EDWARD R. MURROW H.S.
ANTHONY R. LODICO: PRINCIPAL
THE
MURROW MUSIC INSTITUTE
NEWSLETTER
Vol.II,No.1:September,2008
Editors: T. Toriello and C. Christensen
Music Institute Student Gets an 11th Hour
Scholarship!
On Tuesday, June 24, 2008 at the Tweed Courthouse the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation CEO Joel
Peresman awarded five public school students a
scholarship award in the amount of $5000.00 each.
Kristopher Tyndall, a Music Institute student and senior
at the time, was one of those students. He competed with
seniors from around the city in a writing contest and was
judged to have the best entry in Brooklyn. In attendance
from the D.o.E. was Chancellor Joel Klein, Dr. Sharon
Dunn, Senior Instructional Manager for Arts Education
and Barbara Murray, Director of Music. A heads up for
seniors: this is an annual scholarship event and the
deadline will be in the spring of 2009.
Ms. Siegel-Graf was caught playing the bassoon in
A-14 the other day. Her hidden talent is no longer
hidden!!
A Top Ten List
By Ms. Siegel-Graf
As the assistant principal of guidance, it is my job to
make certain that the guidance staff accurately conveys to
you and your families the city and state requirements for
graduation. Your goal is to meet those requirements in
four years. Over the years, I have seen why students have
missed that goal. So, from what I’ve seen, here are the
top ten reasons students do not graduate on time.
1.
2.
“It’s no big deal if I come late to this class.”
“All these absences - not be a problem. I’ll take PM
School, Summer School and Saturday School.”
3. “I do not want/like this class anyway. So I’ll just be a
‘no show’.”
4. “I’m addicted to OPTAs, no one will find me in the
halls of Murrow.” (delusional behavior)
5. “No one cares if I do not change for physical
education.”
6. “Not having physical education credits can’t really
stop me from graduation.” (more delusional behavior)
7. Student to guidance counselor, “You didn’t tell me I
needed that class.” Guidance counselor to student,
“Then why was it on your program card?”
8. “My family is taking a vacation during school time. I
do not need to make up the work.”
9. Parent phone call on June 25 (day before graduation),
“Why did X teacher fail my child? He/she did all of
the work!” Teacher to parent at meeting, “Your child
failed to (pick any one) submit the project,
homework, do the presentation, pass exams, attend.”
(Be honest with your family.)
10. “I was rehearsing.”
You must be strong and willing to make the right choices
even though they might not be the easy choices. If you
find yourself in an uncomfortable situation, come down to
the guidance suite so we can help you get back on track. I
wish you much luck and success.
Kristopher Tyndall and Tom Toriello at the Rock and
Roll Hall of Fame Awards Ceremony
Calendar of Upcoming Events:
Date
Time
Event
Wed. 10/15
Mid cycle report cards
Thur., 10/16 6–
Open school night
8:30PM
Mon., 10/20 7PM
Murrow Music Sponsors
Mon., 11/3 7PM
MMS meeting
Mon., 11/10
Cycle II begins
Sat., 11/15 All day Music Institute auditions
Sun., 11/23 All day Music Institute auditions
Tue., 11/25
Course selection: cycle III/
IV
Wed., 11/26
Cycle I report cards
Mon., 12/8 7PM
MMS meeting
Wed., 12/10 TBA
Sweet Charity Musical Theater
– Sat., 12/13
Production
Tues., 12/16 3PM
SING! auditions
Wed., 12/17
Wed., 12/17
Mid cycle report cards
issued
Thurs.,
12:30– Open school afternoon
12/18
2:45PM
Thurs.,
4:30 PM Holiday Concert
12/18
Music Department puts the first
competition dates on the calendar
Mr. Postel, Music Dept. Trip
Coordinator
The Concert Band, Jazz Band,
Orchestra, Gospel Chorus and
Women’s chorus will participate in
the “Heritage Music Festivals”
competition in Annapolis,
Maryland on Thursday, April 16th
to Sunday, April 19th during spring
break; the dates were chosen so they
will not cost the students any
instruction time and there will be no
scheduling conflicts with other
school activities.
Hopefully with
enough advanced notice, family and
friends can make this competition
part of their spring break fun.
The competition will feature
educational mini-clinics following
each performance. The students and
faculty will travel via deluxe motor
coach leaving and returning from
Edward R. Murrow High School.
Events that are in the planning stages
include sightseeing in Washington
D.C., dinner and show at Medieval
Times, a student performance with
the US Naval Academy Band and
Glee Club and dinner at the famous
Hard Rock Café at Baltimore Harbor.
The price of the trip is not fixed at
this time. The department is still
putting together the cost; it is
expected to be approximately 500.00
dollars per student before
fundraising. Of course there will be
an academic requirement for students
who want to be eligible for this
competition.
Rick Edinger joins the Music
Department
With the touch and go budget issues
at the end of last year it was unsure
as to whether the position vacated by
Mr. Perrone would be filled. When
the dust settled, it turned out that we
could go ahead with the hire. After a
search was conducted, the job was
offered to Rick Edinger, and we are
happy to report he enthusiastically
accepted.
Rick has a deep
performance résumé and is an
accomplished singer, experienced
stage performer and pianist.
He
studied at the Cleveland Institute of
Music, the Manhattan School of
Music and graduated from the music
education program at Brooklyn
College. It is a pleasure to welcome
him to our community.
“Sweet Charity” gets going!
By Valerie Blatt
The fall musical that is being
directed by Daria McCloskey is,
Sweet Charity. The auditions were
tough and broken down into two
days. The first day, we were taught a
song, “If They Could See Me Now”
by our extraordinary vocal director,
Mr. Edinger. The second day, call
backs, involved learning a dance by
our choreographer, Ms. Raymond,
and singing once again for the panel
of directors. Although it seems like a
very intense situation, friends and
faculty, kept the process light and
fun. Rehearsals began immediately
after the cast list was posted and will
continue through September.They
have been extremely productive and
very enjoyable. With the help of Mr.
Edinger and our accompanist, Joe
Roberts, we’ve accomplished a great
deal already. Thanks to this talented
cast and remarkable panel of
directors, I am sure we will have a
spectacular outcome. Our opening
night is Wednesday, December 10th
and we close Saturday, December
13th. We welcome you to come see
our production and know you’ll
enjoy it!
Safety and security in the Music
Hall.
It is flattering to see students in the
music hall so comfortable that they
feel as though they are home. But
they are not. The music hall is a
public space and as such students
should behave accordingly. Please
bear in mind the following:
•If no one sees your Ipod, no one can
take you Ipod. Leave it home.
•Phones off and away.
•It is not safe to change for gym in
the auditorium.
•No one should be in the auditorium
without adult supervision.
•It is inappropriate to change for gym
in the halls. You are not in your
home and it makes students and
faculty uncomfortable.
•Don’t leave your locker open and
unattended.
•Don’t leave your stuff on the floor
and expect it to be there when you
return.
•Never exit the building through the
music hall exit and never open the
door to use your cell phone. Doing
so is very dangerous. It exposes you
and everyone in the building to a
possible threat entering the
building.The safest way to exit the
building is through a door with a
safety agent guarding it. It’s worth
the extra walk.
Aural which test different aspects of
the students’ skills, knowledge and
understandings of Music Theory. 22
students took the exam, more than
any prior class. In 2004, 13 students
took the exam. For those of you who
love charts here are three for your
enjoyment. The charts show an
overall increase in the percent of
students scoring a 3, 4, or 5 and an
overall decrease in the percentage
students scoring a 1, 2. What is the
reason? The curriculum for Music
Institute students offers a sequential
course of study in music theory. With
a sequence of prerequisite courses
students are coming into the class
better prepared to succeed. And with
the Arts endorsed Regents diploma
about to be offered, Music Institute
students will have one more
accomplishment to be proud of!
The Gospel Chorus “Hits the
Ground Running”
Once again the Gospel Chorus will
participate in the annual Tunnel to
Towers Run on Sunday September
28, 2008. This event celebrates and
commemorates the life of firefighter
Steven Siller who died heroically on
September 11, 2001. It is our hope
that our songs of inspiration and
hope will uplift all who participate
and attend this important event. This
year’s festivities will be televised on
the CBS TV network We hope you
tune in!
Comments, Contributions,
Questions, Concerns?
S t a t s s h o w p ro g re s s i n t h e Please send to:
A d v a n c e d P l a c e m e n t M u s i c [email protected].
Theory class.
The grades for the AP Music Theory The Music Institute Faculty
tests given in May have come in and Tom Toriello, A. P.
they are noteworthy. The test is on a Cindy Christensen, Don Christensen,
scale of 5 to 1, 5 being the highest Joe DeMarco, Rick Edinger,
score. There are three sections of the Amanda Elkan, Cheryl Johnson,
test – Music Theory, Non-aural, and Paul Postel, Alan Shapiro