Middle School Concert Report

For this concert report I chose to go to a performance of student composers held at the Kimball Recital Hall. I chose this one because I wanted to see some of the talent that my peers have in the music realm, and also it was one of the only concerts I have been able to attend because I usually work at night. It was impressive to hear pieces composed by students. I cannot imagine creating something as complex as a musical composition, much less actually performing it, so this aspect of the concert was particularly awe-inspiring. There was a large attendance, and I think that much of the audience consisted of friends of the composers and/or performers. I went with three friends, who I convinced by telling it would be interesting to see

Living in a world surrounded by noises and sounds, one cannot deny that music lives all around them. Schools, street corners, sporting events, there is one thing you will always find: music. Music education is quickly becoming defunct in schools, as many try to decry its many benefits. A growing emphasis on the concrete subjects of math and science, whose benefits are more immediate, are pushing the creativity and imagination of music classes to the back of the budget. Music education is no longer described as stimulating and exciting, but rather unnecessary and distracting. But the benefits of having an education in music is undeniable. Simply being around music can have a positive impact on life. Music enables the human race to discover emotions that they have never uncovered before. The human mind is refreshed by music; “our imagination and memories are stimulated by the sounds, and summon feelings and memories associated with the musical sound” (Wingell 15). Without music, the world would be silent. Lifeless. No matter what language one speaks or what culture one is from, music is a universal language, connecting the hearts of people around the entire world. In schools throughout the nation, that connection is being severed because of budget cuts and lack of funding, but the benefits of music education are clear. The benefits of having an education in music are not only present in the classroom; a lasting impact is also left on the social and emotional growth of a person, though the gains may not be evinced immediately. Participating in musical education programs in schools can give students the opportunity to form lasting friendships and to gain skills that will last them their entire lives. Music education can be beneficial to students because it enhances students’ performance in the classroom, aids in improving student’s interest and engagement in school, and advances students’ social and emotional growth.

“Why would someone join chorus? Only nerds and weird people are in choir.” Hearing comments like these when I was in middle school almost discouraged me from participating in the arts. I did not want to do anything that would make it more difficult to achieve popularity, for I was obsessed with trying to fit in with my peers. My chorus teacher knew how irrational it was for me to think that and convinced me to try out for chorus. I am forever grateful that she did, for joining chorus allowed me to express myself, connect with others, and create memorable experiences.

Tanner started his freshman year playing in the second best orchestra of three in his school. Here, he excelled musically and made new friends with upperclassmen. By January, one of Tanner’s older friends had convinced him to join choir, so he decided to audition for the upcoming year. As a sophomore, Tanner sang bass in the top choir, even though he did not have any prior singing experience. The same year, he also auditioned into Symphonic Orchestra, the top orchestra of his school. While he was in both the top orchestra and choir, he started student conducting for the lower orchestras and choirs. By senior year, Tanner’s schedule was almost completely filled with music classes. Consequently, Tanner grew extremely close to his high school ensemble directors. It got the point where he could casually call his Symphonic Orchestra director “mom.” This inspired Tanner to make it a goal for himself to form strong relationships with his future students. Through his experiences conducting his high school orchestras, and choir, Tanner found that he really enjoyed teaching music and decided to study music

Dr. Carol Williams’s organ plays were just fantastic. Despite the fact that seeing the instrument called, “organ” was my first time, it was pretty impressive how that instrument worked. All the pedals and the three layers of keyboards were just as complicated as a calculus math problem. The concert was played at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion at Balboa Park. The surrounding was not too bad. Although the concert day was Sunday, it was quite crowded. Besides the crowdedness, the surroundings were not too rough. All ages were welcome to seat and enjoy the sounds of organ. I saw mostly old aged audiences and I saw a little amount of college aged audiences with the music report information on their hands.

From Starting off with zero confidence and feeling like I didn’t belong, I have come a long way, most of that I owe to music. Choir is who I am, of the students here at PHS I fall under the category of “choir kid”, I am proud to wear that label. Along my way through choir, I have developed a love for fitness through choir. Some of the friends I have made through the years have been bodybuilders, they taught me to not care what others think of me, and if I did have a problem with what they thought, to prove them wrong, to show them that you can become. Music has made me into this person I want to be. I have found a true passion in music, choir has made me be into person I am. Its

Graziano, Matthew Peterson, and Gordon L. Shaw a group of children were given piano lessons and math training for a certain amount of time, while a control group received only the math training. At the end of the experiment the children were all given a math test; the children who had been given piano lessons scored fifteen percent higher on their math tests than the ones who received only the math training. (Deasy 110) According to Chorus America’s Chorus Impact Study, “parents with children singing in choruses report their children get significantly better grades than children who’ve never been part if one.” This fact is proven in their research that states that sixty four percent of chorus students reported that their language arts skills had improved, fifty seven percent reported that they improved in math, and sixty one percent reported an overall increase in their academic skill levels since joining fine arts. From those statistics, it is almost impossible to imagine that anyone would consider removing fine arts from public schools.

On Friday, July 10th, I chose virtually to attend an online YouTube Symphony Orchestra Concert-2011. Many beautiful pieces were performed by a magnificent orchestra that included more than sixty participants and consisted of instruments such as: flutes, oboes, horn, clarinets, bassoons, trumpets, percussions and strings. Concert’s selections varied in length, temperament, mood and dynamics. Orchestra Symphony gave an overpowering, extraordinary presentation and delivery.

As a third and fourth grader, I participated in choir. I enjoyed it then but decided to stop so that I would have more time for homework. In the beginning of seventh grade, when it came time to decide if you want to join choir, Maria Abbulone and I chose to sign up. We thought it would be a fun experience because we enjoy singing, and we had done it in past years. As choir practices began, Maria and I thought that it would be a fun experience for the year, and we might decide to do it in eighth grade. As the choir kicked into full swing, everything was going well.

For many, a fun summer often includes a visit to some sort of fair, whether it be the county fair or even the state fair. One of the unique aspects of the Ohio State Fair, specifically, is that they have their own youth choir known as the All-Ohio State Fair Youth Choir. This is an organization designed to bring high school students from all over the state of Ohio to live at the Ohio State Fair for eighteen days to make music. Throughout this experience, I have learned many important skills that will stick with me throughout the entirety of my life. Here is just a small sample of what I’ve learned.

Daryl Yasay, my old high school chorus director, has helped me to become the music lover I am today. Mr.Yasay is an awesome chorus director as expected from someone with a Master’s degree from FSU in choral conducting. But instead of just focusing on the technique of music he also would teach his students to focus on the emotion and message of the music. I remember once after an after school rehearsal I was waiting for my mom to come pick me up and we were talking about the new song he had gave us. I was explaining to him how I was annoyed at the thought of singing the song because it was a love song and at the time I was going through a heartbreak and did not want to sing about love. He then told me a story about how when he was in high school

When I attended the Crane Youth Music Camp (CYM) in Potsdam, NY for the first time in 2012, I studied vocal performance only for the reason that I enjoyed singing as a hobby. I felt lost being in a camp filled with future music majors, because at the time I wanted to be an engineer. It was not until I returned to CYM in 2014, when playing guitar and singing with my new friends, that I had my first realization. If I wanted to be an engineer, I would be at a STEM camp, but I had chosen to return to music, a place where I would stay.

Across the United States many elementary school music classrooms are filled with simple and popular tunes such as Hot Cross Buns and The Ode to Joy, played on the recorder, while high school students may be playing collegiate or professional pieces of music such as Armenian Dances and Carmen Suites. I have been very fortunate to have gone on the journey of progressing through different music education programs within Fairfax County Public Schools. If I was never exposed to music while in elementary school I might not have ever found one of my greatest passions or been able to create such fond and unforgettable memories. While music education programs across the country appear large and strong, many schools are beginning to experience budget reductions. As a result, music is often the very first component of a school 's curriculum or programs to be cut or significantly reduced, but I believe this is not the right course of action. It is important to preserve and promote music education in public schools because of the proven cognitive, character,and academic benefits for students.

Being a part of that group gave me the opportunity to challenge myself with more difficult music, and the greater the vocal obstacle, the more I thrived. My choir teacher, Ms. Tippett, took notice of my passion for music and urged me to pursue it further. She pushed me to audition for choral festivals, urged me to try out for the school musical, gave me new responsibilities within the choir, and always knew I could accomplish whatever task she handed me. She nurtured my unending love of all things music and made me see that I really could do this, I could really follow music for the rest of my life. Music shaped me into the confident young woman I am today, and I can’t even begin to imagine how miserable my life would be if I pushed it to the sidelines.

     I chose to do my first concert report on Pearl Jam. The concert took place at Deer Creek the weekend after class started, so it was perfect timing to do this assignment. This was the first time I have seen Pearl, and I thought it was worthy of writing a report on.