英语博客：A Musical Refuge.

　　Wenatchee is actually quite musical, I'm pleased to say. There are lots of choirs², trios, quartets, jazz groups, singers, and locations for them to perform. It is a growing trend, as well. Music isn't very well funded in public schools, but the availability of music centers(res), teachers, and musical groups, seems to make up for it. The Woodshouse Conservatory³ of Music is a historical building that has been converted into such a place. It was actually donated by the Woods family in 1997 specifically for the conservation of music. It has fifteen teachers and one hundred and seventy five students. On any given day, if you walk into the conservatory, you will hear a piano, a violin, viola, or cello⁴, a guitar, perhaps a flute⁵, or an oboe,.....and the list goes on. I first discovered the Woodshouse when I signed up for violin lessons a couple of years ago. Its antiquated⁶ design and creeky floors reminded me of my home country, England, and I felt immediately at home. But the real gem⁷ of the conservatory is not the building itself, nor the number of students. It is how the teachers really love music and want to share it. That feeling fills the building. This past summer, the administration arranged for a kiddies' workshop, in which small children could experience, perhaps for the first time, different instruments and the basic concepts of music. The younger a person starts, apparently⁸, the better. And then, at the other end of the spectrum⁹, one of my violin teacher's students who I met, turned out to be in his late seventies. What an inspiration! Since I started going to the Woodshouse, my two oldest sons now take piano and guitar there, and thanks to the great teachers, our house is becoming musical.
Grammar notes.
Related vocabulary: choir¹, trio, quartet, to fund.
1. The choir has over fifty singers. When they sing Handel's Messiah, it is spectacular!
2. The violinist was ill today, so the trio was down to two people.
3. He said that his lucky number is four; he should do well in the quartet.
4. The government no longer funds music programs (mmes) in schools, so we will have to raise some money ourselves.

1 choir   

n.唱诗班，唱诗班的席位，合唱团，舞蹈团；v.合唱

参考例句：

• The choir sang the words out with great vigor.合唱团以极大的热情唱出了歌词。
• The church choir is singing tonight.今晚教堂歌唱队要唱诗。

2 choirs   

n.教堂的唱诗班( choir的名词复数 )；唱诗队；公开表演的合唱团；（教堂）唱经楼

参考例句：

• They ran the three churches to which they belonged, the clergy, the choirs and the parishioners. 她们管理着自己所属的那三家教堂、牧师、唱诗班和教区居民。 来自飘（部分）
• Since 1935, several village choirs skilled in this music have been created. 1935以来，数支熟练掌握这种音乐的乡村唱诗班相继建立起来。 来自互联网

3 conservatory   

n.温室，音乐学院；adj.保存性的，有保存力的

参考例句：

• At the conservatory,he learned how to score a musical composition.在音乐学校里，他学会了怎样谱曲。
• The modern conservatory is not an environment for nurturing plants.这个现代化温室的环境不适合培育植物。

4 cello   

n.大提琴

参考例句：

• The cello is a member of the violin family.大提琴是提琴家族的一员。
• She plays a melodious cello.她拉着一手悦耳的大提琴。

5 flute   

n.长笛；v.吹笛

参考例句：

• He took out his flute, and blew at it.他拿出笛子吹了起来。
• There is an extensive repertoire of music written for the flute.有很多供长笛演奏的曲目。

6 antiquated   

adj.陈旧的，过时的

参考例句：

• Many factories are so antiquated they are not worth saving.很多工厂过于陈旧落后，已不值得挽救。
• A train of antiquated coaches was waiting for us at the siding.一列陈旧的火车在侧线上等着我们。

7 gem   

n.宝石，珠宝；受爱戴的人 [同]jewel

参考例句：

• The gem is beyond my pocket.这颗宝石我可买不起。
• The little gem is worth two thousand dollars.这块小宝石价值两千美元。

8 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

9 spectrum   

n.谱，光谱，频谱；范围，幅度，系列

参考例句：

• This is a kind of atomic spectrum.这是一种原子光谱。
• We have known much of the constitution of the solar spectrum.关于太阳光谱的构成，我们已了解不少。