The AC Blog

“That Band Was Sick!” Jazz Clinic Hones Student Musicianship

Posted on April 12th, 2019 by Allendale Columbia School

By Gabe Costanzo, Music Teacher

Blake Pattengale contacted me around the beginning of March to see if we had any interest in a jazz clinic at AC. I am always looking for ways to bring exceptional performers to school to show students the kinds of experiences they could be having if they continue to develop their musicianship, so this sounded like a great opportunity.

Blake and his band, the Gray Quartet, did not disappoint. They taught our students about jazz by playing a plethora of tunes, starting with today’s pop hits and working back in time to make connections with the jazz tunes that influenced pop music.

We ended the clinic by having AC students play their instruments with the group, learning blues licks by way of a call-and-response method. Later in the day, senior Marissa Frenett commented, “That band was sick!” (I think that means she liked them.)

• Blake Pattengale – Guitar, Voice, Music Business specialist
  Blake Pattengale graduated from the Eastman School of Music with a degree in Jazz Guitar Performance. He currently works as a freelance musician with Silver Arrow Band, Gray Booking Agency, Redbeard Samurai, and many other venues and agencies around Rochester. In addition, he is developing courses for the Rochester Contemporary School of Music.
• Max Greenberg – Piano, Organ, Synth
  Max Greenberg has a Bachelor’s Degree from Cincinnati Conservatory of Music and a Master’s Degree from the Eastman School of Music in Jazz Studies with a specialization in Piano performance. He currently works as a freelance musician and additionally teaches at the Rochester Contemporary School of Music while also maintaining his own private studio.
• Scott Kwiatek – Double Bass, Electric Bass
  Scott Kwiatek graduated from the Eastman School of Music this past spring with a Bachelor’s in Jazz Performance for the Double Bass. He now lives in Rochester teaching bass lessons at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and gigging regularly around town with Eastman professors Clay Jenkins and Rich Thompson.
• Stephen Morris – Drum Set, Percussion
  Stephen Morris graduated with a Bachelor’s in Jazz Performance from the Eastman School of Music and is currently pursuing his Master’s Degree at this time. Beyond being an exceptionally versatile drummer, he is an incredibly humble and kind-hearted person. He has a wealth of knowledge and the patience to relate it to his students and peers.

 

Gabriel Costanzo As an instrumental music teacher at Allendale Columbia School, Gabe teaches 4th Grade Band, 5th Grade Band, Concert Band, Jazz Ensemble, Wind Ensemble, and Music Theory. He held the David M. Pynchon Chair in the Visual and Performing Arts from 2008 - 2013 and is a member of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. He earned bachelor's degrees in Music Education and Music Composition from SUNY College at Fredonia and a master's degree in Music Composition from Bowling Green State University. You can also find him on horn and vocals for the local band The Buddhahood.

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Should Figures from the Past Meet Today’s Moral Standards?

Posted on April 12th, 2019 by Allendale Columbia School

By Rodrigo Gutierrez, History Teacher

Should public figures from the past be judged by today’s moral standards? Ninth-graders chose that topic for the Freshman Forum because of its relevance, especially with recent controversies regarding the reevaluation of the legacies of John Wayne, Michael Jackson, and others.

I had the pleasure of being the faculty mentor for the Freshman Forum this year. The process takes about six to eight weeks. Students volunteer to be part of the Forum and give up free time to prepare. After identifying students that want to participate, they discuss and debate possible topics. After they choose a topic, they research it. Students have a small tryout, and then we work together to assign roles. Once students have their roles or positions, they go through the writing process: outline, rough drafts, and final speech. Along the way, they get advice and revisions from faculty members and others.”

Eliza Nicosia set the stage as moderator, introducing the topic and each of the panelists’ positions. She also managed the question-and-answer period at the end, which had more questions than most Forums, a good sign that the audience was engaged with the topic and presenters.

Margot Queenan started off the position speeches, arguing that problematic public figures of the past should be strictly judged by today’s standards, and all honors bestowed upon them should be withdrawn.

Mary Cotter, on the other hand, argued that all the statues should stay up and that the revered public figures’ reputations should stay intact because it is unfair to judge someone from the past by modern-day standards.

Mansa Brown-Tonge stated that we need to start by educating Americans on our country’s mistakes, but taking the statues down would not be feasible.

Aidan Wun concluded by saying that one’s personal beliefs should not have an impact on their professional accomplishments and that all dedications made in honor to the historic figures should stay.

I thought the Forum went really well. I’m really proud of the freshmen and really excited for them. I kind of knew from the beginning with this group that it would go well, that they would do a good job. They’re just really engaged and motivated students; they’re curious about the world around them, especially social issues. I could tell from when they came in and were discussing possible topics that they were excited.

That being said, when we first started writing our speeches and getting ready, it was a little rough; but, they all invested themselves into the process. They all wrote outlines and talked to each other, they did rough drafts, shared them with me, with parents, with other English teachers and history teachers. We must have gone through about three or four drafts with most of them. Then the last couple of days, it really came together when they practiced, and I could tell that they were not just nervous but excited. So, I’m glad it went so well for them.

Many thanks to the judges who provided such valuable feedback to the Forum students: Caroline Hill ’06, Ebets Judson ’64, Ken McCurdy, Bryan Hickman ’63, Toddy Hunter ’58, and Wendi Plenge ’78.

Rodrigo Gutierrez Rodrigo brings 14 years of experience, having served as a history and geography teacher in public, private, and charter schools in Texas, Connecticut, Arizona, and Delaware. In addition to teaching, Rodrigo has also served as a Department Chair, baseball and basketball coach, and mock trial advisor. He earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree in History from Yale University and his Master of Arts Degree in History from the University of Texas, Austin.

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AC’s Student Artists to Exhibit at Anderson Alley May 3rd

Posted on April 5th, 2019 by cnickels

Honors Art students will be exhibiting their works at the Richard Margolis Art + Architectural Photography Studio during First Friday and Second Saturday in May! The spring exhibition is the student thesis project and incorporates a taste of the “real world” art scene.

See the finished works May 3rd and 11th!

“Precipice” Exhibition
First Friday: May 3rd 6-9 p.m.
Second Saturday: May 11th 12:30-3:30 p.m.
Anderson Alley Artists Studios
250 N. Goodman St. #408

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank You!

The students would like to thank Richard Margolis for loaning his studio space to for the exhibition for the second year in a row. The class visited with Richard Margolis to plan the show back in March.

 

 

 

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AC’s Student Scientists to Exhibit at St. John Fisher College April 26th

Posted on April 5th, 2019 by cnickels

Upper School students from AC’s Science Writing & Research class will be presenting the results of their yearlong research projects at St. John Fisher College’s annual Student Research and Creative Work Symposium. AC students have followed all the steps of scientific research and reporting that they will need in college and in many future careers. Come learn from our student scientists!

Student Research and Creative Work Symposium
Friday, April 26th
9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
St. John Fisher College
3690 East Avenue
Rochester, NY 14618

 

AC Students, Their Topics, and Tentative Presentation Times

• Cassidy Draper – Closing the loop: The effectiveness of biochar from anaerobic digestate in filtration of nutrients from liquid digestate (9:05-9:25 a.m.)
• Anna Mihalyov – Exploiting evolutionary costs to reverse antibiotic resistance in E. coli (9:25 – 9:45 a.m.)
• Ruilu Gao – The effects of digital devices on memory (9:45 – 10:05 a.m.)
• Noah Levine – The efficacy of therapeutic videos to help children on the autism spectrum to self-regulate (10:10 – 10:30 a.m.)
• James Morrell – A quantitative categorization of voicing differences in pianos of similar make and model (10:30 – 10:50 a.m.)
• Nathaniel Pifer – Potential aerodynamic performance improvements by utilizing shark denticle inspired vortex generators on automobiles (10:50 – 11:10 a.m.)
• Dongming Shen – A comparative study of multi-chip while-light led and phosphor converted white-light led (11:15 – 11:35 a.m.)
• Jin Zitong – How the precision unibody aluminum enclosure influenced the rise of MacBook computers: A comparison of the physical characteristics of computer case materials (11:35 – 11:55 a.m.)

 

Volunteer as a Symposium Reviewer

If you have experience or expertise in any field that is conducting ongoing research, you can help develop Allendale Columbia’s young scientists as they present their original research. We are looking for adult volunteers to serve as subject experts and feedback panelists. This opportunity is geared toward any AC parent or alumna/us who has experience or expertise within any field that is conducting ongoing research. Please email Travis Godkin at tgodkin@allendalecolumbia.org if you are interested.

 

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Students in Children’s Drama Class Embrace their Inner Eggheads

Posted on April 5th, 2019 by Allendale Columbia School

by Deanna Interlicchea, English Teacher

Gwyneth is a little girl with a great big secret, and her reputation hinges on nobody finding out the truth. She can tell absolutely no one—except for maybe just one friend. In no time flat, the entire class is talking about Gwyneth and her terrible truth. What will Gwyneth do once everybody knows that she no ordinary fourth grader, but a genius bound for the seventh grade?

When I purchased Jimmy Brunelle’s children’s play, Eggheads, to read in my Children’s Drama class, I had no idea what it would become. I intended it to merely be a 20-minute in-class reading to serve as a model for their own one-act plays. At the end of the play, though, I heard an energetic chorus of, “we should perform this.” Before I knew it, we had a student director, a costumer, a tech designer, a set manager, a marketing crew, a full cast, and two weeks to pull it all together. (more…)

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Alumna Mary DeMocker ‘80 Shares Tips for Climate Revolution

Posted on April 5th, 2019 by Allendale Columbia School

“First, relax. Get together with other people. Start with one thing. Get off screens and get outdoors,” encouraged Allendale Columbia alumna Mary DeMocker ’80, in her talks with parents and students while visiting her high school alma mater. She talked about her book, The Parents’ Guide to Climate Revolution: 100 Ways to Build a Fossil-Free Future, Raise Empowered Kids, and Still Get a Good Night’s Sleep, which is a finalist for the 2019 Oregon Book Award.

“Parents are hardwired to protect their kids,” she said at the event and in her book, providing them with food to eat, providing care and comfort when they’re sick, helping make sure they get their homework done, and more. And that’s why, she says, parents are the key to saving children from the chaos of climate change. She started when she became a parent and realized she needed to do more than recycle and change lightbulbs, that change would only come from community and political action. (more…)

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Seeking Scientists to Review Student Researchers at Symposium

Posted on March 29th, 2019 by Allendale Columbia School

By Travis Godkin, Upper School Science Teacher

If you have experience or expertise in any field that is conducting ongoing research, you can help develop Allendale Columbia’s young scientists as they present their original research.

AC offers a course in the Upper School called Science Writing and Research. In this course, some of our most experienced and talented students are asked to take their learning and apply it to original research. This opportunity of doing original research is often relegated to later years in college or graduate school, so it gives our students an early opportunity to contribute to the body of scientific knowledge in an area in which they are curious or have a passion. (more…)

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AC Tops McQuaid (Again) in Collaborative TEAM+S Competition

Posted on March 29th, 2019 by Allendale Columbia School

by Elizabeth Cotter ’20

On March 9th, I was a member of a team of six Allendale Columbia students, with Riley Leibeck ’20, Mary Cotter ’22, Sasha Furdey ’19, Nate Pifer ’19, and Cassidy Draper ’19, who competed in the Tests of Engineering Aptitude, Mathematics and Science (TEAM+S) competition, claiming victory over McQuaid.

The TEAM+S competition encourages students to explore the field of engineering through problem solving and collaboration with their teammates. The theme for the competition this year was The Engineering Brain. We had to learn about cognitive neuroscience, artificial neural networks, the intersection of artificial intelligence and biology, and more. (more…)

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