#TKTD13 Sunrise & Sunset

Miles and his buddy Sam at a Hawks game

This week's featured family is the Willner family, and they represent the theme--Sunrise & Sunset because we have had a Willner child enrolled at Springdale Park every year since we opened, but now it is time for Miles, SPARK's last Willner, to go to middle school.

Allyson & Tom Willner have three wonderful, musical kids: Klara (SPARK 2009-2012), Elliot (2009-2015), and Miles (2014-2020). The first year SPARK was open we did not have 5th grade, so our Chorus and AC, Band, and Orchestra students (including Klara) began their ensemble study, in addition to Music class, as third graders. 

Tom (click for his bio) is a cancer survior and musician who uses storytelling and music to teach about the patient experience through his musical "Turning Thirty". He also works in higher education technology. Before SPARK even opened Tom came by to offer to accompany our chorus concerts (!!!), and he was our regular accompanist until Klara went to middle school. While Allyson claims to not be a musician, you can hear a tiny bit of her singing in one of the flipgrid videos below. Allyson has been an amazing & strong advocate and shining light for me to be able to stay focused on the great work our students can accomplish! I'm so grateful!

Allyson and Tom have been stalwart supporters of SPARK for 11 years, and their commitment to keeping Music strong at SPARK rubbed off on their kids--Klara was in Chorus, AC, and Orchestra, Elliot was in Band and was a great Music student, and Miles participated in Band and AC, honor choruses, and special events. Miles performed in nearly every event we've had, online or offline over the past few years, and he even organized and performed a benefit concert at the Red Light Cafe to raise funds for our Music programs in 2018 (#MilesandFriends) and 2019 (#SPARKRocks2). Tom has reprised his role as accompanist during Miles's 4th and 5th grade years. All three Willner kids were active musicians at SPARK, and I hope they will each continue making music for their entire lives!   

Klara in 3rd & 4th grade AC at the Governor's Mansion, December 2009

Hot Chocolate from the Polar Express

accompanied by Tom Willner

Christmas Time is Here from A Charlie Brown Christmas

accompanied by Tom Willner

Klara in AC "Oye" by Jim Papoulis Tom Willner and Willard Santos, Accompanists

In addition to being a saxophone player in Band, Elliot was a great Music student, earning second place in our Composer Project Festival that was judged by members of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.

Elliot in Band May 2014 playing Tempest, Erin Moore director

How many 4th graders plan and perform a benefit concert for their school Music program? 

Check out #MilesandFriends on Twitter for more videos from 2018

Finale Radioactive
#MilesandFriends #apsarts #Gradyarts pic.twitter.com/cRkiiwLpKR

— Ms. Turgeon (@MusicAtSPARK) August 20, 2018

Fine Arts Night "

Back to School Bash with Aine "I Won't Give Up"

Tom's song at SPARKRocks2

SPARKRocks2 Out of My Head 

Aine, Miles, Patrick (AMP) performing ICTTWAGBF

#TKTD12 Friends and Family

It looks like the summer is keeping folks busy, but luckily our theme drew in the Mahony kids and Miles to perform some songs.

For this week I decided to highlight the Mahony Family and some of their musical friends, and other SPARK families and/or music schools will be highlighted in coming weeks!

Aine, Aisling, and Padraig have been active musicians and dancers their entire lives, and through music they have developed some wonderful bonds with friends. Check out this wonderful family and their friends Miles and Patrick!

Aine and Miles practice Shallow from A Star is Born


Mahony Family sings Ob La Di


Mahony Family dances the Treble Reel


Padraig sings Ice Ice Baby


Aine, Miles, and Patrick sing at Hands On Atlanta's 9/11 Day of Service


Teeny Aine singing Riptide (check out her 5th grade version below!)

#TKTD11 Raise Your Voice!

Sing a song about something you believe in--something worth standing up for.

I love the variety of submissions this week. The students sang and played songs that move them, but some friends also spent an afternoon having some fun, but also in making up songs on topics that are swirling in their minds. These friends give a childlike perspective of justice but also how paying attention to differences and fairness is just part of their lives. 

Huge thank you goes to Rachel Platt, who was a student of mine at Morningside before SPARK was built. She just graduated from Vanderbilt (Summa Cum Laude--BAM!), and Rachel embodies music. It has been a wonder to see her grow into such a wonderful and active singer/songwriter and actor, and I can't wait to see all she does as a teacher! 

More thanks go to Ms. Emily Backus, the Music teacher at Mary Lin who always contributes her great talents and thoughtful songs to our TKTD concerts. Ms. Backus is on the Board of Directors and is an instructor for Girls Rock Camp, and she can play any song in any key on guitar, plays banjo, and lots of other instruments, but majored in percussion at UGA. She can literally play guitar, sing, and play drums with her feet. All at once. She's that person who can do it all. 

Thanks also goes to master librarian Rebecca Ballard, the Oconee County Library’s Children’s Specialist (read about the cool things she's doing!), aka Rebecca Sunshine of the Rebecca Sunshine Band! Check out her work and CD here!  http://www.rebeccasunshineband.com/

#TKTD 10 A Tiny Tiny Kids show

Throughout the summer we'll keep the TKTD opportunities open. This week is a tiny but wonderful show! I included this week's submission, but also a GREAT example of our solfege scale and skips to Do and the SPARK Song.