All About Ms. Aimee
Interview by Elizabeth Weinstein - 5^th Grade

Q:    How long have you been our music teacher at Franklin?

A:    I have been teaching at Franklin now for 6 years teaching Music and for 6.5 years teaching the after-school Theatre program.  It is a very special school with an incredible staff and amazing students.  I absolutely adore my job at Franklin and feel so lucky to be here.  Friends of Franklin is also very special in its understanding of the arts and its support for the students.

Q:    Do you teach only singing?

A:    No, I teach piano, music theory, recorder, dance and musical theatre.  I love it!

Q:    Do you work only at my school?

A:  No, I also work with the Music Center of Los Angeles downtown.  With that organization I go to a different school every 6-14 weeks depending on what is required.  Right now I am at a school in Valencia on Mondays teaching Vocal Music to third graders.  I have also taught at 74th Street Elementary in L.A., Robinson Elementary in Manhattan Beach, Morrison Elementary in El Monte, and Paseo del Rey Elementary in Playa del Rey.  Sometimes I even get to teach teachers about how to use the arts in their curriculum!  That's a lot of fun for me because I always learn a lot from them.
 
I also teach ballet/tap at Studio A right here on Hyperion in Silverlake on Saturday mornings, and piano and voice lessons at my home studio in Glendale after school.  With my little company, Aimee Art Productions: Building Self-Esteem and Literacy Through the Arts, I have offered classes at many other schools in the neighborhood such as Ivanhoe Elementary, Immaculate Heart Middle School, Glenfeliz Elementary, Larchmont Charter, Delaney-Wright Fine Arts Preschool, Camelot Kids Preschool, Hancock Park Elementary and West Hollywood Elementary.  We also recently have been able to work with several schools in El Monte with kids at risk, which has been very rewarding. 

Q:    I can't wait to find out what we're doing this year...can you give me
a hint?

A:   Oh my gosh, we are doing so many fun musical things!  In Music class, we have been learning about breath control, pitch, melody and harmony, with songs about Fall, Halloween, and World Peace.  The third graders have been learning how to play the recorder, and we are all beginning to learn to read and write music too!
 
We are now moving into rehearsals for our International Sing & Dance performance on Thurs. December 17th, so each class will be preparing songs and dances from a particular region of the world or on a global topic.  Our theme is "Enjoy the Music!"  I love collaborating with the Franklin teachers and students on this every year.  Then on Fri., December 18th we will meet by grade level to sing Winter Celebration songs just for fun before Winter Break.  In January, we will return to our curriculum, focusing on different types of harmony, enunciation, dynamics, tempo, composers, theory, music notation, rhythm, and writing our own songs.  We will sing songs from all over the world, including music on such themes as Women's History Month, Black History Month, U.S. History, Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Springtime and more. 

In Chorus, we are learning to sing with proper posture and technique, to sing in harmony with others, and to match our pitch to the piano and blend our voices together.  We are working on songs by Cat Stevens, Kimya Dawson, Celine Dion, Stephen Schwartz, and more.  We will perform at Open House on Thurs. April 22nd at 5:15 PM, with an invited class for parents on Fri. March 5th at 1:40 for Primary Chorus and at 2:05 for Upper-Grade Chorus. 

In Theatre Arts, we are working on an original musical by our own Sandi Picazo from Franklin Kids called  "The Scary Night Before the Harvest Festival" with K-2 students, to be performed on Fri. Nov. 20th at 5 PM in the auditorium.  With the 3rd-5th graders, we are rehearsing the musical fairy tale "Beauty and the Beast" with a show on Fri. Dec. 11th at 6 PM.  These will be a lot of fun for both cast and audience!

And of course, the Orchestra will continue rehearsing with Mr. Stolmack and performing too, so there is another important avenue for musical students. 

So, I guess this will be a pretty exciting year for Music at Franklin. 

Q:    Ms.Aimee, do you like teaching?

A:  Are you kidding?  It is my life.

THANK YOU MS. AIMEE!