Conservatory Lab
Charter School

In This Issue

Fieldwork

Radio Program

Brad Barrett

Concert Review

Upcoming Events

Sunday, April 6th

2 PM

Spring Fling!

Strand Theater

543 Columbia Road

Dorchester

Conservatory Lab

Grades 3 - 7

25 Arlington Street
Brighton, MA 02315
617.254.8904

Grades K1 - 2

320 Washington Street

Brighton, MA 02315
617.208.6200

www.conservatorylab.org

Family Notes

April 4, 2014

Dear Families,

We are part of a community of kindred spirits which enhances people's lives. Our school strives to form of our students, families, faculty and staff, a group of like-minded people that share values of hard work, equity, compassion, generosity, and team work and who are committed to sharing those with the larger community that surrounds us. We work on developing the strength and commitment to do the work that needs to be done. All this is done within a vibrant context of children, music, learning and performance.

As our students and all of us go forward to create and present a large concert, engage with the city's non-profit organizations with our expeditions and form part of a national music organization's broadcast, among many other activities, it is all a demonstration of how we learn by doing, lead by example, and advance new leaders in this sharing community.

We're passionate about the transformative power of sharing which brings joy, increases productivity, and of course builds community.

Hope to see you all at our 4th Annual Spring Fling! Concert.

Warmly,

Ms. Lam

Diana Lam

Spring Fling! on Sunday

Is everybody ready for the big day? "Yes, we are!" is the resounding answer of our students, staff and parent volunteers. So many people have been working incredibly hard to make this Sunday's concert one to remember. Our older students have been coaching our younger students, the Resident Artists have led focused rehearsals day after day and many on the staff are gearing up to support our whole school concert.

There has been plenty of work behind the scenes as well. Parents in every classroom have banded together to create baskets which will raffled off on Sunday. Tell your friends and family to bring a few extra dollars in cash or check. No credit cards will be accepted. Raffle tickets are 3 for $5 or 25 for $20. Take a chance to win one of these amazing offerings.

Listed below are only SOME of the items in these awesome baskets.

*Art Basket- Art Supplies Galore - K-1

*Home on a Sick Day- Everything you need when someone is home sick. K-1

*Summer Fun- $25 to JP Licks, $25 to Sullivan's at Castle Island, $5 to Savin Scoops, Beach Ball, Bag K-1

*Everything Crayola Art Supplies K-2 Ms. Biro

*Family Game Night. K-2 Ms. Randolph

*Brand New Bicycle and Helmet from Landry's Bike Shop. - 1st grade

*Food from around the Globe and your Neighborhood. 2nd Mr. larney

*Home Spa Day and Reflexology 2nd Ms. Gampel

*Blondie Salon and Spa

*YMCA - 3 month family membership to Oak Square YMCA K-1

*Peter Welch's Gym 3 month membership 3rd Grade

*Going High Tech 3rd Grade

*Red Sox All the Way! Gear and Tickets! 4th Grade

*Day at the Movies - * movie Passes to AMC for family and friends. -5th Grade

*Movie Night- 2 Regal Movie passes, $25 Fandango Card, assorted DVD's, Microwave popcorn etc. 5th Grade

*Night on the Town I- 2 seats to Huntington Theatre, Plus $50 to Ashmont Grille 7th Grade

*Night on the Town II- 2 seats to Huntington Theatre Plus $35 to Savin Bar and Kitchen 6th Grade

*Deluxe Night on the Town- 2 Tickets for ART show, 2 seats at Huntington Theatre , Plus $35 Gift Certificate to Cambridge I Restaurant - 6th Grade

If you haven't bought your seats yet, it's not too late! Click here to buy them online. And, if you already have your tickets, don't forget to bring them! See you Sunday!

Fieldwork

First Grade Engineers Go Green!

On Tuesday, April 1, our 1st grade engineers toured the Boston Nature Center to tour the city's first green building: The George Robert White Environmental Conservation Center. First graders are investigating the properties of building materials to help the three little pigs decide what material to use to build their new house. During the tour, students discovered that some building materials are better for the environment than others. They investigated what makes a building "green" or good for the environment, including solar panels to generate energy and materials that can be recycled and reused. For example, the floors of the Conservation Center made are made from rubber tires or recycled aluminum, composite wood materials, and certified wood materials. Students learned that it's smart to build green. Want to learn more? Visit the Green Building Trail.

Kindergarteners Visit a Farm in the City

On Wednesday, April 2, Mary Randolph's kindergarten class conducted fieldwork at ReVision Urban Farm. As they are learning about the importance of eating nutritious food in their "What's On Your Plate?" expedition, students wonder where all the healthy food they put on their plate comes from. They visited an urban farm in Dorchester to begin to investigate the answer. ReVision Urban Farm is a community-based urban agriculture project that grows produce in its own fields and greenhouse. The food grown at the farm helps provide healthy meals to hundreds of homeless families in the city. Students were fascinated by the difference between an urban farm and the images of country farms they see in books. The fieldwork helped our young nutritionists make connections between plants and the food they eat. In the spring, kindergarteners will become gardeners and learn more about what plants need to grow by growing their own bean plants in the classroom.

Students Attend Dress Rehearsal of From The Top Radio Program

Last week, ten lucky students had a special opportunity to watch a dress rehearsal of the From The Top radio program in the beautiful Calderwood Hall at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. A few students from each ensemble at the Upper School sat in rapt attention as several soloists and a trumpet ensemble played through the pieces they had chosen for their appearance on the From The Top radio program.

"From the Top shines a light on diverse young people ages 8 to 18 by sharing their stories and performances, providing scholarships, and engaging them as leaders in national broadcasts, live concerts and outreach events across the country."

As our students listened to a cellist from New Orleans, a classical guitarist from Chicago and a pianist from Boston Latin School, they could imagine themselves in that soloist seat. The students' performances and stories were being recorded for use in the radio program which will air some months from now so absolute silence was required throughout the afternoon. Our students enjoyed the music and the opportunity to see how the radio program is put together. Their favorite part of the afternoon, however, might have been meeting the student performers and getting their autographs!

Resident Artist Spotlight: Brad Barrett

Brad Barrett started playing bass in sixth grade in his middle school program. He jumped at the chance to be in the orchestra because he knew that he "wanted to play the biggest instrument in the orchestra." After years of study, Mr. Barrett is now able to play jazz, flamenco, classical, folk, and avant garde music. He is a doctoral student at the New England Conservatory currently working on his thesis. His goals include performing in a variety of ensembles in differing genres all around the world.

Traveling around the world playing music is one of the things that makes him happiest. Some of Mr. Barrett's career highlights include playing with jazz pianist Jason Moran in 2013 and performing with the Juanito Pascual Flamenco Trio for world famous anthropologist Jane Goodall in Panama in 2013. For an example of the work Mr. Barrett does with the Flamenco Trio check out this video of them playing George Harrison's While My Guitar Gently Weeps.

Mr. Barrett was one of the first Resident Artists to work at Conservatory Lab and says he has "learned so much from teaching the kids at the school. They constantly inspire me with their fearlessness and perseverance. I ask so much of my bassists and they always deliver." He says he knows he must continue to work and study - otherwise Mark Anthony and Chrysander might steal all his gigs!

If you are interested in hearing Mr. Barrett in concert, he will be performing tonight at the Lizard Lounge in Cambridge with the Laura Grill Band. Click here for more info.

Mr. Barrett Plays Flamenco

a review by Marianne Xu

On the evening of Friday, March 28, thunderous applause echoed from the wooden pews of historic Sanders Theater in Harvard Square. As the marble statues of John Otis and Josiah Quincy stared at the stage in eternal gestures of admiration and pride, cheers of "Ol�!" rang from the balcony and the mezzanine, as a fiery evening of flamenco finesse by the Juanito Pascual Flamenco Trio drew to a bittersweet close.

Encompassed in the transcendence of violet-blue hues, Conservatory Lab bassist Brad Barrett leaned against the belly of his bass and, with the screw of his French bow, tickled the D- and G-strings in a surprising act of creativity and gall. The consequence - the hybrid of a woman's cry and a canary's call - evoked a surreal, enthralling m�lange of raw memories and emotions: grief, longing, cognitive dissonance, intimacy, solitude, awe. An oft-hidden member of the orchestra, the bass that evening took center stage and stood between the guitar and the percussion with dignity, reveling under the spotlight in all its full-bodied glory, its bouts almost as tall as its master.

Mirroring the rhythmic upbeats of the palmas, Barrett exhaled glissandos up and down the neck of his bass from sudden piano to daring forte, weaving the audience in and out of such variegated tapestry as a Texan rodeo at the peak of midday and a Taklamakan trek at dusk. During climactic scenes of double-bowed fury and Olympic fingerwork, the audience witnessed in quiet wonder fingers and hands that dissolved into thin air. Swaying, eyes shut, lips slightly agape, Barrett and his bass personified drew the audience into a personal connection with what had become a duet - a narrative between two singers, two dancers, two soul mates.

An evening that had begun amid placid waters reached a zenith with the tempest and sensual silence of a flamenco dancer in red. Like rice pouring onto a tin roof, Sanders Theater erupted in praise and rose into waves of ovation. We were a body that carried with us the pride of a new creation, a new generation of lyricism, and a new appreciation of unconventional flamenco infused with not only jazz, funk, and world music, but also everything beautiful about the humanity we share.