Kids love composing using GarageBand-adults too. This year we studied Soundscapes and made audio recordings around IRC (the Boiler Room sounds were pretty cool) to then add into our creations.

Conducting these 115 wonderful grade 6-8 strings students at Roy Thomson Hall was an inspiring and uplifting experience …especially during these times of education/employment uncertainty. I brought 8 IRC students with me and they made me proud. Thank you TDSB music department!!!

Ask an IRC student about the Listening Games we play in music class. My colleague and friend, Doug Friesen, wrote a book of lesson ideas which open ears and minds. I didn’t believe some would work… but with these creative, open-minded kids, of course they did! Pictures above of students playing “Sound Sentences” and “Shoe Compositions.”

There’s so much exploring, growth, and learning that happens in room 210 – Please know you’re always welcome to visit and enjoy a class with us! Above is a pic of three grade 1/2s trying to decide if their improvisation should sound more like Charles Ives or Charlie Parker (!), the tech area as part of rotating centres, and a student bravely performing during “sharing music from home.”

There are thousands of them! Well, 115 to be exact. This year I am proud to be one of the All City Strings conductors for May 2nd’s 131st TDSB Spring Concert at Roy Thompson Hall. These strings kids are from all over the city and include eight IRC Grade 6s! The piece I’m conducting is “CN Tower” by Toronto’s Owen Pallett and he’s coming to the dress rehearsal. Amazing.

IRC junior students and the JazzFM Youth Big Band amazed our audience with swinging jazz standards and African-American singing games. Thank you to all students and parents for supporting music education!! En plus, we raised $300 for Sistema Toronto (google them)!

My grade 4-6s are swingin and groovin through their jazz tunes for our April 4th concert: Jazz Origins to Originals. The JazzFM Youth Big Band is going to come and be our backup players!! Above are the auditioned soloists for our Nina Simone finale. They’re a little excited…

Ask your child about the Prologue play, “Mistatim,” that came to IRC last week. The horse character was so powerful.

These dedicated Guitar Club students practised at recess, determined to figure out how to strum and pic “Oh When the Saints.” I haven’t given the students music, asking them to really rely on their listening ears. Grades 4-6s are learning all about the history of Jazz and gearing up for a Jazz concert on April 4th!

My K-3 students’ excitement over this concert was more intense than any other show I’ve ever organized. We mimed, chanted, and sang Dennis Lee poems. The crowd was immense and so encouraging for these young performers.