At Park Center Senior High, the halls are alive with the sound of music—thanks to an ongoing partnership with MacPhail Center for Music.
For six weeks this spring, Park Center band and orchestra scholars had a unique opportunity to participate in a residency with Terrell "Carnage the Executioner" Woods, a local rapper and beatboxer. Students learned about the history of hip-hop, rap and beatboxing, and practiced creating their own beats. Woods joined scholars in person on May 11-12, and even set beats as students played their instruments.
This opportunity was made possible by MacPhail's Ophelia Copes Grant, which honors the memory of former Brooklyn Center resident Ophelia Copes. Although she passed away in 2014 at the age of 104, Copes' legacy as an alumna of MacPhail School of Music and her 60-year career in piano education lives on. Her estate is managed by Diane and Darryl Sannes, a Brooklyn Center couple who has been influential in coordinating opportunities for Park Center music students to learn from and collaborate with MacPhail teaching artists.
Now in its third year, the Park Center/MacPhail partnership has provided scholars with a breadth of opportunities to grow as young musicians. Earlier this school year, students learned about composition with Dr. Sarah Miller, and in 2018-2019 and 2019-2020, MacPhail artists worked with Park Center scholars on instrument technique and improvisation.
Interested in hearing Woods' collaboration with Park Center musicians? Check out these short videos featuring orchestra and band scholars!