Wednesday, June 19, 2019 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon 21
LETTERS
Teacher initiates performance opportunities
Continued from page 2
Presently, a young black
woman walked through the
crowd, sat down at the piano,
and began to play. She played
well for several minutes,
and when she arose from the
piano bench, the room filled
with applause. I turned to my
husband and said, <I want to
live where a person of color
can walk into a place full of
white people, and be appreci-
ated.= A year later, we moved
to Sisters.
Perhaps there is an Old
Guard here, and perhaps they
are leery of newcomers like
me. If so, I hope to meet some
of them. I9d like to thank
them for creating and preserv-
ing such a place, shake hands,
and maybe sit for a minute
with a cup of coffee.
Terri Hunter
s
s
s
To the Editor,
I would like to commend
Goss Logging for the excel-
lent job of cutting and clear-
ing the ponderosa pine trees
along Highway 20 west of
Sisters. Removal of these
trees has greatly enhanced the
visibility along the highway,
providing safer driving. Game
crossing the highway can be
spotted sooner, as well as traf-
fic entering from side roads.
Another benefit of the tree
removal is opening the high-
way to more sunlight. This
will greatly increase snow
and ice melt, resulting in safer
travel. I doubt that the loss
of the removed trees is going
to have any negative impact,
as there is certainly an abun-
dance of trees in our national
forests.
Glad to see the benefits of
the tree removal.
David Anderson
By T. Lee Brown
Correspondent
Insects and birdsong liv-
ened up Sisters High School
last week. Was the high
school installing a zoo? No:
it was a performance by
Sisters Elementary School
students.
<The music teacher at
SES, Sara Miller, has done
a phenomenal job this year
not only teaching music
theory but also providing all
students with performance
opportunities,= said Joan
Warburg, principal of Sisters
Elementary School.
Miller directed a double
bill nicknamed <Bugs and
Birds= in the high school
auditorium last week. Six
classrooms participated,
resulting in a large and
impressive cast for each
show.
First-graders performed
<Bugz!= by John Jacobson,
described as <a musical play
for young voices.= Audiences
heard from ladybugs, ants,
and even some very amus-
ing maggots as they planned
their raid on a picnic.
<Wing It!= was the sec-
ond-graders9 show, also writ-
ten by Jacobson. An aviary
of owls, geese, parrots and
more explored the challenges
of taking risks and learning
to fly. Singing and flapping
filled the stage. So did one
hip-hop number, as the kids
got down for <Rap of the
Raptors,= to much applause.
Students wore black
clothes, then added colorful
construction paper hats and
other costume items. Unlike
in a full theatrical produc-
tion, in this show students
stood or sat on risers. There
PHOTO BY TL BROWN
First-graders from Sisters Elementary School take to the stage for “Bugs and Birds” night with their new music
teacher, Sara Miller (center).
they sang together in well-
rehearsed and well-behaved
harmony.
They also gathered down-
stage in small groups to take
turns reciting lines into a
microphone. This gave many
children the chance to learn
at least one line of dialog,
dress as a character, and try
a bit of acting for their com-
munity, without the compli-
cations of a full production
with blocking and sets.
Performing at their own
school is exciting for many
SES students. The high
school9s high-quality sound
system, theatrical lighting,
and ample auditorium added
to the thrill of performance.
On the Oregon Educators
site at Medium.com, Miller
recently wrote: <I have been
a music teacher for five
years now, after raising my
five children at home for 14
years. I am lucky to work in
a school that has a very sup-
portive administrator.=
Miller observed that
research shows <students
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ACCESS!
learn best when they have
regular and robust access
to music, art, PE, language,
plenty of recess/play time
and a chance to just be
kids&These subjects mat-
ter deeply to developing the
whole child. Music, art and
PE should not be considered
luxuries in education.=
Warburg praised Miller
for giving time outside of
school hours to offer students
performance opportunities.
She appreciated Miller9s
understanding that music
performances, not just theory
and rehearsing, help students
fall in love with music.
<In the fall she orches-
trated our Veterans Day
celebration and our Winter
Holiday extravaganza,= said
Warburg, noting that all stu-
dents in grades kindergarten
through fourth grade partici-
pated. Third-graders joined
Sisters High Desert Chorale9s
Christmas performance.
Fourth- and fifth-graders
gained a new opportunity to
sing together and perform
this year as well. <Thanks
to the generous support of
Sisters Folk Festival, [Miller]
directed the Sisters Outlaws
Singers as they joined other
student choirs across Central
Oregon at a choir festival
in March, and performed
throughout Sisters this spring
in a variety of venues,= said
Warburg.
<It has been a joy to
hear from our community
about how much they have
appreciated and enjoyed our
students9 performances,=
Warburg said. <Sara has an
extraordinary gift of bringing
the best out of her students
musically, and it is a thrill to
listen to our students perform
so beautifully.=
