Welcome Back, Miss Lambros!!

As many of you know, I had the privilege of mentoring Samantha Lambros through her music internship last fall. I served as her Directing Teacher and she spent approximately four months with me in my classroom. She was a joy and a delight to work with and it broke my heart to see her go. She is smart, musically gifted and brings an instrumentalist's perspective to my classroom. (Her instrument is the French Horn.)


Miss Lambros and Mrs. Tamburrino at her Senior Recital

Miss Lambros graduated from UNF in December and began teaching elementary music in Duval County Public Schools in January. Although not required, she has agreed to return to Chets Creek and assist me with our spring session of Recorder Club. Miss Lambros and I donate our time on a weekly basis after school to provide these students with an opportunity to work in an ensemble setting and further develop their note-reading and performance skills. Working with a smaller ensemble allows us to work at a deeper level with our students.

Last fall, the Chets Creek Recorder Club performed at the Midtown Arts Fest, the Beaches Senior Center, Jacksonville International Airport and the TownCenter Mall during the holdiay season. In years past, the Recorder Club disbanded after our final performance in December. However, In January, I received a request from the Community Relations Administrator at the airport asking if we would return in May for a command performance during TPC Week. I contacted the parents and asked them to let me know if their child would be interested in returning for eight weeks of rehearsal and another performance at the airport. I said that if I had at least ten students that were willing to make the commitment, I would do it. Fifteen students agreed to return and with my principal's blessing, we began rehearsing on March 9th.

We are currently working on several pieces which have been arranged in a jazz format for soprano recorder. The music incorporates a performance genre that is new to my students and requires the students to improvise on the instrument. I promise to keep you posted on their progress.

Until next time...

Recorder Club Performances

In my post dated Wednesday, September 9th, I expressed my sheer delight in 20 students taking part in an afterschool Arts enrichment program known as the "Chets Creek Recorder Club." I had 10 very dedicated and talented students in our inaugural group last year and was pleasantly surprised to see that our numbers had doubled this year.

Miss Lambros and I have been working diligently after school with these students. We donate our time on a weekly basis to ensure that they have quality instruction and plenty of one-on-one help. We also provide music that is challenging enough to stretch them as young musicians.

Their first public appearance is Sunday, November 15th at 2:30 p.m. at the "Family ArtFest and Salute to the Troops." This festival is a 2-day event in historic St. Nicholas near downtown Jacksonville. A film crew from Douglas Anderson School of the Performing Arts will be on-hand to shoot a documentary and a portion of the proceeds will be used to further Arts education in Duval County Public Schools. We are privileged to have been invited to perform by the District Music Office and are happy to support this endeavor.

Next month, our holiday series begins. On Tuesday, December 1st, we will perform at the Beaches Senior Center in Jacksonville Beach from 9:15 a.m.- 9:45 a.m. On Wednesday, December 2nd, we will take part in the Holiday Fest at the Jacksonville International Airport. Our performance begins at 10:30 a.m. in the atrium upstairs near the food court. On Thursday, December 3rd, the group will perform at the TownCenter Mall at 6:30 p.m. in the open space near Cantina Laredo. As a service to our second graders at CCE, the Recorder Club will play pre-show music in the lobby for all performances of "Once on a Housetop" December 8th and 10th.







I hope you will be able to join us for one of these performances. Until next time...

Rockin' Recorder Club Begins

The 5th Grade Recorder Club began rehearsing yesterday with 20 students showing up for our first after-school rehearsal! It was so exciting to see so many fifth graders volunteer to take part in a musical enrichment activity that requires additional study outside the classroom.

The purpose of the Recorder Club at Chets Creek Elementary is two-fold. The first is to allow the students to complete the "Recorder Karate" program they began last year and test out of the music through "black belt." The second is to provide a more in-depth learning environment for them to take their recorder playing skills to the next level and showcase their talent in our community. The criteria for membership in this club is 80% mastery of the recorder in 4th grade, including note-reading skills, rhythmic-reading skills, playing with a good tone on the instrument, having a good attitude and a willingness to practice at home.

Last year, the Chets Creek Recorder Club played at several venues around town including the Jacksonville International Airport's "Holiday Fest," "Chets Creek Night" at BJs Wholesale Warehouse Club and they provided pre-show music for all second grade performances of "Paint the Town December" at school.

It is with great anticipation that we begin a new season of recorder study which will enhance student learning and prepare them for music performances during their middle school years.

Until next time...