“Urban Voices” are right here in New Brighton
Students from Ms. Dieal, Ms. Roche, Ms. DiMeo, Ms. Dickerson and Mr. Knudson’s classes have spent one period per week for the past 6 months working with Mr. Michael Sample of the Metropolitan Opera Guild’s Urban Voices Program: A Choral Initiative. The students have learned everything from breathing and voice exercises to Michael Jackson, Ecuadorian folk songs, Mozart sung in Latin, and original composition. As the year winds down, the students reflect on how they have grown and what they have gained. In a few short weeks, they will perform for their families and friends, having gained a new confidence and love of performing. Here they share some of their thoughts.
The performances scheduled for today have been postponed due to unforeseen circumstances, but the students will continue to practice the lessons they learned from Mr. Sample and look forward to the time they will be with him again. Updates will be made as information about the performances becomes available. Here are the students’ reflections of their time in Urban Voices and their wishes for Mr. Sample.
I like when we are learning music and when we learned the five brothers. One of them was Michael Jackson. We learned about his songs and we are singing them. Mr. Sample is very nice and tells us about all types of adventures and stories from places where he has gone with his music.
I like the way Mr. Sample sings. Hes a good teacher. He is a good piano player too. I feel better about my singing since he has been teaching me. I can sing Michael Jackson songs and I know all about the scale now.
I learned to sing in a different language and how not to be stage frightened! I feel like I can sing good. I now that I have to keep my body straight up when I sing so that it sounds the best.
My music class has been fun and entertaining. I will always remember how to respect my instrument, my chest voice and my head voice. I feel bad that he is sick, but hope he feels better soon.
We are singing the story of Mary Terry. I am good in music. I know because I listen to the teacher and I use my head voice and my chest voice. Mr. Sample, get well soon!
I hope Mr. Sample that you will be fine. Your music is fun. I really liked to play your music games. I like the flashlight game.
I like the Michael Jackson songs. I really like “A,B,C” Its easy as one two three. Mr. Sample you are the best teacher.
I like to sing in my music class. I like Beyonce, can we learn her songs? I like to sing “Doe a Deer”. I hope I do the show with you. Feel better.
Thank you for the music, I really liked it. It was fun. It taught me new things. I thought that Do Re Mi was shorter, but you taught me a new way to sing it. I learned the hand motions and I practice them sometimes. I might want to be a drummer or guitar player when I grow up or the lead singer in the band. I hope you feel better, Mr. Sample. You are the best music teacher.
About the music, I want to say that Mr. sample I love music better than everything and better than anyone. That is all I want to say.
Music is the talented thing that takes a lot of hard work to do it. Music comes from the heart. Music is your emotions, whether you are happy, mad or sad. Music is the feeling that you feel in your body. Mr. Sample told us that our voices can be soft or hard to show our feelings. Music is the greatest thing to show affection. Also music helps you all the time if you sing your song and you are noy happy you feel better.
Music is fun and Mr. Sample is so nice. It’s good that we learned about Michael Jackson and his songs, because it was so fun. I hope you feel better and good Mr. Sample.
Mr. Sample is the best and nice and he respects people the way they respect him. And he is fair to us. He teaches us games that help us with our music and that are fun. I love the Flashlight game. My favorite pose is King Kong. I like all the favorite songs especially Michael Jackson and the other artists that we learned about.
Mr. Sample I hope that you please get better and when you do that you come back to us, and promise you a great show. You taught me how to sing and how to follow a beat and rythm and I want to do more.
I liked the music and the sound effects. I learned how to sing a song without looking at the words. I liked the part that I have to rap in the middle of our song.