In the music department here at Riverside Secondary, there is a class called “Music Fusion.” Ms. Glenda Ottens, the music teacher at Riverside, decided to create this class to teach her students how to compose and collaborate with pieces of music such as pop, rock, and classic.
Students create and compose their own pop, and rock songs. They learn to collaborate in small ensembles that are performed throughout the semester both in school and the community. Students in this class also make CD’s, post music on their own YouTube accounts online, start to publish their work, and perform in front of a variety of audiences.
“All instruments ranging from piano to saxophones are used to learn and play in this class. Some students learn other instruments, so they can fill in a band arrangement if needed. So even if there isn’t a drummer in that specific group, they can learn how to play the drums to complete the whole set which is beneficial to the group,” said Ottens.
On November 30, 2017, the students were invited to Douglas College to play with other bands to have a full experience of working with larger groups while in a more professional environment. “The music that they play and skills that they develop will be with them for their entire life. We’ve had community groups that ask us to play for fundraisers and different organizations that we support.” With this course, you also get to meet neat people and be a part of that human energy that you really celebrate and give something back to,” said Ottens.
Ottens commented on the effort students make in her class. “The students that excel are the ones who really have a stage presence and want to make music a part of their life and dedicate themselves to publishing their music. It’s exciting that they can use their music as a tool to communicate. As a performer, they make the audience connect with their style of music,” said Ottens.
On January 18
, 2018, there will be a concert at the end of the semester which will be held in the cafeteria. This concert will allow them to showcase their final composition of music and mentally prepare them for future concerts. This class is highly recommended to anyone that would like to improve their knowledge on music and teamwork.
