8th & 9th Grade Students Perform Ragtime Marimba on Xylophone

Eighth- and ninth-grade New Canaan Country School music students learned a challenging marimba composition called The Mitty Matty Rag, which they performed on soprano, alto, bass and contrabass xylophones, Oct.12.

The piece, a reimagining of an old Irish nursery rhyme called Mitty Matty that composer Jeff Henson created in the style of Ragtime music (inspired by the composer George Hamilton Green), was so joyfully engaging, it caused an impromptu dance party amongst second graders outside the Pre-K through Grade 9 school’s classroom windows.

Through their study of this piece, the students learned about syncopation and its use in Ragtime music, and the form of the piece which included: introduction, A section, B section, improvisation, transition, recap, and coda. Students also learned about ensemble playing (playing together), listening to other parts, and the value of keeping a steady beat.

“This has been a wonderful class with which to work,” said Performing Arts Teacher Ellen Baer who has worked with many of the students since Lower School. “This group has a solid understanding of how musical pieces can come together to create a whole. I was pleased to see them rely upon their foundational skills but then also be able to take risks in their individual solos. They rose to the challenge with curiosity and courage.”

“None of us knew how to play the xylophone before this year,” acknowledged Colin Mackey of New Canaan who volunteered to play the contrabass bars. “Despite that, we learned our parts really well and when we put it all together, I think that it sounded great, I was really pleased with how it turned out.”

New Canaan Country School is a co-ed, independent day school for students in Pre-K (ages 3 & 4) through Grade 9 living in Westchester and Fairfield counties. Graduates excel at top day, boarding and public secondary schools and go on to lead lives of impact and purpose. For more information, please visit countryschool.net.