We are privileged to take part in the audience for Pro Musica, every year. This year's string quartet visited our school on Wednesday. Joshua, Daniel, John, and Will, the members of Miró performed classical music and talked about their instruments, the instrumentation of the compositions they play, and about the dynamics of their quartet. It was obvious that these guys have fun and exchange some degree of ribbing amongst themselves. They demonstrated that classical music is not just a presentation of stodgy notes from long-haired, dead guys.
Our class researched the group's website before attending the mini-concert in the auditorium. Students had questions ready for the gentlemen if given the opportunity to ask. CAROLINE was privileged to ask her question, which involved the name of the group - Miró - which comes from a Spanish artist.
Our class researched the group's website before attending the mini-concert in the auditorium. Students had questions ready for the gentlemen if given the opportunity to ask. CAROLINE was privileged to ask her question, which involved the name of the group - Miró - which comes from a Spanish artist.
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As you can tell from the videos here, Miró also gave a demonstration of the versatility of their instruments, magically transforming them into fiddles for the final number and playing the Orange Blossom Special (We were going to ask, knowing that one of the four also played in a Country/Western group for some time.).
The icing on the cake came at the end of the session. As other classes were departing and our musicians were packing their instruments to leave, I gave my students permission to approach them and greet them. This comes as a surprise to visitors, as 23 fourth graders descend on them to firmly shake their hands and look them in the eye. If students did not get to ask their questions during the presentation, they certainly did now, and it was great to hear them interacting with the adults in real conversations. Prepared and armed with respectful questions, they made a positive impression on our visitors. Look at these pictures and be impressed with their eye contact!
The icing on the cake came at the end of the session. As other classes were departing and our musicians were packing their instruments to leave, I gave my students permission to approach them and greet them. This comes as a surprise to visitors, as 23 fourth graders descend on them to firmly shake their hands and look them in the eye. If students did not get to ask their questions during the presentation, they certainly did now, and it was great to hear them interacting with the adults in real conversations. Prepared and armed with respectful questions, they made a positive impression on our visitors. Look at these pictures and be impressed with their eye contact!
As timid as they may have been at first, after a few minutes, I had a difficult time pulling my students away from the performers to allow them to pack their instruments. With a final show of gratitude to our guests, we left knowing that this was more than an simple lesson in greeting others - one of the four core behaviors of our school district - but that we had just successfully and seriously interacted on a new level.
