Battle Ground Public Schools

BGPS music students learn from the masters 

Band students at Battle Ground Public Schools had the opportunity to learn from seven world-class musicians this month through a series of virtual “master classes.” Featuring two Grammy award winners and a pair of college music professors, the impressive lineup of guest musicians worked with district middle and high school students to deepen their level of understanding, performance ability, and appreciation of music and their instruments.

“We are extremely fortunate to have such high caliber musicians who are willing to spend time with us,” said Alison Pierce, band teacher at Tukes Valley Middle School. “We had a great turnout of students who took advantage of the opportunity, and it was inspiring hearing from such talented musicians from varying backgrounds.”

Battle Ground’s band directors work every year to connect their students with professional musicians and educators as part of a creative educational experience that is focused on their craft. This year is no different, even though students are currently learning remotely.

The first round of master classes took place on Nov. 4 and featured sessions on percussion techniques from Spencer Martin, the University of Idaho’s director of athletic bands; four-time Grammy Award winning jazz vocalist and bassist Esperanza Spalding talking about the creative process of writing original music; and Grammy award winning bassist John Clayton offering two sessions on jazz improvisation and jazz rhythm sections.

“The master class reminded me that music is not just built on rules and how you are supposed to play the song,” said Makayla Buck, an eighth grader at Tukes Valley Middle School. “Music is also about emotion and expressing yourself.”

The second set of master classes was on Nov. 18 and featured instrument-specific courses focused on playing techniques. Vern Sielert, Assistant Professor of Trumpet and Jazz Studies at the University of Idaho, taught a course on trumpet technique; musician, composer and educator Chris Brown taught a session on jazz drumming; Assistant Professor of Flute at Washington State University Sophia Tegart taught a session on flute technique; and Vanessa Sielert, Associate Professor of Saxophone and Associate Director of the Lionel Hampton School of Music at the University of Idaho led a session on saxophone technique.

In addition to participating in the master classes, BGPS band students have continued learning their instruments remotely through the use of technologies like SmartMusic, Zoom, and the Google for Education Suite of apps.

“The master classes taught us that music is an art form,” said Brandon Hall, another eighth grade student at Tukes Valley Middle School. “The guest speakers talked about how you can play jazz music however you feel like playing it to make it your own.”