Music unlocks potential.

Potential to create, understand, empower, and inspire.

MyTown Music PHX

Arcadia Neighborhood Learning Center:  5^th Week   

After a week off for fall break, Lypstykk was beaming with energy to finish their original song, Farty Bus.  Needless to say, Lypstykk’s hit song has shifted into full gear and Farty Bus is cruising full speed ahead! 

A few of the members even wrote a rap that will be included in the song.  Must say, Lypstykk sure knows how to take it to the next level. This new verse has become my personal favorite!  While exploring the new territory of rap, instructor Rob asked the group “What do the world’s best rappers have?” Easy enough, Lypstykk exclaimed “RHYTHM”!  A few minutes later and each member of the group was spitting out rap lines to an animated rhythm.  I even witnessed some funny coffee grinder moves and some beat boxing, too!

Besides discovering the new beat of rap, Lystykk also learned the importance of becoming dependent on listening to each other and focusing on what they hear. “The goal is to stay in-sync as a group and avoid flipping the beat.  Pay attention to rhythm and tempo, and keep the groove smooth,” explained instructor Corey.

In the past couple of weeks, I’ve heard awesome news that Lypstykk is busy practicing for their showcase.  The group is hard at work putting final touches on their original song Farty Bus, cover song You Belong With Me, and the MyTown theme song.

Check out a sneak peak of the rap verse:

Oh it’s the farting automobile

it farts in your face and your rears

its also called the farty bus

and it especially farts at guys

you don’t wanna smell it

you’ll faint dead away

who would wanna be it

in that farty way

N_E_W –

MyTown Music PHX

Tavan Elementary School:  4^th Week      

Check out the original song progress of the Tavan Elementary group sessions!

K-2^nd Grade

Dolphins: Cactus Flower

We were sitting outside

at a table

at Tavan Elementary School

saw a little flower

that was stable

and it was super cool

Vampire House: Mr. Giant the Vampire

One brave little girl knocked upon his door

when Mr. Giant opened up he fell to the floor.

scared her to death

scared him to life

 3^rd-5^th Grade

Midnight Pandas

Chorus:

You can take away my clothes

you can take away my shoes

but you can’t take away my cuddly dude

my Panda!

N_E_W –

MyTown Music is crossing yet another state border! San Francisco was officially introduced to the fabulous world of MyTown Music and as expected…they loved it!

We had to take advantage of Corey’s trip to the bay area so a meeting was set up with the Ryse Center in Richmond, CA on Friday. 

Ryse is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the community, giving kids a safe place to go after school and creating responsible, motivated, leaders.  They’re passionate about what they do, and in MtM lingo- they too, are all about EMPOWERMENT. ;) They partner with different organizations (like MtM) to bring in outside programs, classes and talents. So it was quickly recognized how perfectly complementary MtM and Ryse are to each other. Ryse also has strong connections to the local middle schools and high schools. They’re not only a wonderful organization to partner with, but are a great networking hub to the surrounding school system. So stay tuned with news from MyTown at Ryse.  When these powerful entities unite, there’s going to be no stopping the movement for music education! 

Corey also met with a reporter from a local newspaper to promote the efforts of MyTown to the east bay community. She took vigorous notes (unexpected for how quickly Corey speaks when he’s excited-even at 8am!) :)

She too was excited about MtM and suggested another school district to reach out to, in which most schools have a severely limited or no music program at all. 

Like in the state of Arizona, MtM has hit the ground running here in the San Francisco Bay Area. So needless to say, the trip was a productive one for MyTown Music!

Ya’ll should come visit because, 1. You’d love the bay area, and 2. MtM will soon be up and running so facilitators/interns/musicians/loveable people are always more than welcome :)

XX, Papi

Music is universal. Music connects us all.  

MyTown Music PHX

Tavan Elementary School:  3^rd Week      

Music is a universal language that unites people of all different backgrounds.  Group sessions are distinguished by the different understandings the students perceive of the term, “universality”.  Music demonstrates the concept of universality more so than any other art form. It is an essential concept to grasp and know how to apply in the understanding and creation of music.

This idea of the universality of music is strongly present while the groups create original songs together.  It is at this time that elements of critical thinking are highly engaged.  Creating a song as a group empowers each individual student to frame their ideas to coincide with the others.  I often observe students discussing what is appropriate and inappropriate and why they think as such.  It is through these discussions that students are consistently engaging critical thinking skills that establish growth and awareness of others.  The understanding of content is crucial for a song’s success because musical greatness requires thought and process into the audience’s perspective.

At the end of the day, it’s all about learning to work together and creating something that’s original and fun!  And these bands are doing an awesome job; check out the song progress at Tavan Elementary!

K-2^nd Grade

Dolphins: Cactus Flower

A little tiny flower

On a little tiny cactus

It has so much power

But not a lot of access

Cuz it has so many thorns they’re

Like a bunch of soldiers

Vampire House: Mr. Giant the Vampire

Mr. Giant was a mean Vampire

At least that’s what they say

He lived up on a spooky hill

Where the children would not play

He had red, fiery eyes

A black spiky cape

 3^rd-5^th Grade

Midnight Pandas: The Panda

Pandas are black and white

They creep creep around at night

They live in eastern China

Really hard to find

Wander through the jungle

Becuz they have a really great mind.

N_E_W –

Phoenix is representin’ the MyTown swag strong with powerhouse groups at Arcadia Neighborhood Learning Center and Tavan Elementary. We’re not stopping there though, so many more schools to come in the spring including Twin Peaks Elementary, Painted Sky Elementary, and Tortolita Middle school to start.

Here are some super serious and composed pictures to give you a little insight into how this fall is going…

Rob and the babies of Tavan Elementary practicing their “rocker face”: 

Here’s Rob showing some MtMnewbies different components of the electric guitar…

Slater and Gracie of Lypstykk at Arcadia Neighborhood Learning center…stretching:

For whoever thought the xylophone wasn’t a cool instrument…take note:

ANLC is proud to own Lypstykk, the coolest all-girl group since the Spice Girls. But with way more attitude.

Needless to say, Phoenix can handle MyTown just as well as Tucson can. Breaking the 1,000 kid mark across Arizona, MtM is on the up and up. ((Wanna know a secret?? MtMSF…YES. SAN FRANCISCO. will soon be discussed. SAN FRANCISCO PEOPLE!!!)) And MtMNY, which has been in the process for a while now will finally be confirmed later this year as well. And um, MtM..O? No, not Olivia, silly ;) MyTown Music might even have a campus spring up in Omaha, Nebraska thanks to a couple of busy midwestern bees ;) 

So then. Moves are being made. National moves. 

And that’s that for your fall photo update. More to come for Tavan Elementary too, so keep checking our blog/website/Twitter(s)/Facebook page and instructor Twitters/Facebooks :)

withSOmuchSFLOVE,

Papilicioussss