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The Berkshire music academy connects well-known musicians with local students. The pandemic has lead to expanded online programming.

Music Academy Opens Online Courses With Expanded Programming

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
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ADAMS, Mass. — COVID-19 won't mute the Berkshires Academy for Advanced Musical Studies as the music school recently announced expanded virtual offerings.
 
Executive Director Richard Boulger has not missed a beat throughout the novel coronavirus lockdown and was happy to say "eBAAMs" enrollment is open.
 
"We are committed to offering free access to eBAAMS ... we can work with children from anywhere," Boulger said. "I am thrilled to be back in the Berkshires after living in New York for 20-plus years and am very proud to bring with me a world-class music faculty to help Berkshire County kids."
 
The music academy was announced in 2019 and Boulger, a North Adams native and professional jazz trumpet player, planned to bring world-class musicians to the county to teach in the academy. 
 
Donald Sommer, a local business owner, had his own part to play and redeveloped the former St. Mark's Episcopal Church to create the Olga C. Sommer Center for Music & Art. The renovation was largely completed in 2020, and Sommer planned to lease the building to BAAMS to house the music academy.
 
This was obviously delayed by the pandemic with the playing of wind instruments considered one of the riskier activities in terms of the transmission of COVID-19.
 
BAAMS found creative solutions. It held the summer jazz camp outdoors and continued to refine eBAAMS -- its online academy.
 
Also in the summer of 2020, Sommer announced that he purchased the former First Baptist Church right down the street from St. Mark's on Commercial Street. At the time, he saw the acquisition as a possible expansion of the Sommer Center.
 
Boulger said the prospect of expanding BAAMS is an exciting idea, but the future of the building is still unknown at this point in time.
 
"I believe the former First Baptist Church has huge potential," he said. "Until a feasibility study has been performed and reviewed, it's next to impossible for me to guess how much work must be done for the Baptist church to become a useable space."
 
That being said, Boulger said he was excited to begin in-person learning at the former St. Mark's, the only church in which BAAMS has a lease agreement, when public health data allows.
 
"The key for BAAMS will be to ensure we have a building that provides multiple teaching studios, a recording studio, broadcast capabilities, and a world-class performance space for our students, faculty and special guest performances," Boulger said. "In the meantime, we are extremely excited by the success of our after-school online programming through eBAAMS, which offers free online access to young music students ages from anywhere in Berkshire County."
 
eBAAMS offers live-streamed music lessons for ages 12-18 as well as a library of original play-along tracks and musical exercises.
 
"I'm very excited to be working with BAAMS both as a saxophone, woodwinds and improvisation instructor as well as serving as BAAMS' co-musical director,"  Alex Foster, saxophonist for the Saturday Night Live Band.
 
Boulger said BAAMS gives students access to lessons in improvisation, saxophone, trumpet, piano, bass, guitar, and drums. He said staff teaches his own HTF Learning System.
 
"I have created HTF after a lifetime of private study and working closely with master musicians," Boulger said. "It is based on the idea that one's musical instrument is actually an amplifier for what one is hearing, thinking and feeling. Once our students know how to convey what they hear, think, and feel musically, suddenly you've got a whole new, positive outlet for kids to express themselves."
 
Boulger said there will be additions to eBAAMS. Programming will expand to recording technology and a "virtual coffee house" studio and stage where students can upload and share their own inspired performances with faculty and fellow students. 
 
The academy is also in the beginning stages of launching online music learning for adult students.
 
"We are currently developing BAAMS' Premier which will offer online music learning to adults," he said. "We realize there is a demand for what we offer among many adult aspiring, amateur, or professional musicians."
 
Boulger said folks can continue to support BAAMS through donations. Donations are exclusively for programming expenses. 
 
"We are grateful to all of the individuals who have supported us with donations as well as volunteer labor and expertise from key members of our support team," Boulger said.

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Hoosac Valley High School is Moving and Shaking

There have been some major shifts within the Hoosac Valley Regional School District recently, all of which have focused on enhancing the student experience to make it a place where ALL students can find their path.
 
In 2023, Hoosac Valley High School was designated an Innovation Pathway School by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and has since restructured the Program of Studies, utilized creative scheduling, and expanded internship opportunities. Part of this transformation includes participating in a "Portrait of a Graduate" cohort alongside four other Berkshire County schools to determine a collective vision for student success, in partnership with the BARR Foundation.
 
The Innovation Pathways at HVHS are designed to give students coursework and experience in a specific high-demand industry, such as technology, engineering, healthcare, or life sciences. Currently, Biomedical Science & Healthcare and Environmental Studies have received official state IP designation. In addition to the IP designated pathways, HVHS offers programs in Engineering & Technology, Business & Entrepreneurship, Arts & Entertainment, Education, and Sports Medicine. The result is that students have an opportunity for a transformative experience – enabling them to build essential skills, gain awareness of future career opportunities, and make informed choices about post-secondary education in promising fields.
 
Principal Colleen Byrd notes, "What makes our program special is that entry into the Pathway of your choice allows a student to access Advanced Placement and dual enrollment college courses, as well as internships in the community to set them up for success after high school."
 
The Portrait of a Graduate initiative consists of a team of Hoosac educators and students who exemplify the essential skills, practices, and beliefs that define learning experiences across the district. They work to outline the competencies, values, skills, and knowledge that define our vision for student success – keeping in mind that not every student's pathway will look the same. The District's goal is to ensure that all students graduate as responsible people, prepared individuals, lifelong learners, global citizens, critical thinkers, and thoughtful communicators.
 
Another recent change district-wide in grades K-12 is the "Crew" culture. Teachers and students now have time each day to create positive connections and build authentic relationships with one another. Through Responsive Classroom at the elementary school and Crew at the middle and high schools, students and staff gather for 30 minutes each day to engage in meaningful experiences rooted in mutual and shared interests. 
The Crew block is a prioritized structure that allows staff to support all students socially, emotionally, and academically – anchoring them and promoting the Portrait of a Graduate competencies. Crew takes many forms at the high school, such as gardening, bird watching, yoga, and sports talk with visits to college games.
 
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