THE A B I L I TY TO D RE A M CAMPU S SC H O O L PA RE N T WORKS TO I NFUSE C L A SS I CA L MUS IC I NTO TH E C U RRI C U LU M
As a young girl growing up in Lebanon, Nayla Abu Hamad was surrounded by classical music. After a long day at work, her father would return home, turn on the stereo, and relax as symphonies filled the household. His passion for music became hers, as well. Today, as a mother of three living in Pittsburgh, Abu Hamad sought to instill this same passion in her own three children. However, while also trying to keep up with their homework, extracurricular activities, and her position as an Arabic instructor at the University of Pittsburgh, she really didn’t have time. How was she to make her music theirs? So Abu Hamad found a new approach—one that would not only benefit her own children but also their peers at The Campus School of Carlow University. When she heard out about the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s Meet the Maestro program, which infuses the study of classical music into all aspects of the curriculum, she knew it was a perfect fit. Working with Campus School Executive Director and Head of School
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Michelle Peduto and the school’s music staff, Abu Hamad has been the driving force behind what is already a great success. As one of only five Pittsburgh schools to partner with the program this academic year, the school is filled with classical music in ways Abu Hamad never could have imagined. Meet the Maestro is led by violinist Monique Mead, director of special programs for the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (PSO). Early in September 2012, Mead began working directly with Campus School teachers and students, as well as Carlow School of Education student teachers, giving them direct contact with the Symphony’s music director, Manfred Honeck. “With this program, I feel the excitement and dedication that Monique has for music. I feel she can give students the ability to dream. This is what classical music can do,” says Abu Hamad. To kick off the musical excitement on campus, students took part in an interactive assembly on Friday, September 14, featuring Carnegie Mellon University’s C Street Brass Quintet, in residence at Carnegie Mellon University, and partners in the Meet the Maestro program. One of the program’s highlights was discounted admission to
the PSO’s September 23, 2012, performance of Antonín Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Opus 95 “From the New World,” Richard Strauss’ Orchestral Songs, and Strauss’ Concerto No. 1 in E-flat major for Horn and Orchestra. Students and their families were also treated to a special pre-concert reception with Maestro Honeck and enjoyed Campus School seventhgrade student Hannah Kwiecincksi’s performance of “Goin’ Home,” accompanied by Campus School Music Teacher Anna Sproul. “This is a great way for the school to bond through an experience that can be enjoyed on many different levels,” says Mead. “The program has high energy through the caliber of musicians involved, and it adds to their natural joy of learning.” Mead is conducting workshops throughout The Campus School. During social studies class, students learn about Antonín Dvořák’s life while listening to violin excerpts. In math class, they manipulate note values, as Dvořák did, creating themes that sound different, but which are actually based upon a common denominator. The musical excitement continued on campus this November, as Carlow School of Education students assisted budding middle school