After our successful Christmas Program, we are moving forward to new activities in music. I would like to thank all students for stepping up, since we lost a month of preparation with Hurricane Helene.
For the upcoming family dance, all classes are learning at least one line dance. Students should be teaching these dances to everyone at home, so we can share a school-wide dance! I have been asked to teach the middle schoolers a couples dance, and I’ve selected the Country Swing! It has been a special treat to see their confidence grow while doing a dance for two! This type of dancing can be modified for various genres of music that couples dance to.
The lower elementary grades are focusing on basic rhythm patterns, and applying them to rhythm instruments. We will do an Orff Unit this spring. Orff instruments are similar to xylophones, but tone bars can be removed to make the individual parts easier for young students. Like handbell music, each Orff part is different from another, and is great to teach harmonic skills.
The middle elementary grades will be doing a Chimes Unit as an introduction to English Handbell ringing, which is extremely popular with our 6th-8th grades. The Chimes are intended for school-use, and are not as delicate (nor expensive to fix!) as the handbells. We are so fortunate that Emmanuel Lutheran Church supported the refurbishing of the bells last summer. They need to be tweaked every few years for the clappers to work properly. We will continue to a Beginning Keyboard Unit in our practically new Keyboard Lab–another gift from gracious Emmanuel Lutheran Church members!
The middle schoolers will complete an Intermediate Keyboard Unit as well. Additionally, the 8th grades will each be given their own song to perform for their classmates as their Keyboard Final..During May, I allow the middle schoolers to choose the unit of their preference!
