Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Music topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Draper Park students perform jazz and film music at year-end concert
Summary
Students at Draper Park Wheel School performed jazz standards, film scores and ensemble pieces at a year-end concert that included soloists, beginning ensembles and a reminder of an upcoming orchestra concert.
Mr. Whitener, a staff member at Draper Park Wheel School, opened the school—s year-end concert by thanking students and families and saying, "It's been a wonderful, wonderful 2425 school year." He led a program that mixed jazz standards, original student arrangements and music from films and television.
"That first tune is a Billy Strayhorn tune called 'Take the A Train,'" Whitener said, introducing a jazz selection that featured pianist Rachel Van Werkom and saxophonist Ryan Laker. The program included items played by beginning classes, the concert band and a percussion ensemble; several pieces were arranged or adapted by school staff and student arrangers.
Performances ranged from Miles Davis's "All Blues," which the director noted had been adapted from 6/8 to 4/4 for the ensemble, to selections from recent films and series such as Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl, Up, The Mandalorian and How to Train Your Dragon. Whitener identified a student piece as "Untitled scores" by Cairo Lovell and thanked faculty and administrators for their support throughout the year.
Whitener also described an equipment issue: someone had used the school's drum set poorly, and he said he and administrators discussed replacing it. He reported that Dr. Watts encouraged buying a replacement and that administrators suggested getting higher-quality equipment, but no formal purchasing action was announced at the concert.
The concert included short anecdotes and acknowledgments: a staff member recounted saving $60 as a child to buy a Yoda mask, and Whitener recognized eighth-graders and percussion students during the program. The evening concluded with a reminder to "come back tomorrow for the orchestra concert," a school staff announcement noted.
The program showcased student musicians across grade levels and concluded with thanks to the administration, office staff and families for supporting the school music program.
