Internationally Renowned Conductor Honors Countryside Montessori Elementary Students

Students present funds raised for Venezuelan Music Program, El Sistema

NORTHBROOK, Illinois - April 2009 - The Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela conducted by renowned Maestro Dudamel ended it's U.S. Tour with a sold out concert at Chicago's Symphony Center and surprise award ceremony for Countryside Montessori students. Elementary children from Countryside Montessori had attended the night-before open rehearsal, in the hopes that they would have the opportunity to present someone in the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra organization with funds they had raised to support El Sistema, a Venezuelan music-education program.

Unforgettable Experience
Following the open rehearsal, after the crowd of fans had dispersed, the students approached the stage to tell of the funds they had raised. They then had the opportunity to present their donation to both Dr. Jose Antonio Abreu (founder of El Sistema) and Maestro Gustavo Dudamel (a product of El Sistema and world renowned conductor). Touched by such generous and unexpected consideration of the El Sistema organization, Dr. Abreu invited the students back to Symphony Center the following day where they were individually honored by Dr. Abreu, Mo. Dudamel and Jesus Rodrigues, Consul General of Venezuela and invited to attend the sold-out evening performance of the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra.

Dr. Abreu, founder of El Sistema, praised the students contribution as "this is a sample of the great thing which is the United States and of how to achieve the objectives of music in the children. For that reason we invite, the students to Venezuela, where they will be received with honors."

Inspired to Help Others
The Countryside elementary students were inspired to support the El Sistema program in Venezuela after watching an informative episode aired on CBS 60 Minutes. Learning that the core idea of El Sistema consists of the formation of community-based youth orchestras by providing free instruments and tuition to children living in dangerous, poverty-stricken areas and children with disabilities, Countryside students wanted to reach out and help those children by raising money to buy instruments for them.

Starting in 2008, through a series of student planned and organized bake sales, pancake breakfasts, and school movie nights, to date, they have raised $2,512.

The story does not end here, however. A family in Caracas, Venezuela saw a story about Countryside Montessori's donation in their local Venezuelan newspaper, and immediately recognized the name of the school - both of their children had attended Countryside when the family lived in the Chicago area. This family has offered additional help for the Countryside students' efforts.

What began as a heartfelt fundraising for children thousands of miles away has brought the Countryside Montessori students closer than they ever thought they would be to this organization they sought to help. The final chapter of this story is perhaps yet to be written.

About El Sistema
El Sistema is a publicly financed voluntary sector music-education program in Venezuela, originally called Social Action for Music. In 1975, Venezuelan economist and amateur musician Jose Antonio Abreu founded Social Action for Music and became its director. He received the National Music Prize for this work in 1979.

The purpose of El Sistema is to use music for the protection of childhood through training, rehabilitation and prevention of criminal behavior. The program is known for rescuing young people in extremely impoverished circumstances from the environment of drug abuse and crime into which they would likely otherwise be drawn.

About Countryside Montessori School
Founded in 1967, Countryside Montessori (Northbrook, Illinois) has been teaching children 16 months old through 6th grade respect, responsibility and resourcefulness. Countryside's elementary curriculum includes traditional course selections designed to spark the child's imagination with awe and wonder and inspire him to learn more.

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Countryside Montessori Makes International News

El Nacional (Venezuelan Newspaper article) Analitica (Venezuelan Newspaper article)

More about El Sistema and Gustavo Dudamel

Official Site - El Sistema MAESTRO DUDAMEL, VENEZUELAN SOFT POWER AND LESSONS FOR AMERICA Maestro Gustavo Dudamel, The Economist (Jan 15th 2009)

Countryside Montessori students perform in school Opera

On May 1, Countryside Montessori School students performed this year's opera, "Pearl," for classmates, staff and family members in the school's gymnasium. An annual tradition for the past 24 years, students push books and homework aside and work solely on their operatic performances, and for some, debuts.

Sanford and Judy Jones of Savannah, Ga., once again joined the students this year as the composer/accompanist and choreographer. The Joneses bring their experiences and accomplishments to the table, which include: Founding director of the American Montessori Teachers Association and director of 13 children's operas for Sanford Jones; an accomplished ballerina and director/owner of the Montclair Academy of Dance for Judy Jones.

The Joneses also brought Stacy Stephens with them to play the role of Sirenia. Stephens has performed as a soloist with the Savannah Symphony.

"Pearl," an underwater story, takes place in the colonial south. Sirenia, the river goddess and her daughter, Pearl, are returning to their "family" of underwater creatures (played by Countryside students) ranging from crayfish to river reeds to a worm.

Through song, the story of Pearl's kidnapping by the Oyster King and the underwater creatures step up to help, only to be defeated by the Oyster King and his evil sea currents. In the end, a water nymph rescues Pearl, leaving the story to end happily.

Around 60 students ranging in ages from 6 to 12-years-old performed a song and dance number in the opera. Cast members received compact discs of the opera's musical numbers a few months ago, and were able to listen and memorize the music/story before rehearsals, which began only four days before the performance.

The week of April 27-May 1 was solely dedicated to singing, dancing and rehearsing the show, which debuted on the evening of May 1. Costumes and set design were all results of the efforts of Countryside parents and faculty.

"The opera is not only an enjoyable part of the year, but it builds the childrens' confidence," Sanford Jones said. "It also teaches them to have an appreciation for the opera at a young age. For kids, singing is as natural as speaking, so it wasn't difficult to produce the show."

Countryside education director Wendy Calise said the opera is not only beneficial for the students, but for the faculty, staff and parents as well.

"It definitely builds community here, everyone pitches in," Calise said. "The older children are always eager to help the younger ones, which is something that's common here. They can show them the ropes since they've performed in the operas before."

By: Jessica Cantarelli/Triblocal.com staff reporter 05/01/09 04:42 PM

Hurray for the Red, White, and Blue

Cars honked and people waved in Northbrook as Countryside Montessori students, teachers, and parents, wearing red, white, and blue marched in their annual Memorial Day Parade on Friday morning, May 22nd. The route went north on Pfingsten from the school at the corner of Techny to Koepke and back. Countryside has been marching to honor Memorial Day for over 40 years.

"I’m an old flag waver,” Head of School, Annette Kulle, says, “and we have done it since 1967, starting in Glenview when the school was there.”

The parade ends in the school parking lot, where marchers gather under the flag for the Pledge of Allegiance and “The Star Spangle Banner,” followed by patriotic songs from “America, the Beautiful” to “You’re a Grand Old Flag.” After the last song, “O Countryside,” the school’s anthem, the party moves to the playground for red, white, and blue popsicles. It’s a grand way to mark the day.

Poetry Lives

Tuesday afternoons this April are special for the eleven children at Countryside Montessori attending Jennifer Rodgers' after-school poetry enrichment class. The attendees are 3 to 6-years-old.

They look forward to it, "with the enthusiasm you usually see associated with college football," Mrs. Rogers says. She's one of three primary teachers at Countryside, where children begin at 3 and stay with the same teacher and classmates through their kindergarten year. Her after-school poetry course draws students from all three primary classes.

The course is an introduction to the poetry of Robert Louis Stevenson, and as Jennifer Rogers describes in her class write-up, Stevenson's poems have ". . . delighted children and enchanted those of us who remain young at heart. His words capture timeless themes of childhood; his simple, musical rhyme makes reading joyful and fun." This week Mrs. Rogers reads, "A Good Play" about Tom and me building a ship on the stairs, "all made of the back-bedroom chairs." Then she serves apple cake, because Tom and me took, "an apple and a slice of cake," on their adventure. After the snack, with the help of a 5th grade boy and 2nd grade girl from Countryside's multi-age elementary class, the children make apple prints. It's a hallmark of the school, to have older children help younger ones, whether tying a shoe or pressing a cheery red-painted apple onto paper. The 2nd grade girl is herself a graduate of Mrs. Rogers' class and grins the entire time. The room is quiet, serious work is taking place, save for the occasional comment, "I ate an apple before," and "I love apples," and 'Look, Mrs. Rogers, you can see the veins."

There's time at the end for one more reading of the poem. "Let us also take, an apple and a slice of . . ." Mrs. Rogers pauses and lets the children fill in "cake." She asks if they remember the poet's name, "Robert . . ." she offers, and quickly one child says, "Frost." The child is from her class. "Yes, we read Robert Frost today," she explains to him. "This poet is Robert Louis Stevenson." She jokes with the children that if you want to be a poet, your first name should be Robert. There's a lively discussion about several of the children's names.

Poetry is a great love of this teacher and sharing it with young minds delights her. She is especially gratified that a few days after the first session, one young participant delivering fresh laundry to her classroom (such errands are an integral part of the school day) stopped to talk with her. The poem from that first session was "Escape at Bedtime" with the lines, "And high overhead and all moving about, there were thousands of millions of stars." The boy tells her that he and his parents every night read the poem together before bed. She's pleased. But what makes the news even more significant is that the boy and his family are Korean. English is not their native language. What a lovely testament to the universal language of poetry. Yes, on the corner of Pfingsten and Techny in Northbrook, poetry lives.