Upcoming Events
Nov 7-11
Parent/Teacher Conferences
Friday, Nov 11
Professional Development
(No School for Students)
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Conservatory Lab
25 Arlington Street
Brighton, MA 02315
617.254.8904
www.conservatorylab.org
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| Family Notes
November 4, 2011
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Dear Families,
"Diversity and Inclusion" is among the design principals which guides Expeditionary Learning. It is the notion that multiple perspectives are essential to fully engage an issue or an idea. Our students practice retelling stories from other viewpoints and debating from both sides. In their fieldwork, they make connections with people who come from different backgrounds, learning through and from relationships.
This week several classes had opportunities to look through the lens of Diversity and Inclusion. The kindergarten class, which recently sang at a nearby senior center, traveled this week to the local library to sing for children younger than themselves. Through their mission to share joy with the community, they are learning that a community is made of people in different stages of life.
Dudamel orchestra hosted a joint rehearsal with peers from another school on Wednesday-beginning string players who next year will begin an El Sistema inspired music program in Somerville. Their challenge was to make music with a group of strangers whose training has been different from their own.
On Thursday our third graders traveled to Plimoth Plantation to explore New England history through the eyes of its original Wampanoag inhabitants and the European communities that first settled here. In a morning of reenactment and investigation, the class immersed themselves in both sides of a cultural collision that shaped Massachusetts history.
It is exciting to see students learning through experiences of diversity. As they take on different roles and forge relationships across generations, musical backgrounds, and cultures, they encounter complex truths and deepen their understanding of the world.
Warmly,
Diana Lam
Head of School
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Dudamel Orchestra Helps Bring El Sistema to Somerville
On Wednesday the Dudamel orchestra shared a music rehearsal with beginning string players from a music program in Somerville. The young musicians from the East Somerville Elementary School and the Edgerly Elementary School in Somerville will join Conservatory Lab students for a collaborative concert on November 16th.
The purpose of the concert is to build support for a new nucleo that will function as an everyday afterschool El Sistema inspired music program at the two Somerville Elementary Schools involved. Like the El Sistema program at Conservatory Lab, the proposed Somerville program will provide free, accessible, high-quality music instruction to a diverse population.
This November 16th concert was sparked by From the Top's Center for the Development of Arts Leaders, who have been working at the Conservatory Lab since January. This cohort of four Arts Leaders and one Mentor are helping support this initiative to expand El Sistema Boston.
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K2 Brings Joy to Library
On Wednesday, November 2, the K2 class continued their mission to bring joy to the Brighton community. On a beautiful fall morning, children walked one mile to Brighton's Faneuil Library, where they performed a medley of songs for toddlers and their families. The smiles on everyone's faces told children that their mission was accomplished.
Next month, the K2 class will be returning to Brighton's Veronica Smith Senior Center for a follow-up to their debut performance there on October 6. The community performances are part of the K2 Learning Through Music expedition, "Music for Everyone." Students are investigating what makes a community and creating their own unique way to be community helpers by sharing the joy of music.
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Plimoth Plantation
 On Thursday, November 4, third graders traveled back in time to 1627 on a visit to Plimoth Plantation. As part of their "Way Back When" Learning Through Music expedition on the Wampanoag and the Pilgrims, students conducted fieldwork at this living history museum where they explored recreations of a 17th-centu ry Wampanoag homesite and a Pilgrim farming and maritime village. With the keen eyes of historians, they recorded their observations, questions, and notes in fieldwork journals, comparing Wampanoag homes, called wetus, with Pilgrim homes. What a beautiful day for fieldwork!
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Community Concerts
On Saturday, November 12 at 8:00 p.m. Resident Artist Levi Comstock will perform with the Orpheus Singers at Emmanuel Church in Boston.
This Sunday, there are three opportunities to see Resident Artists performing in the community. Please press each link for ticket info:
Discovery Ensemble
3:00 p.m. at the Sanders Theatre
Jaya Varma, violin
Brookline Symphony
8:00 p.m. at All Saints Parish in Brookline
Jaya Varma, violin
Joshua Garver, violin
Levi Comstock, viola
Chris Schroeder, trumpet
Boston Cellos
7:30 p.m. at Boston University
Josue Gonzalez, cello
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