Skip to main content

Festival of Art and Music Begins

This morning, our two school orchestras kicked off the annual Winter Festival of Art and Music with a special morning concert for the Lower School.

Our youngest musicians, members of The First Orchestra, played for the first time this year in front of a live audience. The boys, from Grades 1 – 3 performed Ode to Joy, Danny Boy, and Saint David's Alma Mater.  During the course of the performance, each of the boys stood to introduce a piece or share pertinent information about the orchestra's composition and layout, providing an important public speaking opportunity--a major curricular focus of the school's program.

A brief clip of their Ode to Joy performance is included.

The First Orchestra was followed by a riveting performance by the Saint David's Philharmonic Ensemble, which provided a preview of some of the pieces they will soon be playing on the stage at Carnegie Hall in a couple of weeks: Handel's Le Rejouissance, Vivaldi's Concerto for Four Violins, the Russian Sailors' Dance, and the Theme from Mission Impossible.  Just fantastic to hear 11-14 year olds playing such complex pieces with such enthusiasm!

The Winter Festival is a special tradition at Saint David's, which celebrates our boys' creativity and the school's focus on the aesthetic as part of a balanced pedagogy.

During the next two weeks there will be many events showcasing our boys' work in the arts. Drop by and visit.  Programs are available at Reception.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

NE Patriot Tom Brady at Saint David’s

Last night, Saint David’s was honored to have one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, four time Superbowl champion and three-time MVP winner Tom Brady, as the guest speaker for our Alumni Parents Council Lecture Series. Tom, who is the father of one of our Saint David's boys, addressed a standing-room-only audience in Hyman Hall comprised of our eighth graders, alumni, alumni parents and faculty. Friendly, introspective, witty, and wise, he directed his talk to the delighted eighth graders in the front of the room, and focused on the topic of leadership. “You are the young men and leaders of Saint David’s,” he noted. Tom debunked the perception that leaders are born not made, and credited his leadership abilities to “standing up to and facing fears” and to “cultivating a mental strength,” which he cited as “more important than being physically strong.” He also stressed the importance of working hard, honoring teamwork, believing in oneself and being a good lis

Surf's Up for Horizons at Saint David's

Little can top catching a wave to beat the heat on an exceptionally hot summer's day. Yesterday, as the temperatures soared into the nineties, the Horizons at Saint David's Eighth Grade class traveled to Rockaway Beach with their teachers for surf lessons with New York's premiere surf school, Locals Surf School. The boys have been taking swimming lessons through our program since their first summer with us in 2012.  At that time, they were were rising first graders, and our inaugural cohort of Horizons students. Yesterday, they were ready to go, and, as these pictures show, they had a blast while learning a new skill. This is the eighth year of Horizons at Saint David's, a six-week multi-faceted academic and cultural summer experience whose mission is to prevent summer slide in elementary school boys from low-income families. We began the program in conjunction with Saint David's 60th anniversary in 2011, as one way that Saint David's as an ins

"Lord of the Flies" Survival Game

Seventh graders are immersed in an "island survival" adventure related to their study of William Golding's 1954 classic Lord of the Flies . The novel tells the story of a group of school-age boys marooned on an uninhabited island, where they struggle to survive without a government or rules. In this creative, unique activity that spans 10 class sessions, our boys are assigned to belong to one of two "tribes." Using knowledge gained from history classes in the fall, they first determine what type of government system to adopt. During the simulations, they strategize methods to overcome obstacles and acquire resources such as wood, food, shelter, and water. The simulation requires the boys to negotiate, debate, and reflect critically on their decisions as they face challenges to their survival. In journals, they regularly write about their thinking, their decisions and consequences. Writing skills are further developed and honed. In addition to analy