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Orpheus Blog

Orpheus Academy's 20th-Anniversary Poetry Contest Winners

12/12/2022

 
To celebrate the upcoming 20th Anniversary of Orpheus Academy(!), we invited students to submit poems about either making music with friends or making music to change the world.

We received so many great entries, and are excited to now share the winning poems with you!

Grand Prize Winner:
Amelia C.

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Amelia's poem will be featured in Orpheus Academy's 20th-Anniversary Anthem, to be composed by Dr. Ruth Meyer Sacks and performed live at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C.!

Amelia has also won $500 and 1 free month of music lessons!
"Love of Music"

I hear music, it’s everywhere
In the leaves and in the air
In the bushes and in the ground
Music is just all around

I hear it as I swing in trees
I hear it in the buzzing bees
I love the sound, it makes me glad
I love it even when I’m mad

Thundering drums, soft violins
Strumming guitars, and whistling woodwinds
All these instruments so bright, so proud
A single note could lure a great crowd!

Music is best when played from the heart
But even better when friends play a part
Music has a purpose, one other
It is greatest when shared with another!

Additional Prize Winners:

The following students have won 1 free month of music lessons, as well as their choice of a free ukulele or 3 months free rental of a guitar, piano, violin, or cello!
"Above the Skies" by Aarush T.

​
Above the skies 
before my eyes, 
Angels singing 
a lovely tune. 

I float up 
all seems well, 
but when I look 
down to the ground, 
I see the world, 
Sadly, going by, 
with no hope 
to guide them.  

But when Angels come 
to bring a song 
down to the world  
beneath the clouds 
there is hope 
That they go by, 
so peacefully. 

But when devils come, 
they take the song  
And we all 
sadly, go by. 

But we have a gift, 
of making music 
to make the world 
smile again. 
And if we do, 
we all will float, 
to listen to, 
The Angels’ song.  

"Music" by Anna-Caterina T.

​
Music is yellow happy,
Music is blue sad,
Music is all around, 
on every ground we step.

Music is in nature, 
Music is in plants,
Music is part of our environment.

Music makes sounds,
Sounds make happiness,
We all sing together,
The melody will last forever.

"Music Is Fun" by Anya T.

​
It can be played under stars or sun.
Music is for love,
Like peace is for dove.

Music is harmony,
As sweet as honey.
Let us all sing a wonderful song,
It doesn’t have to be long.

Music is the light,
That shines so bright.
Music is as colorful as a flower,
As soothing as summer’s first rain shower.

Let us all come together,
And think of music forever.
Let us join hands,
And let music be the only language of our land.

"Untitled" by Eliana T.

​School shootings, sadness, unkindness, and fears
I hear it. I feel it. I shed many tears
When I make beats and songs, I spread pleasure and cheer
People who hear my music forget that worry is near

Joyful, happy, peaceful, and free
That’s what my music does for me
Pop, hip-hop, classic and more
I create music that’s fun for sure

I now play violin, and it’s another way for me to express
Calmness, gladness, and forget about my stress

The birds are going to sing
The sun will come out from hiding
My music will help people all over the world to stop crying

"When I Go to School" by Elise A.

When I go to school
​I go to my class
And when we're done with PE
We go to music class
And I play music with my friends
And we make silly songs
And when we're done with singing class
We go to eat our snack
And the next day after PE
We go to music again
And when we're at music
We make peaceful and beautiful songs.

"Every Time You Play a Piece" by Ethan L.

​
Every time you play a piece,
Every time you press a note, 
Every time you sing a line,
Of a song you just wrote,

Every time you sing with friends,
Gathered in a grassy field,
Every time you play guitar on stage,
The music swirls out to the world.

The music you just played,
The notes that you just sang,
The perfect melody that you performed,
It spreads out to the world.

Your music flies around the world,
Each and every day and night,
In many people your music swirls,
And imagination starts to take flight.
From songs and poems, to the invention of the century,
Anything is possible, anything could happen,
And just because you pressed one single note.

"Music" by Grace L.

Music spreads around the world,
Every day and every night.
Music swirls around the world,
Around and around in many circles.

When you think about marvelous music,
Think about the guitar, the great guitar,
Think about the piano, the perfect piano,
Think about the flute, the fantastic flute.

All the amazing instruments ,
All the amazing powers people have to play them.
All the amazing composers we have met,
Pianists, guitarists, everyone.

I am a pianist, she is a guitarist,
He is a composer, we are all…
MUSICIANS! We are all musicians!
"My Saturday" by Louisa B.

​
Today I am exited. Why, you ask?
Well, today I get to play my instruments.
You see I am the leader of a garage band.
They come every Saturday.
When they come,
We start by playing the blues,
Then we rock out,
Play Pop.
Then we have a disco party.
We drum and we hum,
We use the flute and the kazoo.
We play the electric guitar that can be heard from afar.
We play some country and the violin,
We play the cello.
And who would and could forget the piano?
We play the tuba ,
We play the trumpet.
We play and we play,
Until we stop.
Then we sing.
High pitched and low pitched,
We sing sad songs and happy songs.
Then whats next you ask?
It’s time to leave.
We say goodbye and say,
See you next Saturday!

"Duet" by Lynn H.

​
When my fingers dancing on black and white keys
When brother's fingers brushing across silver and clear strings
Sweet melody fills up the house
Melting mom’s heart
Brightening dad’s face

When my fingers dancing on black and white keys
When brother's fingers brushing across silver and clear strings
Gleaming melody flows into the backyard
Rising high to the blue sky
Dropping low to the green lawn

When my fingers dancing on black and white keys
When brother's fingers brushing across silver and clear strings
Soft melody drifting through the ocean
Sending the holiday greetings to grandparents
Afar on the other side of the world

"Music Can Be Loud" by Priscilla C.

​
Music can be loud,
Music can be quiet.
But always there’s a sound,
And you have to just try it,
To see if it fits with the rest.

To play a duet,
Or a quartet,
Or maybe even more!
Have fun with the music,
And the tones you get to pick.

No matter how silly the song,
You’ll remember for very long,
The fun experience you had,
And the bonding time,
The beautiful music,
Like a wind chime.

"The Beat Meet" by Taos P.

​
Everywhere I go, 
(if there is a surface)
I will go… 

 knock 
  knock 
   knock 
    knock’ n 
     knock 

It sounds boring, 
but it’s actually not 
(it’s fun to me)

My mom likes it.
But I bet if you hear it, 
you will like it, too. 

You can try it at home. 

 Just 
  like 
   me
    - e -
     - e -

You can do it anywhere. 

I am not afraid to show 
my beating to everyone. 

 You can do it. 
  You can do it. 

(Even if you don’t think you can)

You can count on me.

"At the Sound of Music" by Vihaan V.

​
At the sound of music, there is peace,
At the sound of music, there is joy,
At the sound of music, there is love,
At the sound of music, there is nostalgia

To the sound of music, nature blooms,
To the sound of music, babies smile,
To the sound of music, puppies prance,
To the sound of music, peacocks dance,
To the sound of music, nightingales sing

At the sound of music, the world is renewed,
At the sound of music, the world speaks one language,
At the sound of music, the world comes together,
At the sound of music, the world heals

Thank you to everyone who participated for expressing and sharing your wonderful words about music with us.
​
​Congratulations to all of our winners!

Student Voices — Kids Make Big Summer Plans!

5/5/2022

 
Summer break never seems to last quite long enough, and many of our students are already planning ahead to make the most of it! In addition to Orpheus Academy's lessons and fun summer camps, extra summer free time means more exciting opportunities to share and appreciate music. We asked a series of "Would You Rather?" questions to help our students consider different ways to experience the joy of music this summer, so read on to discover what they had to say!

​Would you rather...
  • Form a summer band with friends but only be able to play music when you're all together?
  • Only play music alone for the entire summer?
Lyla O.
The choice was clear for Lyla, who would much rather form a summer band with friends. She says, "I love hanging out with them so much," and would "enjoy it much more than playing alone."

​River S.
River had a different take, and preferred the idea of only playing music alone for the summer, as according to him, "I mostly only play alone anyways."

​Kai C.
Kai's friends clearly bring him joy, as he chose the option in which  "I get to play music with my friends and I get to see them."

Amelia
Amelia believes only playing music alone would be "totally better" and summarized why in just one word: "CALM."

Dave
Dave too thinks he would rather play solo for the summer. He currently finds it "hard to play with other people" as he "gets lost."

Abby S.
Abby had a very sweet response to the question, and would rather play in a summer band "because life is a beautiful melody" and "friends make it special."

Daniel P.
Daniel considered the choices quite practically, and decided that only playing music with his band wouldn't work for him "because I wouldn't be able to play songs without them," and he would "lose his skills."

Kajiri S.
Kajiri had a similar thought process as Daniel, and chose the solo option for the sake of consistency: "so I can play all the time."

Aarush T.
Aarush definitely appreciates being around friends, and chose the group option. In his own words, "it's better to be together FOREVER."

Arthi D.
Arthi also picked only playing music with a summer band of friends, "because I think that hanging out and playing music with friends is more fun than just playing music by myself."

Rishi S.
"Because I would be with my friends" is reason enough for Rishi to prefer the summer band option!

​Samuel
Samuel thinks only being able to play music with friends would simply "be more fun."


​Would you rather:
  • Attend a big outdoor concert?
  • Listen to songs around the campfire?
Zoey T.
Listening to songs around the campfire was the obvious answer for Zoey, who has "very sensitive ears" and therefore thinks that "maybe a big outdoor concert isn't the best." Zoe also believes a campfire setting would be fitting as "listening to songs is peaceful and relaxing."

​Kyon T.
Kyon chose to enjoy music at the campfire simply "because it is more fun!"

​River S.
River thinks there would be "too many people" at a big outdoor concert, and at a "campfire I'd probably be with friends."

Aarush T.
Aarush would "really like to be in a big concert."

​Daniel P.
Daniel also would prefer a big concert over a campfire. According to him: "because I don't know if people would be at the campfire and maybe they have something else to do."

​Kajiri S.
Kajiri thought about the choices in relation to what she already currently likes to do, and picked listening to songs around the campfire as "I'm in girl scouts."


​Would you rather:
  • Compose the music for a summer blockbuster movie?
  • Create a playlist for a big beach party?
Moukthika N.
Moukthika values originality, and would rather compose the music for a summer blockbuster movie because "you would have the opportunity to create something your own."

​Daniel P.
Daniel thinks the recognition that would come with composing for a movie would be great, "because everybody would see me and I would be famous." In addition to the original score he would create, he also would want to incorporate the song "Seven Nation Army" into the soundtrack.

Marc
Marc already has a vision in mind for the music he would write for a movie's original score: "suspenseful music."

​Nicco B.
Nicco went with creating a playlist for a big beach party as he believes it would would come with "more freedom," but he would still incorporate some of his own original pieces with "music I make on my keyboard."

Corban
Location is the name of the game for Corban, who would prefer creating the playlist for a beach party "because I would get to go the beach." Among Corban's rocking playlist, "Ode to Joy" would be featured.

Mira D.
Mira thinks "writing music for a movie would be more important and get more recognition."

​​Lillian
Lillian chose to make the music for a movie, and seems to have a very specific kind of scene in mind that she'd like to compose for: "so I can write music for when the main character falls off a cliff."

Aura T.
Aura isn't quite sure what kind of music she would incorporate, but would rather create a playlist for a big beach party "because you get to play more music!"

Kajiri S.
Kajiri had an easy decision to make, and picked the option that would allow her to go to the beach! She would definitely put "Rainbow Unicorn Unicorn" on her beach party playlist.

Audrey
Audrey didn't seem to know what a summer blockbuster movie is, but would make sure her beach party was keeping in theme with the location by making a playlist of "beach music."

​Avanthika S. K.
Avanthika thinks creating a beach party playlist would "be more fun" and would put less pressure on her as well. She "would make/add tropical music, that's kind of Hawaiian maybe."

Anushka S.
Anushka thinks piano music would be fitting for a beach party, and says she would prefer to make a playlist  "because I like the beach."

Eleanor
Eleanor recognizes the difficulty in composing music, and would instead rather create a playlist for a big beach party "because it is easier." She would ensure that it was a swanky party though by utilizing "jazz."


​Would you rather...
  • Perform music at a pool party?
  • Perform music at a backyard barbecue?
Sofia
Sofia would prefer to perform music at a backyard barbecue "because people enjoy music while they eat." She would play "Spanish Caballero," a fun and lively piece!

​Anya
Anya chose to perform music at a pool party, and the reason is simple: "I like parties!" She also says that "See Saw" would be among the songs she plays. In a later answer to the same question, Anya again picked performing at a pool party, for a similar reason: "I like pools!" This time she added "Ode to Joy" to the rotation.

Shuyao L.
Shuyao appreciates the more contained and personal nature of a backyard barbecue, and explains that it is "because I get to see my friends." Shuyao would perform "O Come Little Children" for those in attendance. Shuyao responded a second time to the question and said he would also play "Go Tell Aunt Rhody."

Kajiri S.
Although it might interfere a bit with her music, Kajiri would rather perform at a pool party "because I like to play in the pool." Among the songs she would play: "Bee Bee," "Queen Queen," and "Doggie Doggie."

Daniel P.
Daniel had a hard time deciding and ultimately selected both options "because I like for people to hear how I play." He would also bring a good variety to the songs he performed, including Bach and "Seven Nation Army" by The White Stripes.

​Anya
Anya prefers swimming to eating barbecue, and would play "Lean On Me," "This Is Your Time," and the bagpipes!

Gautham M.
Guatham isn't one to be distracted easily, and would perform music at a pool party as "there would be water splashing on me when I am playing." He would also keep the party going by playing "longer songs."

Samuel
Samuel enjoys a pool party more than a simple backyard get-together (even if there is food involved), and would play "Variations on a Theme of Corelli."

Ethan D.
Ethan thinks a pool party "would be joyful to play" at, and would include songs like "Party in the U.S.A." and "Surfin' USA" for his performance.

Ana C.
​Ana "doesn't do backyard barbecues sadly," so instead would play "Gaston" at a pool party.
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Student Voices — Kids Set Musical Goals for the New Year!

1/5/2022

 
It's hard to believe that 2022 is already here, but a new year is always a great time to set new goals, especially those of the musical variety! To help our students get the ball rolling on their musical goals for 2022, we put forward a series of "Would You Rather?" questions for them to answer. We received a lot of great responses that clued us in to the interests and priorities of our students, and we're excited to share them with you now!
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To help kids think about their preference and goals in relation to composing and performing we asked: Would you rather...
  • Be a talented songwriter who can’t play an instrument or sing?
  • Or be a great musician who can’t write their own songs?​

Asher S.
Asher seems to value composing above all else. In her opinion,"songwriting is the most important part of guitar.
 "

Miller F.
Miller prefers the act of playing over songwriting, and simply stated that it was "because I want to be a musician."

Nora U.
Nora, who specifically requested that we mention her nickname, "Eating Machine," also prefers performing to composing.  Her reasoning for this is "because if I write songs then I can't play them."

Louisa B.
Louisa seemed saddened by the idea of being unable to play her instrument, and said she wouldn't want to just be a talented songwriter "because my guitar practice would go to waste."
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​
​Sharing music with others is an important part of the process of learning any instrument, so to help kids think about their performance goals we asked: Would you rather...
  • Play a song for your family?
  • Play a song for a group of people you don't know?

Kaleigh X.
Kaleigh is more interested in playing for people outside of her family as she wants to share her talent with others and demonstrate what she's musically capable of!

​Corban M.
Corban "would feel more comfortable" playing a song for her family than people she doesn't know, and would prepare for the performance by practicing before dinner.

Eloise F.
Eloise "loves singing in front of new people," and said she'd rather perform in front of a group that she didn't know.

Louisa B.
Louisa would rather play a song for her family. In her words: "I know them better and I get stage fright. Ahh!"

Sloan H.
​Sloan also preferred to  play a song for family.

Playing music with others is a wonderful experience for a musician at any age or skill level, which is why Orpheus offers group Musicianship classes and many ensemble opportunities. To help our students think about their collaborative goals we asked: Would you rather...
  • Play music alone?
  • Or play with a group?

Louisa B.
Louisa would much rather play with a group. She said, "I would like to play music with my friends" and that by playing with others the performance "sounds more full like the actual song." Louisa does enjoy playing alone though, and likes that she doesn't "have to stop and wait for everybody to start."

Lizzie D.
Lizzie prefers to play music alone, but didn't specify why.
​

Corban M.
Corban thinks that "it would be funner to play in a group," and likes the collaborative process and sharing the spotlight with others. In Corban's own words: "If I make a mistake it is covered up-ish." At the same time, Corban enjoys the "freedom in picking what the songs are" when performing alone.

Johnny K.
Johnny unfortunately hasn't had the chance to play with a group before, but would very much like to. While he feels that playing music alone "is peaceful," he really likes "the sound of two or more people playing" together.
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It's important for young musicians to begin to gauge their priorities, and to also think about how they can put a plan in motion to accomplish their goals. We asked: Would you rather...
  • Play one song perfectly?
  • Or play five songs just okay?

Alex W.
Alex definitely seeks a challenge, as he believes learning "the five songs just okay would be easier" and therefore would prefer to play one song perfectly. 

​Louisa B.
Louisa had an interesting response, and said that "there's no way (to learn a song perfectly), nothing's perfect." Instead, she believes the option of five songs just okay would be better than one.

Asher S.
Asher would rather play one song perfectly, and says this is because "I can already play five songs just okay." When asked about her plan of action, she says she would perfect a song "by practicing a lot and working hard!"

Nora U.
Nora also recognizes the importance of "practicing a lot and working hard," but says she would rather strive for perfection "because I could be famous from my song."

Conley R.
One song played perfectly is more appealing to Conley because "it sounds better."

Landon H.
Landon thinks learning five songs just okay would actually be a great starting point rather than an end goal, as "you can learn from your mistakes and make it better."

Presley S.
Presley would value playing one song perfectly because it would make her feel happy, and has a great multi-step plan to achieve this goal! She says she would "get help from her teacher, practice, listen to a recording and follow along," and would try each part of the song song by itself.
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Student Voices — Kids Share Their Favorite Holiday Songs!

12/2/2021

 
Now that the holiday season is officially upon us, we decided to ask some of our students for their opinions on holiday music, and what their favorite holiday songs are! We got some very unique answers, in addition to a surprising amount of love for “Jingle Bells.”

​Read on to hear more from our students!
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​Kelly C.
Kelly had an interesting response, and told us that her favorite holiday song is "Skin and Bones," a funny piece she had actually learned for Halloween. After clarifying that we meant a winter holiday song, she responded (quite contrarily) with "Summer," a song from Frozen, "because Olaf sings it." Finally, she told us that her favorite Christmas song is "Jingle Bells, Batman Smells" and that she likes it "because it's funny."

Johnny K. 
Johnny had a hard time thinking of a holiday song that he really likes, but eventually let us know that he enjoys "The First Noel,” in part because his elementary music class is singing it together. Then, during his guitar lesson, Johnny worked with his teacher to identify the key of the song and was able to write out its notation by ear!

Vaughn V.
Vaughn was quick to respond with “Jingle Bells,” but specifically the “Batman” version because it says “Batman smells.” Vaughn thinks Batman is better than Superman because of his gadget arsenal, and in particular likes Batman’s “boomerang thing that explodes and then comes back.” Vaughn then regaled us with a wonderful rendition of “Jingle Bells, Batman Smells.”

"Jingle bells, Batman smells
Robin laid an egg
Batmobile lost a wheel
And the Joker got away, hey!"

Zoey C.
Zoey was more succinct with her response and simply said “”Santa Claus Is Coming to Town,” because I like it.” She also thinks that it’s fun to dance to!

Conley R.
Conley likes how many different versions of “Jingle Bells” there are, but his favorite version is actually one that his cousin invented! Unfortunately, Conley couldn’t remember how that version goes, but he remembers liking it a lot.
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Michael K.
Michael needs a little more rock & roll with his jingle bells, and said his favorite holiday song is “Jingle Bell Rock” because “it’s groovy!”

Aura T.

Aura’s favorite is “Jingle Bells,” but said “I don’t exactly know why though.”

Presley S.
Presley’s favorite is also “Jingle Bells,” but she’s a big fan of the music from “A Charlie Brown Christmas” as well. In fact, she and her family recently re-watched the special and went to a concert where all of the music was played live!
Louis F.
Louis decided to choose "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" as it features the one and only Rudolph, his favorite Christmas character.

Ethan D.
Ethan went with the tried and true "Jingle Bells," but specifically because "it has bells in it and the bells are beautiful."

Otis J.
Otis likes "Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah!" Hanukkah is his favorite Jewish holiday because "it's the only one where you get presents." This year, Otis's grandparents got him a wooden ventriloquist doll "that looks just like the one from Goosebumps." Otis thinks the doll is creepy so he named him Mr. Creepy.

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Wishing you and your family a happy, music-filled holiday season!

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