Ariel Ortega, Music Teacher
Education Through Music-Los Angeles
Every day of the ETM-LA 2025 Summer Program at St. Finbar School brought unique learning experiences to the students. The mornings began with an opening music activity led by one of the ETM-LA music teachers: Ryan Fogal, Ricardo Rodriguez, and myself.
Some highlights over the two-week program include Mr. Fogal’s exploration of composer John Williams and his film music, my presentation on the differences and similarities between Marching Band and Pep Band ensembles, and Mr. Rodriguez’s rhythm four-square game. First-day activities used in my general music/choir classroom that reinforced beat and listening, such as Beat Tag and Instrument Bingo (courtesy of MusicplayOnline), became staples that students repeatedly asked to play throughout the Summer Program.
During the program we had guest artists Sharon Farber (composer/pianist) and Eden Kontesz (singer/actress) visit, and it was a very eye-opening experience for the students. We were fortunate to have a singer of Eden’s caliber join our class and share with the students tips she had for singing, including the importance of smiling with the eyes (“smizing”), grounding oneself, performing often, and the intent behind what you sing.
I hope it inspired the students to see someone close to their age performing music in concerts, musicals, and TV shows, to show them the possibilities of pursuing music professionally. Every opportunity to perform is an opportunity to improve and learn, and Eden’s performance at the Summer Camp perfectly embodied this message that she shared with the students.
Across the board, whether picking up an instrument for the first time or already having some experience under their belt, the students learned how to play in a variety of ensemble settings. All students learned instrumental (orchestra/band) technique from Mr. Fogal or Mr. Rodriguez, respectively; meanwhile, general music and singing were taught to all students by me. Given the recent passing of Brian Wilson, I made it a point to teach the students about The Beach Boys. After exploring some of their music, we started learning to sing “Surfin’ USA” in two parts. This was made all the more exciting with the inclusion of me on the drumset – jamming out to the surf beat, of course! Our other song, “Joy”, was a more lighthearted tune that included choreography through the use of American Sign Language (ASL).
The advanced band fittingly played excerpts from two iconic John Williams scores – Jurassic Park and Star Wars – while the beginning band played classics of the tradition: Hot Cross Buns and Down By the Station. Meanwhile, the orchestra featured some impressive soloing by students in the form of a 12 Bar Blues as well as a beautiful rendition of Carl Maria von Weber‘s Hunter’s Chorus.
On top of all these performance experiences, we also had two students perform solo pieces: one sung by ETM-LA student alumna Krista Sims and another sung and played on trumpet by student Esau. However, the most memorable playing experience given to the students this Summer Program was our rendition of The Electric Light Orchestra’s Mr. Blue Sky. This became a collaboration between the orchestra and choir, and it was amazing to see the students work together to learn the music in less than 9 days for our performance at the end of the program!
My perspective of the culminating concert as a first-year ETM-LA Summer Music Program teacher was one of immense gratitude and wonder. I felt grateful to the students for lending us their time to teach and prepare them for their big performance. It was clear, through their patience and collaboration, that the students genuinely enjoyed music and wanted to put on the best performance possible.
I also felt grateful for having such a supportive team between my fellow teachers and our summer program coordinators, Lucy Cahuantzi and Chloë Howes. My feeling of wonder stems from the fact that many of these students, particularly those in the beginning band, were playing their instruments for the very first time. As a fledgling band director myself, I know the difficulty of playing some of these instruments for the first time. To add the pressure of a concert performance on top of that can seem daunting – yet these students rose to the occasion. Mistakes happened, of course, but what mattered was their determination to keep going – an invaluable lesson in music and life. As a first-year teacher, I walked away in awe of how much can be accomplished in just 9 days.
# # #
Education Through Music-Los Angeles is an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to provide and promote music in under-resourced schools as part of the core curriculum for every child in order to enhance students’ academic achievement, creativity, and overall development.
For more information: www.etmla.org