Girard Academic Music Program
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The Girard Academic Music Program (GAMP) is a magnet secondary school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The school is operated by the School District of Philadelphia.
GAMP covers grades five through twelve, and offers many extracurricular activities including: concert band, orchestra, chamber strings, jazz band, concert choir, highschool and middle school choirs, middle school band, theatre productions, instremental lessons for beginners, for that reason most non music programs don't exist.
The school is very concentrated on the performing arts but still enjoys a fine academic tradition. GAMP offers advanced placement courses in Music Theory, Biology, Psychology, History, and English.
Principal Angelo Milicia and Music Director/Assistant Principal Dr. Jack Carr administer the school. The school is broken up into three primary aspects. The first is Music Theory/Music Technology, which every student must take, the concentration of these subjects intensifies when students enter the high school level. The next aspect is Instremental. Students who take lessons are required to particpate in the beginner level bands, when they reach the high school level they may enter the more complicated bands that the school offers. Their open eigth or free period is geared towards the practice for these musical ensembles. Last is the vocal training. All students from grades 5-12 are required to participate in the choir with the choirs being broken up into Middle School Choir (grades 5-8), and High School Choir (grades 9-12). However there are students that exceed others at the art of singing and can try out for the special Concert Choir which only includes high school students, but exceptions can be made for students in 8th grade with excpetional vocal talent. The Concert Choir is the heart and soul of GAMP, being as it tours, and performs for many high ranking officials in the Philadelphia School District, and also performs for other musical fixtures in the Philadelphia Area. The Concert Choir has performed for United States President Bill Clinton, the Philadelphia Phillies, Mayor of Philadelphia John Street, and many other local political and district officials.
GAMP is very popular with the South Philadelphia community and known for their every other yearl Broadway plays and talent shows.
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[edit] History
GAMP was started in 1974 by Jack Carr in the basement of another school. Since it is a magnet school incoming students have to be academically B or higher students to get an audition.
[edit] School uniforms
Students enrolled in the school are required to wear school uniforms [1] [2].
[edit] Mascot
The GAMP mascot is the Pioneer. The Pioneer was chosen due to the fact that pioneers were courageous and contributed to the growth of this nation. GAMP is a pioneer in the field of education, by instilling in every student, the art of music, making it a rarity in the School District of Philadelphia. Much like the Pioneers contributed to the growth of this nation by courageously settling unknown frontiers, GAMP contributes to the growth of young minds.
[edit] Sports
The school has varsity Baseball, Male Tennis, Basketball, Girls' Softball, and Cheerleading.
