Some of you may be starting the school year off on the wrong foot. As you look at the new schedule you may grunt when you see you have P.E. as the first class of the day and sigh as you realize what teacher you'll get for English and History.
For a few of you, this may be the first year of required band class. As you walk into the oddly set-up classroom, you might fidget at the thought of playing an instrument in front of a crowd or shudder to think you'll get picked for the tuba and be forced to wear a dorky uniform and march. If you look at some of the other students, they might be excited, terrified or acting like they were already divas. It all seems inharmonious and you wonder how you will get through the school year. Isn't there something better to do with your time then playing music written a hundred years ago?
The teen girls down under (i.e. Australia) have the reverse attitude toward band class. With a ton of community and school support, students are given every opportunity to get involved in music. For a brief time, Australia had the only Rock N Roll High School; devoted to girl musicians (letting a few of the cooler guys in).
At Matthew Flinders Girls Secondary College in Geelong, Victoria, the motto of the school is to provide young women with the opportunity to achieve, earn and excel through the power of music. In 1989, the school formed the all-girl big band, the Sweethearts of Swing . Consisting of 23 female students, 3 teachers and a former janitor, the Sweethearts put a whole lotta heart into their covers of Motown, Soul, and Swing songs. Forget Mozart, Bach and Choplin for a minute; these girls get to pick up their trombones, trumpets and saxophones to play Aretha Franklin's R-E-S-P-E-C-T and Smooth Operator by Sade. Dressed in black tank tops and pants, these girls are hardly going to bore their listeners to tears. The singers' belt out their lyrics and the band puts all their energy into their instruments, resulting in a beat you can't help but dance to. These band students leave the stage with sweat, musical passion, and the feeling that they are one step closer to being the music stars that want to be.
Now, how cool of a class is that?
While you might not luck out and have the same experience, don't dismiss your band class just yet. Take advantage of learning a new instrument and talk with your teacher on updating the music selections. Who knows, maybe you'll help your school realize it needs its own Sweethearts of Swing!
If you're curious about the Sweethearts, you'll be pleased to know they have several CDs out and make frequent trips around the world to perform. You can listen to some of their songs at Chaos Music http://www.chaosmusic.com/shop/product.asp?productID=583050 or visit them online at The Official Sweethearts of Swing Website.
Check out Girl Zone's DownTown Section for all your CD shopping.
1. Which of the below songs is a Swing Song?
a) Zoot Zuit Riotb) Manic Monday
c) Great Balls of Fire
2. What type of instrument is a saxophone?
a) stringb) wind
c) horn
3. When someone mentions they sing baritone, what do they mean?
a) they sing in high pitchesb) they sing in low pitches
c) they sing in medium pitches
4. What does MC mean?
a) a Scottish last nameb) McDonalds
c) masters of ceremonies