Band Winter Concert 2009

On the evening of November 23rd, we all dressed up and headed to the kids' Winter Concert for band. We are part of Grace Notes Homeschool Conservatory this year. Every Monday there are classes for Chorus, Recorder, Beginner/Intermediate/Advanced Band, Beginner/Intermediate/Advanced Strings along with Jazz Band and Marching Band classes. This is our first year to participate in band, and the kids and I are LOVING it! For those of you who don't know, Jacob plays the alto saxophone, Caleb plays the snare drum and Abbi is playing the flute. They have come quite a long way since band started in September. The kids are very diligent about practicing every day and I am pleased to report that the 'noise' is beginning to sound much more like music.

The kids got to wear these darling tuxedo shirts for the concert. The band certainly looked ready for a great performance!

The kids waiting their turn to warm up.

I took these shots while the Beginner Band warmed up. I'm very glad I took this photo opportunity. I wouldn't have been able to get very good pictures while they performed. Just FYI, there are 26 students in Beginner Band.

The kids' band director is fondly referred to as Papa George. He was a tuba player in the Navy and is just wonderful with the kids! We are so blessed to have him as our band director!

The concert began with the Chorus group.

Then we heard from the Beginner Strings class. I don't know if you can tell, but there is a mom smack-dab in the middle of the photo. You will see parents (moms & dads both) in several of the photos. I think that is so cool!

Above - the Beginner Band playing Good King Wenceslas

Below - the Beginner Band playing Jolly Old St. Nicholas

Next we heard from the Intermediate Strings class. After their first song, Jon and I both said "WOW!" so I figured I better record at least one of their songs.

After that, the Advanced Strings class played for us (above) followed by the Intermediate Band class (below). If I remember right, there are two dads in this class.

We also got to hear the Advanced Band play. There are 3 moms in this class.

I'm putting this video here for Caleb (below). He loved hearing the drummers in this class! It does sound like they're having fun, doesn't it?

We got home pretty late and still had packing to do since we left early the next morning for Illinois. But I wouldn't let the kids get their jammies on until I took photos of them in front of the Christmas tree. It's not often they are this dressed up!

The Profound Influence of Band on My Life

Yesterday afternoon, I took the kids for their instrument fitting in preparation for band this fall.  Mr. Uterhardt (who is fondly called Papa George by the students) met with us and let the kids see all sorts of instruments.  Abbi had already decided she wants to play the flute and Caleb was fairly certain he wanted to try the snare drum.  But Jacob had no idea what instrument he wanted to try.  We arrived at the music store and George had a trumpet, trombone, clarinet, saxophone, flute and drum waiting for us.  He started with Abbi and the flute and tried to show her how to blow across the mouthpiece to make sound.  I told him I used to play the flute so he sent us out into the hallway so I could help her while he worked with the boys.  After watching Abbi attempt to make a sound come from the flute, I took it from her to demonstrate where the mouthpiece should rest on her lower lip.  And I played the flute for the first time in at least 20 years.  And do you know what I find absolutely incredible?  It all came back to me.  Just like that.  I played a scale.  Just like that.  More than 20 years have passed since I played the flute and it felt completely natural to play it again.  My fingers just went into automatic and played a scale.  It brought tears to my eyes.  My heart swelled and I was completely overwhelmed with emotion.  Why did I ever stop playing the flute?  I have no answer.

I pondered all this on our drive home.  I was lost in memories of band.  I still remember my junior high school band class.  I'll never forget my teacher, Mr. Wilson.  I can still picture every face in my Concert and Symphony Band classes.  I don't remember all the names, but I can picture it as though it were yesterday.   I will never forget my first week of middle school band.  I was the only 7th grader in the 8th grade band, which already made me unwelcome.  We all had to play a little something so that Mr. Wilson knew where to place us...1st chair, 2nd chair and so on.  The day of the placement announcement was full of anxiety (for me anyway).  Mr. Wilson started with the flute section.  I still remember how he sat in his chair looking over his list.  And then the bomb hit.  "1st chair...Amy Eder."  My heart dropped into my stomach and I know I went pale as a ghost.  I truly did not want to be 1st chair.  1st chair had pressure...the 1st chair flutist also had to play the piccolo when the song called for it.  1st chair was a leader and an example to the others.  I did not feel up to the task and I really did not want the attention.  Not to mention I could feel the daggers of all the 8th grade flutists glaring into me.  Then to my relief Mr. Wilson said, "Wait a minute...1st chair...Becky Skinner.  2nd chair...Amy Eder."  Thank you, Lord!  2nd chair was much better than first.  And the pressure was off.

So, why is it that I remember so much about band?  I remember other things about school...a particular oral book report, my 7th grade Social Studies teacher - Mr. Cowgill, my volleyball coach, how much I loved Pre-Algebra and lots of other random things.  But I don't remember big chunks of things like I do about band.  Could it be because of the things I've shared here the past 2 weeks?  Because band was so multi-sensory that I remember it more clearly than any other class?  Hmmmm...interesting thoughts.

The kids are now super-excited about band, as am I.  Caleb was very pleased with the snare drum, which I think is a perfect fit, and Jacob decided on the saxophone.  Cool.  It looked good on him.  I can't wait!!

Oh, the above photo is of a band concert from 7th grade.  Becky Skinner, the 1st chair flutist is close to the middle wearing white shoes.  I'm next to her wearing a black skirt.

The Profound Influence of Music on Life

As I was getting ready for the GHEA conference, I pulled out a notebook so I could take notes at the classes and guess what I found? All my notes from last year's conference! As I was looking through my old notes I was thinking, "Oh yeah...I remember that!" So, in an effort to RETAIN and implement everything I learned this past weekend, I thought I'd rehash my notes here.

Friday evening Andrew Pudewa gave a talk called The Profound Influence of Music on Life. It was incredibly inspiring and he was, as usual, a delight to listen to. What's interesting is that I've been wanting to put the kids in band for over a year now. I played the flute for years as a child and I loved it. It was part of who I was. I still love music and I really want my kids to have that same love. They took piano lessons last year, but I've been praying about finding a homeschool band nearby for them to participate in. There's just something about each instrument playing it's own part and putting it all together to create something beautiful. So this talk was especially meaningful to me.

So, going off of my notes here, let's see if I can figure out all these little pieces and make them make sense. Mr. Pudewa is very passionate about music and talked about how parents say things like, 'wouldn't it be nice if we had some extra money and we could afford music lessons for little Sally.' He said music instruction isn't 'nice.' Music education is absolutely critical! Why? Because learning to play an instrument 'stimulates and stores in the brain a perfectly ordered set of information through three sensory pathways simultaneously.' Learning to play an instrument is about as multi-sensory as you can get. You see the music, you hear it and you play it so your brain is making 'exponential neuro connections.' He said if possible, his advice is to scrap all the math and phonics and 'formal education' for the first few years of school and focus mainly on music instruction (and of course, all the kids in the audience cheered!). Then, when you start formal academics, your children will not only learn faster, but their brains will be performing at an optimum. Interesting, isn't it?

Mr. Pudewa told us about several experiments performed by David Merrell back in the 1990's involving mice and the effects of different kinds of music. In the first experiment, he got 72 mice and divided them into three groups: one to test a mouse's response to heavy metal, another to the music of Mozart and another group that wouldn't listen to any music at all. Mr. Merrill played music for 10 hours a day and put each mouse through a maze three times a week that originally had taken the mice an average of 10 minutes to complete. Over time, the 24 mice that had no music cut about 5 minutes from their maze-completion time. The Mozart-listening mice cut their time back 8-and-a-half minutes. But the heavy metal mice added 20 minutes to their time. Mr. Merrell even had to cut his project short because all the heavy metal mice began to kill and eat each other. So, if you think the music you listen to doesn't effect you, think again!

Another experiment he shared revealed that human attitudes change with music; hostility, fatigue, sadness & tension decrease with classical music, but dramatically increase with “grunge rock.” And another showed that college students improved their IQ scores after listening to Mozart, when compared with relaxation music and no music.

Mr. Pudewa also told us about an experiment done in a preschool. Preschoolers were given an IQ test and then for six months, 20 minutes per day, one group of children had free-play, one group had singing time, one group had computer time and the last group learned how to play the piano. After 6 months, the group that learned how to play the piano increased their IQ scores 46% higher than the other groups! Astounding, isn't it?

There were many other experiments that he shared with us and all had fascinating results. Mr. Pudewa read an article about a group of Chinese students who were studying Mozart's compositions mathematically. (He referred several times to how music and math are both perfectly ordered and music is actually very mathematical.) This group of students came to the conclusion that THERE MUST BE A GOD because no human brain was capable of creating the music Mozart did without help from a Creator. And they ALL converted to Christianity! Incredible!

Closing remarks: What is the purpose of art? To bring the mind of man closer to the mind of God. How do we know the mind of God? By His two books: The Bible and Natural Creation.

When art imitates nature, it brings the mind of man closer to the mind of God. When art violates God, it leads to disorder and chaos. 

There are 3 elements to music: the melody - which connects our minds, the harmony - which connects our heart and emotions, and rhythym - which connects our body.

How can we judge if music is good? Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4:8. And we can also flip that around. If it is NOT true, if it is NOT noble, if it is NOT pure, etc...then it is probably not good.

So, remember how I said that I've been praying about putting the kids in band?  Should we do it?  Can we make the time commitment?  Can we afford it?  Well now I'm thinking we can't afford NOT to do it.  I did some checking around last week and couldn't believe how affordable band is compared to piano lessons.  If you're thinking about homeschool band for your kids and you live near me, check out Grace Notes Homeschool Ensemble.  This group meets in Lilburn and there's another band that meets in Cumming.  I also found bands in East Cobb, Jasper, and Stockbridge.