Dec 2, 2019 | Ms. Munday's News
It’s December and it’s beginning to look a lot like… Holiday Madness! So many activities to complete; gift giving, food making, party planning, finals. It’s easy to become overwhelmed and lose sight of fun. The LCHS Instrumental Music Department is your holiday antidote for holiday stress!
Come enjoy a meal at Dona Maria’s this Wednesday, no cooking for you and you’ll be helping out the music program!
Also, here’s a gift tip for you, make sure to buy some beautiful poinsettias from a music student. They are big and healthy and beautiful! You won’t see plants like this in the stores!
Next Saturday, December 7th, either come see our great Marching Band in the Montrose Christmas Parade, or come to a Holiday Open House at a gorgeous home in Shadow Hills and hear holiday music from our equally great Orchestra.
Of course, the high point of the season is the Winter Spectacular Concert on Thursday, December 12th at 7pm in the LCHS auditorium. Come hear the high school groups play holiday music of all kinds. It’s a great way to celebrate the students and the Season with music!
Wishing you all sanity and peace.
Nov 12, 2019 | Ms. Munday's News
It was a great Elementary Tour last Friday. I was really proud of the students… They played beautifully and they hustled and got all the equipment on and off in record time!
Special thanks to Iman Behshid and Zach Northrop for joining us on guitar and drum set. They rocked the house! Thank you to Yvonne Lim for chaperoning and picture taking and to Mr. Stone for driving the truck and looking out for all of us!
I hope everyone is enjoyed a well-deserved day off! Orchestra pictures this Wednesday!
Have a happy week!
Nov 4, 2019 | Ms. Munday's News
What a great Fall concert last week! Threats of power outages did not materialize and the show went on! All of the participating student musicians played to their maximum. Mr. Myers and I are so proud of them! Thank you, parents, for coming and supporting the concert.
We have another concert on Friday of this week, our annual Elementary Tour, where we go to the three La Cañada elementary schools and perform for the students. This is always a great day of fun and performing. Parent chaperones are needed for this event. If you can, we would love to have you volunteer and spend the day with these great kids. If you are able to do this, please contact Yvonne Lim.
Oct 28, 2019 | Ms. Munday's News
You are all cordially invited to the Fall Orchestra Concert this Wednesday, October 30th at 7pm in the LCHS auditorium. Admission is free. The students have worked very hard and sound great! There is music from Rossini and Beethoven. Contemporary composer Maria Newman and film composers Alan Silvestri and Danny Elfman are also represented. You won’t want to miss all the surprises!
I have talked to the orchestra students and asked them to bring their parents, friends and neighbors to the concert. If each student could bring 2 people, we would have a great audience which really ups the energy on stage! The orchestras sound so good, and you will be so proud of your children to hear them play in such wonderful ensembles.
Have a wonderful week and see you Wednesday evening at the concert!
Oct 22, 2019 | Ms. Munday's News
Sydney W., a junior Orchestra cellist, was asked to compose a piece for the Pasadena Symphony which they performed this past weekend. I heard the Friday evening rehearsal and it knocked my socks off! Very complicated rhythmically and harmonically with great colors and energy! Bravo Sydney!
We are coming into the home stretch for our first concert of this year, October 30th at 7pm. One of the pieces the orchestra is performing is by composer/violist Maria Newman, of Newman family fame. She will be coming this Tuesday to listen to the rehearsal of her piece. Lots to do before October 30th! I hope everyone has a wonderful week!
Oct 7, 2019 | Ms. Munday's News
This weekend I experienced Forest Bathing. It’s one of those things that I’ve read about that helps make your life more mindful. My family and I were hiking in some local mountains, and I, not being in tip-top shape, was falling behind the others. I started to feel really bad about it, but then, I thought what if I looked at the situation a little differently? So instead of putting myself down that I couldn’t keep up, I started to enjoy the solitary time. I noticed the different sounds, smells, and sights of the beautiful forest. It was so restful and wonderful. I was amazed to see how quickly I went from feeling stressed to feeling calm and happy.
My thoughts then went to our students. If they could learn to take a moment and switch their perspective from a negative to a positive outlook on themselves, they would be able to change those stressful thoughts into kind ones toward themselves.
May you all have a wonderful week!
Oct 1, 2019 | Ms. Munday's News
I am so glad that students from the music department were able to go to hear the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra in concert on Saturday night at the Alex Theater. Jaime Martin is the new conductor, and he really took hold of those reins! It was a fun and rewarding concert to play, and I am happy that several students were there to hear it!
October 1st is the deadline for signing up for the Carnegie Hall trip! This is an experience of a lifetime; you don’t want to miss it! Parents are encouraged to come! It will be an amazing trip! Sign up now!
Sep 23, 2019 | Ms. Munday's News
I have a new treat! It’s at Starbucks and it’s a pumpkin creme cold brew. I’m looking forward to pumpkins, cooler weather, and of course, making music with all of the students! Everyone is off to a great start! Happy Fall!
Sep 16, 2019 | Ms. Munday's News
Fun is a good thing, right? I’ve noticed that when I’ve performed in a concert that I felt good about, I describe it as having been fun! Sometimes, I think fun gets a bad rap, like it’s not serious enough, or it’s not deep enough. When I was younger, a part of me thought that could be true, but I noticed that I still felt that good concerts were “fun.”
Now, I am all-in with fun! I believe this is what Mary Poppins was telling us when she sang, “a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down.” Music is fun! This week, I hope that we all find the fun in our daily lives!
Sep 9, 2019 | Ms. Munday's News
On Saturday evening, we went to Descanso Gardens to hear a concert, the first one of their series, Silence. It sounded like an interesting premise, so we went. It was mostly electronic music, layered on top of each other so that the melody would morph into something really different, but not all at once. It became apparent that I would need to listen with “different ears,” meaning, my usual way of listening to music following motives, forms, keys, rhythmic interest, wasn’t cutting it. I finally gave up and just let the music wash over me, and that worked! I also began to notice the smells and sounds of the garden, which added a lot to my enjoyment.
It was definitely out of my comfort zone.
I then thought about how often we ask students to leave their comfort zones to try out new ideas, thoughts, experiences, and they do it! It’s not so easy, but important for all of us! I am grateful for my unusual concert experience and I hope that each of you find an interesting thing to do this week that’s out of your own comfort zone!
