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Confederation
Secondary School Music Program Runs State-Of-The-Art Recording
Studio For General Public Use |
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"A Solid Music Program Helps
Students In Many Other Disciplines" According to Norm McIntosh, Music Director at Confederation Secondary
School who doesn't hesitate a bit when asked what he likes most about music.
"I love live bands," he exclaims. "There is just
something about a live band which captures the essence of music and that
is why I have devoted my entire career to this segment of the
industry."
Norm is shown
with one of the students in his Music class, Lianne Caron, who is a
"Recording Engineer" in the State-of-The-Art Recording Studio
that was built with the help of a $23,000 Trillium Grant from the Valley
East Lions Club. Lianne, who is in Grade 11, watches carefully while Andre
Scott and Kary-Lynn Mercer, two Grade 8 students from Pinecrest Public
School record their song for a CD that was being produced by the class.
Approximately one group or individual per week comes to the studio each
week The school asks for a donation of $25 per hour, which includes the
time in the studio to record the music, complete editing and technical
refinement of the recording, transferring the music on to a CD and the
finished product ready to take home in about two weeks. For about $50 you
can record an entire CD and walk away with a professional product that is
as good as you will get anywhere!
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"This studio is one of the best kept secrets in
Valley East," McIntosh declared. "We use professional equipment
and recording software that is currently used in over 80% of the recording
studios in the country. The studio is large enough to accommodate an 80
person choir or a single performer. We even record our Evolutionary Band
here."
Despite the technological advances being made in the industry, Norm
feels that as long as young people are encouraged to develop an "ear
for music" there is no fear that computer generated music will
replace live performances. However, he feels that music programs in
schools in Ontario must continue to be funded and even expanded or
students will lose a lot more than the chance to play in a band.
"It has been well documented that music students do much better in
other curriculum areas. Because music is such an exact science, it
develops a desire for perfection in a young person. For example, if you
have a 100 question test in math and you get 90 correct, you will get an
'A' and feel good about yourself. However, if you have a 100 note musical
piece and you make 10 mistakes, the end result will be terrible and you
will certainly not get an 'A'," explained McIntosh.
"Another thing working in a band teaches you is team-work. If you
have a 24 member band, the group is only as good as the weakest player.
Therefore, you see a lot more cooperation and encouragement as stronger
players help the weaker players become better. One person off key can
destroy an entire performance, so there is definitely a commitment to
working together as a team," McIntosh went on.
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Tasha Devost, standing behind Lianne Caron, is a Grade 12
student who works with 23 other students in Mr. McIntosh's Music Class. It
is Tasha's job to take the recording from Lianne and then "perform
magic" to edit and add special effects which produce a finished
product that "makes people feel so proud of themselves". |
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Tasha always dreamed about one day being a famous
performer.
"When I was little I was always singing and dancing, pretending to
be a famous star," she reflected. "As I got older I continued to
build up more and more interest in music. I've played the sax for five
years and the keyboard for a year. I'm also in the Confed band."
However, when she took the first part of the Music program last year,
Tasha discovered something.
"I realized my own personal limitations when it came to
performing, and know that it would be unrealistic for me to try to get
into a career on stage, but when I took Mr. McIntosh's music class I
discovered that I could still make a career out of my passion for life on
the technical side," this very mature young lady explained.
"I plan on going to college next year to become a recording
engineer," stated Tasha. "What I've found is that I totally
enjoy editing and adding technical enhancements to a recording. The best
part of it is when you let a person listen to the CD that you have just
worked on. When you see how good they feel about the creation you have
worked on, it gives you a real special feeling. I know this is what I want
to do for a living and I am so glad I took Mr. McIntosh's music course to
discover what I can do with my life." |
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Krista Bazinet, Grade 12, seated, and Megan Decaire, Grade
12, behind her, are shown in the Music room working on the development of
a Public Service Announcement that will be used as part of an
Anti-Bullying Campaign to be done in the elementary schools of all four
school boards this spring.
Two students, Lianne Caron, and Matt Roy, recorded several messages on
an original sound track. All of the students in the music class were
assigned the task of editing the recording and putting in special effects
such as background music so that the finished CD would appeal to five
different age levels in elementary school. Krista had one of her versions
with Puff The Magic Dragon as the background.
Krista is not sure what she will be doing after she graduates in June.
She stated that she may take a year to save some money and travel to
Africa while deciding on the career she hopes to pursue.
Megan plans on studying for a Public Relations and Business career and
attributes the skills she has learned in the music class as preparing her
well for such a career. "Being involved in music has done so much for
my outlook on life. It makes you feel so positive and helps you to work
with people of all ages. You learn how to become a performer so that you
know how to act in different situations and you learn how to do your best
in everything you do." |
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Norm McIntosh has about 26 students in his music class each
semester. Here we see the students working on the PSA for the
Anti-Bullying campaign. |
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Norm McIntosh, is shown in the photo, with Mandie Graham and Alex
Cullens, and part of the Evolutionary Band that was in place during the
2002-2003 school year when he returned to Confederation Secondary School
to continue with the famous band which he began in the late 1970's years ago as a music teacher at Confederation.
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If you are interested in finding out more about the
Evolutionary Band, go to the following link: |
http://www.myspace.com/evolutionarywhererockrules |
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