An afternoon showcasing of Kindergarten through 4th grade music and art occurred at our Lower School on May 27th. The hope of the spring performance was to provide families with a glimpse into what students have done this year in music and for the songs to bring the audience joy. Lots of percussion instruments were utilized, and fourth graders demonstrated their recorder skills. Several grades also demonstrated a few dances.
The 2nd grade singing “Zum Gali Gali”
The 3rd and 4th grade singing “I Don’t Care if the Rain Falls Down”
The final song of the performance “This is the Day”
Art projects were also displayed around featuring creations completed this year with our Art Specialist Mrs. King and a few additional projects done within homerooms, too.
On the evening of June 7th our Middle School Spring Music Program showcased our 5th through 8th grade students. In addition to this year’s strong singing, the students incorporated instruments into the choir to prepare them for band or other ensembles. The 5th and 6th graders learned early on to enhance their skills in part-singing harmony, to build on what they learned in Lower School to keep a steady beat and how to follow a conductor. Students used drums, and bass bars for pitch and beat.
5th and 6th grade students singing “A Million Dreams” from The Greatest Showman.
7th and 8th grade students singing “This is Me” from The Greatest Showman
7th and 8th grade students singing “Yonder Come Day” a song from the Georgian Sea Islands.
- ”Yonder Come Day” is a 3-part song expressing the hope and longing for freedom that the slaves of the Georgian Sea island felt. It is a rich musical tradition very much influenced by the music of Africa, and has carried over into modern American music, such as Spirituals, Blues and, of course, rock and roll.
Update regarding the 2018-19 Music Program:
We are pleased to announce that Michael Gurule’ will be teaching middle school band, choir, and art next year. He is an experienced teacher who has taught at Lynden Christian for many years. He hosted a “Musical Instrument Petting Zoo” for our students on Thursday, June 5th by putting out instruments for our rising 5th through 8th graders to touch, try, and examine. He even demonstrated how some of the instruments worked and explained where his passion for music came from.
A special thank you to St. Paul’s Academy families, staff, and students, for your continued support of Music Education.
