Polk County Residency

This residency initially scared the crap out of me. My area of teaching expertise is focused on the cello, and teaching "cello" students, not students that have little to no background in classical music.

Before I left for Tryon, NC I checked in with a couple of teaching artist friends to get some ideas on games, classroom management, and some points of focus for my lesson plans. Generally they were shocked at my class sizes (20-35 kids...yikes!), but speaking with them made me feel like I could do it. (Even if I didn't know how it would work)

I made sure that I had several back-up lesson plans, and games to play in case I came up short on my lesson plan. What I learned is this, kids (esp. the K-3) LOVE being read to. One class even made me promise to read two books back to back, it was great!!! They also were quite fond of musical chairs, very competitive little boogers. In this version instead of "dropping the needle" I played my cello, and just improvised the hell out it. The kids would stare at me to try to see if they could tell when I was stopping, and of course...I would TRICK THEM!!!!

heh heh heh

The classes went well, I learned a lot about teaching in general, and how you can't control everything. You sometimes need to change things up at the last minute, and that's ok.

SO, last but not least I have posted some pics of the classes that I taught, a sample lesson plan, and the story that the 3rd graders wrote with me "Griff's Problem".

(They all loved it so much that the made me copy it for each one of them to have)


ENJOY

At Tryon Art Gallery

Bach Performance

Cora and the Second Graders




GRIFF'S PROBLEM






Long ago in Greece in the 1970’s there was a Griffin named Griff. Griff had a problem, he was being teased by the other Griffins a lot. He wasn’t as strong as the other Griffins and this made him sad.

Joe the Griffin said to him, “You are not as strong as the rest of us, so we don’t want you to be our friend!”

Griff then went to Mexico to get away from them. While in Mexico he met a girl named Cora. Cora had magical music powers that made problems go away. Griff asked Cora to go back to Greece with him to help him with his problems of not having friends.

While back in Greece Cora began t play fast disco music for the Griffins who were outside playing Griffin ball. When the Griffins heard the music they started discoing with Griff. The Griffins realizing how cool Griff was gave him a peace necklace and asked him to be their friend.

The End





The Third Graders, and Me










***EXAMPLE LESSON PLAN***


Musical Story/orchestra

+ 2-3RD GRADE (21 kiddies) GROUP B
(Tchiakovsky Symphony no.3,Yo-yo Ma/Mark Morris DVD "Falling Down Stairs, Suite #3" )
9:30-10:15
- Warm-up (make a cd, w/different music)
o Music to move to (form a circle) in silence
o Vocal warm-up with physical gestures
o Transition to the floor
- Read them a story.
- What is a story?
o Beginning usu. What happens
o Middle usu. What happens?
o end usu. What happens
- Lets write a story
TRANSITION (10 MINUTES Bathroom/water break)
10:20-11:05
- Can music tell a story?
- Play some examples of orchestral music ()
o What type of group was that?
o How do you think they stayed together for all of that?
o What story do you think they were telling?
TRANSITION (10 Bathroom/water break)

11:10-11:45
- Games
o Musical chairs
TRANSITION (15 MINUTES)
LUNCH
1-2PM
- Orchestra/conductor
+ game, vocal orchestra ( I am the conductor)
+ dynamics,
+ Talk abt mvmts and concert etiquette
+ introduce them to the cello

TRANSITION (15 MINUTES)
2:05-3PM
- PLAY FOR THE KIDS
o Draw, your favorite part of the story, or how the music makes you feel

KanYE!!

One of the more exciting gigs that I have had the honor of playing has been with rapper Kanye West. Believe it or not the music is very intricate, and puts to use many complex rhythms. Everytime I play with Mr. West I realize that Hip Hop (although it may have had its beginnings on the street) as a genre is making a move towards a structured, intricately composed piece of work whose content is having an even greater affect on society.




I know we all remember (or have heard of) the moment last year when Kanye was lurched into the news concerning comments that he made at a telethon. One might think that this would have had some adverse effects on his fan base, mainly dealing with race. Maybe it did, yet as I peered out into the crowd last Saturday at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington I notice that the majority of the attendants were not African-Americans but Caucasian- Americans, and they were all singing along with him on every song.





Perhaps there is no political meaning to this, but it does cause one to think.

Anyhoo, I enjoyed myself and I look forward to these "out of the classically trained box" type gigs. They remind me that music is universal. Period.

2006 Spring Cello Choir Concert at Presbyterian College

Presbyterian College Cello Choir
with Special Guest, Idris Chandler
April 2, 2006
6 pm
Edmunds Hall

Air Matheson
Arr. Colin Hampton

Presbyterian Cello Choir

From Unaccompanied Suite no. 6 Johann Sebastian Bach
Sarabande Arr. Colin Hampton
Gavotte I/II

Gabe Ford, Idris Chandler, Tyler Bennett, Amanda Holliday

Rondo Friedrich August Kummer

Idris Chandler, Cora Phillips

Easy Winners, a rag time two step Scott Joplin
Arr. Bearbeitet von W. Thomas-Mifune

Gabe Ford, Hillary Hampton, Tyler Bennett, Idris Chandler






Tyler Bennett, is from Spartanburg, SC. He is currently a senior majoring in mathematics and computer science, and after graduating in the coming spring, he will attend graduate school. He has been a member of the PC Chamber Orchestra for four years and has studied with Cora Phillips for a year and a half. He'd like to extend thanks to his mother for her support. His cello, which he is playing tonight, is as of yet unnamed, but he is open to suggestions.





Idris Chandler , has been playing the violoncello for 16 years. He has studied under Dr. Robert Jesselson, cello professor at the University of South Carolina, and former president of the American String Teachers Association for nine of those years. Mr. Chandler performs with orchestras in the Carolinas and is currently pursuing a BM in Music Education. He is a former student and teacher of the USC String Project and participates in activities in area schools including sectionals, judging, seating auditions, and private lessons. He is thankful to have been invited to perform at area venues, with the opportunity to play with the likes of Ray Charles, Edwin McCain and Lou Rawls. Idris also enjoys the visual arts and hopes to begin a career that will merge the two, bringing the arts more creatively to the public. He is a graduate of Eau Claire High School in Columbia, SC.




Heather Esposito, is a freshman from Travelers Rest, SC. She has been playing/studing the cello for three months under the instruction of Cora Phillips and absolutely loves it! She is a music education major with a choral/voice concentration and a psychology minor. In addition to cello and voice, Heather also plays the handbells with the PC Bell ensemble.




Gabe Ford (no pic), is a sophomore from Columbia, SC. He is currently a vocal major at Presbyterian College where he studies with Dr. Joyce Ford. He is also a member of the Fuqua String Quartet, and The Presbyterian Chamber Orchestra. He is also section leader of the Basses and Baritones for the Presbyterian College Choir. Gabe studies cello with Cora Phillips.





Hillary Hampton, , is currently in her last semester at
Presbyterian College, where she is finishing up her Sociology degree.
She has been playing the cello since she was in the fifth grade and
through the years she has studied under such cellists as Paul
Buyer, Kenneth Law, Dr. Peter Spurbeck, and Dr. Alfred Bartles.
She is currently under the direction of Cora Phillips. In
high school she participated in Solo and Ensemble as well as the
All-state Competition. During her ninth, tenth, and eleventh grade
years she also participated in the Sewanee Summer Music Festival that
is a five week camp held at the University of the South in Sewanee,
Tennessee. She was also part of the Palmetto Youth Symphony during her
senior year. Hillary began playing in the Presbyterian College chamber
orchestra when she was a senior in high school and plans to continue
playing in it after she graduates. During her time at PC she was also
a part of the Fuqua String Quartet. Hillary will continue living in
Clinton after she graduates.




Amanda Holiday, (Presbyterian College ’09) is from Spartanburg, SC. She is the middle child, with two fantastic brothers. In 1998, her family moved to Nairobi, Kenya to do mission work for about two years. Amanda is a graduate of Spartanburg High School, where she was active in the band and orchestra programs, serving as captain of the color guard during her senior year. In 2003, she performed with South Carolina’s Western Region orchestra, and this is her 9th year playing cello. She currently has plans to major in English with a minor in secondary education. Her favorite color is green.





Presbyterian Cello Choir