Showcase BACK TO SCHOOL!
Table of Contents 1 WE WELCOME BACK OUR STUDENTS!
2 THE DUDAMEL ORCHESTRA SHINES AT LANDMARKS SUMMER CONCERT
4 THE 2015 EL SISTEMA SUMMER ACADEMY
5 HONK! FOR AIDA
3 CREATING PATHWAYS TO TANGLEWOOD
• Don’t miss our first performance of the year! The Dudamel Brass will perform on September 12 at the Boston Center for the Arts as part of Finding Fay. Click here for more information! • Questions? Comments? Email us at csoriano@conversatorylab.org
A Letter from Diana
DEAR FRIENDS OF CONSERVATORY LAB, This summer flew by for us. In reality it was very short to begin with. Our last day of the last school year was June 29th and before we knew it all faculty and staff were back in the saddle on August 10th beginning two weeks of intensive professional development! Our students were back in their seats on August 24th and ready to gallop into another school year! Although short, a number of our student and faculty managed to pack in some exciting activities, a highlight amongst these was the Fiesta Sinfonica concert performed on July 22nd at the Hatch Shell with the Landmarks Orchestra, wherein our Dudamel Orchestra played the Mambo Concerto side by side with the professional musicians. This was our third year playing at this concert with the Landmarks Orchestra. Personally too, it was a summer of intense preparation for me. As a part of becoming a Barr Fellow in 2015, I am scheduled to go on a three month sabbatical, beginning in a few days. Before departing for this trip, I wanted to contribute as much as I could to the smooth opening of the school and I leave the reins in the steady hands of John Chistolini, Chief Operations Officer, and Nicole Bradeen, Principal.
As always, I reach out to you in thanks for all the support and collaboration you share with all of us as we continue on with this remarkable endeavor called Conservatory Lab Charter School. Warmly, Diana Lam
We welcome back our students!
W
hile the weather outside was cloudy and wet on the first day of school, it felt like a sunny day inside of our hallways and classrooms! The enthusiasm and positive energy were tangible as students greeted one another with smiles on their faces and met their new teachers, who led them in numerous ice breakers and team building activities. As they became better acquainted with their fellow crew members and classmates, the students also delved into one of the most important tasks for any class at the beginning of the year: the process of building classroom norms.
Together with their teachers, students in every grade worked as a crew to decide what they want their classroom culture to look and feel like. Using the 5 Crew Qualities (Cooperation, Empathy, Perseverance, Responsibility, and Reflection), they identified specific ways that everyone can apply these qualities inside the classroom in order to create the best possible learning environment. These norms become expectations that students will hold each other to for the rest of the year.
Using the 5 Crew Qualities Cooperation, Empathy, Perseverance, Responsibility, and Reflection - our students identified specific ways that everyone can apply these qualities inside the classroom in order to create the best possible learning environment.
The first day is the start of something big. Learning expeditions, fieldwork, and musical concerts are all mountains students will soon climb. These are challenging feats, but not ones that they will have to conquer alone. At Conservatory Lab we are all crew members, and we work together to face challenges and accomplish great things.
You are part of building a vibrant school community. Click here to donate!
The Dudamel Orchestra Shines at Landmarks Summer Concert
W
e had a quiet but busy summer here at the school, so our students’ annual performance with the Landmarks Orchestra was a lovely interruption! On July 22, members of the Dudamel orchestra, including a few students who’d graduated from Conservatory Lab but returned to play with their ensemble one last time, gathered behind the Hatch Shell on Boston’s beloved Esplanade. Our students joined the Landmarks Orchestra halfway through the program to play all three movements of Mambo Concierto by Alice Gómez, a lively afro-latino-inspired piece that was perfect for dancing. Playing alongside the seasoned Landmarks musicians, our students added their own fresh, bright tonality to the music. They played for a packed audience, and did so with composure and style!
Creating Pathways to Tanglewood
S
ummer music lovers from all walks of life in New England have come to recognize the Berkshires as a premier destination for arts, culture and music at Tanglewood Music Center (TMC). Since 1935, the Boston Symphony Orchestra has performed for sold-out crowds in the Seiji Ozawa Hall and Koussevitzky Shed, a.k.a. “The Shed,” however amidst the BSO concerts and touring pop and jazz artists that frequent TMC, the Boston University Tanglewood Institute (BUTI) has attracting the most talented youth musicians from across the globe for a summer music inattentive, with full access to all TMC events and opportunities to work with the worlds most talented conductors and teachers. This July, the top Dudamel Brass musicians from Conservatory Lab had the opportunity to experience first-hand the transformative power of the Tanglewood experience. Our students attended a BSO and BUTI rehearsal, had a coaching with Axiom Brass - the resident brass quintet from Chicago, and performed for the BUTI Brass Fellows. The weekend will also include a BSO and BUTI concert and a trip to Lenox, MA for sight-seeing and a celebratory dinner.
Be a part of memorable experiences for our students. Click here to donate!
The 2015 El Sistema Summer Academy
D
uring the first two weeks in August, a number of Conservatory Lab students joined approximately 80 students, ranging in ages from 8 to 16, coming from greater Massachusetts and as far away as Florida, Mexico, and Venezuela for the 2015 El Sistema Summer Academy. They had the opportunity to work with teachers from around the world and gained valuable experiences both in orchestral playing and music theater. Our very own Resident Artist, Chris Schroeder led that winds and percussion sectional and had the opportunity to compose an original fanfare for the final concert.
Be a part of the music. Click here to donate!
HONK! for Aida
T
he summer always brings about unique and fun musical pairings, and this summer with the Boston Landmarks Orchestra was no exception! To close the Landmark’s “Italian Night” on August 5th, members from six area HONK! bands and a number of Conservatory Lab students, led by conductor and trumpeter Chris Schroeder, joined the orchestra for an unforgettable performance of Verdi’s every popular “Triumphal March” from Aida.