Nevada Artist in Residence Jackie Maye, known to the students as "Mozart," has completed her first week of residency at Pau Wa Lu Middle School in Gardnerville.
In her program, called "Mozart & Me," Maye presents musical concepts to the students dressed in character as the famous composer.
"Mozart & Me" has been a wonderful gift to our school through a grant from the Douglas County Education Foundation, the school's Music Boosters and the Nevada Council for the Arts.
'Mozart" has been teaching musical composition to band students and "Lyric Writing" to the chorus.
Wow, do we have some talented kids!
About 100 students participated in learning the "Minuet" at lunch.
Maye also has presented to the computer graphics classes, computer literacy classes, drama, U.S. history, prime reading, math and special groups of students on campus.
Maye is a composer, playwright and concert pianist.
She has committed to memory a large portion of Mozart's works, which she performs as she instructs students about the lives and times of musicians and others in the 1700s.
Students have learned about the "Mozart Effect" as to how students can actually increase their test scores by listening to certain kinds of music.
Maye performed at three assemblies at the school, one for each grade level March 3 and 4 during first and second periods.
The music students also will present a concert with Maye in the evening show casing some of the students' compositions.
Three compositions will be entered into the "John Lennon Songwriting Contest," a nationally know competition that offers wonderful scholarships.
The grant was written by Mrs. Baumann, Pau-Wa-Lu Middle School music director and technology teacher, after a successful trial composition project was begun last year.
Maye contributed more than three days of her time last year gratis. The grant provides for eight days of residency by our artist, school-wide assemblies for each grade level, as well as permanent music writing software for the computer lab.
As a lasting benefit, a new music club will be open on Wednesdays in the computer lab for any student who wants to learn more about music or wants to learn to write music.
Many teachers have been taking advantage of Maye's offer to teach about music in history, math and other classes. Maye's knowledge of the times gives students a feel for the Age of Enlightenment and the period of history surrounding the birth of our United States.
History becomes relevant and personal through her presentation.
ON THE WEB:
www.mozarteffect.com/
