Despite having only two days of school this week, students have continued to make progress on their concert songs. All students should now have their lyrics sheets with the words for their concert songs. Please encourage them to practice over the break by singing for family, friends, pets, to themselves, etc. Even reading over the words will help them to memorize the lyrics. Next week, I hope that we'll be able to start singing from memory in all grades!
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
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All of the students in grades K-5 have been hard at work on their winter concert songs. Today, each student received a packet of lyrics for their songs that they can use at home to practice. Ask your child to do a practice performance and get a sneak peak of what you'll get to hear at the concert on Sunday, December 9th! If your child's lyrics sheet gets misplaced, you can always find the lyrics through the "Concerts" page on this website.
5th Grade Fifth graders have continued to work hard on their concert song "Various Themes on Fa La La," which features four famous classical themes. They're improving their transitions and singing with more confidence! We've been brainstorming ideas for lyrics for the second verse of "So This Is Christmas." In the original song, John Lennon sang about the problems of his time and how he wished that all people, despite their differences, could get along and have a happy Christmas. The fifth graders' new lyrics will talk about different groups that they hope will get along this holiday season. 4th Grade Fourth graders are working hard on "Nutcracker Jingles." This song uses the lyrics of "Jingle Bells" with the melodies of four dances from Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker ballet. It's not easy, but it gets better with every day of practice! The singing parts of their other two songs, "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" and "Boogie Woogie Holiday" are nearly performance-ready. Next week, we'll start adding some students playing guitars and recorders to these songs! 3rd Grade Third graders started learning a Latin-style song called "Rhumba Santa" this week. They're already becoming comfortable singing the stylistic syncopated rhythms of this song. They're beginning to memorize the lyrics of their country song, "I Believe in Santa Claus," and they're learning more about its songwriter, Dolly Parton, through reading a daily chapter of the book, "Who is Dolly Parton?" And they're loving their concert song, "Jingle Bell Rock"! Get ready for an enthusiastic performance! 2nd Grade Second graders have been seeing the holidays through the perspectives of others with their concert songs. In "Christmas for Cowboys," they're imagining what it would be like to spend Christmas alone in the saddle while enjoying the natural beauty of the range. In "Christmas in Waikiki," they're picturing a very different Christmas scene in Hawaii. They just started learning their third song, "The Merry Christmas Polka," and it's already sounding great! They know how to make this cheery dance sound energetic and happy! 1st Grade First graders are already beginning to memorize lyrics of their songs! They've been doing a great job on "Old St. Nick Takes a Rockin' Trip," a rock version of the classic Christmas song. They're also getting into the jazz style of "Jazzy Jinglin' Bells," which combines the classic song with some new jazzy sections. They began learning an Irish tune called "Christmas in Killarney" this week. They'll be learning more about the features and instruments of Celtic music soon! Kindergarten Kindergartners are working hard in preparation for their very first school concert! In addition to learning three songs, they've also been working on concert behaviors, such as standing up straight and still during the songs. Sometimes that's the hardest part for the younger students! Now that the bluegrass tune "Christmas Time's A-Comin'" has become more familiar, they really enjoy singing it out! They're also becoming more comfortable singing the Hawaiian-style song "Mele Kalikimaka." The title means "Merry Christmas" in Hawaiian (if you're curious about the linguistics behind this phrase, check out this interesting article). They started working on "Rudolph the Rapping Reindeer" this week, which includes both a rapped part, which uses a speaking voice, and the classic song, which uses a singing voice. It's a lot of fun! |
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