It is you who got your student to and from choir practice, purchased uniforms, sat through the concerts and shared out about our children’s performances. Now it is time fro me to leave Racine and start a new chapter of my life. I will be working at a new school in central Wisconsin. In 2007 I bought a piece of my family’s farm. It is the farm where the first Senzig emigrated to from Germany in the 1800’s My father was born there as was his father and his father before him. I am connected to the land and walk where the footsteps of my forefathers walked.
I encourage you to continue to follow my YouTube channels and My education page on Facebook. The YouTube channels are Joinchoir, Musicelem, Mr. Jack Music Specialist and OurMusicalLife. Search Mr. Senzig’s Education Channel on YouTube.
I am looking to make new connections. I found a young duo on YouTube that I would like to have one of my new middle school choirs cover. Check out Les SalAmanda’s new single
In Fall 2020 students who attend Gifford K-8 School in Racine, WI joined their teachers for virtual learning. Though they would rather have been there in person, both students and teachers learned the tools needed to teach and learn during a pandemic. Many children in Jamaica haven’t had the same opportunity. Some have been out of school since March 2020 because of a lack of technology to attend school virtually.
As part of a Creative Choices project, music students in Mr. Senzig’s classes studied the work of Legendary DJ Papa Michigan. When Papa Michigan made a special video explaining his creative choices for the children at Gifford School, Jack Senzig asked if there was a charity Papa Michigan supported in Jamaica and offered to make a donation. Papa Michigan suggested a school as he knew children were unable to attend virtual school. Jack Senzig, in cooperation with Our Musical Life Inc. (a Racine 501c3) and Gifford School decided to seek donations for the children who attend Bethlehem All Ages and Infants School in St. Elizabeth Parish, Jamaica. They have a goal of $1500 which should be enough to provide 50 Samsung tablets so that the children can once again start learning. As of April 25, 2021 $375 has been raised.
Humans can only think as well as the words they have to describe the world. Music and the arts give us a whole other lexicon to make sense of what is around us. When students reverse engineer a work of art they learn new ways to assemble the pieces of their lives. The language of emotion and empathy found in the arts helps people rise to new awareness, create connections and invent new ways of understanding and being. I don’t just teach children what to learn. I give them the language to imagine the world and create new ones. My son put me on to a Radio Lab episode that really focused my understanding of language.
Racism, ageism, sexism, hatred of other religions, tribalism, scarcity of clean drinking water, nuclear war all of these are cultural problems and will not be solved by math or science alone. They will be solved by people that learn how to put themselves in the heart of the artist, understanding motivations, feelings and desires of other human beings and caring about how others feel. Music teaches that transfer of perspective. This is why music is MORE important than math.
It has been awhile since I posted here but when good news happens… Covid has slowed the choir down considerably. We had a huge choral festival planned for last March which got Covid cancelled. I continue to try to make contacts around the world in the hopes of finding quality compositions and great people to network with. In preparation for virtual teaching last fall I sought out musicians from around the world, hoping to get them to join us in one of those weird new things…a Google Meet? LOL it is hard to imagine most of our level of ignorance now that we have 6 months of remote teaching under our belt. I knew my students would need to learn all of the technology fairly quickly and that singing together would be difficult. Therefore I decided to have the kids create videos that showed their creative choices. One of my favorite tools for this is Sia’s Soon We’ll Be Found. Reverse engineering that piece to find it’s creative germ is a very educational exercise. I looked for something where the kids could similarly reverse engineer the creative process. At the same time I wanted to bring joy into the children’s eyes. I don’t know if non-teachers know just how much not seeing the children weighs on us. I missed them so very much and I think they missed me and their other teachers. Coming together in September was sort of a celebration. Where does the happiest music in the world come from? Jamaica!
I searched YouTube for up and coming artists to collaborate with. I searched by country and view count. I learned a lot about world music (always an interest of mine) and tried hard to get some New Zealand musicians to respond. But when I searched Jamaica, I found the perfect piece.
Jamaica Dance by Papa Michigan had very clear creative elements. I decided to have my children learn from papa Michigan’s piece and then make their own short videos using his music but their own creative choices. Jamaica Dance was written as an entry for the Jamaican Festival (of independence from Great Britain). The artist chose an iconic street in Kingston as his setting to show it was a Jamaican song. Students discussed how they might choose Mount Rushmore, the White House or the American Flag to show an American setting.
We talked about costumes and tried to discern why the artist would choose people in regular every day clothes. The scholars discussed what sorts of clothing they could wear and what it would mean. We talked about costuming is one of the best ways to set the time of a creative work. Many children then chose Halloween and winter holiday costumes to place their works in time.
We recognized that the target audience for Papa Michigan was the Jamaican people and the judges for the contest which we assumed would be Jamaicans. My students chose various groups of people for their target audiences: people who like video games, basketball, Barbies, Legos, classic cars as well as kids, cats and parents.
We watched videos by ZaZa and Mason Ramsey to determine different emotions and gleaned the joy of Jamaica Dance. The children’s chosen emotions were mostly happy but some chose darker Halloween themes.
Through three videos the children moved from brainstorm, to rough draft to final product. We used Flipgrid mostly but some shared in Google Classroom and email (not recommended due to size of video files). Flipgrid was by far the best platform.
I had hoped to put together a video using Adobe Premiere so I could have many videos playing to the Jamaica Dance track but the amount of time required for remote teaching kept me from it. Finally in march I found the time to at least message Papa Michigan and ask if he could share his creative choices and to let him see what the children had done. He was honored by the project and we got to talking quite a bit. We had an interview for Jamaican media that culminated in an article in the Sunday Gleaner and a video from Cleo Anderson of CVMTV (yet to be released). We also have an interview scheduled for tomorrow with 3 of the students, Michigan and me for the Racine Journal Times.
I am very proud of this project and pleased to have made a new professional friend. Papa Michigan and I are considering other collaborations both musically and for the good of youth and learning.
I want to encourage younger music educators to throw out their dependence on programs that do the teaching for them. They can be useful for sub plans but there is nothing on Quaver that a good teacher couldn’t do better. Don’t just teach children music skills, teach them the ability to feel though another’s art. When I was trying to figure out exactly what street Jamaica Dance was filmed on I found a wonderful saying painted into a street mural: “Logic can get you from A-Z but Creativity can get you everywhere.” The painting was by Ikem Smith (the quote was adapted from words by Albert Einstein).
If you have not sent in your contact information yet please do so I can contact you via email or phone. You could send me parent names, email and phone to jon.senzig@rusd.org
We hope to see the teh Choir sopranos this morning (Monday) including singers with the initials PD VR AM RR GP AT NK AC KK KR BL NT MB DP and LY
Hi All, As people become aware of this site as a communication tool, let me give you some of the information you may be looking for.
teh Choir Rehearsal Wednesday, October 25 7:40 AM. All members of Children’s Choir of teh Internet and those wishing to join should attend this rehearsal. We will divide the choir up into Sopranos and Altos so next week you will know if they should come on Monday or Wednesday. Sopranos meet on Mondays and Altos on Wednesdays.
Caiman Chorus next meets on November 10. We have no school the next two Fridays.
The Wave Game is coming up on December 1 for teh Choir. We would like to invite any members of Caiman Chorus that would like to attend. The Ticket for Caiman Chorus is $25 and the bus is $5. teh Choir members have their ticket and bus included as part of their tuition, that is not so for Caiman. All singers will need a long sleeve white shirt, black pants, black shoes and socks for the Wave game. Parents and family are invited and encouraged to join us. Ask for a Wave Game form at rehearsal
Tuition is due on November 6 or a payment plan should be in place by then. You can pay online here: https://sites.google.com/site/ourmusicalliferacine/tuition or checks can be made payable to Our Musical Life Inc. Please do not write checks to Gifford school. If you receive free or reduced lunch, please send in a copy of your “Letter of Determination” from RUSD to receive the reduced tuition options.
The Gifford Choir shared a children’s song from Russia about a crocodile’s birthday. We also used the opportunity to say goodbye to Mr. Hunt our elementary school principal. With Clifford the Alligator as our mascot it seemed a natural fit.
We were missing quite a few members so the harmony is a little over powering but here is Gifford Children’s Choir’s latest video.
This video of another choir I directed got Craig Minowa of Cloud Cult to invite me to assemble a choir to sing on his album “LOVE.” This is Chemical’s Collide sung by Apple Chor:
I also had my students sing a beautiful cover of his “Love You All.” This was my attempt to bring some healing to our community following the terrible things that happened in Newtown. The little kids just sang to tell their parents how much they loved them. The older kids understood the intent to bring healing.
We had an excellent day today. The kids sang very well on the parade of choirs and in the workshop. They got to hear some wonderful choirs sing very beautiful music. The other choirs were very well prepared and also performed well. The Treble Clef Festival was a success.
Here are some pictures:
Travel:
Must arrive in parking lot East side of Gifford 7:15-7:25 AM. Do not pull in the bus loop.
The bus leaves at 7:30 sharp.
We return at 5 PM to Gifford. Please be there a few minutes early.
There is a $20 fee for this trip that most of you have already paid or fundraised to cover.
Uniform:
Members need to wear their uniforms plus their Caiman T-shirt over the top. It is usually a bit chilly in the auditorium so that should keep them comfortable. Also when we eat it will protect their white shirt. Please wear dark shoes and socks.
What to Bring:
We will be eating at McDonald’s. Kids need money for that and I have been instructed to encourage the kids to make healthy food choices. Please make your expectations clear to them. I will not be policing their choices. I would suggest $5. If you want to bring a bag lunch that is fine, the kids will just eat it at McD’s. Make sure their first and last name is on the lunch bag. I can cover lunch for a couple kids if you let me know. email me jon.senzig@racine.k12.wi.us or send a note.
Water in a resealable container
Kids may bring something to do that fits in their coat pocket. No electronics of any kind. (No DS, cell phone, mp3 players.) If they forget it, we won’t go back for it and if I see it during rehearsal parents will have to come and get it from me if you want it back. Plan accordingly.
Coat, hat, mittens.
What Not To Bring:
Electronics of any kind.
Purses or backpacks.
Anything not listed above.
In case of emergency, call the school: 619-4550. They have my cell phone # and will contact me.
Medical:
I was trained by our nurse today on use of Epi pins, inhalers and administering medicine. I will take care of what nurse Tracy usually does for your child on the trip. I have a medical kit with personal items they need in it. Those that are self carry, don’t forget your inhalers.
Other Info:
This event is not open to the public. It is a workshop. The assembled participants will work on two pieces of repertoire together and will perform for each other. We will receive critique form the host faculty. We will make a recording of the combined numbers to review with the kids.
GCC will be performing the combined numbers on the Indiana tour and at Gifford on May 7 for you to hear. That is going to be an amazing concert that will make your buttons pop.
I can’t tell you how proud I am of your children. They consistently perform at a higher level than I expect is possible and I am by no means setting the bar low. The UWW festival is for high school choirs. Your children have the pieces prepared in 3 and 4 parts. I have attended this event as a high school director and have seen the normal level of preparation. I believe our kids will help lead the group because they are so well prepared. I had them try the pieces by memory today and they did it! We have only been working on them since the second week of January. It would have taken me two months of daily rehearsals to prepare my Park H.S. girls for the same two pieces. Wow!
To quote Mr. Eben: “Gifford is the greatest place on Earth.”
Bryant and Haschker familes, if you have changed your email please send me your new address. My emails are bouncing back.
If you still have not turned in permission slips and money for UWW (this Friday) get those in at your sectional rehearsal Tues and Wed. Full Choir meets Thursday.
Anyone looking for Drum Lessons? Mike Cobb who has played for us on all of our big videos and events is available to come to your home to give lessons. Mike is an excellent teacher and has a gentle and kind approach. 634-8217. Reasonable rates.
If there is no school there is no choir or musical. The altos are doing very well so we will be Ok but the musical practice missed is going to hurt. I will post more about a solution on the GiffordArts blog. Musical parents check there later today or tomorrow. (If anyone lost a Ford key with an opener on a fob last Friday check with the school office)
The dry run of the tour is the trip to Whitewater. So far it has shown that we are not functioning well as an organization. Your children are preparing to perform at a higher level than almost anyone would think possible. The music we are preparing for Whitewater and for the Indiana trip is in 3 and 4 parts and in the extreme ends of elementary school choir range. Every member of the choir is needed to pull this off, especially in Indiana as we will not have the 3rd graders. The Soprano 1 section has been dealt a huge blow as we have lost several 5th graders leaving a huge hole. Only one of the families had the courtesy to tell me they were dropping, which I find very rude and don’t mind saying so. I have to ask everyone to review the commitment you made at the beginning of the year by reading the “Gifford Choirs” page on this blog. This event will not survive any surprise withdrawals beyond this point. We are right at the break over point for whether or not we need one bus or two. I hope to keep the costs to you as I had originally stated, around $150. I am seeking a couple kids by invitation only to fill in the gaps but it is a very risky process. None of your children are replaceable. No other children at Gifford have received the level of preparation in the process of divisi part singing that they have.
There are about 10 4th and 5th graders who have not turned in their $75 deposit for Indiana. I will email out a list early this week. If you know you didn’t kick in yet please do. There are 50 singers I expect to be going.
I am asking you to step up your commitment to the choir over the next two months. Many of you have told me you will help, all I have to do is ask. I don’t have time to ask. Please read the “Parent Help” page carefully and sign up for one or more of the still unclaimed jobs for the choir. A small way to help would be to check the blog several times a week.
Please read the choir calendar and note the May 7 performance and YouTube taping.
Why do I need help? I spoke to you in September about my personal limitations due to ADD. Lists are extremely hard for me to deal with. It took me several hours to sift through the lists of who committed to the Whitewater trip and to email and finally call those that did not respond. In addition to finishing writing the musical and rehearsing it I also just started taking a Research in Music Education class and have begun work on my masters thesis. I had my first class today and it is going to be a lot of exactly the kind of thing I struggle with. It is going to be a huge draw on my time.
Don’t forget to start helping your child choose an act for the talent show. If they are singing, you need to get them print music and get a copy to Miss McCormick soon. Auditions are March 28 and 29. If you buy music from sheetmusic.com (recommended) would you consider clicking on the link at http://www.choralnet.org? I am the editor of the Choral Composer’s Community there and you will be supporting my organization. Enter http://www.choralnet.org in your browser, then click on the sheetmusicplus link in the lower right hand corner.
For those that would really like to chaperone the Indiana trip, having read this far will give you an advantage. Email me if you want to chaperone and i will put together a list. If you are a doctor, nurse or EMT be sure to tell me. I will choose a couple people to go along and then put the other names in a hat. Chaperones will have to pay their portion of the trip just as your student does. You will be sharing a room with one other adult. We need a couple men as well. I will make the decision for who is going to chaperone by this Thursday.
The Caledonia Patch, a new local online news service, is looking for a Gifford parent to be the volunteer media liaison for our school. You could do a lot to get the wonderful things we are doing out to the public. The bureau chief is Denise Lockwood. She is seeking a PTA type parent who takes a lot of pictures and knows what’s going on. If interested, email her at: denise.lockwood@patch.com
Denise did a nice job on the article she wrote about the choir earlier in January: click here.
Date: Friday, Feb 11
Time: 7:30 AM-5 PM
Where: Pick up and drop off at Gifford East side.
Event Location: UW-Whitewater
Who Should Come: Members whose parents confirmed on the blog that they could attend plus members who missed the blog post and still want to go. New members joining this week will not know the repertoire so can not attend.
Chaperones: Comment here if interested. I will draw names from those posting here and those who have already emailed me or posted with their desire to go. I believe we will need 3 but I would like 5.
Uniform: I would like the kids in Uniform plus their Caiman Chorus T-shirts over the top to protect the white shirts.
What To Bring: $5 or a bag lunch to be eaten at McDonald’s. A resealable bottle of water.
Permission slips will come home Wednesday and Thursday. Please return them by Firday. i need to give them an exact number of participants and pay for them.
Here is a link about the festival. http://www.uww.edu/conteduc/camps/trebleclef/ Please do not contact anyone at UW-W regarding this event. Send all questions to me. We will not be participating in the Outstanding Soloist portion.
Go to YouTube
Enter Racine WI in the search field
Click on the “relevance” button and choose rating.
Beam with pride about what your child has done for our city
repeat but choose “View Count”
Continue to beam with pride
Thanks to Sam Thorson for helping get the paperwork moving OMG I am I swamped. The school has approved us going on this trip now it is up to you. Are there 60 kids that want to go? Please comment below if your child can go. First name and first initial of last name and “has my permission.” I will send home real permission slips if we reach the 60 kid minimum.
recap: The trip is for all GCC members grades 3-5. It is in addition to the Indiana tour for members in grades 4-5. It is on Friday February 11, 2011 from 7:30 AM to 5 PM. It will cost your kid around $20 for the event and school bus ride plus lunch (brown bag or nutritious fast food). This is our opportunity for the 3rd graders to do something cool. The event is called the Treble Clef Festival and is intended for High School Women’s choirs. There aren’t many elementary choirs with enough skill to participate in an event like this. (More proud moments)
41 so far as of 11:23 PM 1/22. We need 19 more. Only one has responded in the negative so far. I guess I will need to send permission slips home as some people may simply not be reading the blog.
I spoke with the director of the Indiana Festival. Below are the pieces that we will be singing combined with his groups. You can use these for the kids to get familiar with the music but it is more important to have them listen to the other pieces listed in an earlier post. i.e. Ave Maria, Wade In the Water, I Will Be and Credo.
Gifford Choirs Family Communication Site 