RAMS Music
Contact Us!
-Mr. Grina-
Band & General Music
room 113 (or 211)
email: grinam@holliston.k12.ma.us
phone: (508) 429-0657 ext. 4113
-Mrs. Abalutzk-
Chorus & General Music
room 211 (or auditorium)
email: abalutzkb@holliston.k12.ma.us
phone: (508) 429-0657 ext. 4211
-Mr. Bilodeau-
RAMS Jazz / HHS Band Director
email: bilodeaus@holliston.k12.ma.us
website: RAMS Jazz
Announcements:
- 2018/2019 Band & Chorus Concerts (mark your calendars!) -
DEC 12th: RAMS/HHS Chorus Grade Concert(FANTASTIC!)DEC 19th: RAMS/HHS Band Grade Concert(GREAT WORK!)- MAY 22nd: 6th Grade/Jazz Lab Concert
- MAY 28th: 7th/8th Grade/Jazz Ensemble Concert
-Junior Districts-
- For audition music assignments and other festival information for this year, please visit the following website:
-Concert Recordings-
- Check out the video recordings of our past concerts at:
- http://www.hcattv.org/video/?programid=1679
- *go to "School Concerts" in sidebar*
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Oh, are YOU still here?
You must be looking to hear some new music, aren't you?
Well do I have the list for you...
Mr. G's Playlist and/or Mixtape 2018/2019
Everything that these guys play gets recorded and played back, every few measures - so each time they play something new, it gets added to the song. They call the device that does this a "looper", because it "loops" (repeats) whatever you play. How can they make such a cool song on the spot like that (and make it look so easy)? Years of love and effort put into their practicing. But DON'T WORRY, there's plenty of fun along the road to sounding like the pros.
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Here's a pretty filthy tune (don't worry, that's a good thing) - and it's from a band called "Snarky Puppy" (snarky kind of means "sarcastic"). Here we have a bigger range of wind instruments (both brass and woodwinds), plus a big "rhythm section" (the instruments that accompany the melody - like the piano, drums, bass, etc.). This is one long piece of music where some has been written out beforehand, and some is made up on the spot (we call this improvising).
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Eleanora Fagan, better known as Billie Holiday, is one of Mr. G's all time favorites - and here's one swingin' love song recorded one year before the end of World War II. Jazz was a huge part of American pop culture at this time, and "Lady Day" had a unique and deeply soulful voice that made her one of the top stars of her time, along with artists like Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole, Big Crosby, and Louis Armstrong (who you'll see below). Her fame did not come easy or without personal struggles, however. I think that this makes the gift of her music that much more meaningful.
Music is about connecting with people and sharing a piece of yourself. Many in America were hurting in the 1960's - and Jimi Hendrix (among others) came along and shared a piece of himself, including perhaps some pain of his own (shown especially at the very end with the way he uses his guitar and amplifiers to say what words often times can not). Artists like Hendrix were a shining light for millions that needed to know that they were not alone.
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Spreading messages of peace and happiness might sound like a cliche to some people, but it is important to do all the same! Artists have the power to comfort and help celebrate the good things. One of the all time great examples of this is Louis Armstrong singing "What a Wonderful World". "Satchmo" was not simply a friendly voice, though. He is credited as being one of the most powerful influences on American music, and is one of the "founding father's" of jazz!
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