Weber Middle School Chorus: “Seasons of Love”

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1. Deborah Brooks says:

   April 11, 2020 at 1:09 pm

   Actually, it’s not just the middle school…. it’s 4th-12th grade students, along with a Principal (or two?), and two Board of Education members from the Port Washington School District! This music video was the brainchild of our district’s much beloved middle school music teacher and Drama Club musical director Allison Friedman, along with Ben Hegarty, a Schreiber High School senior and Drama Club tech wiz-kid.

   I’m tech-challenged and don’t understand how Ms. Friedman and Ben pulled this off! What I do know is that each person recorded him/herself in the “I protect you, you protect me, by social distancing” comfort of their own home, and then sent their video to Ms. Friedman and Ben, who then did their magic to join everyone together into a seamless performance!

   Enjoy!

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2. Deborah B says:

   April 11, 2020 at 1:10 pm

   Actually it’s not just the middle school kids! It’s 4th to 12th graders, plus administrators, teachers, and two BOE members! This music video was the brainchild of our district’s much beloved dedicated middle school music teacher and Drama Club musical director Allison Friedman, along with Ben Hegarty, a Schreiber High School senior and Drama Club tech wiz-kid. Enjoy!

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   • dianeravitch says:

     April 11, 2020 at 3:34 pm

     Thank you, Deborah, for giving credit where it’s due

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3. Catherine King says:

   April 11, 2020 at 1:25 pm

   Diane Thanks . . . I am cheered. CBK

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4. speduktr says:

   April 11, 2020 at 1:37 pm

   “A great way to overcome social isolation!”

   Yup. Thanks, Diane.

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5. dienne77 says:

   April 11, 2020 at 1:52 pm

   Thanks for these, Diane. Keep ’em coming.

   And, can I just say, in the past month I’ve seen more insides of more people’s bedrooms than I’d ever see in a lifetime?

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   • dianeravitch says:

     April 11, 2020 at 3:30 pm

     Me too.

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6. LG says:

   April 11, 2020 at 2:40 pm

   While I do love these, it should be noted that they are a labor of love and very time-consuming utilizing a whole other set of skills beyond just musical expertise.

   And just when one could never imagine them having a negative impact on anyone, we actually have admins all over the country now asking music teachers of all levels if they can hold
   Zoom concerts for their students and their families, as if it was the same thing as these performances.

   We need to understand that the level of
   musicianship and the level of technological expertise is very high with these recorded performances. You need sophisticated software, a knack for mixing and engineering, lots of virtual storage and hours and hours of time to prepare these performances. They aren’t live, but a lot of people believe they are hearing a concert when they view these.

   We have music teachers who are frustrated and emotionally distraught trying to figure out how to make their performance programs work on a digital platform when latency issues with live streaming make it impossible.

   These are great mixed recordings, and we are lucky to have them during this time. We have to be mindful of the impact they also have on music teachers who do not have the capacity to put on any virtual performance whether it be because of expensive tech or simply the lower grade level expertise of their students. We can’t just simply pull this stuff off in lieu of a concert. I wish disclaimers were made with all of these.

   Still, they are extremely wonderful examples of why we need music education today. Thanks for posting, Diane.

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   • dianeravitch says:

     April 11, 2020 at 3:28 pm

     LG,

     I post these because they spread joy and remind us of the power of music.

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     • Catherine King says:

       April 11, 2020 at 7:22 pm

       . . . oh yes, and how important are the arts. . . CBK

   • dienne77 says:

     April 11, 2020 at 4:04 pm

     You make very good points. While I really love that some groups are able and willing to do this, no teacher should be forced to pull this off. Thanks for the reminder that some adminimals (h/t Sr. Swacker) have no clue.

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     • Deborah B says:

       April 13, 2020 at 11:06 am

       To be very clear… NO ONE was forced to do this, including the teacher. This was neither a teaching requirement for the teacher, nor an assignment for the students. This was a pure inspirational labor of love between the teacher and student brainchild… completely voluntary on the part of EVERYONE involved and it was open to all children in grades 4-12 (not just the middle school) and any zany adults who wanted to join in and support the students. This was pure uplifting unifying joy during a very dark time. That’s a wonderful thing.

7. Bob Shepherd says:

   April 11, 2020 at 4:01 pm

   Lovely. Thanks for sharing this, Diane!

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8. Lynn Boddy says:

   April 12, 2020 at 12:42 am

   Thanks for posting! We need some positivity in our lives!

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9. LG says:

   April 13, 2020 at 2:05 pm

   Yes, that is the point. Yet administrators all over the US are seeing these performances and putting pressure on music educators to have so-called virtual concerts. In my music teachers forums, this topic comes up almost every day. I love these as much as the next person and sometimes even more as music educator, but I wish that there would be more explanation about the process so that they are not inadvertently influencing school leaders to hassle their music teachers. I am as appalled as you might be that this could be a result of such a wonderful gift from those who do this. However it is a reality that should not be ignored. So I suppose all I would ask is if those who put these out to explain how the process isn’t a live performance nor is it done easily for everyone. No one is saying this is bad. Please don’t misconstrue. No one is criticizing the amazing people who do these things or post them. We love them and they certainly make a case for arts education everywhere.

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   • Catherine King says:

     April 13, 2020 at 2:55 pm

     LG Yes, it’s manifested need for a differentiation of function–technologists with musicians with teachers of xxx, with administrators who understand that need. . . . people from different walks of life (professions) putting their skills together to make something good for all . . . what a concept . . . . CBK

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