Back in April, we held our annual Achievement Day at Flourish.
If you’re not already familiar with Achievement Day, it is a non-competitive event where students receive written feedback from experienced music educators. This is an extremely valuable experience; sometimes, when a different teacher gives feedback, a concept will “click” for the first time! This year, we were fortunate enough to work with Wanda Vásquez Garcia and Socrates Garcia (pictured right).
About Wanda and Socrates:
Wanda Vásquez Garcia is a general music educator, choir director/singer, and clinician. A native of the Dominican Republic currently living in Colorado, she holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from the Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo, the first University in the American Continent. She also holds a Master’s Degree in Music Education with an emphasis on choral music from the University of Northern Colorado. Wanda is the general music teacher at the Escuela Bilingüe Pioneer in Lafayette, Colorado, and the children and youth choir director at First Congregational Church of Greeley, Colorado.
Socrates Garcia is a composer, arranger, producer, recording engineer, bandleader, guitarist, and educator from the Dominican Republic. He currently is Associate Professor of Music and Director of Music Technology at the University of Northern Colorado, where he teaches a variety of courses in music technology and Advanced Jazz Arranging.
We are so proud of our students and their accomplishments!
Students each performed two songs of contrasting style, in their Achievement Program level, for Wanda and Socrates. They also chose two “options” from the following categories: Skills, Musicianship, Sightreading, and Creative Project. After completing all of these requirements, students received certificates (pictured below).
This year, 19 students chose to make a Creative Project as one of their options. Projects included original artwork, musical compositions, essays, and more. Check out the finished products below!
Achievement Day is a great way to keep our students motivated!
One parent told us later that her son loved the feedback he got at Achievement Day. She said it has really re-fueled his excitement and motivation for cello! We LOVE to hear this, and hope other students had a similar experience.
It’s never too early to start thinking about participating in Achievement Day! Our next one will be held on April 9, 2022. Current students, keep this event in mind as you progress through your Achievement Program level.