Tuesday, February 5, 2013

2013 - Moving forward as we honor our past

Lower Division students rang in the new year by paying tribute to influential American musicians. Class lessons translated beautifully to the stage as students performed for captive audiences.

The second graders loved learning about the origins of Country music with Quaver's help. In this episode students learned about Bill Monroe, a mandolin player and the Father of Bluegrass. The second graders loved watching video of Bill Monroe and his lightening fast fingers. We then watched a performance of Claire Lynch (singer, songwriter, and a teacher of mine) singing "My Florida Sunshine," one of my favorite songs. As they watched, the second graders started singing along with the chorus and were excited to learn that they would be performing this song for Grandparents and Special Friend's Day. I loved hearing conversations between child and grandparent about bluegrass music after their performance.





Grandparents & Special Friends Day 2013 from Charger Shorecrest on Vimeo.



The fourth graders wowed audiences with their performances of We Haz Jazz. During the show students explained the origins of Jazz music and the contributions of many Jazz musicians. Here is a highlight of the show.


I am so proud of my students. Can you believe the year has only just begun?!