Norwell High School Music Department

While everybody else was gearing up for exams, playing graduation, going to prom and attending those end-of-year graduation parties, a group of intrepid musicians was working their tails off to make sure that the Fourth Wall Players production of Urinetown was a success.  Here they are, hanging out before the Saturday show:

Thanks to the efforts of Norwell Central Administration, we’ve been able to acquire new pieces to add to the Music Technology Lab.  Among our more exciting acquisitions:

1. Sibelius 6.  Sibelius has quickly become the industry standard in computerized music notation, and we adopted it back when it was still Sibelius 4.  The newest version features some really great upgrades to score/part engraving and playback sounds, and students will get to try it out when they get back in the fall.
2. Musition 3.5.  Musition is a companion program to Sibelius, built to walk students through progressively more challenging concepts in music theory.  It features a whole host of theory topics as well as built-in practice examples and quizzes; it also tracks student achievement on teacher-specified tasks for easier and more thorough evaluation.
3. Auralia 3.5.  Auralia is another Sibelius companion program, built for ear training exercises.  All aspects of musicianship–performing, composing, appreciating–rely very heavily on being able to listen critically and accurately.  Auralia helps develop the skills necessary to do so, tracking student achievement in much the same way as Musition.

By expanding our offerings to a wider range of the programs in the Sibelius suite, we’re going to be able to train our students much more thoroughly.  All three of these programs also allow interaction via MIDI keyboard, which I’ll be writing about in our next installment, having to do with hardware!

Everyone in Symphonic Band has heard me say that more than once–but sometimes it helps to have backup, in this case from a professional double bass player.  Check out how some of the fellows from the Lubbock Symphony Orchestra marked their parts for a performance of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring.
Marking one’s part (Courtesy of the TTU Music Theory Department)

A few people have asked for the review sheet for the Symphonic Band final, so I’m posting it below in Word document format.  It is, if not comprehensive, at least nearly so, although it only covers one of the three tools you’ll need to bring to the table to answer the questions on the exam.  The other two are:

1. A fundamental understanding of performance technique on your instrument–tone production, posture, breathing, articulation technique,  etc.
2. Creativity and attention to detail when interpreting the blueprint that is a musical score.

Please contact me if you need more information!

Download available here.

After a very short electoral season, the 2009-2010 band staff has emerged.  These brave souls are:

• President: Connor MacDonald
• Co-VPs: Hope Goslin, Maria Tsekeris
• Secretary: Liz Allen
• Treasurer: Kelsey Wheeler
• Librarian: Monica Hanley
• Publicist: Emma Ray
• Historian: Frank White

Congratulations, and looking forward to working with you in the future!

In addition to thanking all of the students who put in such great effort during a very quick preparation period for the Memorial Day Parade, I’d like also to thank an anonymous supporter who took a fantastic photograph of the NHS Band performing on the green, printed it out on high-quality, glossy photo paper and left it in my mailbox.  It’s a wonderful reminder of a great day, and we’ll be sure to display it proudly!

Thank you!

Two things about the parade:

1. I will try to have the band room open on Monday morning from roughly 9:00-9:30am.  If there’s anything you have left to get, that’s the only time it’ll be open.  Then I’m going to head over to the parade route, which starts at the corner of Lincoln and Main.
2. As of right now, it looks like the rain has passed and that we’re on for tomorrow.  If that changes, you’ll see it here.

See you in the morning!

I know I speak for the rest of the arts faculty when I thank all of the parents and students who came out last night to the NHS Library to have a productive discussion about organizing parents in all of the arts to come together to support NHS Arts as a whole in addition to supporting our individual programs (art, music theatre).  Among the topics that were discussed:

• A basic rundown of the three major arts programs we currently offer
• How those programs have evolved and grown over time
• What our long-term goals are for those programs and how parents can help make them a reality
• Ways to unify the arts program both at the high school and across elementary, middle and high school levels
• Some new (and very creative) ideas from parents in attendance for fundraising (”Recycling Shed,” etc.)
• The organization of an umbrella parent organization for supporting and promoting the arts as a whole, with central parental leadership and subcommittees to accomplish program-specific projects
• The first major project of that group, a Master Playbill for the 2009-2010 Arts Season, advertising proceeds from which would be split amongst the NHS arts programs

Parents should be expecting further communications soon further outlining goals and procedures for securing sponsors for the Master Playbill.  The next meeting of this group (currently tentatively referred to as the Norwell Arts Society) will be on Thursday, June 16th to further hammer out committees and report back in about Playbill sponsors.

Thanks again for all of your efforts, and I know we’re all looking to working with you going forward!

There are a few things coming up on our schedule after we get back from April break:

1. Tuesday, April 28th, 7pm: Symphonic Band Open Rehearsal.  Open to the public, this onstage “dress” rehearsal will serve two purposes–to allow parents, students and friends to get a look at how we operate and to allow us to get our last few ducks in a row before the April 30th concert.  This is an especially valuable opportunity for 8th graders who are thinking about or planning on taking band as freshmen, but it’s open to everyone.
2. Wednesday, April 29th, 7pm: Jazz Workshop Open Rehearsal.  Also open to the public.
3. Thursday, April 30th, 7pm:  2009 Spring Concert! Open to the public and free of charge, we hope you’ll be able to come out to see performances by the Symphonic Band, Chorus and Jazz Workshop.

ALSO: We also have a very important parents’ meeting coming up, on May 19th at 7pm at the high school.  The NHS administration and arts faculty would like to do more to unify our arts program, so that all of the various arts programs at the high school (Music, Art, Theatre, etc.) can help each other achieve fundraising and organizing goals and make the arts experience at NHS even richer for all of our students.  We’re looking for parents of students in all of the arts to attend–parents both of current students and of 8th graders, since we’ll be addressing some of our initiatives for next year.  It’s a great way to get involved in a positive way in your student’s education, and we hope to see you there!

I’d like to take a moment to thank the Norwell Women’s Club and Pat Bigger for both the opportunities and support they’ve given students in the NHS Music Department. Once again this year, members of the NHS Jazz Workshop had the distinct pleasure of performing roughly two hours of jazz standards for the large crowd that gathered for the Women’s Club’s annual spring silent auction and fashion show. The theme this year was Back in Black, and the jazz combo responded with over a dozen jazz standards ranging from the 30s and 40s (”All of Me,” “All the Things You Are,” “The Surrey With the Fringe on Top” and others) to much more recent songs from the funk and rock genres, including Freddie Hubbard’s “Red Clay” and a rare tribute performance of Radiohead’s “Weird Fishes.”  All of the songs performed were done in arrangements by the group.

The evening’s group consisted of: Frank White ‘12 (sax), Richie Smith ‘11 (guitar), Evan Barger ‘10 (bass) and Blair McGreenery ‘10 (drums).

We look forward to working more in the future with the Women’s Club, and if anybody out there has any additional pictures of the event, please send them along!