By Claire Newfeld
The auditorium is crowded, filled with people eager to hear the beautiful music of … recorders. Yes, the instrument Tempe Prep high school students have grown to dread. However, instead of the shrill, incessant noise we’ve all grown accustomed to hearing at school, tonight, the seventh and eighth graders hone their skills and come together to create beautiful music. Music that makes it worth coming to a Thursday night concert.
Back when Tempe Prep was a young school, the original recorder curriculum combined performance with theory. “The concerts were more lecture-based, with some demonstration. Definitely not as entertaining!” says Dr. Wolfe, who teaches music to all eighth grade sections and one seventh grade section. One year, two young music educators new to the school decided to change the basis of the concert from educational to entertaining. The concert proved an absolute success, and the recorder concerts have been entertainment-based ever since.
Tonight, the seventh graders start out the performance. Among their repertoire are three original rounds, composed by Griffin Bodow, Emilie Berthiaume, and Emily Gregg, one of which is written in a rare mode called Phrygian.
The performances of “Non Nobis” and “Gaudeamus Igitur” (the Alma Mater song of Tempe Prep) are particularly impressive, and the seventh graders will definitely be prepared when they learn to sing those songs in 10th grade music. Sam Bradley gets a chance to show off his alto saxophone skills as a featured performer in “Wayfarin’ Stranger.”
The seventh grade curriculum focuses very much on scale and organization. This is reflected in the music chosen for the concert. Usually the selected pieces have been played in class to illustrate a new musical concept, and students find they like it and perform it so well that they decide they’d like to perform it in the concert.
The eighth graders step onto the stage to perform their music. Among the pieces played by the entire class are the very popular “The Irish Washerwoman,” “March,” and “Zepperl Polka.” “These pieces are just so much fun! Especially ‘Zepperl Polka,’ which just has this silly rhythm and melody. And the kids like it,” says Dr. Wolfe.
They also perform “When a Felon’s Not Engaged in His Employment” from “Pirates of Penzance,” singing and playing the piece on the recorder. The eighth graders have the opportunity to split into small groups and choose music to perform. A select few also learn to play the alto and tenor recorders to provide different octaves and harmony to the pieces.
After the concert, the students leave the stage, beaming at a job well done. Parents congratulate the students, and younger siblings look forward to their turn at that annoying little instrument.