Today we had a special guest artist visit The Country School. Jamie Guan, a trained performer & choreographer who specializes in the Chinese tradition of Peking Opera, brought a presentation to the entire TCS community. Students were shown a short performance video, then watched as Guan transformed himself from a man into a monkey with expertly applied make-up.
He then performed scenes from "The Monkey King" with the help of another performer who is currently training with Guan. The two men demonstrated beautiful and acrobatic choreography, complete with flags, swords, and spears (all weapons were props), and they also shared the ancient story through facial expression, language, and music.
After taking some questions from the audience, Guan invited several students up on stage to try out some basic choreography using the different props. It was definitely a highlight for students to watch as their peers attempted to twirl flags and catch spears!
Click HERE to read more about Jamie Guan, and a huge thank you to Nancy Tong, Pam Sachs, and the Cultural Arts Committee for inviting and bringing Jamie Guan and the Peking Opera tradition to TCS!
Now that the first few weeks of school are behind us, I'm thrilled to share what's been going on in my chorus classes...read below for all the latest details:
4th & 5th grade Chorus
The students in this choral group have set some goals for the year, and they are as follows:
1) Sing at least 2 songs at the Winter and Spring Concerts
2) Share your voice
3) Take musical risks
4) Have fun!
These goals will help the chorus work together, listen to each other, and become a solid vocal group of singers. I have already seen and heard students encouraging one another to take musical risks during rehearsals by asking important questions, and we are currently working on learning some vocal warm-ups that will help us strengthen our voices and our ability to sing in 2-part harmony.
Ask them about musical free throws!
6th, 7th, & 8th grade Chorus
The students in this choral group have also set some goals for the year, and they are as follows:
1) Perform 3 songs at the Winter and Spring Concerts
2) Perform with CONFIDENCE...how?
a) practicing
b) staying focused
c) respecting teacher & peers
3) Share your voice...how?
a) vocal projection
b) diction
4) Take risks
5) Have fun and DO YOUR BEST!
These goals will help the chorus work together, listen to each other, and become a blended vocal group of singers. I am thrilled to share that we have a very large group of singers in this group (over 50 students!) which will only enhance our ability to sing songs in 3-part harmony. We are already hard at work on our repertoire for the Winter Concert, and one of our tunes will hopefully be sung a cappella.
Ask them about the "1, 1-2-1" warm-up!
