with your members/students.
If you have questions please contact Kristen Muszynski, director of communications, Maine Department of the Secretary of State at Kristen.Muszynski@maine.gov
Curious about the Maine Arts Commission (MAC) program, Maine Arts Education Partners in Leadership (MAEPL)? Wonder why you should consider applying? Listen to arts educator and veteran MAEPL Teacher Leader Charlie Johnson at THIS LINK explain his reasons and the benefits that he’s experienced during his ten years of participation!
DEADLINE TO APPLY IS TOMORROW, JUNE 22, 2021! DON’T DELAY!
Interested in getting together with other Maine Arts Educators and Teaching Artists? Learn more about Maine Arts Education Partners in Leadership (MAEPL) and consider applying to attend the summer institute and become a Teacher Leader or Teaching Artist Leader for the 2021-22 school year.
At the Summer Institute new Teacher Leaders and Teaching Artist Leaders will learn foundational practices in instructional design and leadership skills. Participants will take part in a variety of workshops focused on emerging needs in Arts Education professional development.
Collaboration, networking, and the sharing of resources are an expectation as a member of the MAEPL community. During the Institute participants will develop an individualized growth plan that will be shared with others for feedback and suggestions.
Throughout the school year, participants will continue to share how their individualized growth plan is developed and implemented, and they will have the opportunity to share at a Critical Friends Day, and with a thought partner.
There is a Winter Retreat with participants to review and reflect on the work done, and allow for time to get feedback to plan for the next Summer Institute.
JOIN US! Become a Teacher Leader and Change Lives.
APPLY TODAY — CLICK HEREJune 22, 2021 deadline for new and returning applicants
IMPORTANT THINGS TO KNOW:
SUMMER INSTITUTE
Pilgrim Lodge is a camp run by the United Church of Christ of Maine on Lake Cobbosseecontee in West Gardiner, with cabins with electricity and plumbing, large indoor and outdoor meeting spaces, modern dining facilities, wifi in main buildings and good general cell reception, and recreation options, including swimming, human-powered boating, and trails.
APPLICATION
Administrator Name/contact information
Paragraph of Interest — Selected individuals will be expected to be active leaders in helping to develop and support excellence in teaching and learning in Maine. A full commitment to the Institute timeline is expected as seen in the online information sheet. Please attach a brief overview of your interest and current/past experience (if any) in Leadership. Include your experience collaborating with other arts educators and experiences relevant to the initiative. (Please no more than ~ 500 words, about 1 page.)
Resume/CV — If you are a Teaching Artist, please also include websites or documentation of your teaching work.
Letter of Reference – TEACHERS: This should be from your administrator. TEACHING ARTISTS: This should be from a school or community organization with whom you have worked. Please attach a Letter of Recommendation in which the person includes comments and/or examples reflecting your leadership potential and your ability to work collaboratively. Selected individuals will be responsible for sharing their newly developed expertise and related classroom experiences with other arts educators.
Questions? Contact Maine Arts Commission Director of Education, Martha Piscuskas at Martha.Piscuskas@maine.gov.
This is a wonderful tribute to music teachers, Kevin and Pam Rhein. They have dedicated the last 42 years to teaching. The have impacted hundreds of students in Messalonskee Schools. This is a wonderful tribute to both of them – teachers, community members, parents, friends, and colleagues. Wishing you only the very best Pam and Kevin and thank you for your commitment to education!
Kristen Mosca shares “Dill Pickles Rag” by the great Charles L Johnson. Kristen has played the piano since she was 9 years old and fell in love with Ragtime as a teenager. This song was a hit in 1906 and it was the second rag song to sell over a million copies after Scott Joplin’s “Maple Leaf Rag”.
Thoughtful, meaningful, figuring it out, asking questions, listening to students, high standards. When it comes to teaching all of these represent Rob Westerberg. He acts in a very serious way and approaches most actions with a humorous twist. Recently he posted a piece called “Off the Grid” on his blog “Goober Music Teachers”. He describes what he’s learned during the pandemic, how he’s embraced the situation and a caution on the importance of not comparing what you do as a teacher with what the next teacher is doing. I’m certain that this year has revealed much to us individually. My greatest hope is that the shifts we’ve been forced to make and have chosen to make have been an opportunity to learn about ourselves, like no other time in our teaching careers. No matter if your career is at the beginning, middle or end there is something for everyone to ponder in Rob’s pandemic story. I’m always grateful when Rob takes on a subject and blogs about it. His posts give me a chance to pause and reflect. The next two paragraphs are the first two paragraphs of his post. You’ll find the link to Rob’s blog post at the end so you can continue reading.
IN ROB’S OWN WORDS…
Would you believe me if I told you this has been one of the most satisfying, rewarding and happy years of my career? The phrase, “going off the grid” is a spot on reflection of what every music teacher in the country has gone through the past 14 months. Nothing has been “normal”, and a lot has been taken from us and our students since March of last year. How that has individually impacted us is dependent on many factors including whether we’ve been allowed to be in person or not, what grade level we teach, general choral or instrumental, single teacher in a school district or one of many. In any given year prior to this one, each music teacher’s journey is incredibly unique. That’s never been more true than this one.
But a funny thing happened to me right around the middle of November, and it carried through to this very week: my kids and I were learning and growing, and realizing that we were learning and growing. We started enjoying this journey together.
Rob is the 2020 Maine York County Teacher of the Year. He is co-creator of the Maine Arts Assessment Initiative (MAAI) turned Maine Arts Leadership Initiative (MALI) and presently MAEPL, Maine Arts Education Partners in Leadership, with the revised mission to “develop and promote high quality arts education for all.”
I invite you to read Rob’s FULL POST – Off the Grid, May 15, 2021. Rob can be reached at THIS LINK.
The purpose of this blog is to share stories, resources, innovative ideas, resources, and to communicate what’s happening in Arts Education. This forum gives blog readers the opportunity to learn from each other. It is essential that we collaborate, listen and learn from each other in order to improve teaching and learning in Arts Education in Maine and beyond.
