Music

This is a question asked frequently here at BCD and in my private studio.  There is no “magic age” to start and no one correct answer to this question.  Generally, brass and woodwind lessons are given to students around 4th grade. Guitar is most often taught starting in 3rd grade. Piano, violin, viola and cello are great choices for our students to begin as early as 3 years old.

I had the opportunity to begin with piano lessons at 4 years old, and that’s an experience I wouldn’t trade for the world. Having said that, there’s a dialogue between teacher, student, and parent that informs these choices. My mom says I made it abundantly clear piano was an early passion!

Begin lessons when your child is ready to take direction from an adult, take responsibility for practicing and when the family is ready to devote time, money and energy into this wonderful new adventure.

 

Feel free to reach out to me at [email protected] with any additional questions. Happy Summer 2018!

 

Hello, and Happy New Year to all!

Just want to call our attention to two (free) events taking place as part of the Williams College Music Department.

Coming up at The Clark Museum, there is Kids Make Music! Presented by I/O Fest and Ephs Out Loud. 1PM on Sunday 1/14/18.

At Chapin Hall, the Berkshire Symphony will be offering a special concert for kids and families at 3PM on Saturday 3/3/18.

These both look like a lot of fun, and I hope any interested families can attend and enjoy!

Musically Yours,

Charles/Mr. Zotique

The BCD Music program is in full swing for students in grades B2-6 + Arts Block! Creative talents are beginning to bud, manifest, and grow in the new Kim and James Taylor Music/Performance Room, and students are excited to get the opportunity to have dress rehearsals and performances on the Adams Community Bank Stage.

B2s, Pre-K, and Kindergarten are learning about how to create and explore with Orff-Schülwerk curricula for voice, instruments, and movement. Kindergarteners loved working in pairs to invent some original, seated choreography to Ravel’s Daphnis and Chlöe.

Lower School spent some time reviewing music skills, establishing ensemble practice in Lower School Chorus, and asking lots of questions about the upcoming Lower School Musical (Spring 2018).

Middle School were exposed to the revolutionary Deep Listening methodology, and have begun collaborating on a group composition called “Nature Sound Collages,” which involves making and curating outdoor field recordings.  In addition, Grades 4, 5, and 6 have been given the option to choose between Band and Chorus in a new update to the Music curricula.

In Arts Block, students have a wealth of options to study music with Mr. Suters (Band, Strings and Things) and Mr. Zotique (Composition/Sound Design, Vocal Ensemble). I am looking forward to including some exciting new multimedia options in Composition, and Vocal Ensemble is beginning to think about planning a field trip and performance out-of-state. Exciting times!

Ms. Doherty announced last Friday that the BCD Talent Show at Winthrop Theatre is coming back, which at one point was an annual school tradition. This will be a good opportunity for students (and faculty!) to keep thinking about and practicing their performing arts.

Last but not least, our local music professionals have private studios up and running as part of BCD’s extracurricular Private Music Instruction program.

By utilizing a blended pedagogy of Orff-Schülwerk, Music Learning Theory, Deep Listening, and traditional rehearsal, students from all grade levels are deeply and broadly engaged in music-learning and music-making.

 

Musically Yours,

 

Charles/Mr. Zotique

MS Chorus students in Grades 4, 5, and 6 were treated to a special performance, on the Adams Community Bank Stage of the Kim and James Taylor Music/Performance Room, by the high schoolers from Darrow, led by their music director Mr. Andy Warba. Students particularly seemed to enjoy noticing multi-instrumentalists who were able to perform multiple songs on different instrument parts.

Thanks, Darrow musicians!