Yesterday, Austrian piano manufacturer Bösendorfer – maker of the piano that sits on the stage at the Rothschild Performing Arts Center – brought German pianist Jan Jiracek von Arnim to the Patil Theater to deliver a very special master class to Harker students. An award-winning performer and professor at the University for Music and Performing Arts Vienna, Jiracek von Armin heard performances from Harker students Andrew Semenza, grade 12, and Jessica Jiang, grade 10. He discussed their interpretations of the pieces they played, offering advice on how to improve their respective techniques.
Music teacher Dave Hart invited Bay Area woodwind ensemble Frequency 49 to his middle school classroom on Thursday to show his students how chamber music is performed by professional musicians. The students, who had been creating chamber music compositions in class, watched as the members of the sextet – pianist Margaret Halbig, French horn player (and Hart’s wife) Leslie Hart, bassoonist Patrick Johnson-Whitty, oboist Adrienne Malley, clarinetist Jeannie Psomas and flautist Katrina Walter – demonstrated the various aspects and techniques of their respective instruments, as well as how the group’s unique configuration allows for flexibility in the sounds they can create. The students were then delighted to hear Frequency 49 perform a rendition of a piece by Francis Poulenc. More info about the group can be found at its website, as well as on Facebook and Instagram!
Last month, rising senior Millie Lin was named a member of the All-National Honor Ensembles by the National Association for Music Education. Lin will perform in late November as a member of the Mixed Choir at the Coronado Springs Resort at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla.
According to the NAfME website, the All-National Honor Ensembles are made up of “the top performing high school musicians in the United States.” Students audition for ensembles by submitting unedited videos of an unaccompanied performance. Lin also is slated to be a section leader for the Cantilena women’s choir during the 2017-18 school year.
This article originally appeared in the winter 2013 Harker Quarterly.
Nichols Hall’s auditorium was packed on Nov. 15 for this year’s fall choral concert, which featured upper school singing groups Bel Canto, Camerata, Guys’ Gig and Cantilena. This concert focused on the work of Eastern and Central European composers, with a smattering of holiday favorites included in the spirit of the season.
Camerata, directed by Susan Nace, were the first performers of the evening with a pair of holiday songs by Arvo Pärt and Pierre Certon. Jennah Somers then directed Bel Canto, who performed traditional Russian and Macedonian folk songs, as well as a clever version of “The Nutcracker” with its familiar melodies sung to the lyrics of “Jingle Bells.”
Always crowd favorites, the allmale a cappella group Guys’ Gig took the stage and started things off with their rendition of Billy Joel’s “For the Longest Time.” Following some amusing banter in which they realized their set was not in keeping with the theme of the show, the boys launched into “Tchaikovsky and Other Russians,” an amusing meditation on the tongue-twisting nature of Russian surnames. Susan Nace returned to direct headliners Cantilena, who were accompanied by Camerata on their first song of the evening, Tchaikovsky’s “Let My Prayer Arise,” which had the two groups trading verses, adapted to match each group’s style. They followed with a stirring performance of Mykola Leontovych’s “Shchedryk,” popularly known as “Carol of the Bells,” and ended the show on a rousing note with Zoltán Kodály’s “Táncnóta” (“Dancing Song”), which fittingly had the singers stomping in rhythm.
This article originally appeared in the summer 2014 Harker Quarterly.
Spring break was especially memorable for The Harker School Orchestra, which traveled to Chicago to perform at the Chicago International Music Festival – and came home with a Gold Award. Earlier this year, the orchestra was chosen to premiere a new piece by composer Jeremy Van Buskirk. The piece, titled “… such as I am you will be,” was one of three performed by the orchestra at the festival, along with Arturo Marquez’s “Danzon No. 2” and the fourth movement of “Symphony No. 5” by Dmitri Shostakovich.
The orchestra’s performance earned high praise from Deborah Gibbs, president and CEO of World Projects, the production company behind the festival, who declared The Harker School Orchestra was the best high school orchestra she had ever heard. Chris Florio, upper school music teacher and director of the orchestra, was similarly enthused. “We have been preparing all year long for this event and I could not be more proud of how our students performed,” he said.
This article originally appeared in the summer 2014 Harker Quarterly.
On a bright Wednesday morning in May, a group of 3 year olds from the Acorn Cottage gathered excitedly in Harker Preschool’s music room. Their teacher, Mara Beckerman (aka Ms. Mara) welcomed them to this, her first class of the day.
After the youngsters took their seats on brightly colored mats arranged in a circle, Beckerman said, “Listen closely and tell me what you think you hear!” Then she hid behind a desk and used a musical instrument to produce an odd noise, which the children said sounded like water or rain.
Coming out from behind the desk, Beckerman showed the children where the sound was coming from: an instrument, made from a cactus plant, called a rainstick. Partially filled with small pebbles, beans and nails, the stick is believed to have been invented by the Aztecs in the hope that playing it would bring about rainstorms.
The rainstick is just one of many unique instruments the preschoolers were introduced to in music class. Each week, Harker preschoolers of all ages attend interactive music and movement specialty classes, taught by Beckerman, who for the past 25 years has worked with pre-K to adults and children with special needs, in both private and public schools.
Following the rainstick exercise, the children went off to make their very own musical instrument called a shaker egg. Each child was given various materials, including very fine yellow fish tank gravel, medium size black lentil beans and larger red fish tank gravel. Each created a different sound. The children, having been sensitized to “listening,” experimented to create a unique shaker by choosing a combination of the three materials.
Beckerman explained that a shaker egg is a modern hand percussion instrument from Latin America that makes a rhythmic sound when shaken. It is similar to a maraca without a handle. When she told the children they got to take the eggs home, to keep and show their parents, delighted shouts of “yay!” filled the classroom.
Student Ishaan Dhillon-Patel said he had never made a shaker egg before. “Mine is going to be the weirdest of all!” he said with a huge grin as he carefully filled his egg with the tiny pebbles.
Sitting across from him, classmate Omya Vidyarthi proudly held up her purple egg, noting that purple is her favorite color. “Mine is so loud!” she exclaimed, giving it a shake.
Satisfied with their egg creations, both Dhillon-Patel and Vidyarthi returned to their mats and sang songs with their peers while tapping their shakers from one knee to the other, keeping a steady beat with the music. Beckerman explained that “this simple movement of crossing the midline of one’s body is so important for a child to develop.”
After the Acorn Cottage students ended their music and movement session, Beckerman quickly rearranged the room to welcome her next class, the transitional kindergarten (TK) group. “It’s time for music. It’s time to sing along!” sang Beckerman while playing the guitar as they settled into their spots on the floor.
Beckerman introduced a new song, called “Sobonana Kusasa,” which was an especially big hit. “The words are from the Zulu people in South Africa meaning ‘goodbye till we meet again,’” she said, noting that the children really enjoy learning songs in different languages.
TK student Zachary Davidson said he liked the song. “It made me feel quiet,” he said.
“The new ‘Sobonana Kusasa’ song was nice because I felt calm and sleepy,” added Vera Sorotokin.
Meanwhile, classmate Rishi Kutty’s favorite song was “Hey Dum Diddley Dum.”
“I sing it at home ’cause I love it so much,” he said.
For William Wu, the best part about music class was the movement aspect. “I liked the running, galloping and jumping movements, holding hands and swaying,” he reported.
“These may seem like simple movements, but children of this age are still learning to move their bodies,” said Beckerman.
In addition to singing and having fun moving around, the TK students took turns playing a range of musical instruments set up at various stations. Together they made a beautiful orchestra of sounds using xylophones, temple blocks with mallets and wooden frog guiros (an instrument with a serrated surface that produces sound when it is scraped).
Back in February it rained and preschool classes of all ages learned about worms. Students got to look and hold them, as well as sing songs and get on the floor and do a worm dance. During the same month, Beckerman helped organize a successful schoolwide Chinese New Year parade. The children learned the traditional song “Guong Xi” with new lyrics (by Beckerman) that told the traditional story of the Chinese New Year and the monster Nian. During the parade, the students played instruments and wore homemade masks, as well as traditional lion and dragon costumes loaned by a Harker parent.
Most recently, the music and movement specialty class, along with Harker’s middle school, hosted the inaugural “Music LIVE for Three to FIVE!,” at which the preschool welcomed the middle school’s chamber ensembles. Under the tutelage of David Hart, the show was led by student performers playing instruments such as the French horn, tuba, alto saxophone, guitar, bass guitar, flute, violin and harp.
With the belief that physical development is as important to the young child as any other area of learning, Beckerman uses music and movement experiences to help children gain strength, coordination, agility and a positive relationship with their bodies. “Through dance, games, songs, rolling, sliding, jumping, marching and more, they enjoy and appreciate movement in many forms,” she said.
An Off-Broadway actor for many years, Beckerman transitioned from musicals to her own one-woman show as a storyteller/ musician, traveling the country and conducting workshops in acting and storytelling. For the past 10 years, her focus has been on music and movement for pre-kindergarten through elementary grades.
“I feel like I am where I always really wanted to be – a teacher,” said Beckerman, adding that through teaching comes the ability to help make the world a better place.
The music and movement class is one of three specialty classes offered at Harker Preschool. The others are the STEM lab and art studio. According to Andrea Hart, director of Harker Preschool, all of the specialty classes are broken up by ages.
The specialty classes are rich with activities and educational materials in each particular subject area, which offer a balance between child-directed exploratory learning and teacher-directed activities. But, said Hart, the specialists make these classes meaningful for each child.
“Mara is a great example of an early childhood professional who is an expert in her subject and has a passion for teaching young children. You can see this every day in her classes; she is deeply interested in knowing and guiding each individual child,” Hart said.
Look for further articles on specialty classes at Harker Preschool in future issues of Harker Quarterly.
This article originally appeared in the summer 2014 Harker Quarterly.
On a bright Wednesday morning in May, a group of 3 year olds from the Acorn Cottage gathered excitedly in Harker Preschool’s music room. Their teacher, Mara Beckerman (aka Ms. Mara) welcomed them to this, her first class of the day.
After the youngsters took their seats on brightly colored mats arranged in a circle, Beckerman said, “Listen closely and tell me what you think you hear!” Then she hid behind a desk and used a musical instrument to produce an odd noise, which the children said sounded like water or rain.
Coming out from behind the desk, Beckerman showed the children where the sound was coming from: an instrument, made from a cactus plant, called a rainstick. Partially filled with small pebbles, beans and nails, the stick is believed to have been invented by the Aztecs in the hope that playing it would bring about rainstorms.
The rainstick is just one of many unique instruments the preschoolers were introduced to in music class. Each week, Harker preschoolers of all ages attend interactive music and movement specialty classes, taught by Beckerman, who for the past 25 years has worked with pre-K to adults and children with special needs, in both private and public schools.
Following the rainstick exercise, the children went off to make their very own musical instrument called a shaker egg. Each child was given various materials, including very fine yellow fish tank gravel, medium size black lentil beans and larger red fish tank gravel. Each created a different sound. The children, having been sensitized to “listening,” experimented to create a unique shaker by choosing a combination of the three materials.
Beckerman explained that a shaker egg is a modern hand percussion instrument from Latin America that makes a rhythmic sound when shaken. It is similar to a maraca without a handle. When she told the children they got to take the eggs home, to keep and show their parents, delighted shouts of “yay!” filled the classroom.
Student Ishaan Dhillon-Patel said he had never made a shaker egg before. “Mine is going to be the weirdest of all!” he said with a huge grin as he carefully filled his egg with the tiny pebbles.
Sitting across from him, classmate Omya Vidyarthi proudly held up her purple egg, noting that purple is her favorite color. “Mine is so loud!” she exclaimed, giving it a shake.
Satisfied with their egg creations, both Dhillon-Patel and Vidyarthi returned to their mats and sang songs with their peers while tapping their shakers from one knee to the other, keeping a steady beat with the music. Beckerman explained that “this simple movement of crossing the midline of one’s body is so important for a child to develop.”
After the Acorn Cottage students ended their music and movement session, Beckerman quickly rearranged the room to welcome her next class, the transitional kindergarten (TK) group. “It’s time for music. It’s time to sing along!” sang Beckerman while playing the guitar as they settled into their spots on the floor.
Beckerman introduced a new song, called “Sobonana Kusasa,” which was an especially big hit. “The words are from the Zulu people in South Africa meaning ‘goodbye till we meet again,’” she said, noting that the children really enjoy learning songs in different languages.
TK student Zachary Davidson said he liked the song. “It made me feel quiet,” he said.
“The new ‘Sobonana Kusasa’ song was nice because I felt calm and sleepy,” added Vera Sorotokin.
Meanwhile, classmate Rishi Kutty’s favorite song was “Hey Dum Diddley Dum.”
“I sing it at home ’cause I love it so much,” he said.
For William Wu, the best part about music class was the movement aspect. “I liked the running, galloping and jumping movements, holding hands and swaying,” he reported.
“These may seem like simple movements, but children of this age are still learning to move their bodies,” said Beckerman.
In addition to singing and having fun moving around, the TK students took turns playing a range of musical instruments set up at various stations. Together they made a beautiful orchestra of sounds using xylophones, temple blocks with mallets and wooden frog guiros (an instrument with a serrated surface that produces sound when it is scraped).
Back in February it rained and preschool classes of all ages learned about worms. Students got to look and hold them, as well as sing songs and get on the floor and do a worm dance. During the same month, Beckerman helped organize a successful schoolwide Chinese New Year parade. The children learned the traditional song “Guong Xi” with new lyrics (by Beckerman) that told the traditional story of the Chinese New Year and the monster Nian. During the parade, the students played instruments and wore homemade masks, as well as traditional lion and dragon costumes loaned by a Harker parent.
Most recently, the music and movement specialty class, along with Harker’s middle school, hosted the inaugural “Music LIVE for Three to FIVE!,” at which the preschool welcomed the middle school’s chamber ensembles. Under the tutelage of David Hart, the show was led by student performers playing instruments such as the French horn, tuba, alto saxophone, guitar, bass guitar, flute, violin and harp.
With the belief that physical development is as important to the young child as any other area of learning, Beckerman uses music and movement experiences to help children gain strength, coordination, agility and a positive relationship with their bodies. “Through dance, games, songs, rolling, sliding, jumping, marching and more, they enjoy and appreciate movement in many forms,” she said.
An Off-Broadway actor for many years, Beckerman transitioned from musicals to her own one-woman show as a storyteller/ musician, traveling the country and conducting workshops in acting and storytelling. For the past 10 years, her focus has been on music and movement for pre-kindergarten through elementary grades.
“I feel like I am where I always really wanted to be – a teacher,” said Beckerman, adding that through teaching comes the ability to help make the world a better place.
The music and movement class is one of three specialty classes offered at Harker Preschool. The others are the STEM lab and art studio. According to Andrea Hart, director of Harker Preschool, all of the specialty classes are broken up by ages.
The specialty classes are rich with activities and educational materials in each particular subject area, which offer a balance between child-directed exploratory learning and teacher-directed activities. But, said Hart, the specialists make these classes meaningful for each child.
“Mara is a great example of an early childhood professional who is an expert in her subject and has a passion for teaching young children. You can see this every day in her classes; she is deeply interested in knowing and guiding each individual child,” Hart said.
Look for further articles on specialty classes at Harker Preschool in future issues of Harker Quarterly.
This article originally appeared in the summer 2014 Harker Quarterly.
On a bright Wednesday morning in May, a group of 3 year olds from the Acorn Cottage gathered excitedly in Harker Preschool’s music room. Their teacher, Mara Beckerman (aka Ms. Mara) welcomed them to this, her first class of the day.
After the youngsters took their seats on brightly colored mats arranged in a circle, Beckerman said, “Listen closely and tell me what you think you hear!” Then she hid behind a desk and used a musical instrument to produce an odd noise, which the children said sounded like water or rain.
Coming out from behind the desk, Beckerman showed the children where the sound was coming from: an instrument, made from a cactus plant, called a rainstick. Partially filled with small pebbles, beans and nails, the stick is believed to have been invented by the Aztecs in the hope that playing it would bring about rainstorms.
The rainstick is just one of many unique instruments the preschoolers were introduced to in music class. Each week, Harker preschoolers of all ages attend interactive music and movement specialty classes, taught by Beckerman, who for the past 25 years has worked with pre-K to adults and children with special needs, in both private and public schools.
Following the rainstick exercise, the children went off to make their very own musical instrument called a shaker egg. Each child was given various materials, including very fine yellow fish tank gravel, medium size black lentil beans and larger red fish tank gravel. Each created a different sound. The children, having been sensitized to “listening,” experimented to create a unique shaker by choosing a combination of the three materials.
Beckerman explained that a shaker egg is a modern hand percussion instrument from Latin America that makes a rhythmic sound when shaken. It is similar to a maraca without a handle. When she told the children they got to take the eggs home, to keep and show their parents, delighted shouts of “yay!” filled the classroom.
Student Ishaan Dhillon-Patel said he had never made a shaker egg before. “Mine is going to be the weirdest of all!” he said with a huge grin as he carefully filled his egg with the tiny pebbles.
Sitting across from him, classmate Omya Vidyarthi proudly held up her purple egg, noting that purple is her favorite color. “Mine is so loud!” she exclaimed, giving it a shake.
Satisfied with their egg creations, both Dhillon-Patel and Vidyarthi returned to their mats and sang songs with their peers while tapping their shakers from one knee to the other, keeping a steady beat with the music. Beckerman explained that “this simple movement of crossing the midline of one’s body is so important for a child to develop.”
After the Acorn Cottage students ended their music and movement session, Beckerman quickly rearranged the room to welcome her next class, the transitional kindergarten (TK) group. “It’s time for music. It’s time to sing along!” sang Beckerman while playing the guitar as they settled into their spots on the floor.
Beckerman introduced a new song, called “Sobonana Kusasa,” which was an especially big hit. “The words are from the Zulu people in South Africa meaning ‘goodbye till we meet again,’” she said, noting that the children really enjoy learning songs in different languages.
TK student Zachary Davidson said he liked the song. “It made me feel quiet,” he said.
“The new ‘Sobonana Kusasa’ song was nice because I felt calm and sleepy,” added Vera Sorotokin.
Meanwhile, classmate Rishi Kutty’s favorite song was “Hey Dum Diddley Dum.”
“I sing it at home ’cause I love it so much,” he said.
For William Wu, the best part about music class was the movement aspect. “I liked the running, galloping and jumping movements, holding hands and swaying,” he reported.
“These may seem like simple movements, but children of this age are still learning to move their bodies,” said Beckerman.
In addition to singing and having fun moving around, the TK students took turns playing a range of musical instruments set up at various stations. Together they made a beautiful orchestra of sounds using xylophones, temple blocks with mallets and wooden frog guiros (an instrument with a serrated surface that produces sound when it is scraped).
Back in February it rained and preschool classes of all ages learned about worms. Students got to look and hold them, as well as sing songs and get on the floor and do a worm dance. During the same month, Beckerman helped organize a successful schoolwide Chinese New Year parade. The children learned the traditional song “Guong Xi” with new lyrics (by Beckerman) that told the traditional story of the Chinese New Year and the monster Nian. During the parade, the students played instruments and wore homemade masks, as well as traditional lion and dragon costumes loaned by a Harker parent.
Most recently, the music and movement specialty class, along with Harker’s middle school, hosted the inaugural “Music LIVE for Three to FIVE!,” at which the preschool welcomed the middle school’s chamber ensembles. Under the tutelage of David Hart, the show was led by student performers playing instruments such as the French horn, tuba, alto saxophone, guitar, bass guitar, flute, violin and harp.
With the belief that physical development is as important to the young child as any other area of learning, Beckerman uses music and movement experiences to help children gain strength, coordination, agility and a positive relationship with their bodies. “Through dance, games, songs, rolling, sliding, jumping, marching and more, they enjoy and appreciate movement in many forms,” she said.
An Off-Broadway actor for many years, Beckerman transitioned from musicals to her own one-woman show as a storyteller/ musician, traveling the country and conducting workshops in acting and storytelling. For the past 10 years, her focus has been on music and movement for pre-kindergarten through elementary grades.
“I feel like I am where I always really wanted to be – a teacher,” said Beckerman, adding that through teaching comes the ability to help make the world a better place.
The music and movement class is one of three specialty classes offered at Harker Preschool. The others are the STEM lab and art studio. According to Andrea Hart, director of Harker Preschool, all of the specialty classes are broken up by ages.
The specialty classes are rich with activities and educational materials in each particular subject area, which offer a balance between child-directed exploratory learning and teacher-directed activities. But, said Hart, the specialists make these classes meaningful for each child.
“Mara is a great example of an early childhood professional who is an expert in her subject and has a passion for teaching young children. You can see this every day in her classes; she is deeply interested in knowing and guiding each individual child,” Hart said.
Look for further articles on specialty classes at Harker Preschool in future issues of Harker Quarterly.