The+Hunt+Music+Program

// Written by Cai McCann //
 * Talent comes in threes for the Hunt music program **

Hunt Middle school hosts a variety of programs available to the Hunt community, but one of their popular ones is the music program. For the past three weeks (Wednesdays), Hunt has hosted free, local concerts at the school’s auditorium to show off their students’ musical talent.

On May 16, Mr. Olzenak and Mrs. Dubois, the band directors, conducted the concert trio with their orchestra featuring an array of brass, wind, and percussion instruments. This concert featured songs that were chosen by students and teachers in the ensemble. As Olzenak says, “I like variety...with variety each student can connect with at least one song.” Mr. Olzenak also takes suggestions at the end of the year for songs to play next year. On one of the last songs, the instrumentalists put on sunglasses to fit the ambience of the jazzy New Orleans piece; this is an idea from and voted on by the kids.

On May 23, 2012 Michel Hakim, the strings conductor and teacher, leads a wonderful concert with string instrumentalists, where at one point the students come up and read rhyming couplets about their music pieces. The string orchestras consisted of one group for 6th graders, who played some very beautiful songs with combinations of bowing and plucking strings which harmonized with the melody. The 7th/8th graders played some well-known and well-loved songs, classical songs and perhaps something even more familiar, the theme song from the “Peter Gunn” T.V. show.

This most recent Wednesday, May 30, 2012, the Hunt Middle School music program rounds off the school year with a big chorus concert conducted by Tim Korman, the chorus director and school music teacher. This concert began with some smaller groups such as the guitar ensemble directed by Molly Dubois. The guitar ensemble played an interesting arrangement of “Ode to Joy”, the song “I Vow to Thee My Country” from Holst’s “Planets” movement, and the “Irish Washerwoman”, which was part of the water theme of the concert. Individual instrumentalists such as Sean McBride on saxophone, Lia Birchard with the flute, Mr. Olzenak on clarinet, Cai McCann playing piano for the prelude, and Mr. Korman accompanying the chorus with the piano. During the beginning, the audience had the opportunity to engage with Principal Lewis in a round of “Rainmaking”, a hands-on activity that requires clapping, stomping and other sounds resembling different kinds of rain. The chorus finished off their concert and all music concerts for the year with the state song and their signature song, “These Green Mountains”.

These students play every other day for rehearsals, in addition to private lessons for upcoming concerts. It’s not uncommon for some students participate in more than one of the programs: Band, Chorus, Guitar Ensemble, String Orchestra. The music faculty and others look forward to learning and hearing more concerts next year, and hope to see the graduating 8th graders in the music program at BHS or other high schools.