January 2026

Access recordings of class performances:

• Chester Elementary School
• New Hingham Elementary School
• R.H. Conwell Elementary School

Preschool & Kindergarten students learned to sing the song Teddy Bear and came up with movements to express the song. They have also begun learning how to read music notation for fast and slow rhythms (eighth notes and quarter notes) by clapping and by using rhythm sticks. 

1st & 2nd Grade students have been learning to sing Candle in the Snow, a song about helping others by being a light in the world. They have also been learning to read and draw basic music notation, including quarter notes and quarter rests. Next, they will be learning to read and draw double eighth notes, and then they will be ready to start composing their own rhythms in 4-beat patterns.

3rd & 4th Grade students have been learning music from other parts of the world, including Mnohaya Lita and Al Citron. They have also begun working on playing the recorder, which combines the skills of reading rhythms and identifying notes on the music staff, along with the fine motor skills of covering the correct combination of holes on the instrument while blowing gently into the mouthpiece.

5th & 6th Grade students have begun learning to sing two versions of The Skye Boat Song. Then, they used this song as a source to compose a contrafactum—writing new words to sing along with the original melody. They will use the skills they learned with this activity to begin composing their own music. ​