Cultural Arts: Boston Baroque visit!

Last Friday we had some musical visitors come to The Country School for a special Cultural Arts event. Musicians from Boston Baroque (a world class Baroque ensemble with musicians that perform on period instruments) shared their "Classics for Kids" concert with us and played selections from Vivaldi's Four Seasons for grades K-3.

In addition to the beautiful music played by incredibly talented musicians, there was also a lovely narrator who introduced the students to each season through costumes and lively descriptions of the sounds that the instruments create: animals (birds, dogs, flies), weather (lightning, thunder, snow), and emotions (happy, sad, scared, etc).

The audience was mesmerized by the performance! After the show, students were invited to a special instrument "petting zoo" where they got to try playing a violin, viola, or cello with one of the Boston Baroque musicians as their guide.

There was also an interactive percussion table that got lots of attention from our curious young musicians.

This spectacular event was thoughtfully designed to appeal to our young audience members, and it gave us all an accessible window into the fascinating world of classical music. We hope it will inspire TCS students to listen and appreciate music on a deeper level. Maybe some will even want to begin studying an instrument on their own some day? Or perhaps go and see more live classical music performances in the future?

As a personal highlight, I got to see an old friend of mine who currently plays violin with Boston Baroque.

Julia McKenzie and I used to work together at Johnson String Instrument up in Boston, and I had not seen her for 10 years! It was such a joy to reconnect with Julie and hear her play.

Ultimately, being able to have these phenomenal musicians visit TCS was an unforgettable experience, and something we will treasure for many years to come. Thank you to the musicians, the coordinators, and the donors who helped make this event possible. One of my students summed up all our feelings perfectly when asked what they thought of the performance:

"I loved it...I wish I could see it again!" 

We love you, Boston Baroque! Come back and visit us any time!

Songs that inspire...

Have you checked out the new movie musical The Greatest Showman yet? It's in theaters now, and regardless of your interest level in musical theater, this movie (especially in the theater) is not to be missed. In my humble, musical opinion, I think the movie and specifically the music share wonderful messages through songs that are catchy, appropriate for all age levels, and powerful. I've been using them during my classes in different ways. Click on the song titles below to hear them!

1) Song: "The Greatest Show"
Use as: A pump-up entrance song to begin a middle school class.

2) Song: "Come Alive"
Use as: A brain break dance tune for learners who need to move!

3) Song: "This Is Me"
Use as: A song selection for our spring concert theme "Songs That Bring Us Together."

Part of my IDEA (Interpreting Diversity Education Through Action) workshop also used "This Is Me" as an inspirational way to discuss how being different is what makes us all great. The photos below are from a bulletin board with lyrics from the song, written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.

 Students chose a line and drew their image of that line at the bottom.

 We also learned some simplified dance moves too. Ask them to show you!

I'm always searching for musical experiences to recommend to the TCS community that you can actually go and see with your whole family and enjoy together, so...

GO SEE THE GREATEST SHOWMAN!