Mason Community Arts Academy
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Music

Healing Through Music

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Clarinet students can connect with others while learning techniques for free, thanks to the live stream workshops offered by the Academy’s Mason Summer Clarinet Academy co-director, Ms. Catina Franklin Sweedy.

Ms. Sweedy is running weekly live-streams in support of those young clarinetists who have lost access to their band programs due to school closings.

Through her YouTube channel, The Clarinet Project, Ms. Sweedy offers three different workshops: Bass Clarinet Basic, Ask A Clarinet Teacher, and Pop Song Tutorials. Audiences in the live stream sessions can ask questions about the instrument and learn basic clarinet techniques and songs such as “Into the Unknown” from “Frozen II” and “Duel of the Fates” from “Star Wars.”

 

 

Through those live streams, she hopes to provide teaching continuity for those students’ clarinet studies and an opportunity for them to maintain a social connection with the outside world while being quarantined at home.

“The Pop Song Tutorials are my favorites,” said Ms. Sweedy. “It’s always fun to learn how to play songs that make us happy, but it gives me an opportunity to teach strong fundamentals and technique. I am also excited about Bass Clarinet Basics because there aren’t many resources out there for young bass clarinet players, so I enjoy adding more videos to help.”

Serving as an educator, lecturer, and adjudicator in the Washington, D.C. area, Ms. Sweedy is the founder and co-director of Academy’s Summer Clarinet Academy. She was a former orchestra member for several groups in Florida and Prince William County and performed nationally and internationally as a solo artist.

 

 

Ms. Sweedy said The Clarinet Project YouTube channel provides a space for her audiences to share their feelings with COVID-19 and its impact on a personal level, and she values the opportunity to be a listener and mentor who helps navigate their struggles along the way. She reminds us to use this time to slow down and care for one another.

“We are experiencing upheaval, fear, grief, anxiety, loneliness, and disappointment among many other emotions right now,” said Ms. Sweedy. “As musicians, we have an opportunity to play and create music for healing and joy, for ourselves and for others.”

For aspiring musicians, Ms. Sweedy encourages them not only to focus on technical studies but remembering to share their music with friends and family.

“We are lucky that we have music to help us through this time,” said Ms. Sweedy. “Pull out your favorite pieces, learn a song that you love, even if it isn’t written for your instrument. Let’s share it with others if we can.”

The Clarinet Project’s live stream is open to everyone.  To join the next session, visit Ms. Sweedy’s YouTube channel HERE. Upcoming workshops include:

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Events

Arts in the Online Community

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Although we are isolated from one another physically, some businesses, organizations, and artists are offering free resources to keep us connected in spirit through the arts. We are grateful for the arts community coming together during this special time. Please share with families in need of activity ideas. If you have any recommendations to add to this list, please email us at [email protected].

  • Tune in for live-streamed performances, releases of previously recorded content, and interactive activities at Mason Arts at Home presented by Mason’s College of Visual and Performing Arts.*
  • Meet Broadway performers, designers, authors, career advisors, and composers for a live conversation hosted by At This Stage.
  • Find an upcoming live stream performances and concerts by date and genre HERE.*

 

*These programs may contain explicit language or materials unsuitable for children. Please check the program details for guidance.

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Acting

Acting Fun Challenges

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Discover your acting potential and create fun memories with family or friends while at home. Our Acting for Young People staff provides a new challenge each week for your next game time, movie night, or pajama dance party. Share your experience and be sure to tag the Academy and AFYP on Facebook or Instagram with #AFYPforFunChallenge.

 

Challenge #1: The Hand-wash Song
Did you wash your hands today? CDC recommends washing your hands for at least 20 seconds, and we are looking for the catchiest 20-second song from “Lion King.” Sing, record, and share with us on social media with #AFYPWashesOurHands.

 

Challenge #2: Listen to A Musical
Listen to a musical that you haven’t heard before and imagine the story told through songs. Share with us your thoughts with #AFYPforFunChallenge. Here are some musicals to begin with:

  • Rogers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella
  • Tarzan
  • Sound of Music
  • Xanadu
  • The Wiz
  • White Christmas
  • My Fair Lady
  • Seussical
  • Frozen
  • Anastasia
  • The Little Mermaid
  • Mary Poppins

 

Challenge #3: Theater Games for Everyone
These fun theater games will make you move your body and think creatively. Be sure to share with us fun photos and videos on social media with #AFYPforFunChallenge or via email at [email protected].

Zip-Zap-Zop—In a circle, send the energy by pointing at another person. The first sender says “Zip,” the next person says “Zap,” and the next says “Zop.” The cycle starts over. Find your rhythm and see if you can speed up without messing up the words.

What Are You Doing?—The first person acts out an everyday action without any words or noises, such as baking a cake or walking a dog. The next person asks “What are you doing?” The first person tells them anything other than the action they are doing, such as “I’m playing baseball.” The questioner must pantomime that action. Level up by going unusual or silly actions, such as “I am wrestling an alligator,” or “I’m walking on the moon.”

2-/3-/4-Headed Monster—This monster knows all the answers to any question, but each head can only say one word at a time. The goal is to create a logical answer although not necessarily true!

  • Example Question: Why is the sky blue?
  • Head 1: Because
  • Head 2: the
  • Head 1: ink
  • Head 2: spilled
  • Head 1: everywhere.

Press Conference—One person leaves the room. The rest of the players decide which famous person they are. When the “celebrity” returns, the other players ask questions that contain clues until the “celebrity” can guess who they are. The “celebrity” still needs to answer the questions (or make up answers) while they are trying to guess.

 

Challenge #4: Create Something
Create something—a painting, a dance, decorate a cake, make shadow puppets, design a costume, etc—inspired by a song from a musical. Be sure to share what you create and the title of the song that inspired you!

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Community Outreach Music

Elementary Students Enjoy Civil War Music at Mason

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The Green Machine’s 8th Regiment Band performed and showcased the brass instruments to a group of students from the Hunters Woods’ Saturday School for the Arts outreach initiative Saturday, February 22.

“The event went extremely well,” said Chris Troiano, band leader and Academy instructor for trombone and euphonium. “The students were very attentive throughout the performance and asked very good questions about the music, the band, and the school.”

 

 

A subdivision of the Green Machine, the 8th Regiment Band is a brass ensemble specialized in performing 1860s Civil War-era music. During the visit, the band members introduced the history of brass instruments, brass bands, and American music, and played several war-time inspired music such as “Maggie By My Side,” “The Battle Cry of Freedom,” “Marching Through Georgia,” and “Slumber Polka.”

Students showed great interest in the performance and asked detailed questions about the roles of brass bands during the war and how bands were formed in the army.

 

 

After the performance, band members shared their college experience and career goals and invited students to hold and play the instruments. Visiting students took the opportunity to ask specific band members about their instruments and their musical background.

“I really enjoyed playing the music for the students and seeing them have fun while listening,” said Troiano. “It was great to see both the students’ interest being peaked as well as the band members having the opportunity to have one-on-one interactions with audience members.”

 

 

The Saturday School for the Arts at Hunters Woods is one of Academy’s outreach initiatives that help gain access to arts education for all students of the community. The initiative brings 50 students each year to Mason campus for arts enrichment activities. In fall 2019, the group visited the School of Theater for a behind-the-scenes tour and engaged in a conversation with the faculty and students.

Generous donations from our community support the Saturday School for the Arts initiative. If you are interested in donating to the initiative, visit: https://masonacademy.gmu.edu/outreach/saturday-school.

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Music

A Message from Academy Parent

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Hello Fellow Academy Music Parents,

I hope this finds you safe and well during this unprecedented time, which continues to change daily. As I’m sure you know, the Academy has shifted to online lessons until at least Saturday, April 4th.

I know this is new and different territory for some people. One of my kids has done online lessons with the Academy during snow days for years with great success. The other has never done an online lesson. As a parent, I find myself approaching the policy with both confidence and uncertainty.

My 12 year old violinist can do the online lessons independently. I make sure the session gets started okay and then I don’t see her for an hour. It’s pretty wonderful, and I realize a privilege compared to a parent of a 5 year old who still needs a lot of direction. Is it as good as an in-person lesson? Nope, but an online lesson is better than no lesson. We have found online lessons to be quite effective in allowing her to progress through her material and to move on to new things each week. If nothing else, that provides a small feeling of normalcy right now.

I’m less confident about the sound distortion of a trombone over the airwaves for my 10 year old. However, I’m still willing to try.

Here’s why I recommend online lessons:

  • We have experience with other elements of the online lesson and they have worked fine.
  • I trust his teacher will make any adjustments he can think of to make it work.
  • This might not suit my personal needs perfectly, but it’s a small sacrifice in the overall world picture.
  • Weekly contact with his teacher is better than a several week vacuum of no instruction.

I encourage you all to hang in there and give the online lessons a try. Please do not immediately call the office demanding a refund for lessons that can’t be held in person. If the Academy grants refunds, that means they can’t pay teachers, who likely count on the lesson income to live. This is a national safety issue beyond everyone’s control – ours, the teachers’ and the Academy’s. It requires all of us to change our daily habits to stay healthy. What we can do is be kind to our fellow humans and be willing to make some sacrifices in the short term until we are on the other side of the curve.

If you have any specific questions about online lessons or have your own experiences to add, please email me at [email protected] If we get enough useful input we can consider putting it together in a blog post to publish to the Academy community so all parents can benefit.

I hope you all stay safe and can enjoy some beautiful music in your homes during the next several weeks.

Best,

Jen Gibson

Mason Academy Parents

 

Additional Resources for Online Lessons
For Parents   |   For Students