Saunders
says, "When diversity can be acknowledged through music, the students
can take ownership." They did just that. The World Percussion Ensemble
students wrote a story to accompany their piece, making it more like
theater than just a musical performance. The SHS Band had a student
conductor for their Lady Gaga piece. And the SHS Dance Club members
were so inspired by the final performance that they spontaneously ran
up on stage and danced along to the percussionists playing their final
piece.

The music programs have also expanded to include a
World Percussion Ensemble and Advanced Guitar classes. For the teachers
of the programs, Saunders has tapped the area's music schools,
including Berklee College of Music, New England Conservatory, and
Boston Conservatory. Saunder's says he has also incorporated
instruction styles that came out of a collaboration with Somerville's
own Honk Festival.

Two years ago, musicians from the Honk
Festival did a clinic with the Somerville High School music students,
with instruction given by playing alongside the students. Saunders has
adopted this technique and many of the music teachers could be seen
playing with the band, orchestra, and percussion ensemble at the Winter
Concert. "Honk taught us a lot," Saunders says. "When you play with a
student, you take away a barrier and the experience becomes more
interactive." Not only are the students learning from the teachers, but
the teachers learn from the students every time they play together. The
concert showcased not just the talent of the students, but the
partnerships between the students and the teachers. The concert
included teachers playing along while they conducted, as well as giving
up the podium all together and playing as a member of the ensemble.