In the week before April break students who are a part of the LR music department were able to participate in a workshop led by Dr Kathy Bullock on Tuesday, and then do a concert in the cafeteria during Block 4 on Thursday. The students had a lot of fun both days and learned many things.
In the workshops with Dr Bullock (she led workshops for both chorus, band, and piano lab students) many things were taught. She taught the band a song in Yoruba, a language that is spoken in western Africa. She also taught them how to play group polyrhythms, which are rhythms that don’t share the same beat divisions. Then she taught the chorus the songs March On, Thuma Mina, Everyday People by Sly and the Family Stone, Say Say Yes, and gave guidance on the process of learning Now Let Me Fly Away which is an arrangement based off of several spirituals.
During the final block of the day all groups ran the pieces they worked on together and recorded them so that there could be analysis of the work that was done on that day.
On Thursday the advanced Jazz band and modern bands took the focus and played a much less worldly set. They did numbers ranging from Pork and Beans to Feeling Good, and Hurricane Season by Trombone Shorty. They performed these pieces for students both in the building and for the middle school band and chorus students who were there to have rehearsal after school for their upcoming concert on Sunday, May 4th at 5:30 P.M. at LR. The concert was extremely successful as students were able to perform some of their projects that hadn’t made into concerts earlier in the year were able to do that on Thursday.
The next time you can catch the LR Band and chorus is at the Senior Solo Showcase, and Spring Chorus concert which will happen Sunday May 18th at the Barton United Church at 7 P.M.
