Summer Rising
With our summer school music programs, S'Cool Sounds now reaches all five boroughs.
On the opening day of the Olympic Games in Tokyo this summer, teaching artist and jazz saxophonist Ruaridh Pattison showed up to his summer school classes at a Queens public school with a shakuhachi, a traditional Japanese bamboo flute. Considered one of the hardest instruments in the world to play, Ruaridh bought one online and learned it as a pandemic lockdown challenge while isolated at home in rural Scotland last spring.
Playing the shakuhachi for the elementary school students in Queens led to discussions about what it sounds like (“being in a forest,” “sitting next to a river”), guesses about where it might be from, and finally, a discussion of Japanese musical culture, geography, and the students' excitement about the Olympic games. It was another day of exploring the world through music—and connecting with our students’ everyday lives and interests—through our popular Musical Time Machine course.
Three of our teaching artists are currently teaching The Musical Time Machine and Build and Play a Drum to over 360 students at four schools in Queens through the City’s free summer enrichment program, Summer Rising. In addition, more than 270 Queens students are learning to play the ukulele for the first time with the newest member of S’Cool Sounds’ teaching artist team, Nick Pennington. In Staten Island (our fifth and final borough!), 50 middle school students are getting an introduction to music technology, learning how to use GarageBand to make their own modern hip hop beats, and exploring different software instruments.
This year’s Summer Rising program wraps up in mid-August with the aim of preparing students for academic learning in the fall and providing them with enrichment, socialization, and fun after an extremely challenging school year. We are glad to be supporting this crucial effort.
Audio Sample of the Week
Middle school students from Staten Island in an SCS Beat Science course upload their projects on SoundCloud, a music-sharing platform that allows them to share, listen, and react to each other’s work.
Check out this Trap beat created by a sixth-grade student! (Trap is a subgenre of hip hop with characteristic hi-hat rolls).
Link to "Student Work from Beat Science"
Community Member Highlight
Nick Pennington (on guitar) performs with SCS teaching artist Evan Harris and friends.
We are excited to have Nick Pennington join the S'Cool Sounds team of teaching artists! Originally from Australia, Nick is an accomplished jazz guitarist, composer, educator, and a graduate of the Manhatten School of Music.
He writes: "Kids have had quite a challenging year, especially in adjusting to online learning and navigating all the new ways we connect in times of uncertainty. As we tackle in-person music education again, I am delighted to play a part in creating an environment where kids can learn to create art together.
I appreciate that S'Cool Sounds values the importance of music education in community-driven programs. I have had great satisfaction helping students learn to play the ukulele - and in doing so, also learn how to work together and discover the importance of music as they grow up."
Welcome to the team, Nick!