Lower School Solo Performance Night on Jan. 18th
Posted on January 11th, 2019 by Allendale Columbia SchoolLower School families, don’t forget! Solo Performance Night for students in grades K through 5 is Friday, January 18th, starting at 7:00 p.m. With 28 performers and musical selections ranging from Johnny Cash to Antonio Vivaldi, you don’t want to miss it! Whether you are performing or in the audience to support your friends, all are invited to an ice cream social at the conclusion of the event. Performances will take place in the CPC, with ice cream in the Dining Commons.
Lower School Winter Concert Delights
Posted on December 20th, 2018 by Allendale Columbia SchoolLower School students in Grades 3-5 delighted the audience on December 18th. The 4th and 5th Grade New Instrumentalists started things off, followed by the Beginner Band, Demonstrations of Music Classroom Learning in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades, with the Lower School Chorus wrapping things up.
Improvisation Leads to Learning in Elementary Music (and Life)
Posted on December 7th, 2018 by Allendale Columbia SchoolBy Lynn Grossman
Many folks associate the word improvisation with one thing: jazz music.
But creativity and improvisation are crucial aspects of comprehensive music learning. Improvisation is recognized as one of the four components of the National Core Arts Anchor Standards in music (Creating, Performing, Responding, and Connecting). What’s more, improvisation is a learned skill, and perfect for learners of all ages.
I have made creativity and improvisation a central part of my curriculum within Allendale Columbia’s elementary general and instrumental music classes. As a result, I was invited to present two sessions relating to my work at the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) Conference in Dallas, TX (Nov. 11th-14th). (more…)
Posted in: Authentic Learning, Fifth Grade, First Grade, Fourth Grade, Highlights, Kindergarten, Lower School, Second Grade, Third Grade
Register for Solo Performance Night
Posted on November 28th, 2018 by Allendale Columbia School
Join us for an AC tradition: Lower School Solo Performance Night! All students in grades K-5 are welcome to perform for an audience of family and friends on Friday night, January 18th, 2019, with an ice cream social to follow. To participate, students must register with their performance selections by Monday, December 10th, 2018. (more…)
Register for Vocal and Instrumental Solo Festivals
Posted on October 18th, 2018 by Allendale Columbia SchoolStudents who sing or play a woodwind, brass, percussion, or string instrument will have an opportunity to perform in one of the upcoming MCSMA solo festivals. Students were informed of these opportunities in September. The dates and locations are as follows:
- Vocal Solo Festival (Grades 6-12): January 4th and 5th at Brighton High School
- Turn in Registration Form and fees to Ms. Sanguinetti or Ms. Meldrum by Monday, October 22nd.
- Senior High (Grades 9-12) Instrumental Festival: January 11th and 12th at Fairport Minerva-Deland School
- Turn in Registration Form and fees to Mr. Constanzo by Tuesday, November 13th.
- Junior High (Grades 7-8) Instrumental Festival: January 18th and 19th at Brighton Twelve Corners Middle School
- Turn in Registration Form and fees to Mr. Constanzo by Tuesday, November 13th.
- Elementary (Grades 4-6) Instrumental Festival: January 25th-26th at Pittsford Barker Road Middle School.
- Turn in Registration Form and fees to Mr. Constanzo by Tuesday, November 13th.
Checks should be made out to Allendale Columbia School, with the memo “Solo Fest”.
About Solo Festivals
As a member school in the Monroe County School Music Association (MCSMA) and the New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA), Allendale Columbia School supports student participation in all of the county and state level solo and performance festivals each year. These festivals offer valuable performance opportunities for vocal students as well as students of orchestral string, woodwind, brass, and percussion instruments.
Students have the opportunity to prepare a solo piece with the help of their teachers, perform for a trained adjudicator, and receive feedback. It’s a great opportunity for students who show a strong interest in music, and we encourage any vocal or instrumental student to participate. Music selections are chosen from the NYSSMA manual, with the advice of a teacher and input from the student.
Any questions about solo festivals can be directed to any of the music teachers at AC.
Donate Your Rock Band Instruments
Posted on October 5th, 2018 by Allendale Columbia Schoolby Rachael Sanguinetti
Are you past the rock star stage of your life, or upgrading your instruments? Allendale Columbia School seeks donations of the following instruments, in good working condition, for use by the new Middle School elective, “Rock Band”:
- Electric guitars
- Acoustic guitars
- Bass guitars
- Drum set
- Keyboards
This new course allows students of all levels and abilities to learn modern band instruments and play in small ensembles. Any donations can be left at the Welcome Desk or brought to the music building. Please contact Rachael Sanguinetti at rsanguinetti@
The Intro to Rock Band elective is for any Middle School students who has ever wanted to be a real-life rock star and explore playing popular music. The class begins with learning skills on guitar (both acoustic and electric), bass, drum set, vocals, and piano before forming small groups in class. Song selections for bands are chosen by the band members, and public performance is not required. Along the way, students explore many styles and decades of music including classics from long before you were born all the way through the bands that are popular today. Students will also be invited to compose and arrange their own songs with the help of band mates. Takeaways from this course include a basic understanding of multiple popular instruments, an understanding of the voice and how it’s used in popular music, a basic understanding of the recent history of popular music and how it has contributed to the music we hear today, and resources for further exploration and learning of popular music.
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Rachael SanguinettiRachael is in her third year teaching music at AC. A recent graduate of the Eastman School of Music with majors in Music Education and Musical Arts with a minor in Psychology and an Arts Leadership Certificate, she's working toward a masters degree at Ithaca College. She brings experience teaching kindergarten-8th grade music in Rochester, 6th-8th grade general music and choir at Burger Middle School, and 2-3 year olds as part of the Eastman Community School Early Childhood Music Program. |
Posted in: Eighth Grade, Highlights, Middle School, Seventh Grade, Sixth Grade
2nd Graders Create “Noun Town” Music Video
Posted on May 29th, 2018 by Allendale Columbia School
by Jennifer Truong, Lynn Grossman, and AC Second Graders
In studying parts of speech, second grade students at Allendale Columbia School imagined a fictional town where nouns, verbs, and adjectives come to life. We combined our love of music and singing with our “Noun Town” creation to write a song and make a music video. Throughout this project, we were reading and writing and learning about music form, beats, rhythm, song writing, rhyming words, syllables, story boarding, common nouns, proper nouns, verbs, adjectives, population, 3-digit numbers, symmetry, ROYGBIV (the colors of the rainbow), teamwork, creativity, green screen effects, editing, parodies, and more! We even got to experience what it’s like to be a recording musician!
You can watch the Facebook Live video of the premiere from May 29th here:
Do you want to know more about the making of “Noun Town”? View the slides and photos here:
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Jennifer TruongJenn, awarded with AC's Virginia and Fred Gordon Chair in Elementary Education, has been teaching for almost 15 years and is entering her seventh year at Allendale Columbia. She has attended and facilitated several professional development courses to improve her pedagogy and influence the pedagogy of colleagues, understand how a young child’s brain learns best, and implement best practices in diverse classroom settings in the Rochester area, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C. Jennifer holds a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and a master’s degree in Reading, both from the State University of New York College at Geneseo. |
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Lynn GrossmanLynn Grossman specializes in elementary general and instrumental music education. She studied bassoon performance and music education at the Eastman School of Music where she earned both her bachelor’s degree and master’s degree, and she taught K-2 music in the East Irondequoit School District for eight years. Lynn is the President of the New York Chapter of the Gordon Institute for Music Learning (NY-GIML), which provides professional learning opportunities to music educators. She has co-presented her work in the US and the UK and is co-author of a chapter in Envisioning Music Teacher Education (Rowman and Littlefield). She enjoys professional collaboration and research in music education and enjoys teaching music to AC’s Pre-Primary and Lower School students! |
Posted in: Authentic Learning, Highlights, Lower School, Second Grade
Learn Some Secrets Behind Strawberry Breakfast
Posted on May 10th, 2018 by Allendale Columbia Schoolby Gabriel Costanzo
Did you ever wonder why certain dances were included in the Strawberry Breakfast at Allendale Columbia? What are their origins? What’s the story behind this tradition? A few secrets will be revealed by Mitzie Collins, Rochester musician and parent of three former AC students.
Collins is a well known musician in Western New York, and she will be joining the AC musicians accompanying the Maypole Dance and Sword Dance at this year’s Strawberry Breakfast. This Monday, May 14th, at 12:05 p.m., Ms. Collins will give a presentation about these traditions to those musicians and dancers. The presentation will be in the Curtis Performance Center.
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Gabriel CostanzoAs 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. |