The Middle and Upper School bands treated a packed Orthwein Theatre to a variety of musical compositions at the annual Winter Band Concert on Thursday, December 12.
The 6th and 7th Grade Beginning Bands kicked off the evening with a demonstration, before launching into renditions of My Dreidel, Jolly Old St. Nick, Dragonfire and Blizzard Blues. Then the 7th Grade Advanced Band took the stage and performed Intensity, English Folk Trilogy and Majestica.
After their performance, the 6th and 7th grade musicians joined the 8th Grade and Upper School bands in the Upper School Dining Hall for fun, fellowship, pizza and cookies between performances.
The 8th Grade Band then filled the stage in Orthwein Theatre to perform Coldwater Crossing and Pyramid of the Sun, before ceding the spotlight to the Upper School Band for Sheherazade, And Hold in Memory, Fantastic Journey and Sleigh Ride. Finally, the 8th Graders joined their Upper School peers for Beyond the Seven Hills, a wonderful way to end an evening filled with musical treats.
Becky Long, Band Director, said, “We are very proud of all our students have accomplished this fall! It was a wonderful evening of showcasing talent and celebrating our musicians.”
Students who participate in music-related activities between grades 7 and 12 achieve significantly higher scores on science, math and English exams in high school than non-musical classmates, according to a new large-scale study. This research by Peter Gouzouasis and colleagues at the University of British Columbia (UBC) involved a cohort of 112,016 public school students in Canada. These findings (Guhn et al., 2019) were published on June 24 in the Journal of Educational Psychology. The authors sum up the educational significance of these findings in their impact statement: “This large-scale study identified evidence of positive relationships between school music participation and high school exam scores in English, mathematics, and science. The findings suggest that multiyear engagement in music, especially instrumental music, may benefit high school academic achievement. In light of this study (the largest of its kind to date), as well as supporting evidence suggesting music learning in childhood may foster competencies (e.g., executive functioning) that support academic achievement, educators may consider the potential positive influence of school music on student’s high school achievement.” For more information regarding what research shows about music education, visit www.nafme.org.
Bravo to the Middle School and Upper School bands for a wonderful evening of musical entertainment!