A Window into the Music Room...

Big shout-out to Dave, our head of facilities, for installing a string swing for my guitar on the wall of the music room. Now Honey Pie is safe and readily accessible during my classes!

This photo also highlights some festive tunes we're rocking out to in the younger grade levels. "What Color Is Your Ghost?" uses scarves as the ghosts, and "Dem Bones" involves egg shakers.

Halloween is only one week away! Do you have your costumes yet? Last year I went as Maria von Trapp from The Sound of Music, and this year I'm deciding between a few different ideas...can't wait for the TCS Halloween parade next week!

Musical Hopes & Dreams

Every year, I ask my students to share their musical hopes and dreams for the year.

Grades 1-8 participate in this exercise. I am always surprised and delighted by their thoughtful, optimistic, and honest responses.

From gaining musical confidence or auditioning for this year's play, to starting a new instrument or becoming a famous pop star, our students have high hopes and big dreams for their musical futures here at TCS...and I can't wait to see what the future holds for all of them!

Welcome Back!

We're swinging into the new school year! 

The school year is off to a great start, and there will be lots of wonderful musical experiences happening across campus in all the different grade levels throughout the year. Visit the blog to see what's happening this fall in music! 

I'll be sharing some exciting announcements about our annual musical and Southern Regional auditions for middle school students in the coming weeks. In the meantime, students are currently working on their musical hopes and dreams for the year. Do YOU have any musical hopes and dreams you'd like to share? If so, please comment below! 

Utah!

This year I was lucky enough to go on the annual 8th grade trip to Utah for 8 days! It was my second trip out there with students, and I had SUCH an amazing time. Having a job that allows you to spend time with your students outside of the classroom in one of the most beautiful places on earth is pretty spectacular.

From rock climbing and hiking around Arches National Park, to spending a night in the La Sal Mountains and white water rafting down the colorado river, the trip was packed with adventure. Now my brain is full of wonderful memories, including this magical sunset from one of our last nights at camp.

Celebration of the Arts!

Check out the lovely photos from our spring Celebration of the Arts concert! HUGE thank you to our student musicians who participated in the choral portion of our program...they blew me away and added such a powerful, energetic sound to our songs.

The concert theme of "Bringing Us Together" was felt through the songs, through the lyrics read by audience members, and through the energy in the gym. THANK YOU for making this performance yet another reminder of how amazing our school community is!

Cultural Arts: Boston Baroque visit!

Last Friday we had some musical visitors come to The Country School for a special Cultural Arts event. Musicians from Boston Baroque (a world class Baroque ensemble with musicians that perform on period instruments) shared their "Classics for Kids" concert with us and played selections from Vivaldi's Four Seasons for grades K-3.

In addition to the beautiful music played by incredibly talented musicians, there was also a lovely narrator who introduced the students to each season through costumes and lively descriptions of the sounds that the instruments create: animals (birds, dogs, flies), weather (lightning, thunder, snow), and emotions (happy, sad, scared, etc).

The audience was mesmerized by the performance! After the show, students were invited to a special instrument "petting zoo" where they got to try playing a violin, viola, or cello with one of the Boston Baroque musicians as their guide.

There was also an interactive percussion table that got lots of attention from our curious young musicians.

This spectacular event was thoughtfully designed to appeal to our young audience members, and it gave us all an accessible window into the fascinating world of classical music. We hope it will inspire TCS students to listen and appreciate music on a deeper level. Maybe some will even want to begin studying an instrument on their own some day? Or perhaps go and see more live classical music performances in the future?

As a personal highlight, I got to see an old friend of mine who currently plays violin with Boston Baroque.

Julia McKenzie and I used to work together at Johnson String Instrument up in Boston, and I had not seen her for 10 years! It was such a joy to reconnect with Julie and hear her play.

Ultimately, being able to have these phenomenal musicians visit TCS was an unforgettable experience, and something we will treasure for many years to come. Thank you to the musicians, the coordinators, and the donors who helped make this event possible. One of my students summed up all our feelings perfectly when asked what they thought of the performance:

"I loved it...I wish I could see it again!" 

We love you, Boston Baroque! Come back and visit us any time!

Songs that inspire...

Have you checked out the new movie musical The Greatest Showman yet? It's in theaters now, and regardless of your interest level in musical theater, this movie (especially in the theater) is not to be missed. In my humble, musical opinion, I think the movie and specifically the music share wonderful messages through songs that are catchy, appropriate for all age levels, and powerful. I've been using them during my classes in different ways. Click on the song titles below to hear them!

1) Song: "The Greatest Show"
Use as: A pump-up entrance song to begin a middle school class.

2) Song: "Come Alive"
Use as: A brain break dance tune for learners who need to move!

3) Song: "This Is Me"
Use as: A song selection for our spring concert theme "Songs That Bring Us Together."

Part of my IDEA (Interpreting Diversity Education Through Action) workshop also used "This Is Me" as an inspirational way to discuss how being different is what makes us all great. The photos below are from a bulletin board with lyrics from the song, written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.

 Students chose a line and drew their image of that line at the bottom.

 We also learned some simplified dance moves too. Ask them to show you!

I'm always searching for musical experiences to recommend to the TCS community that you can actually go and see with your whole family and enjoy together, so...

GO SEE THE GREATEST SHOWMAN!

Rocking Recorders with 3rd Graders!

This week was a big one for 3rd graders in music class: we began learning the recorder! Students each have their own instrument, and their learning started with a presentation about how to hold and play the recorder, followed by an introduction to their first note, B.

 So far things are going really well, and the classes are excited to learn more as the weeks continue!

Here's a question to spark conversation at home:

What is "BAG" and why is that word used when you first start learning recorder?

Look for more updates as the students begin learning new notes and rhythms!

CONGRATULATIONS, and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Happy 2018, everyone! After two restful weeks of winter break, we are all back and ready to roll through the winter with more fun and exciting musical endeavors. However, I would be remiss if I didn't congratulate all the students who performed in the Winter Concert and Holiday Program back in December. It was such a joyful experience to see and hear so many voices and instruments coming together to share music. Below is a short video of highlights from both performances. Thank you for creating this, Mrs. Sullivan! I am proud of each and every performer, and feel lucky to do what I do as a music educator!