This Place (Goodbye)

This Place

This place was my home for the last 8 years.

This place was my inspiration.

This place was where I learned to be an educator and a leader.

This place looks a lot different than when I walked in.

This place is where I have met some of the most inspirational people.

This place is where I have been able to watch students grow and succeed.

This place is where students celebrate success, evaluate defeat, and mourn the loss of loved ones.

This place is where I learned more from my students than I could ever hope to impart to them.

This place grows leaders (students and teachers).

This place inspires others to strive for success regardless of their background or situation.

This place has the hardest working staff anywhere.

This place is family.

This place is where students are prepared and taught to succeed.

This place is not only an elective classroom, it is the entire school.

This place is Success Through Actions (all day, everyday).

This place, I ever PLEDGE to keep your memory.

May 30th was "Wicked" Awesome!

No, I am not in the Northeast eating clam chowdah, I went with my wife and a load of people from Gonzales and Baton Rouge to see Abby Ragusa perform in "Wicked."  The Dreams Come True foundation was able to provide this amazing opportunity for the choir and St. Amant High School alum.

Abby appeared in multiple scenes, sang, and was center stage for the bows.  She received instruction from the vocal director who was very impressed with her ability (because she is an AWESOME ALTO!).

Following the performance, my wife and I snuck backstage with the family.  It was amazing to see how everything works and how organized everything was.  The performers and crew were very complimentary of Abby and when she exited the backstage door, she was mobbed for autographs!

Congratulations and brava for an amazing performance!

What has music done for you lately?

My favorite assignment in my classes is "a day without music."  I challenge students to attempt to not experience any music for an entire day.  When they hear it on TV, they should turn it off, when played in a store, avoid that store.  This assignment awakens a reality that music is embedded in society as motivation, coercion, inspiration, and more.

Music can move you to tears or inspire you to run marathon.  It can cause you to reflect and it can motivate you.

How has music influenced you, moved you, changed you, inspired you?

Here's my story:

As a kid, music was a reason to get out of school and go on a field trip.  My Our Lady of Prompt Succor Choir in Chalmette, LA (Mr. Randy Rumbelow, director) would take us out to the mall and we would sing a few carols.

The first time music really moved me was in high school.  Jesuit was an all male school and the choir sang at every mass.  It made me want to be a part of it.  Later, I got sucked into musical theatre at Dominican High School where my singing really took off.  I was just a shadow until I started finding myself and my personality through Mrs. Abadie, Payton, and Castillo.  Here is where I knew music would be a major part of my life.

In college, music led me to my beautiful wife (the choir director... of course!).  I found out you could make $$ singing and still have it move you with Government Street Presbyterian Church in Mobile where performing Rutter's "Requiem" inspired me to pursue music rather than history.

At Loyola, I refined my skills and met an amazing mentor whose wisdom and beauty at the podium is unmatched.  I met the best musicians that I could ever imagine, had a great vocal coach, and honed my skills as an educator and advocate for music.

Today, I am a choir director (singing when I can) and try to inspire future musicians as the amazing teachers that I had before.  I know that I would not have my voice had it not been for all of those who led me to where I am and I hope to be that motivator for my former, current, and future students.  It is not about being an amazing singer, it is about a love for the art form and a desire to better yourself as a human.

So, what have you gotten out of music and what has music gotten out of you?

End of Year Pics

Well, when it is the end of the year, what do I do?  Beg students to email me the pics they took because I forget to take any pictures!

Here are some of my favorites...

Choir concert (Adv. Girls Choir)

with Carl, the Sweepstakes Trophy

Natalie and Jordan

Two stellar, 8 semester Sopranos!

Mrs. Allison, Kelsey, and Mr. Marvin

SUPER-DUPER supportive parents 

Solfege fun... 'nuf said!

Feeling left out??  Send me your pics and I will post!

WAY behind schedule!??!?!?!

This is the time of year that stresses out any teacher.  Whether English, PE, Band, or Social Studies, teachers at St. Amant are preparing Seniors for their last exams, SLTs for review, AP testing, and more.  

I should have posted about this much sooner, but wanted to post pics (I am still praying on parents to send me some pics to post...hint, hint).  This is my seventh year at St. Amant and I can see myself turning into the fat Mr. Holland from the movie.  I watch these students grow and mature over four years and realize that they learn so much in their time in high school.  Not only as musicians, but as citizens who contribute.  The seniors this year have so very much to be proud of...  2 state sweepstakes trophies, redemption from "Greensleeves" (SA, Rentz) their freshman year.  The whole time, having Mr. B breathing down their throats saying that their amazing singing can be even better.

It is truly a joy to teach students who can blossom into such great young adults.

I was given two very special notes from probably two of the greatest leaders in my choirs in years.  They were careful to critique with caution and sing with passion.  My favorite things about the notes are the following quotes (didn't cry on the first read through, but definitely did on the second)...

"It has been an amazing journey for me--one in which I have found my voice and myself."

"You have always kept an eye out for me, and done so much to help me succeed.  I have never met anyone so invested in students' lives and well-being."  (there's more, but I'll stop there)

"I look up to you very much.  I know that you will always have my best interest at heart whether it is help with a song or advice for life."

These notes will be kept close for the down days when I don't know what to do or get frustrated because of my high expectations.  I have the absolute best job in the world and teach the best students in the world.  They may be a mixed up crew of kids, but they can sing as one uniform group and make amazing sounds and, most importantly, sing with passion!

These students motivate me to be a better instructor everyday to make these students achieve their fullest potential!

Thank you, Natalie and Jordan for giving me notes that I can reflect on any time I am having a bad day and need some support!

Proud Director!

Well, you hear it from teachers all the time... we refer to our students as "my kids."  Not as an insult to the actual parents (nearly all of them are unbelievable in supporting the kids), but as an attribute to the bond that teachers can form with students from spending so much time together.

Yesterday, I had my beginning choir, for the first time EVER, receive superior ratings at the state level (they received superior concert).  As I told my beginners, this far exceeded  my expectations!

My Mixed Choir received a sweepstakes trophy (ALL 1s).  My Select Ensemble received a 2 overall in concert, but a 1 in sight-reading.

The biggest accomplishment was from my Advanced Girl Choir.  This group received 100% 1s (in ALL categories).  I told them before we went on that they had been my biggest challenge of the semester.  I have NEVER worked with an advanced treble choir and they are/were so good that I had to find ways to challenge them.

The choirs from St. Amant have taken a HUGE step forward this year and I hope to continue that trend as the years progress.

Free Summer Camp for Ascension Youth!

St. Amant High School will host its 3rd "Singing Summer Camp" from May 28-31.  Thanks to The Ascension Fund, it is FREE to all participants!

If you know anyone with kids entering grades 1-8, let them know about this amazing experience.

.pdf of registration located at:  http://tinyurl.com/d34u4m3

For registration information, e-mail: bryan.bertucci@apsb.org

The goal of the Singing Summer Camp is to allow students to learn about the choral art form and to encourage the development of elementary and middle school vocal music programs in the Ascension Parish Public Schools.