Herricks High School will welcome The NAMM Foundation and the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus on Oct. 12 for a full-day student recording session aboard its non-profit state-of-the-art mobile Pro Audio and video recording facility.
“The Herricks community is a very special place where musicians are encouraged and supported as they grow and flourish,” shared Anissa Arnold, Director of Music and Performing Arts at Herricks Union Free School District. “Our teachers and students are all very dedicated and passionate about making music and sharing it through the community.”
The district won the visit as part of The NAMM Foundation’s “What Makes Music Education Great in My School District?” video submission program that recognizes schools in the United States that promote music education as part of the curriculum during the school day.
In the video, Herricks high school administrators, music educators and students highlighted the school district’s decades-long commitment to music education through a multitude of programs ranging from chamber choir and orchestral music instruction to modern jazz band, wind ensemble, guitar and ukulele instruction and beyond, overseen by 22 music educators and a supportive community and district staff.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuY_jwXNcgw&feature=youtu.be
Seven music students and one alumnus from the high school will board the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus for the opportunity to professionally record a song from start to finish. Assisted by three on-board engineers, the students will write, record, and produce an original song, learn about live multi-camera video production, produce and shoot a music video that will be seen on YouTube – all in one day.
On Friday, The NAMM Foundation will bring together a panel of educators, elected officials, school administrators and music students in a SupportMusic Community Forum to highlight community support for the music education program. The program will kick off at 9:30 a.m. and will feature a variety of musical performances highlighting the diversity of the school’s music programs followed by a series of discussions on the district’s music education successes.
Panelists will include: Dr. Fino Celano, Superintendent of Herricks School District; Dr. David Gaines, Immediate Past President of the New York State School Music Association; Joan Keegan, Principal of Herricks Middle School; Henry Zanetti, Herricks Board of Education; Jonathan Sanelli, Alumnus; and Jonathan Watkins, Wright Music.
Herricks Union Free School District is one of three school districts in the country to receive a visit from The NAMM Foundation and the Lennon Bus, and Herricks High School is the only school in New York state to receive a visit from the program. This year, the bus made stops in both Country Club Hills, Illinois, and in Scotts Valley, California.
For more information, visit https://www.namm.org/news/press-releases/namm-foundation-and-john-lennon-educational-tour-0.
