Thornton Academy Postscripts Alumni Magazine Fall 2012 | Page 8

In t h e C lassr o o m

Striking the Right Note

Nellia McKenney ‘13 sings in
concert choir class.

turns leading for the good of the
performance.

Jennifer WItherall-Stebbins conducting during the student Midwinter Arts
Performance

You’ve seen it; you’re sitting and
watching a jazz combo perform
when one musician leads and the
other follows. Then they shift; the
follower becomes the leader and
vice versa. Software development
leader and jazz musician Adrian
Cho names this trio of collaboration,
innovation, and agility as

at USM are required to complete
an internship with a school of
their choice. This internship
encompasses at least one hour
a week of teaching experience.
Each USM student is responsible
for one small ensemble - planning
the lesson, arranging the music,
rehearsing, and then presenting
to the entire
“The small ensembles are a tangible group at the end
of the night,”
outlet for students practicing the
said Witherellcreative process in a safe and
Stebbins.
Among the USM
nurturing environment.”
students are two
TA alums: Sam
fundamental elements of the “jazz
Lyons ’10 and Nick Allen ’10.
process.” Thanks to a new “Honors
Small Ensembles” x-block class,
Work environments have changed
Thornton Academy students and
a great deal over the last decade.
University of Southern Maine music
People in social media and
majors are learning how to innovate
digital technology tend to work in
and collaborate together.
environments that are collaborative
and malleable, Witherell-Stebbins
Taught by Jennifer Witherellexplains. This brings us back to
Stebbins, the Honors Small
that jazz combo. Adrian Cho calls
Ensembles class enables four
these large open workspaces
USM students to work with 22 TA
“decentralized leadership,” where
students. “Junior year music majors
musicians coordinate and take
Postscripts

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Witherell-Stebbins feels the small
ensembles have everything
to do with this kind of creative
collaboration. “The small
ensembles are a tangible outlet for
students practicing the creative
process in a safe and nurturing
environment where everyone has a
voice, gets a turn to take initiative,
and contributes to the good of the
performance. Through their music
class, they are gaining skills that
will follow them into the college
experience and the workforce.”
-P.E.