Let’s Talk Ensembles with South Pasadena Arts & Music Academy

Rebecca Ward and April Mendiola talk to us about how musical ensemble work builds community and communication

PHOTO: Rebecca Ward | The South Pasadenan | Marcus Neely (violin) and Ellis Skelton (piano) playing Sonatina op.100 by Antonin Dvorak at South Pasadena Arts & Music Academy.
PHOTO: Rebecca Ward | The South Pasadenan | Marcus Neely (violin) and Ellis Skelton (piano) playing Sonatina op.100 by Antonin Dvorak at South Pasadena Arts & Music Academy.

A few months back, we spoke to the team at South Pasadena Arts & Music Academy about their exciting new children’s program called “Whole Steps” geared towards babies and toddlers. Today we’re back at SPAMA to explore the ways in which they are expanding their ensemble work among children and adults here in South Pasadena. Music teacher and Choir Director April Mendiola heads up “Whole Steps” in addition to teaching and directing the children’s choir, “Little Stars”, and the adult choir, “SPAMA Singers”, while Rebecca Ward teaches the instrumental chamber ensembles.

The “Little Stars” range in age between 5-8 years of age and Mendiola is hoping to expand into a robust program that includes performances. The focus begins with establishing foundational singing skills and getting the singers more comfortable using their voices – how to vocalize. “I incorporate a lot of musicianship and ear training,” says Mendiola. “Ideally we would like this to grow into an actual choral ensemble that performs regularly.” She has similar goals for the SPAMA Singers as well, describing them as “grown-ups of all ages who come together to sing and make music together. Right now we are small in number so we focus on duets and trios and we’ve focused more on pop and contemporary pieces. But I’d love to work up to full choral pieces with them.

PHOTO: Rebecca Ward | The South Pasadenan | SPAMA Singers Keri Yin, Melissa Wilson, and Jazz Khairi at a recent SPAMA recital.
PHOTO: Rebecca Ward | The South Pasadenan | SPAMA Singers Keri Yin, Melisa Wilson, and Jazz Khairi at a recent SPAMA recital.

Mendiola chooses the music with input from the singers. For their recent recital, Mendiola gave them the theme of “love” and they chose songs that resonated for them as a group. “It’s a collective experience,” says Mendiola. “The feeling of togetherness is one of the most beautiful experiences we can get in choir – a social wellbeing of being in a safe place to just sing. And sometimes singing is not something that we’re trained for – we may not have grown up studying to be singers – but just to come together and be able to share and blend my voice with another person’s voice is a special and unique experience.” She goes on to explain the actual physical benefits to singing in a choir including regulating your heart rate and improving mental alertness! “And it’s really good for your core! When we’re singing we are regulating our breathing and expanding capacity.”

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SPAMA Singer Melisa Wilson says “I love the collaboration amongst the ensemble members beginning at song selection, through finding the best keys for each of us to sing in, and then hearing the amazing results when we harmonize as a group.” Keri Yin adds, “It’s an opportunity to learn the unique skill of learning how to sing with others and a chance to spend time with people who also enjoy music and singing.”

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PHOTO: Alisa Hayashida | South Pasadenan News | April Mendiola in the Carriage House garden at South Pasadena Arts and Music Academy

“I believe in choral singing,” echoes School Director Rebecca Ward, “it’s good for everybody. I tell my violin students they should be in choirs because there is something profound about raising your voice with other people in one voice that is an experience that everyone should have at some point in their lives. I also think that from a very early age, it builds musicianship, it builds community, it teaches you, internally and organically, what it means to be part of harmony and to be part of something larger than yourself that is creating a unified sound. And that serves every musician well across the board. And April is very good at what she does.”

PHOTO: Rebecca Ward | The South Pasadenan | Juniper Chao (violin) and William Hubbard (piano) playing Sonata in G Major by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in the Carriage House at South Pasadena Arts & Music Academy.
PHOTO: Rebecca Ward | The South Pasadenan | Juniper Chao (violin) and William Hubbard (piano) playing Sonata in G Major by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in the Carriage House at South Pasadena Arts & Music Academy.

One of Ward’s passions is chamber music and she is directing string ensembles and is excited to increase their ensemble performance and build a chamber program. “Right now we’re focusing on composers like Mozart and Haydn with our violin students and hoping to add cellists too. We meet in the Carriage House here at the school and I conduct that string ensemble. So they are learning what it means to play together, to listen, to have rhythmic accountability for what they’re doing. They learn to trust themselves enough to lift their eyes off the page and watch somebody conduct them. Sometimes I have them conduct which has been very effective and a powerful learning tool for them to be on the other side of it. So it prepares them for high school orchestras and beyond. There’s a confidence when you’re playing with other people and finding that sound within that. And that’s a conducted ensemble, which I love doing. It’s maybe the best part of my week.” She is also working at putting duos together with piano students exploring everything from classical to folk, pop and rock. “There are so many dual pieces out there for violin and piano where it’s not one accompanying the other,” she explains, “it’s two very equal parts and there’s that interplay and finding that together – being able to think together and follow and lead and make musical decisions together and react to each other. That’s just that’s where the real magic is. We don’t do this in a bubble. All music is really meant to be shared. And it is such a gift to be able to see these kids come together.” And Ward is quick to point out that these ensembles is not limited to classical – that they have duos, trios and groups forming with their guitar teachers and drum teachers with hopes of creating bands and jazz combos. All of the teachers at SPAMA are professional working artists who perform regularly which, as Ward talks about, brings a level of real world experience to their students that is invaluable.

Ward’s goal is to take all of these instrumental and singing ensembles into the community – to senior centers and assisted living facilities and play for events in town. “Being a part of the South Pasadena community has always been an enormous priority for us,” says Ward.

It’s clear from listening to both Ward and Mendiola that playing and singing together is a vital step in one’s musical evolution. Mendiola can hardly contain her passion for choir singing – it’s impossible not to get excited about it when you hear her talk about it. “I could list a hundred reasons of why I think you should come join us but the most powerful thing I could say is that it’s about exploring our artistic and creative expression together without any judgement. Choir singing is about the pure joy of singing – to just sing for the joy of it. I really wish there was more of that.”

To find out more about South Pasadena Arts & Music Academy classes and ensemble groups visit ArtsAndMusicAcademy.com or call (626) 808-4031.

Rebecca Ward South Pasadena Arts & Music Academy
PHOTO: Kasper Tobias | South Pasadena News | Director Rebecca Ward in front of South Pasadena Arts & Music Academy