The Thunder Bolt

By Kate Meininger, MS/HS Music Teacher/ Activities Coordinator

Music is a powerful, connective, universal language. Music education, now more than ever, is so important! In times like these, while we are isolated, it connects us to our memories, community, culture, emotions, and each other! It gets us off of our screens. It provides creative opportunities and outlets. Although we miss making music "together," playing or singing as a group, it is still a thread that binds us. Our virtual performances remind everyone of the musical community they are a part of, and the magic that happens when voices or instruments are combined. I feel it is so important to give students the tools to access music in ways that will help them through these challenging times. I desperately miss our live classes and concerts, but I am so thankful that I still get to teach and connect with our amazing students online, through music. 

In grade 8 Music, my goal with the ukulele focus this semester was to give students the tools to make music at home, individually, away from their screen. 

Some students shared their experiences:

Ella
“I learned how to read ukulele tablature, which I have wanted to learn for a long time but the youtube videos I watched never explained it well. Overall I improved a lot in my ukulele skills and learned new chords which I am excited to use these skills and practice more on my own ukulele. I want to continue playing the ukulele and learn how to fingerpick because I understand how to do it - I just need to practice it more. Playing the ukulele has been a positive outlet for me! I have enjoyed music class and playing ukulele and working towards my goals. It did get a little stressful when we had to record things because it would usually take me a few times to get it right. But overall I really enjoyed music class and I am glad I had this class for my time over zoom school because it felt more physical and less just staring at a screen.” 

Hye In
“I think I have learned more about blues, like the history, and different types of blues.  Playing the ukulele at home has been a great outlet for me. I learned different songs and presented them to my family. They loved it!”

Khanh
“I have improved by remembering different chords and switching between chords faster. I can memorise different songs and also come up with my own lyrics. It has been positive for me because I got better at an instrument and I got to work with my friends.” 

Middle school choir students gained a new appreciation for recording through their online concert:

Hye In Jeon
“I didn't expect our choir to have such nice harmony and it was so good to see some faces because they only showed the top of their head during the zoom. My favourite performance was the Sparkle one because I enjoyed every step of that song. I loved practicing it, recording it, and I loved watching and hearing it. I think we are doing great, even though we are online!”

Olivia
“I liked sparkle jolly because the song is very catchy and also short. I also liked that we could be in a Christmas background because it was fun watching other peoples' backgrounds. My parents enjoyed the concert with me and I also enjoyed watching it. My parents were surprised when I hit that high note which made me feel proud. If we remain online, I would invite more people to watch our concert in their homes since anyone could watch it on Facebook.”

Luna
“My favorite song this semester was "Somewhere In My Memory" because every Christmas, my mom and I sit down and watch the first 2 Home Alone movies together and that song being the movie's "theme song" made it really special to sing. We've come a long way doing choir online and I think there's nothing we really need to change right now. I would also say that the process was TOTALLY worth it after watching the final product.”

Chamber Ensemble members reflected on how well their online concert turned out:

Minh
“I want to be able to record more in time. I really want us to be together in real life again so that everyone understands people's struggles to help them.  I think that it was very nice. The audio all together really improved my own performance.”

Alex
“My favorite performance was The Christmas Song because I think that, we sounded really good and even though we can improve, it still sounded great.I think that if we remain online, I think that I like this format. I think I would like us to push and maybe do three songs next time. “

Justin
“I think it was really cool because the song was really loud. I was able to hear every single instrument.”
Playing “I'm Still Standing,” I was happy that I was able to play this kind of hard music. I think recording a video was worth it because everyone was able to see us play music through Zoom.”

Na Hyeon
“The Christmas Song! It was joyful and I felt the Christmas mood! “I think the process was worth it. My parents said it was more than expected and they loved the songs. Also, I think all of us can work on our stage presence and our background.”

Hye In
“The first goal that I have is to actually listen to each other in person and play. And the second one is for everyone to have confidence with their performance. It was very interesting to see some backgrounds, but the music was beyond my expectations. Since I don't get to hear others online, I was a bit scared that we might not sound good, but we were actually good.

Jeny
“I really loved "I'm Still Standing" because the drums fit so much into the performance. It was very funky. I think that it was worth it because my family really liked how it sounded and how it turned out.”

Catherine
“It was amazing because I could hear other instruments and was also able to hear mine. I felt very proud when I saw and heard it. The process was worth it for me because I was able to share my music with my family and I was really proud of it.”