The members of the Institute for Creative Music (http://www.ifcmusic.org/Institute_for_Creative_Music.html) were on campus this week to work with the music faculty and their students. Our own Mike Kaupa is a member of this exciting and innovative group of professionals. The other members are Nick Finzer, Matthew Golumbisky, Chris Teal and Chris Ziemba. Their two-day residency included working with the 6th Grade General Music class, the Upper School String Ensemble and the Upper School Wind Ensemble.

The focus of their sessions with the various groups of students was around community, the sounds that are found therein, and how musicians work together to create music. The 6th graders brainstormed ideas for what belongs in a community, then applied imagination to instruments to create sounds for each element. They worked together with the IfCM crew to rehearse the sections, then they determined the order in which the sections were to be played.

Sixth Grade:

The work with the Upper School ensembles consisted of digging into new compositions by Matthew….each with aleatoric elements, to-be-determined sequence, and ensemble decisions. The two ensembles had different musical works to explore, and they threw themselves into the innovative work of interpreting the music and performing their compelling renditions.

Upper School Strings:

Upper School Wind Ensemble:

This residency will be continued in the spring when the members of IfCM will return and hold a community-wide concert in the Briggs Center for Civic Engagement in the Commons. Meaningful learning opportunities which partner community and Harley resources will be the backbone of the Common School offerings in this new space of ours. Look for more information on these upcoming events soon!