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Archive: November/December 2019
MPS Safe Haven Resolution Versus MPS Policy
By Sefarina Benavidas According to the resolution written in 2017, Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) are meant to take action to assure all students are protected from the actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that could create legal issues, such as checking ID’s, or immigration status when students are leaving the premises or asking schools to speak to a student personally on school grounds to discuss their legal status. It’s understood that the creation or revision of administrative policies is a mutual effort by the Board and the Administration. |
Larry Miller is the current School Board president for the Milwaukee Public Schools District. In an interview with the Husky Howler, President Miller was asked to discuss some of the policies and action plans set forth for MPS schools in the event that any Immigration officer request access to a student of any background or legal status. And what policies are in place to ensure the security of the students. In the 2017 Resolution, submitted by Larry Miller and Tatiana Joseph, stated that every Milwaukee Public School is to be a “Safe Haven” for the students and families threatened by immigration enforcement or discrimination.
The Resolution states “the Superintendent, upon notification of the intent of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers or other immigration-law-enforcement personnel to enter a district school, shall request and make photocopies of a judicial warrant; — If no warrant is presented, shall contact legal counsel for the District”.
However in the Administrative Policy (last updated in 2014), there are no guidelines explicitly regarding the protection of a student from an ICE agent or Immigration officer. The policies that are implemented only regard the identification of law enforcement officers (such as the Milwaukee Police Department) when wanting to interview a student regarding investigations of possible crimes committed by the student. President Miller stated that the 2017 resolution takes precedent over the policy written in 2014, While the Resolution has been publicly shared, it has not been updated in the administrative policy that School Administrators use daily to reflect the procedures that must occur when an ICE agent or immigration officer comes to question students.
On the MPS website it states, that there will be designating person at every school to serve as a resource to immigrant and undocumented students and families. Some resources available to students and their families are the in-school representatives such as School Social Workers and counselors.
For general information: no MPS school is allowed to release any information to any law enforcement or immigration officer without the knowledge or consent of the parents of said student, this includes whether the student is present in the building or attends school there. Schools are also obligated to protect any student who wishes to stay inside the building in order to avoid questioning or arrest by any immigration or ICE officer. The school building will act as a safe haven for the students. Students are allowed to stay inside the school buildings for as long as necessary or until they feel safe to exit.
MPS is committed in creating an immigration Advisory Group in partnership with community-based organizations. These groups consist of Voces de la Frontera and YES club, as well as a few other school-sanctioned and supported groups. Groups are accessible by students and might be beneficial to undocumented students and their families. Recently there has been much discussion amongst the MPS student body about correcting the District policy, having it reflect the same information as presented by the MPS school resolution action plan.
A form of Direct action was supported by Voces de la Frontera on November 12, 2019. A nation-wide school walk out was held in protest of the recent vote to remove the protection of students supported by DACA. According to the Immigrant Legal Resource Center DACA is the “immigration option for undocumented immigrants who came to the United States before the age of 16. Although DACA does not provide a pathway to lawful permanent residence, it does provide temporary protection from deportation, work authorization, and the ability to apply for a social security number. Hundreds of students in the MPS district chose to participate in this walk-out in support of the Dreamers in America, and to urge senators Tammy Balwin and Ron Johnson to vote NO on the move to revoke the protection of students utilizing DACA set forth by the Trump administration.
Community supporters such as Voces de la Frontera and YES Club are what communities need. Not only for the Dreamers and hard working students and families living in America, but for every single member of our communities. Thousands of people could be affected if this system of protection were to be revoked. So it’s fallen into the hands of students to protect those who need protection, and count on the MPS school whose responsibility it is to give them a Safe Haven.
The Resolution states “the Superintendent, upon notification of the intent of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers or other immigration-law-enforcement personnel to enter a district school, shall request and make photocopies of a judicial warrant; — If no warrant is presented, shall contact legal counsel for the District”.
However in the Administrative Policy (last updated in 2014), there are no guidelines explicitly regarding the protection of a student from an ICE agent or Immigration officer. The policies that are implemented only regard the identification of law enforcement officers (such as the Milwaukee Police Department) when wanting to interview a student regarding investigations of possible crimes committed by the student. President Miller stated that the 2017 resolution takes precedent over the policy written in 2014, While the Resolution has been publicly shared, it has not been updated in the administrative policy that School Administrators use daily to reflect the procedures that must occur when an ICE agent or immigration officer comes to question students.
On the MPS website it states, that there will be designating person at every school to serve as a resource to immigrant and undocumented students and families. Some resources available to students and their families are the in-school representatives such as School Social Workers and counselors.
For general information: no MPS school is allowed to release any information to any law enforcement or immigration officer without the knowledge or consent of the parents of said student, this includes whether the student is present in the building or attends school there. Schools are also obligated to protect any student who wishes to stay inside the building in order to avoid questioning or arrest by any immigration or ICE officer. The school building will act as a safe haven for the students. Students are allowed to stay inside the school buildings for as long as necessary or until they feel safe to exit.
MPS is committed in creating an immigration Advisory Group in partnership with community-based organizations. These groups consist of Voces de la Frontera and YES club, as well as a few other school-sanctioned and supported groups. Groups are accessible by students and might be beneficial to undocumented students and their families. Recently there has been much discussion amongst the MPS student body about correcting the District policy, having it reflect the same information as presented by the MPS school resolution action plan.
A form of Direct action was supported by Voces de la Frontera on November 12, 2019. A nation-wide school walk out was held in protest of the recent vote to remove the protection of students supported by DACA. According to the Immigrant Legal Resource Center DACA is the “immigration option for undocumented immigrants who came to the United States before the age of 16. Although DACA does not provide a pathway to lawful permanent residence, it does provide temporary protection from deportation, work authorization, and the ability to apply for a social security number. Hundreds of students in the MPS district chose to participate in this walk-out in support of the Dreamers in America, and to urge senators Tammy Balwin and Ron Johnson to vote NO on the move to revoke the protection of students utilizing DACA set forth by the Trump administration.
Community supporters such as Voces de la Frontera and YES Club are what communities need. Not only for the Dreamers and hard working students and families living in America, but for every single member of our communities. Thousands of people could be affected if this system of protection were to be revoked. So it’s fallen into the hands of students to protect those who need protection, and count on the MPS school whose responsibility it is to give them a Safe Haven.
The Power of Students
By Rebeca Acosta Student voice in education entails the values, opinions, beliefs, perspectives, and cultural backgrounds of individual and groups of students. Which then leads to instructional approaches that are based on student choices, interests, passions, and ambitions. However, student voice can be hindered. There are opportunities for students who can exercise their student voice with the exception of not disturbing the classroom. First, students can join clubs like Youth Empowered in the Struggle, Gay Straight Alliance, or Black Student Union. Secondly, Office of Civil Rights aims to bring light to student concerns and issues affecting people that are commonly overlooked and is set to Be the Change. Finally, students can get involved within the district by applying for the |
Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council. The SSAC provides opportunities for students “to serve as the student voice for their respective schools, engage diverse student voices to provide input on district initiatives, build student aptitude as it relates to communication, leadership, advocacy and civic engagement, and to create a sustainable difference at the students’ respective schools and to positively impacting the district,” according to the MPS website.
Student voice in many ways is important for the educational system. Student voice gives students the right to practice their first Amendment rights permitted by school policies. For example, a school newspaper has one standard out of three to follow. First, the Tinker Standard where a student opinions/publications cannot be silenced by administrations. Second, the Fraser Standard allows the administration can censor student expression with “reasonable cause” Finally, the Hazelwood Standard grants that Schools held to a “higher standard” in which censorship is expected and encouraged. Student voice can be practiced in many different formats such as . Therefore, giving students a chance in voicing their concerns or problems within a school in hopes to improve the educational atmosphere.
Student voice in many ways is important for the educational system. Student voice gives students the right to practice their first Amendment rights permitted by school policies. For example, a school newspaper has one standard out of three to follow. First, the Tinker Standard where a student opinions/publications cannot be silenced by administrations. Second, the Fraser Standard allows the administration can censor student expression with “reasonable cause” Finally, the Hazelwood Standard grants that Schools held to a “higher standard” in which censorship is expected and encouraged. Student voice can be practiced in many different formats such as . Therefore, giving students a chance in voicing their concerns or problems within a school in hopes to improve the educational atmosphere.
Not only is student voice important to the educational system but it is important to society. Youth leaders have practice student voice and changed our world for the better. For example, Greta Thunberg gave up her education to protest for climate change. Thunberg started off at school and used her student voice by striking and not attending school to protest climate change. Now, she is believed to be the most powerful youth activist as she continues to raise awareness on climate change. Emma Gonzalez was a student at Parkland High School where a school shooting occurred in 2018, killing 17 people. As a student who experience gun violence first-hand, she practices her student voice by fighting for gun control. Katie Eder was a prior student at Shorewood High School where she organized a 50 mile march from Madison to Janesville in protest of gun control. Eder exercises her student voice by recruiting youth from her school to join the movement and march. Students from all around the world are not afraid to speak up to use their voice, causing a change in society. Currently, youth have taken the positions of leaders and have used their voice. Will this youth movement be recorded in history books? Perhaps because the power lies in the voice.
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Election Day: What you should know?
By Gabriella Hartlaub
These days, everyone is looking forward to the 2020 election, who will be the democratic nominee and who will end up being the president. Although there not as popular or seen as interesting as the national presidential election, there are also important 2019 elections going on as well. The results were also surprisingly interesting, so, let’s look at some of the results from election night 2019 and preview 2020.
The tough elections
Two states had elections for their governors, Mississippi and Kentucky. In Mississippi, Republican Tate Reeves won his first term in office, having beaten out Democrat Jim Hood, Independent David Singletary and Libertarion Bob Hickingbottom. Kentucky's election is a little more complicated, however;the results have Democratic candidate Andy Beshear delivering an upset to the current Governor Republican Matt Bevin, by a margin of about 5,000 votes (which translates into 1.4%) but Bevin has yet to concede and has been calling for a recount. Both men had more votes than Libertarian candidate John Hicks, who only gained 2% of the vote.
Another complicated election is for the Virginia State Congress. Virginia already has a Governor who is a Democrat but now it has both a state house and senate that are majority Democrat as well. This was the first time in a while that this has happened, and was seen as a big victory for the Democratic party as a whole, even though it is just a state election.
Around now is when one might start thinking, but I live in Wisconsin what does any of this have to do with me?
Beyond the political implications of elections like these (the news is going insane right now about what these results could mean for the presidential election next year in terms of voter turnout and enthusiasm), simply put: the laws in Kentucky matter when you're driving through Kentucky. Some things that are illegal in one state aren’t in others, (see: recreational Marijuana) so it matters to know what the views of the people making the laws, or at least signing them, are even if you can’t technically vote on who they are.
Also on the state legislature front: they can actually end up making an impact on the national level, if they can all agree.
For example, representatives in Virginia have hinted that now that the Democrats have the majority of the state is willing to Ratify (basically pass and allow into the law) the equal rights amendment, or ERA, which is a proposed amendment to the constitution that would finally put into the greatest law in the land that men and women are equal under the laws of the united states, no hesitation about it. If this law is needed is another debate entirely, but if Virginian were to ratify it the 38 state threshold would be passed and if no one challenged it in the courts then it would be added to the constitution which would be pretty cool. Fun fact: Wisconsin has already ratified the ERA.
Ballot Measures
A little known Hallmark of general elections are the ballot measures that are sometimes included. These are laws that the government wants the public to vote on to see if there is public support for these issues that could one day be turned into laws or are already bills waiting to be signed into law. A majority yes vote by the public doesn’t mean that it will be passed but it does show lawmakers that the public supports the issue and wants to see action taken.
Two interesting ones from this election came from Texas and Colorado. In texas the public voted yes on a bill that would make it so former police dogs could be re-trained and allowed to be adopted by the public when they are no longer in service instead of being put down, even if someone wanted to adopt them. In Colorado the state legalized sports betting, as long as ten percent of the money gotten from it went back to the state in the form of taxes and go towards repairing the water systems.
Looking Forward to 2020
Milwaukee & Wisconsin
Milwaukee has a Mayoral Election coming up in November 2020. Current Mayor Tom Barret is up for reelection and there are already five declared candidates trying to take his place, including state Senator Lena Taylor. Barret himself hasn’t said if he will run for reelection.
Wisconsin has 8 seats in the House of Representatives and all 8 of them are up for grabs in 2020. District 4, which includes the entire city of Milwaukee has only one declared candidate, Republican Cindy Werner, the current representative is Gwen Moore and she has not declared her candidacy yet. District 5, which has the western and northern suburbs of Milwaukee has one declared Republican and one declared Democrat.
US
The biggest election coming up for the entire United States is the presidential election. So far it is assumed that the Republican Nominee will be current President Donald Trump but the Democratic nominee is yet to be decided with at least 10 candidates running for the position.
By Gabriella Hartlaub
These days, everyone is looking forward to the 2020 election, who will be the democratic nominee and who will end up being the president. Although there not as popular or seen as interesting as the national presidential election, there are also important 2019 elections going on as well. The results were also surprisingly interesting, so, let’s look at some of the results from election night 2019 and preview 2020.
The tough elections
Two states had elections for their governors, Mississippi and Kentucky. In Mississippi, Republican Tate Reeves won his first term in office, having beaten out Democrat Jim Hood, Independent David Singletary and Libertarion Bob Hickingbottom. Kentucky's election is a little more complicated, however;the results have Democratic candidate Andy Beshear delivering an upset to the current Governor Republican Matt Bevin, by a margin of about 5,000 votes (which translates into 1.4%) but Bevin has yet to concede and has been calling for a recount. Both men had more votes than Libertarian candidate John Hicks, who only gained 2% of the vote.
Another complicated election is for the Virginia State Congress. Virginia already has a Governor who is a Democrat but now it has both a state house and senate that are majority Democrat as well. This was the first time in a while that this has happened, and was seen as a big victory for the Democratic party as a whole, even though it is just a state election.
Around now is when one might start thinking, but I live in Wisconsin what does any of this have to do with me?
Beyond the political implications of elections like these (the news is going insane right now about what these results could mean for the presidential election next year in terms of voter turnout and enthusiasm), simply put: the laws in Kentucky matter when you're driving through Kentucky. Some things that are illegal in one state aren’t in others, (see: recreational Marijuana) so it matters to know what the views of the people making the laws, or at least signing them, are even if you can’t technically vote on who they are.
Also on the state legislature front: they can actually end up making an impact on the national level, if they can all agree.
For example, representatives in Virginia have hinted that now that the Democrats have the majority of the state is willing to Ratify (basically pass and allow into the law) the equal rights amendment, or ERA, which is a proposed amendment to the constitution that would finally put into the greatest law in the land that men and women are equal under the laws of the united states, no hesitation about it. If this law is needed is another debate entirely, but if Virginian were to ratify it the 38 state threshold would be passed and if no one challenged it in the courts then it would be added to the constitution which would be pretty cool. Fun fact: Wisconsin has already ratified the ERA.
Ballot Measures
A little known Hallmark of general elections are the ballot measures that are sometimes included. These are laws that the government wants the public to vote on to see if there is public support for these issues that could one day be turned into laws or are already bills waiting to be signed into law. A majority yes vote by the public doesn’t mean that it will be passed but it does show lawmakers that the public supports the issue and wants to see action taken.
Two interesting ones from this election came from Texas and Colorado. In texas the public voted yes on a bill that would make it so former police dogs could be re-trained and allowed to be adopted by the public when they are no longer in service instead of being put down, even if someone wanted to adopt them. In Colorado the state legalized sports betting, as long as ten percent of the money gotten from it went back to the state in the form of taxes and go towards repairing the water systems.
Looking Forward to 2020
Milwaukee & Wisconsin
Milwaukee has a Mayoral Election coming up in November 2020. Current Mayor Tom Barret is up for reelection and there are already five declared candidates trying to take his place, including state Senator Lena Taylor. Barret himself hasn’t said if he will run for reelection.
Wisconsin has 8 seats in the House of Representatives and all 8 of them are up for grabs in 2020. District 4, which includes the entire city of Milwaukee has only one declared candidate, Republican Cindy Werner, the current representative is Gwen Moore and she has not declared her candidacy yet. District 5, which has the western and northern suburbs of Milwaukee has one declared Republican and one declared Democrat.
US
The biggest election coming up for the entire United States is the presidential election. So far it is assumed that the Republican Nominee will be current President Donald Trump but the Democratic nominee is yet to be decided with at least 10 candidates running for the position.
Music That Brings Us Together, Ronald Reagan Fall Jazz Concert
By Sefarina Benavidas
The Reagan Jazz concert is full of motivated performances from different grades and practice to give their best performance. Overall, the jazz band had a fair turn out as the audience sat down to see the Sophomore jazz band perform first.
The concert started off with all brass and woodwinds. Short increments of pieces, warms ups for the long concert to come. Drummers keeping the feeling of jazz and swing going through transitions and breaks. The venue had lots of space, that turns into dancing floor. When they performed All of me , in a classic jazz tune, there was a piano and trumpet canon. The two instruments beautifully responding to each other, making people move to the music.
The concert was then drawn to the “birthplace of jazz”, New Orleans, with the performance of Mason Street. The set up of stage: Front row sax, 7 alto tenor and baritone, the Second row clarinet, 2 trombone, two flutes, 5 trumpets, alto clarinet, sax, 2 guitars, drums, and piano.
The venue had lots of space, that turns into dancing floor. When they performed All of me , in a classic jazz tune, there was a piano and trumpet canon. The two instruments responded to each other. This is a very common stylistic component of jazz music.
Blues for a new day was audience capturing, very lively with some diminished chords. Diminished chords are an important part of any jazz guitarists harmonic palette, as they will come up in jazz tunes everywhere. They can be used in a variety of harmonic situations when applied to comping, chord melody, and chord soloing. The sound of the drummer’s cymbals, keeping up the beat then holding it until rounding off and passing over the melody to the brass, followed by an incredible sax solo. Players were getting into performance, dancing in place and swaying from side to side, tapping their feet and nodding their heads. The peace concluded with a strong crescendo and ultimate finish.
The next piece was Metallica, Sandman, with John Makransky on alto sax and Guillermo Alvarez on guitar. The alternate saxes canoed off each other, with a combating heavy guitar melody. The drums and saxes took the lead in this performance. The trombone shared some melodies with sax then all brass joined in for chorus. The guitar solo was absolutely incredible.
Momentarily the audience members tried clapping along, luckily this did not distract the performers as they were focused on perfecting their performance until the end. Although, one of the alto clarinets fell behind in tempo for a short time, it was only noticed during rests, but the overall piece was till performed very well. Some trombones seemed not to be counting completely correct, as well as a few of the trumpets were playing a bit louder than what their parts required from them, but were quickly corrected as a result of their practice.
The next group the audience was thrilled to wait and see was the Upperclassmen jazz band.
The setup of the stage was: Front row Violin, Tuba, Soprano Sax, Alto Sax, Tenor Sax, Alto Sax, then Baritone Sax. The second row setup was; 3 Flutes, 2 Clarinets, 3 trumpets, F Key Trombone, Guitar, Electric Bass Guitar, Drum Kit, then an Upright piano.
For the first song they performed, it was lively yet very repetitive. Mr. Adam Murphy described the concert as if it were like “you’re on the late show”. Murphy posted a second invite for all dancers to join them on the stage, and many students began dancing off to the side. The fourth song that was played sounded like music straight out of a jazz club, as I could visualize females dancing in white dresses, swinging their arms back and forth in joy, similar to a Rocket girl dance. Unexpectedly, the single violin was well heard through audience, and I was able to pick up the very high pitches compared to the lower frequencies produced by the brass and woodwinds.
In the dog house staring off with deep piano, steady repeated beat between drums and trombone, then incorporated sax and violin. There was a weak (quiet) transition between parts of the piece but the performers’ recovery was fast. Transfers were indicated by parts between violin, saxs and trombones (these were good). The piece ended with a long sustained ending phrase that left everyone in awe.
Pick up the pieces had a short violin solo between major beats (7 notes repeated) then (three notes repeated). “Up up up up up up up down”. Adding in the violin solos to the jazz band was a very good choice, unique and enjoyable. Soprano sax solo lasted a while, shining a spotlight on the talented player. Which was then followed by a wicked drum solo. Unfortunately, I believe that the violin and flutes had the same melody, but at times they were unsynchronized.
Star Wars Cantina band was played very spirited and lively. Some of the violin notes felt out of place, I heard audience members mistake them as “squeaks” from the clarinets. Trills and dramatic rapid decrescendos pulses were pleasant to listen to from the violin. This jazz band seemed less enthusiastic about the performance, demonstrated by the posture of the players, they simply “danced” the rhythm less than the sophomore jazz band.
For the next and final performance group for the Fall concert was the Reagan Taparza band The setup of the stage was:drums, bass, 2 guitars, trumpet, trombone, 2 trumpets, then a singer.The audience's attention was grabbed when hearing the cymbals ringed and the melody was held by the trombone. There was a quick escalation to upbeat tempo when lights in the cafeteria shut off. Swinging dancers entered the stage, however, they were just audience members wanting to be involved and enjoying the music. People continued to enjoy the music apart from the trumpets that were a bit off from each other and sounded like a trickling instead of an abrupt entrance; this could be a different taste in music or an international style choice. The guitar created a really “Caribbean style” sound for the piece. An unfortunate downside was hearing the strong breathes from the trombone players, they were quite obvious with the mics.
In the second song, Demaris Rodriguez, their vocalist, was very into the dance and she sang a Spanish tune, same a Hispanic Heritage program, with the instrumentalists behind her playing brass joining in, echoing her voice, responding to her. In this section of the concert, many more students began to get up to dance as a result of the singer’s enthusiasm and energy.
Pistol de su piel had rapid trombone parts, the song talked about a speaker's love for a woman's body.
During Never enough, many dancers flooded into the middle of the stage, no longer shy to demonstrate their love for the music.The singer spoke “You are enough for me”, while absolutely owning the stage. At the same time, the repetitiveness of the song combined the exuberant loudness made it very difficult to hear the one singer. A brief guitar solo was presented which everyone was impressed by.
Corazon de Tejas was a purely instrumental sing meant for dancing. It was very repetitive, with the same 12 notes gradually getting faster and louder. This was the grand finale of the show. With an ultimate climax and the cheer for an encore from the audience. The piece closed off the show very well and left everyone with parting feelings of joy and resolution.
By Sefarina Benavidas
The Reagan Jazz concert is full of motivated performances from different grades and practice to give their best performance. Overall, the jazz band had a fair turn out as the audience sat down to see the Sophomore jazz band perform first.
The concert started off with all brass and woodwinds. Short increments of pieces, warms ups for the long concert to come. Drummers keeping the feeling of jazz and swing going through transitions and breaks. The venue had lots of space, that turns into dancing floor. When they performed All of me , in a classic jazz tune, there was a piano and trumpet canon. The two instruments beautifully responding to each other, making people move to the music.
The concert was then drawn to the “birthplace of jazz”, New Orleans, with the performance of Mason Street. The set up of stage: Front row sax, 7 alto tenor and baritone, the Second row clarinet, 2 trombone, two flutes, 5 trumpets, alto clarinet, sax, 2 guitars, drums, and piano.
The venue had lots of space, that turns into dancing floor. When they performed All of me , in a classic jazz tune, there was a piano and trumpet canon. The two instruments responded to each other. This is a very common stylistic component of jazz music.
Blues for a new day was audience capturing, very lively with some diminished chords. Diminished chords are an important part of any jazz guitarists harmonic palette, as they will come up in jazz tunes everywhere. They can be used in a variety of harmonic situations when applied to comping, chord melody, and chord soloing. The sound of the drummer’s cymbals, keeping up the beat then holding it until rounding off and passing over the melody to the brass, followed by an incredible sax solo. Players were getting into performance, dancing in place and swaying from side to side, tapping their feet and nodding their heads. The peace concluded with a strong crescendo and ultimate finish.
The next piece was Metallica, Sandman, with John Makransky on alto sax and Guillermo Alvarez on guitar. The alternate saxes canoed off each other, with a combating heavy guitar melody. The drums and saxes took the lead in this performance. The trombone shared some melodies with sax then all brass joined in for chorus. The guitar solo was absolutely incredible.
Momentarily the audience members tried clapping along, luckily this did not distract the performers as they were focused on perfecting their performance until the end. Although, one of the alto clarinets fell behind in tempo for a short time, it was only noticed during rests, but the overall piece was till performed very well. Some trombones seemed not to be counting completely correct, as well as a few of the trumpets were playing a bit louder than what their parts required from them, but were quickly corrected as a result of their practice.
The next group the audience was thrilled to wait and see was the Upperclassmen jazz band.
The setup of the stage was: Front row Violin, Tuba, Soprano Sax, Alto Sax, Tenor Sax, Alto Sax, then Baritone Sax. The second row setup was; 3 Flutes, 2 Clarinets, 3 trumpets, F Key Trombone, Guitar, Electric Bass Guitar, Drum Kit, then an Upright piano.
For the first song they performed, it was lively yet very repetitive. Mr. Adam Murphy described the concert as if it were like “you’re on the late show”. Murphy posted a second invite for all dancers to join them on the stage, and many students began dancing off to the side. The fourth song that was played sounded like music straight out of a jazz club, as I could visualize females dancing in white dresses, swinging their arms back and forth in joy, similar to a Rocket girl dance. Unexpectedly, the single violin was well heard through audience, and I was able to pick up the very high pitches compared to the lower frequencies produced by the brass and woodwinds.
In the dog house staring off with deep piano, steady repeated beat between drums and trombone, then incorporated sax and violin. There was a weak (quiet) transition between parts of the piece but the performers’ recovery was fast. Transfers were indicated by parts between violin, saxs and trombones (these were good). The piece ended with a long sustained ending phrase that left everyone in awe.
Pick up the pieces had a short violin solo between major beats (7 notes repeated) then (three notes repeated). “Up up up up up up up down”. Adding in the violin solos to the jazz band was a very good choice, unique and enjoyable. Soprano sax solo lasted a while, shining a spotlight on the talented player. Which was then followed by a wicked drum solo. Unfortunately, I believe that the violin and flutes had the same melody, but at times they were unsynchronized.
Star Wars Cantina band was played very spirited and lively. Some of the violin notes felt out of place, I heard audience members mistake them as “squeaks” from the clarinets. Trills and dramatic rapid decrescendos pulses were pleasant to listen to from the violin. This jazz band seemed less enthusiastic about the performance, demonstrated by the posture of the players, they simply “danced” the rhythm less than the sophomore jazz band.
For the next and final performance group for the Fall concert was the Reagan Taparza band The setup of the stage was:drums, bass, 2 guitars, trumpet, trombone, 2 trumpets, then a singer.The audience's attention was grabbed when hearing the cymbals ringed and the melody was held by the trombone. There was a quick escalation to upbeat tempo when lights in the cafeteria shut off. Swinging dancers entered the stage, however, they were just audience members wanting to be involved and enjoying the music. People continued to enjoy the music apart from the trumpets that were a bit off from each other and sounded like a trickling instead of an abrupt entrance; this could be a different taste in music or an international style choice. The guitar created a really “Caribbean style” sound for the piece. An unfortunate downside was hearing the strong breathes from the trombone players, they were quite obvious with the mics.
In the second song, Demaris Rodriguez, their vocalist, was very into the dance and she sang a Spanish tune, same a Hispanic Heritage program, with the instrumentalists behind her playing brass joining in, echoing her voice, responding to her. In this section of the concert, many more students began to get up to dance as a result of the singer’s enthusiasm and energy.
Pistol de su piel had rapid trombone parts, the song talked about a speaker's love for a woman's body.
During Never enough, many dancers flooded into the middle of the stage, no longer shy to demonstrate their love for the music.The singer spoke “You are enough for me”, while absolutely owning the stage. At the same time, the repetitiveness of the song combined the exuberant loudness made it very difficult to hear the one singer. A brief guitar solo was presented which everyone was impressed by.
Corazon de Tejas was a purely instrumental sing meant for dancing. It was very repetitive, with the same 12 notes gradually getting faster and louder. This was the grand finale of the show. With an ultimate climax and the cheer for an encore from the audience. The piece closed off the show very well and left everyone with parting feelings of joy and resolution.
Holiday Night Lights
By Lisa Kvein
Do you love the holidays watts and watts? Visit The Milwaukee Holiday Lights Festival that occurs from November 21st to January 1st in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin. There are more than 500,000 holiday lights to enjoy with family and friends with many photo opportunities and decorations like lit up snowmen.
This year is the 21st season of The Milwaukee Holiday Lights Festival, with Milwaukee's 106th Christmas Tree Lighting happening on the 21st as well. During the kickoff, performances by the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra take place. There will also be fireworks, free hot cocoa with cookies, and Santa will make an appearance to take pictures with kids. Plus, free rides on the Jingle Bus will be offered, which is a bus that takes you on a 40 minute tour of downtown landmarks and lights. You can experience this for only $2 November 21st through December 29th. If you are dreaming of a bright Christmas, this is the festival for you!
By Lisa Kvein
Do you love the holidays watts and watts? Visit The Milwaukee Holiday Lights Festival that occurs from November 21st to January 1st in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin. There are more than 500,000 holiday lights to enjoy with family and friends with many photo opportunities and decorations like lit up snowmen.
This year is the 21st season of The Milwaukee Holiday Lights Festival, with Milwaukee's 106th Christmas Tree Lighting happening on the 21st as well. During the kickoff, performances by the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra take place. There will also be fireworks, free hot cocoa with cookies, and Santa will make an appearance to take pictures with kids. Plus, free rides on the Jingle Bus will be offered, which is a bus that takes you on a 40 minute tour of downtown landmarks and lights. You can experience this for only $2 November 21st through December 29th. If you are dreaming of a bright Christmas, this is the festival for you!
Archive: September/October 2019
The Pumpkin Pavilion
By Lisa Kvien and Hannah Plevin The Pumpkin Pavilion took place at Humboldt Park from October 16th to the 19th. People were given the opportunity to carve pumpkins on the two of these days, both the 16th and 19th, and these designs were displayed on the previously stated presentation dates. The pumpkins were supplied to the public too, ready to be carved and set up with ease. Everything was free, but donations were highly appreciated. Howler members Lisa and Hannah took it upon themselves to attend the event and carve the Husky Howler logo, and another pumpkin for fun. These carving designs can be seen in the photos below. On October 18th the grand pumpkin lighting took place. The pumpkins were displayed Friday, October 18th until Saturday, October 19th. Other things went on during these nights as well. The Pumpkin Pavilion had a live band, magic show, and flame fire dancers. They also had horse-drawn hayrides and a Thriller Dance Performance which people were able to take lessons for the 16th and 17th. They also had many food trucks serving delicious items. The Pumpkin Pavilion was a fun time for all ages.
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Just like autumn, colors change and people change. Sometimes we do not acknowledge the changing of colors because it happens every season. Sometimes we do not recognize a person's desperation because it has become normal, just like autumn happening annually.
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like autumn By Rebeca Acosta She feels mad like the color red She feels sad unlike the color yellow But no one looks They have seen it already During the summer, she was happy and bright like the sun But now the sun was dim And no one could see her changing colors Until the leaf fell off the tree And turned brown As the sun was brightening |
Fall One Acts Cast Interviews
By Michelle Chavez
On Thursday I got to sit down and interview some of the Fall One Acts crew members. If you didn’t know, the Fall One Acts are group of performances put on and written by Reagan students. These students have been working extra hard the past two months to put on the performances which will take place today, Friday October 4th at 7pm and tomorrow Saturday October 5th at 3pm in the Ronald Reagan High School auditorium. There are five performances this year. Three of which involve all grades acts and two are senior collabs. I interviewed two freshmen, one sophomore, three juniors and two seniors. Reagan’s wonderful theatre teacher and director of the One Acts, Mrs. Baker was also interviewed. Ronald Reagan’s wonderful theatre department puts on the Fall One Acts every year. Some of the students participating are brand new to the theatre department or brand new to Reagan itself. Others are veterans, ready to take new actors under their wings and help them soar.
Two freshmen that I interviewed were Amber Moreno-Padilla and Maya Abdelkarim who are a part of the ensemble. When asked what they’re favorite parts of the One Acts were, they both had said that the community was one of their favorite things. Amber said “everyone here is very accepting…acting can be a very vulnerable and very difficult to do if you aren’t surrounded by people who are willing to put themselves out there”. Sophomore Noor Hamed who plays Harper Clark in Playground Politics, says that “getting to work with our amazing equipment, such as mics, lights,'' was one of her favorite things about being a part of the One Acts. Samantha Hantsche who is a junior at Reagan and plays Jessie in Playground Politic,says her favorite part of the One Acts was “telling the message that our story was...playground politics does have some really cool undertones about politics in general[...] I think it’s really interesting in taking a look at how politicians act and putting that into a comedic standpoint”. Everyone who is a part of the Fall One Acts has different things that they really like. The One Acts allows people with all different views and interests to be a part of community in theatre.
Becoming a part of the One Acts can be an amazing opportunity and everyone has different reasons on why the decided to join in this year’s One Acts. Ava Gessner, a junior who plays Blake in Playground Politics, shared that she’s been doing the One Acts since freshman year. “The reason I originally started doing it was because I always have really liked theatre and I thought it was really fun, but I never participated in it at middle school...once I started doing it here I just really loved it [...] the whole school year is kind of dominated by theatre [...] there’s no shopmore theatre class so being in the One Acts can keep that going.'' Regis Brown, or Dylan Thompson in Playground Politics is also a junior at Reagan. “ Theatre is something that I really enjoy and am pretty good at, the One Acts is another way I can get on stage and do something I enjoy”.
The One Acts are wonderful teaching opportunities as well as help you grow in your everyday life and they can help enhance your experience at Reagan. “It [one acts] helps motivate me throughout the day to kind of be present at school… I have something to look forward to at the end of the day [...] theatre in general helps you figure out how to work as a team because you rely a lot on each other and you can really get the story told in an effective way, `` says Samantha.
Brenden “Jester” Haralson is a senior who is the Stage Crew Stage Manager as well as Dean in “Speechless”. When asked what he learned from his experiences with the One Acts and how they have affected both his stage crew and acting performance, he says, “ I have done the stage crew for all four years and this year, because of the senior collabs I am also acting in it…being in stage crew definitely gives you an appreciation for the little stuff and the background stuff because being in the senior collaboratives and having less control over when things move or when the lights change because I’m actual being on stage has given me even more of an appreciation for the ones who actual work in the background…and being in the background has also really taught me the importance of timing and being prepared...you can get kind of comfortable during a long monologue and waiting for it to end but them all of a sudden, the call goes to change something and you have to move quickly. Being the stage manager as well, it’s a bit stressful but it does give you very much an appreciation and teach you the skills of not only time and resource management but like helping other people, during a long performance, you kind of sit down but as stage manager, you have to make sure no one’s doing that. As a senior it has taught me to be more mindful of everything that is happening around you, both as an actor and a crew member because little mistakes can turn into bigger ones.”
While the Fall One Acts are plays with comedy and excitement, that doesn’t mean that there isn’t a lot of work that goes into the preparation for performing the One Acts. Rihana Zaiani is a senior who plays Stella in “Tell Me to be Quiet” and Tia in “Dance With Me” shares “ For the One Act that I’m apart of, we had rehearsals one to two times per week in the primary stage and then as we got closer during tech week, we have rehearsals all week every single day, rehearsal for tech week runs until six o’clock versuses normal rehearsal which runs until 4:30...for the senior collaboratives, we work a lot of it in class because it’s going to be sent to IB for one of our IA’s for theatre class”. Mrs. Carrie Baker, the director of the One Acts and the wonderful theatre department teacher here at Reagan says, “ As early as last spring, I am rereading all the scripts that the junior class from last year (class of 2021) have written and picking two to three scripts to do for the next year, thankfully Mr. Onorato was interested in directing one this year, over the summer I spend a fair amount of time deconstructing the script, thinking about the setting and what sets and props we have available here at Reagan, we have a limited budget and limited things we can do, I put together a notebook of basically how we’re going to stage this, what are the set pieces and props going to look like, what kind of costuming do I forsee the characters in and all of that occurs before the first meeting. The first or second week of school we have the information meeting and any student at Reagan can audition the second week at we start rehearsing the second or third week right away”. There is so much work and preparation being done and put into the Fall One Acts by the Stage Crew, cast members and teachers.
They work so hard to remember lines, movements, sound, lighting and directing and trying to avoid any mistakes for opening night. “ Every error is something that goes wrong once and a mistake is when you let it happen twice.”- Brenden “Jester” Haralson. I would like to remind you to come out and show love and support for everyone involved in the One Acts this year. The Fall One Acts are happening tonight at 7pm and tomorrow on Saturday October 4th at 2:00 pm in the Ronald Reagan auditorium. Admission is $7 for adults and $5 for seniors and students. We hope to see you there!
By Michelle Chavez
On Thursday I got to sit down and interview some of the Fall One Acts crew members. If you didn’t know, the Fall One Acts are group of performances put on and written by Reagan students. These students have been working extra hard the past two months to put on the performances which will take place today, Friday October 4th at 7pm and tomorrow Saturday October 5th at 3pm in the Ronald Reagan High School auditorium. There are five performances this year. Three of which involve all grades acts and two are senior collabs. I interviewed two freshmen, one sophomore, three juniors and two seniors. Reagan’s wonderful theatre teacher and director of the One Acts, Mrs. Baker was also interviewed. Ronald Reagan’s wonderful theatre department puts on the Fall One Acts every year. Some of the students participating are brand new to the theatre department or brand new to Reagan itself. Others are veterans, ready to take new actors under their wings and help them soar.
Two freshmen that I interviewed were Amber Moreno-Padilla and Maya Abdelkarim who are a part of the ensemble. When asked what they’re favorite parts of the One Acts were, they both had said that the community was one of their favorite things. Amber said “everyone here is very accepting…acting can be a very vulnerable and very difficult to do if you aren’t surrounded by people who are willing to put themselves out there”. Sophomore Noor Hamed who plays Harper Clark in Playground Politics, says that “getting to work with our amazing equipment, such as mics, lights,'' was one of her favorite things about being a part of the One Acts. Samantha Hantsche who is a junior at Reagan and plays Jessie in Playground Politic,says her favorite part of the One Acts was “telling the message that our story was...playground politics does have some really cool undertones about politics in general[...] I think it’s really interesting in taking a look at how politicians act and putting that into a comedic standpoint”. Everyone who is a part of the Fall One Acts has different things that they really like. The One Acts allows people with all different views and interests to be a part of community in theatre.
Becoming a part of the One Acts can be an amazing opportunity and everyone has different reasons on why the decided to join in this year’s One Acts. Ava Gessner, a junior who plays Blake in Playground Politics, shared that she’s been doing the One Acts since freshman year. “The reason I originally started doing it was because I always have really liked theatre and I thought it was really fun, but I never participated in it at middle school...once I started doing it here I just really loved it [...] the whole school year is kind of dominated by theatre [...] there’s no shopmore theatre class so being in the One Acts can keep that going.'' Regis Brown, or Dylan Thompson in Playground Politics is also a junior at Reagan. “ Theatre is something that I really enjoy and am pretty good at, the One Acts is another way I can get on stage and do something I enjoy”.
The One Acts are wonderful teaching opportunities as well as help you grow in your everyday life and they can help enhance your experience at Reagan. “It [one acts] helps motivate me throughout the day to kind of be present at school… I have something to look forward to at the end of the day [...] theatre in general helps you figure out how to work as a team because you rely a lot on each other and you can really get the story told in an effective way, `` says Samantha.
Brenden “Jester” Haralson is a senior who is the Stage Crew Stage Manager as well as Dean in “Speechless”. When asked what he learned from his experiences with the One Acts and how they have affected both his stage crew and acting performance, he says, “ I have done the stage crew for all four years and this year, because of the senior collabs I am also acting in it…being in stage crew definitely gives you an appreciation for the little stuff and the background stuff because being in the senior collaboratives and having less control over when things move or when the lights change because I’m actual being on stage has given me even more of an appreciation for the ones who actual work in the background…and being in the background has also really taught me the importance of timing and being prepared...you can get kind of comfortable during a long monologue and waiting for it to end but them all of a sudden, the call goes to change something and you have to move quickly. Being the stage manager as well, it’s a bit stressful but it does give you very much an appreciation and teach you the skills of not only time and resource management but like helping other people, during a long performance, you kind of sit down but as stage manager, you have to make sure no one’s doing that. As a senior it has taught me to be more mindful of everything that is happening around you, both as an actor and a crew member because little mistakes can turn into bigger ones.”
While the Fall One Acts are plays with comedy and excitement, that doesn’t mean that there isn’t a lot of work that goes into the preparation for performing the One Acts. Rihana Zaiani is a senior who plays Stella in “Tell Me to be Quiet” and Tia in “Dance With Me” shares “ For the One Act that I’m apart of, we had rehearsals one to two times per week in the primary stage and then as we got closer during tech week, we have rehearsals all week every single day, rehearsal for tech week runs until six o’clock versuses normal rehearsal which runs until 4:30...for the senior collaboratives, we work a lot of it in class because it’s going to be sent to IB for one of our IA’s for theatre class”. Mrs. Carrie Baker, the director of the One Acts and the wonderful theatre department teacher here at Reagan says, “ As early as last spring, I am rereading all the scripts that the junior class from last year (class of 2021) have written and picking two to three scripts to do for the next year, thankfully Mr. Onorato was interested in directing one this year, over the summer I spend a fair amount of time deconstructing the script, thinking about the setting and what sets and props we have available here at Reagan, we have a limited budget and limited things we can do, I put together a notebook of basically how we’re going to stage this, what are the set pieces and props going to look like, what kind of costuming do I forsee the characters in and all of that occurs before the first meeting. The first or second week of school we have the information meeting and any student at Reagan can audition the second week at we start rehearsing the second or third week right away”. There is so much work and preparation being done and put into the Fall One Acts by the Stage Crew, cast members and teachers.
They work so hard to remember lines, movements, sound, lighting and directing and trying to avoid any mistakes for opening night. “ Every error is something that goes wrong once and a mistake is when you let it happen twice.”- Brenden “Jester” Haralson. I would like to remind you to come out and show love and support for everyone involved in the One Acts this year. The Fall One Acts are happening tonight at 7pm and tomorrow on Saturday October 4th at 2:00 pm in the Ronald Reagan auditorium. Admission is $7 for adults and $5 for seniors and students. We hope to see you there!
Music Matters: Equitable Music Education in MPS
By Diego de Haan At Reagan, the superb music department has provided an opportunity for students to learn and make music in an engaging manner. However, the same cannot be said for other schools across Milwaukee. Reagan Music Department Chair, Erica Breitbarth, along with other music educators in Milwaukee are working together to provide equitable music education opportunities for every student in Milwaukee. Pictured to the right: The 2019 Reagan Choir Spring Concert |
As it stands now, music education in MPS has many flaws. In an interview, Breitbarth tells that there is only one music teacher for every approximately 1,200 students. She explains, “a third of those students do not have access to music education on a regular basis.” This is largely due to schools not providing enough resources towards music in their curriculum. Breitbarth says, “instead of having cross the board curriculum where everyone does the same thing across the district, each principal decides how much money to allocate to music.” Thus leading to many schools, where music is not highly prioritized, to having insufficient music education. This map shows the current inequality of MPS school’s music departments.
Breitbarth, alongside Milwaukee music educators Ben Zabor, Rufus King Band Director, Ray Roberts, Milwaukee High School for the Arts Choral Director, and Mike Van Pelt, Riverside Band Director, formed the Milwaukee Music Educators Association (MMEA) in 2018 to fight against the decline of music education in MPS.
Breithbarth explains, “We had been feeling for a long time that music education had been declining, and we were fighting those battles by ourselves. We realized our voices were a lot bigger together.”
So, how come this is a problem? Breitbarth expresses, “Music is inherently valuable. The idea of artistic expression and utilizing sound to think creatively is something that everyone should be entitled to.” As like other arts, music adds to the profundity of human nature. As put by Alfrelynn J. Roberts, Southwestern Region Vice President of National Association of Negro Musicians, in a letter of support to MMEA, “Music is vital to the total human experience.”
Breitbarth, alongside Milwaukee music educators Ben Zabor, Rufus King Band Director, Ray Roberts, Milwaukee High School for the Arts Choral Director, and Mike Van Pelt, Riverside Band Director, formed the Milwaukee Music Educators Association (MMEA) in 2018 to fight against the decline of music education in MPS.
Breithbarth explains, “We had been feeling for a long time that music education had been declining, and we were fighting those battles by ourselves. We realized our voices were a lot bigger together.”
So, how come this is a problem? Breitbarth expresses, “Music is inherently valuable. The idea of artistic expression and utilizing sound to think creatively is something that everyone should be entitled to.” As like other arts, music adds to the profundity of human nature. As put by Alfrelynn J. Roberts, Southwestern Region Vice President of National Association of Negro Musicians, in a letter of support to MMEA, “Music is vital to the total human experience.”
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In addition, Breitbarth drives the importance that “music is a part of a well rounded education. It influences your ability to understand other things.” Many reliable sources exists that outline and clearly show the benefits in general education that correlate to sufficient art programs in school. This study done by The National Endowment for the Arts indicates the multiple areas of a student's life that are enhanced by in-class art education. To the left shows a select portion of notable findings from the study.
The MMEA is working to make a change in MPS’s approach to music education. They have collectively created a proposal for equitable music education across Milwaukee. Breitbath explains the proposal as, “the framework by which music programs are established around the city. A principal will no longer be able to make a decision ‘I don’t care about music, I’ll just have a teacher once a week.’ It will say you need to have these types of courses for this many hours of music.” |
The proposal will hold schools accountable to providing sufficient music education to all students. She states, “It will deeply impact other schools that don’t have music education.” The policy is going to the Laws, Regulation, and Policies Committee on Tuesday, September 24th, at 6:30pm. There, the school board with hear community members’ opinions on equitable music education. Students are invited to speak at the meeting outlining how music education has influenced their lives. The MMEA hope to have diverse voices share at the meeting. Follow this link for more information if you’re interested in giving a testimony.
Breitbarth pronounces her determination for equitable music education, “When I started the music department at Reagan there was nothing here; we built it from the ground up, so I know that it can be done … I got to a point where I couldn’t stomach the idea that students didn't have music education. I want to see it be equitable across the district.”
Breitbarth pronounces her determination for equitable music education, “When I started the music department at Reagan there was nothing here; we built it from the ground up, so I know that it can be done … I got to a point where I couldn’t stomach the idea that students didn't have music education. I want to see it be equitable across the district.”
The Freshman Diaries: An Untold Tradition
By Alana Alexandria Serrano - Comic Strip: Read from left to right
By Alana Alexandria Serrano - Comic Strip: Read from left to right
change in seasons
By Sefarina Benavides flashes of orange, red and gold whistling skies, howling wolves harvest moon like a ripe fruit plumped for picking - children’s play, laughter crunching leaves, hats of trees tipping Mother Nature’s dry hands crack - dark mornings, brisk nights shrieking tires, chattering jaws dangerous in the cold, cold consumes bodies, bodies consume bodies - carved pumpkins ward off spirits cobwebs and spiders we scare off others, they scare us - Autumn. Welcome Class of 2023!
By Rebeca Acosta It has been a month since the Reagan community has welcomed the class of 2023. Going to a new school and new environment can be scary but the Freshman student body as of this year feel like they can take on the challenge. For the most part, freshman are enjoying that time at Reagan so far. A newly formed friend group--Natalie Acosta, Maya Abdelkarim, and Rama Omar agree that school has been delightful. For Maya, Reagan has been ̈ a change from her[my] old school. ̈ They all agree that “talking to more people” or “making new friends” like Natalie said, can make the community better. Ethan Bailey, another Reagan freshman from this upcoming class of 2023, says that he's here to “make sure that bullying or anything of the sort is going on ̈, so the Reagan community can be far more refined than it may have been. Rama goes on to add that “interacting with each other more often” can be an improvement to the environment. The friends have a solution to this problem: ¨join more activities or clubs” as Rama stated. |
Joining new activities can be a source of creativity, a place to share talent or a place to meet new people. Because our school has over 50 clubs, the freshmen feel like "Reagan has a lot of opportunities because of the clubs. You get to meet new people” Rama stated. Maya is an actor for the One Acts, and apart of student council and has plans to join art club and debate. Natalie, another freshman who believes joining clubs are important, is a debater for the world's most dangerous debate team and is also apart of student council. To show school pride, Ethan is a soccer player for the Reagan boy’s team |
Reagan 2019 Faculty Recital
By Diego Haan On September 4th, 2019, Reagan staff held their sixth annual recital. The performance serves as an opportunity for faculty to demonstrate their capabilities and strengths to their students. This year, the recital was nothing short of exciting. The performances featured the music faculty: baritone Walter Boyer, soprano Erica Breitbarth, clarinetist Roman Jagodzinski, pianist Chris Geiser, clarinist Adam Murphy (whom has also featured a piece on the typewriter), and mezzo-soprano Heidi Wylie. In addition, other staff from Reagan such as Carrie Baker-Jackson, Kris Puddicome, Nicolas Onoroto, and Redouane Sabbar have also shared their musical talents. |
Although the recital was filled with outstanding performances, a few standouts were Onorato’s showing of “Song in Key of Boom” played on the good-ole Sax-A-Boom, a saxophone shaped toy that plays various licks. There was also Mr. Murphy who played a piece titled “An Ode to Shoels,” this being a more complicated collection that was uniquely played on the typewriter and iPad. Not to forget, there was Puddicome’s rendition of “Blank Space” by Taylor Swift of which really lifted the spirits of the audience. Erica Breitbarth additionally performed “Still Hurting”, a piece from the Last Five Years, and this performance showed her ability to strongly convey an emotion through music because of her extensive talent. Finally, “Taqsim on Electric Guitar” played by Sabar added a refreshing mix to the performance.
As a student in the Reagan Music Department, this performance reminds me of the passion all the educators, especially the music educators, at Reagan have. It refreshes the idea of how important relentless amounts of practice and determination can do in the long run. The recital is an important spark of inspiration to all students at Reagan, ultimately launching into a strong start of the school year.
If you’re interested in hearing all the pieces from the performance, visit tinyurl.com/facultyrecital2019!
As a student in the Reagan Music Department, this performance reminds me of the passion all the educators, especially the music educators, at Reagan have. It refreshes the idea of how important relentless amounts of practice and determination can do in the long run. The recital is an important spark of inspiration to all students at Reagan, ultimately launching into a strong start of the school year.
If you’re interested in hearing all the pieces from the performance, visit tinyurl.com/facultyrecital2019!