Tag Archives: singing

Ball In The House, an A Cappella Band

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Ball in the House came to our school on May 11, 2016, to sing for the entire school. They are an A Cappella group, from Boston, Massachusetts, who just use their voices to sing … there are no instruments. They were fabulous! They taught us how to make musical instrument sounds with just our voices. Near the end of their show, they saved time for a few questions from us.

Do you guys like A Cappella?

Yes, they do! They love playing with other Acapella groups and exchange CDs with each other; while traveling they listen to Jazz to Classical, Hip-Hop to Rock. “The human voice is a beautiful thing!”

How did you guys meet?

The band started with Dave and Jon, 15 years ago, and who met each other  since 5th grade. They reconnected together after college, Jon wanted to sing full-time. 2 years ago the band was looking for a Baritone and they found Monty in Washington, DC. They needed a High Tenor, 1 ½ years ago and found Wallace in Jacksonville, FL. 5 months ago, the band needed a Base and found Ben in Rochester, NY.

Do you play songs that other people write or do you write your own?

Over the years we have written over 60 original songs. We also sing other people’s songs, so we do a mix of both.

Do you guys like to travel a lot?

Yes, we like to see different parts of the country. Last month, we drove to South Dakota, it’s maybe the farthest we’ve gone. We’ve also gone to Texas and Miami. We get to see this great country of ours because we sing! We are flying to San Francisco for the National Harmony Sweeps because we won the Boston Regionals.

Is it just the 5 of you or do you have someone else who books your gigs or make travel arrangements?

Just the 5 of us do most of the work, singing, sound set-up, driving and travel, arrangements, and managing the band. We have several agents who handle:

. schools/performing art centers shows

. college shows

. specific types of shows

Most of the work is done by the band.

They left us with this message … “The Arts are wonderful … play instruments, do acting, dancing, and write poetry.… Sing in chorus / play music…. You can play sports AND play music …. Your true friends will support you along your journey!”

Below is our Animoto to provide a glimpse of Ball In The House! They kindly gave us permission to use photos, video clips and audio clips from their performance at school. Thank you, Ball in the House!

Reported by: Luke and Felix

A Night to Remember!

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Vertical sign showing the words Art against a black background.There was excitement in the air as people of all ages arrived at Art’s Night. Visitors were greeted with an explosion of color. Art’s Night is a time when our students showcase their singing, playing, drawing, and painting. Celebrating “the Arts”! We interviewed Mrs. Barry, instrument teacher, Mr. Harte, technology integrator, Ms Pappas, music teacher, and Mrs. Pelletier, visual art teacher, who are responsible for organizing Art’s Night. We asked them why do we have Art’s Night? They all agreed that it is a time for families to view all the wonderful “Art” created during the year. All students showcase how they have learned to play instrument’s, sing, paint, draw and create with technology. We asked what they like about Art’s Night. They responded “it makes the building feel alive,” “kids, parents, grandparents enjoy the arts,” and “loves to see how excited their students get to play and sing for others.” We asked Mrs. Pellitier why the format for Art’s Night changed this year. She explained that “they wanted to try something different” and “they decided that the format should be theme-based: some variations of a self-portrait”. We asked Mr. Harte what projects were being shown in the computer lab. He shared “in grade one, they created an ‘All About Me’ KidPix slideshow about what they like — five slides long and it took five weeks to create then 30 sec. to view. Grade two created a PowerPoint, which is also an ‘All About Me’ but about their life; past, present, future — learning how to add transitions and customs animations”. These students also presented a “growing plant” slideshow — made with Animationish and shared as a QuickTime movie.”

The school was alive with color and sound as students shared their visual arts, singing, instrumental music with all! You won’t want to miss Art’s Night next year.

Reported by Evan and Tommy L.