Education
The non-profit group, Apollo Chamber Brass, unique in this area of the state in its mission, seeks funding from private individuals and corporate sponsorships to accomplish its goal of furthering music appreciation and understanding in the schools and in the community at large. If you are interested in supporting our endeavors, read on to see the various programs we currently offer.
The Apollo Chamber Brass is a chamber group which performs a wide range of music, from pops to high-art. We do this in order to raise the level of appreciation and understanding of music, and in particular, chamber music in our community and in our state. Through community service, in the form of concerts at assisted living facilities, private parties, corporate functions, government functions & churches throughout the front range area, the ACB exposes the general public to music which isn't readily available. During these concerts, the members of the ACB furthers the audience's musical understanding by giving the background of each piece, as well as a brief history of the composer. Often, the oration includes explanation of the composer's techniques. This gives the audience a wider base of knowledge from which to draw in their daily lives.
As its primary goal, the ACB is heavily involved in education. With a wide range of activities, the members of the ACB partner with schools in the front range area of Colorado to further the music programs, as well as create another opportunity in the schools for students to make music in chamber groups.
The musicians of the Apollo Chamber Brass have formed chamber ensembles in schools so the students have the opportunity to make music on a small group level, not just the large ensemble level. This gives the student the task of "owning their own part." That is, most chamber music requires only one person per part, which if not played, is missing from the overall piece. This is unique to chamber music. In comparison, some ensembles have as many as 8 or 10 students playing the same part. Being an important part of the ensemble instills self-discipline, and raises the level of confidence in each player. Also, the members of the ACB coach these ensembles and perform side-by-side in public concerts. This has a two-fold purpose in that it gives students the opportunity to perform and it continues to raise the level of cultural awareness in the community.
In addition, the ACB teams with the music directors to coach their students for the large ensemble music in the schools.
Through sectionals and coachings, the student/teacher ratio is much smaller, thereby giving greater individual attention, than the music director provides normally. Making sure the needs of the music director are met forms a partnership between the ACB and the music director, which in turn, gives the music director more time to concentrate on overall managerial tasks. Done weekly, this can further the musical development of the students, and with tax-deductable donations to the ACB, a non-profit organization, these services would be provided to the schools, at a greatly reduced cost.
In addition, the ACB has performed/taught at day-long music festivals for high schools in the area. This normally starts out with a brief performance by the Apollo Chamber Brass and moves right into sectionals with the students. After a lunch break, the bands reform into large ensembles, and the members of the ACB play along side the students to be a good example. After playing along side the students, the ACB steps back and listens to the band and critiques their final run-throughs of the day. These music workshops sometimes last as long as a weekend.
As a more in-depth approach, the ACB has been on staff at week-long music camps for high school bands in the area. This affords its members the opportunity to have more time with the students for instruction, and individual attention in the form of one-on-one lessons. Also, this helps the music director by allowing that person to focus on other sections other than brass. The individual brass sections meet with the corresponding ACB musician, and then they are brought together, either in low/high brass pairings or as a large brass ensemble so they can get the overall picture of the brass sound and blend. This also gives the ACB the opportunity to form a rapport with the students, improving their social skills. The week includes performances by the ACB and culminates in a show-ready run-through of the large ensemble. With proper funding, the music directors would be able to take advantage of this opportunity without having to adjust their yearly budget.
The ACB plans a middle-school mentorship program, pending funding, in the fall to spend time with
beginner brass students early on in their development. This gives the ACB the possibility of instilling good habits sooner, and catching the habits which are more challenging once they are ingrained. The program allows the flexibility of meeting during the school day or after school. With the large class sizes basically cut in half, the music director is free to focus on the wood-winds and the percussion. This mentorship progam lasts, at a minimum, one week. However, the ultimate goal is to adopt a high school and the middle-school feeder programs and team teach with those schools throughout the semester. This program would be available to the schools at no cost, with the right funding from the public.
On the elementary level, the ACB performs concerts throughout the Metro Denver area. These concerts are usually lighter fare, and always include a learning component. These "shows" give the audience the tools to be good audience members, or spark the desire to be musicians as they grow older. One show in development now focuses on Colorado history through historical music examples and tie-ins with Colorado historical facts. With non-profit status and the right funding, these concerts would be free-of-charge to the already financially strapped schools.
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