Summer pondering before the year begins...

While I try to take a solid "break" from teaching over the summer as a way to rejuvenate and prepare to dive back in when fall returns, teaching and learning are never far from my mind. That's why when I read articles about education, written by people I admire, I feel extremely proud to be a teacher and a learner in a world where everyone has something to teach and learn from someone else. Reading how violinist Hilary Hahn's teachers influenced her life through their teaching styles is inspiring to me as both a violinist and an educator.

http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/culturebox/2015/07/violinist_hilary_hahn_on_her_two_greatest_teachers_and_on_the_mozart_and.html

As we prepare ourselves to head back to school in just a few days, I look forward to reconnecting with my students, meeting new faces, and starting the school year off by thinking about the symbiotic relationship that teachers and students have. We teach and learn from each other every day, and initiating that give-and-take process is something I strive for constantly, both in and beyond the classroom.

Celebration of the Arts Concert: A Salute to the 50s & 60s!

CONGRATULATIONS to all the 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, & 8th graders who participated in the Celebration of the Arts Spring Concert last Thursday!

Having a Salute to the 50s and 60s performance in honor of TCS' 60th anniversary gave us all a chance to hear some classic tunes, and those songs still resonate in so many ways today.

The students and I had many discussions about historical references in connection with certain songs, and we were able to make links between their academic learning in History and English and our chosen song lyrics. 

Overall, the concert was a blast, and I am in awe of our students...they make my job so fun!

Elementary Honors Orchestra

Last week, string players in grades 4, 5, & 6 from all over Connecticut came together to make beautiful music at the CT Music Educators Association annual conference. 

I am so proud of two TCS 4th graders who practiced and performed with the EHO. Congrats!

IDEA Day: TCS CARES

For this year's I.D.E.A. (Interpreting Diversity Education through Action) Day, our school-wide theme was about how we at TCS care for ourselves, our peers, our families, our community, our country, and our world. Every teacher in the school participated through the teaching of different workshops that covered topics from mindfulness to global beauty. Visitors came to help broaden the perspective of this day and contribute to the workshops, through sharing their personal stories and journeys with us. 

I am so proud of the hard work that all our faculty, admin, and staff put in to make IDEA Day such a special, important, and impactful experience for our students. We closed the day by singing Matisyahu's "One Day" with the entire school community, which further solidified our collective desire to care for ourselves, each other, and the world around us!

4th Grade Music: Jazz Exploration

It's finally spring here at TCS, so in addition to working on choral music for the spring concert, 4th graders embarked on a jazz trail, traveling throughout the United States to visit places where famous Jazz musicians began learning, playing, and performing. Our first stop, New Orleans, LA, introduced the students to Louis Armstrong, an artist known for his stellar cornet, trumpet, and unique vocal abilities. After hearing "Heebie Jeebies" last week, this week they got to hear and see Satchmo himself sing and play an energetic rendition of "When the Saints Go Marching In."

Every time the students hear a song, they complete a listening log that asks two basic questions:
1) What do you hear?
2) What does the music make you think about?

Both of these open-ended questions are designed to encourage students to listen and respond to the music, offer ideas about what they hear, start to recognize musical instruments by their distinct tones and timbres, and think critically to make connections between the music and their own personal lives.

The video is shared below, so check it out!

First Grade Music: Carnival of the Animals

One of my favorite units in the spring involves first graders listening to and analyzing Camille Saint-Saens' The Carnival of the Animals. It's a great way to make connections between what you hear and how music makes you feel, all while imagining different animals! From the cuckoo to the swan, every movement provides a new entry point for a musical discussion, and it's fascinating to get inside first grade brains to hear about how they interpret what they hear. 

3rd Grade: Musical Connections to the Moon

3rd graders are making lots of musical connections as they continue their study of the moon. Along with learning "Au Claire de la Lune" on recorder and composing recorder melodies for their moon haiku poems, students are also learning a song and rap about the phases of the moon. Check out the lyrics below!

Moon Song & Rap

CHORUS:

The Earth’s Moon orbits all around us

It reflects the light from the sun

These are the phases of the Moon, -oon, -oon…

Moon, -oon, -oon

VERSE 1 (spoken):

When the Moon is in between

The Earth and the Sun

It’s a New Moon phase

And it looks like it’s gone

When the Earth is in between

The Sun and the Moon

It’s a Full Moon phase

And it looks like a balloon

CHORUS:

The Earth’s Moon orbits all around us

It reflects the light from the sun

These are the phases of the Moon, -oon, -oon…

Moon, -oon, -oon

VERSE 2 (spoken):

The Moon goes through eight different phases

The Moon looks different, but it never really changes

It depends on the position of the Earth, Moon and Sun

Come on everybody make the lunar cycle fun

CHORUS:

The Earth’s Moon orbits all around us

It reflects the light from the sun

These are the phases of the Moon, -oon, -oon…

Moon, -oon, -oon

VERSE 3 (spoken):

New Moon, Waxing Crescent,

First Quarter, Waxing Gibbous

Full Moon, Waning Gibbous,

Third Quarter, Waning Crescent (repeat)

(havefunteaching.com)