Birthday Blessings

Yesterday was my birthday.  I had an awesome day!!

Lots of FB posts, text messages, e-mails, telephone calls, cards, flowers and gifts.  AND the Dean's secretary (who also happens to be my cousin) sang to me over the intercom.  It just doesn't get any better than that.

Even the band honored me by writing my name on their monthly calendar!!

I love bulb flowers of any variety.  My sister sent me a brimming bouquet of irises and tulips!!

I am blessed beyond measure and I'm "feeling the love."  Thank you everyone!! 

Until next time....

VOICE Trio UK

We are very fortunate to have an organization in our area known to all as the Beaches Fine Arts Series.  This organization brings in top-tier performers from around the world to share their musical gifts in our community.  EVERY concert is free.  Many of the artists do masterclasses and workshops with local elementary school children and concert choirs at the high school level.  Last year, we were invited to a masterclass with Chanticleer and it was an awesome experience. 

This year, my Ladies Chamber Chorus was invited to participate in a masterclass with a trio from the United Kingdom.  This group calls themselves "VOICE" and boy, do they each have one!!

The trio worked with my treble choir for over an hour today.  They sing all of their music a cappella, which means that there are no instruments involved in the process.  They establish the key with tuning forks and have incredibly good pitch and tone production.  Their sound is bell-like with very little vibrato.  My students had never heard anything like that before and the trio's sound was enhanced by the "live" acoustics at St. Paul's By-the-Sea Episcopal Church which is made of coquina (sea shells and mortar). 

By the end of the hour, my girls had learned several canons, sung in 3-parts, worked on "floating the sound," practiced proper breathing techniques and enjoyed a musical adventure from three lovely ladies from another country.  I don't think the girls realized the gift that was given to them today.  We will de-brief on Wednesday when we return to school.  I am anxious to hear what they have to say about the experience.  Big "THANK YOU!!" to Kathy Wallis and the Beaches Fine Arts Series.

 Ladies Chamber Chorus with VOICE

 Mrs. Tamburrino with VOICE

 VOICE Trio (United Kingdom)

Until next time...

Conductors in Training

It's that time of year...

Music Performance Assessment season is upon us!  I have 11 entries this year at Solo and Ensemble - 3 music theatre entries, 6 vocal solos and 2 student conductors. This is the first year I've taken student conductors. 

When I asked the Executive Director of the Florida Vocal Association how many I could take, his response was "As many as you can handle."  I now know why. 

We had to find willing hearts among us who would put in the extra effort in an ensemble, so that my students had someone TO conduct.  We had to give up class time to work on the music so that I could coach the guys through the process.  We had to hold additional after school rehearsals with the ensemble and the accompanist to make this happen for these fledgling conductors.  I had forgotten what it was like to watch a beginner try to conduct an ensemble.  Truth be told, these young men have a newly acquired appreciation for the person on the podium. 

It has been a pleasure watching these young men develop over the past several months and my hope is that they both make a "Superior" rating and we all get to go to STATE!! Fingers crossed... 

 Jacob - "Je le vous Diray"

Noah - "Shenandoah"

Until next time...

Brandon J. Lesando

I have been blessed through the years to work with incredible people.  Some of these folks are artists, musicians, media specialists, drama teachers and dance teachers.  All of us are known as resource teachers.  It is our job to enlighten young minds in all things artistic.  I have worked with some of the most creative, innovative teachers who are masterful at their craft.  It is a gift I do not take for granted.  One of my dear friends told me that she "loved zinging with me!"  That is artistic-speak for creating beauty all around us - whether it is heard, seen or experienced - someone has to create it.  I have learned so much from my colleagues and my newest colleague, Brandon J. Lesando, is a musical force with which to be reckoned.

This young man (he is 25 years my junior) is one of the most talented, insightful first-year teachers I have ever met.  He has more energy than anyone in our department.  He is the new band director at my high school.  I live next door in the chorus room and I was assigned to mentor Mr. Lesando through his first year as a professional educator.

It is my job to make sure he understands how to function within our Performing Arts Department.  It is my job to make sure he meets deadlines placed upon him by the school and by the district.  It is my job to make sure that he is well-supported through his first year of teaching.  Statistics show that most teachers entering the workforce these days leave within their first three years.  They can't handle the demands placed upon beginning teachers.  They are easily overwhelmed.

Teaching is not for the faint-of-heart.  It requires a great deal of patience as you learn to navigate the system.  It also requires a passion that runs deep, so that when you are at your wits-end, you can remind yourself of the reason you chose this profession in the first place.

I have mentored many "teacherlings" over the past 12 years.  Some were pre-interns who were just there to observe my teaching.  Others were interns in their final year of teacher training at college.  I have also worked with elementary education majors who were learning how to incorporate visual art and music into their curriculum.  I LOVE working with "teacherlings."  I love to watch them grow and learn as they navigate through their first year in the classroom.  I love to watch the students grow to love them over time.  I love to watch them teach, teach and re-teach so that everyone is successful.  It is like watching a flower unfolding...it doesn't happen overnight.

Because Mr. Lesando is a rookie in the classroom, I am required to do two observations on him this year.  We completed the first one in early November and his final observation yesterday.  He is masterful at classroom management - the best I've ever seen.  He has good teacher instincts.  He scaffolds well.  He teaches "in the moment."  If something does not go according to plan, he makes adjustments and repeats the process.  He plans, prepares and executes with great precision.  Some of that is his naval training; some of it is just how he's wired.

It has been such a pleasure working with Mr. Lesando this year.  My former band director told me before he left that I would love this guy.  I do!!

Until next time...

Gray or Grey?

Gray or Grey?

I guess it depends on whether your cultural roots are British.  I have asked several artists this question and they cannot answer.  They say it is spelled both ways. When I prepare to spell that word, my mind immediately rushes to a lanky dog on the side of a coach bus.  I traveled to and from college on one of those buses, so I tend to go with "grey."

As I prepared to lead my choristers in their afternoon rehearsal, I scanned the classroom and realized that over half of my students were dressed in grey.  I found that quite fascinating and took their picture.  I don't believe it really matters how you spell it, as long as you are able to recognize it.

The dude on the left photo-bombed my shot.  The gal in the back who is wearing black has worn grey for days on end.  The one day she didn't, I decided to take a picture.  I told her she could be the centerpiece.  Grey is her new favorite color.  (or is it colour?)

Until next time...

Piano Class

In addition to being the Director of Choral Studies at Duncan U. Fletcher Senior High School, I am also the piano teacher.  I have never really considered myself a pianist.  If anyone asks me if I play the piano, my response has always been, "I play AT the piano."  I play well enough to run choral rehearsals but not accompany my choirs.

I have four choirs this year and two keyboard classes. My keyboard classes are primarily made up of beginning piano students who want to learn to play an instrument.  It takes approximately 3 years to get a student up and running on the piano.  Playing the piano engages multiple areas of the brain at the same time.  It is one of the greatest gifts you can give your children.

When one learns to play any instrument, it requires lots of patience on the part of the instructor and due diligence on the part of the music student.  It takes time, dedication and a willingness to practice.  As the saying goes, "Practice Makes Permanent."  Most people run out of steam several years into the process and never reach their full potential on the instrument.  Those that continue to play for more than a decade are the ones who gain the most enjoyment out of the experience and their brains develop in ways that would not have been possible otherwise.

Wind, string and brass instruments play in a single clef.  The higher pitches are usually written in treble clef (G-clef) and the lower pitches are usually written in bass clef (F-clef).  Learning to play the piano requires that you read in both clefs simultaneously and pedal with your feet.  Playing the piano challenges your mind to think on multiple levels at the same time.  It engages your eyes, your ears and your sense of touch.  Your perception of rhythm is also activated.  Motor skills, literacy skills, aural skills, hand-eye coordination all come into play.  It is a full mind-body workout! Learning to play the piano is not for the faint of heart! Have you ever tried it?

Below are pictures of my students during an independent practice session.

Beginning Keyboard Class

I have written a grant proposal requesting $2,000 so that I can purchase new keyboards and stands for my students.  We don't have enough instruments for each student to have their own keyboard and I hope to use these funds to enhance our class piano program next year.

Please take 5 minutes and watch the video below.  It is entitled, "How Playing an Instrument Benefits Your Brain" by Anita Collins.  You will be enlightened and hopefully inspired to give it a try. 




Until next time...

"Teaching Music" Article

Back in September, I received an e-mail from a junior editor at "Teaching Music" magazine who had stumbled upon a lesson I created back in 2010 and posted here on my blog.  He said he was fascinated by the fact that I used literature to teach rhythmic patterns to young children and wanted to interview me.  He stated that if his senior editor liked the piece, it would appear in the January, 2016 edition of the magazine.

Well...lo and behold...the magazine arrived in the mail last week and the interview appears on page 55 of the magazine.  This is a publication of the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) and is published quarterly and distributed to all members of the organization.  This is a big deal for a music educator who is a very small fish in a really large pond.  Had it not been for my blog, this would never have come to pass.  [Thank you, Melanie Holtsman!!]

I am grateful to Paul Sigrist for contacting me and allowing me to elaborate on a lesson I created for use in my classroom 5 years ago.  I am no longer teaching elementary music, but my legacy lives on and it is truly humbling to know that I have made a difference - not only in the lives of children, but also with my colleagues from across this great nation who will read the article and, hopefully, implement this lesson into their own elementary music classrooms.  Happy Rhythmic Reading!!

Until next time...