The week started off with a bang as children were treated to a special performance on the drums by musician John Colpitts at morning assembly on September 21. John was invited to DCD by middle school teacher Rob Thacher, who has been collaborating musically with him since 1990.
A drummer, composer, improviser and writer who lives in New York City, John has traveled extensively around the globe to perform his work solo and as a member of various ensembles. He has been Composer in Residence at Middlebury College and the Millay Colony for the Arts and has performed his own music at such established cultural institutions as the Guggenheim Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the London ICA, and many others.
During his time at DCD, John also visited “Sound Sculpture,” a class that Rob co-teaches with band and instrumental music teacher Duane Claussen. The class is a middle school arts elective that asks students to explore definitions of music through nontraditional composition, free improvisation, and recording technology. There is no prerequisite musical instrument facility required, and students are encouraged to identify and use ostensibly “non-musical” objects and processes as sound sources for composition, performance, and recording.
After composing together with John during class, the students performed under his direction at a middle school assembly later in the morning.
Click here to view the video on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjdKnOGtmfE&feature=youtu.be&a
