Thursday, April 05, 2007

Kids who know their classical, jazz and Broadway melodies face off in the Music Memory competition; event Tue, Ap 17, 7:30 pm, Caddo MagnetHigh School

Primary students will identify, spell and punctuate ten music selections from the classical, jazz and Broadway genres in The Music Memory competition, says Shreveport Symphony Music Director Michael Butterman. Yes; that's identify, spell and punctuate the music. It is a national program.

Third, fourth and fifth grade students compete first with one another in their own schools and then with other schools in the final round of Music Memory. The contest takes place at Caddo Magnet High School's Performing Arts Center on Tues, Ap 24, at 7:30 pm.

“We’re excited because the kids are excited” exclaims Butterman. “This process really teaches them how to listen — to hear and appreciate the details of what makes a piece work. By the time of the concert, the young people have internalized this music and know it backward and forward!”

Music selected for this season’s Music Memory listening:
Grieg's In the Hall of the Mountain King
Bernstein's The Dance at the Gym from West Side Story
Bizet's Toreador Song from the opera Carmen;
Bock's If I Were a Rich Man from Fiddler on the Roof
Vivaldi's Gloria in Excelsis from his Gloria
Mozart's Minuet and Trio from Eine Kleine Nachtmusik
DeBussy's Prelude to The Afternoon of a Faun
Ellington's It Don’t Mean a Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing
Stravinsky's Finale from The Firebird Suite
Rossini's William Tell Overture.

Schools participating: Apollo Elementary, Benton Elementary, Benton Middle School, Bossier Elementary, Curtis Elementary, Meadowview Elementary, Plantation Park Elementary, Platt Elementary, Princeton Elementary, Stockwell Place Elementary and Sun City Elementary. Also, Arthur Circle Elementary, Fairfield Elementary, North Highlands, Shreve Island Elementary, South Highlands Elementary and Jack P. Timmons Elementary.

In the final round of competition, the Shreveport Symphony will perform live selections of the competition music. While the student scores are being tabulated, the Orchestra will perform a mini concert providing a brief tour of musical style periods.


- 7:30 P.M., Tue, Ap 17
- Caddo Magnet High School, 1601 Viking Dr., Shreveport
- Free admission.

You'll pardon me if I call for advance applause for the teachers, students, parents and schools participating. A salute is also due the SSO's Peter Haas, who has championed the program.

Apologies to readers for my having the date wrong initially. I wrote Ap 24; it is, in fact, Ap 17.

4 comments:

Robert E Trudeau said...

Talbot Hopkins, my wife, says "I want to take the test, too." She has a terrific music memory for jazz as well as classical music. Seems to me that families like ours will want to informally participate as well as enjoy the contest.

Anonymous said...

I believe the date of the event is April 17, not April 24. But thanks for giving it some publicity!

Anonymous said...

Hi, Robert,

The competition is Tuesday, April 17, 7:30 pm. It's great that you're covering it, but I thought you would want the correct date.

Robert E Trudeau said...

Apoligies! To regain a bit of my credibility, I must offer that in the Concert At A Glance section of the SSO press release it says Ap 24.

Still, the first paragraph of the release says Ap 17.

Therefore I do not escape the blame. Argh.