June 2024

To cap off the school year, each grade prepared a song to present at the spring recital. Students were responsible for memorizing the lyrics to the song as well as adding musical instruments into the final performance. You can listen to the progress they made by listening to their practice recordings:

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

Preschool worked on the song Listen Listen, Here I Come this semester, combining singing with creative drum solos. Students were challenged to listen to each other and then create their own rhythms and sounds on the drum! In addition, we continued to practice listening and responding to sounds by identifying sounds and moving our bodies to the beat. 

Kindergarten students worked on the song I’m a Potato this semester, where they were challenged to not only memorize the lyrics, but also come up with creative movements in response to the lyrics and rhythms. This is a challenging song, as it’s in a triple time signature, which isn’t as intuitive to their ear as a duple meter. In addition, we continued working on identifying sounds, recognizing that many things in our world make similar sounds, which is why it’s important to practice listening to understand rather than jumping to conclusions. 

First Grade worked on El Coqui this semester (except for R.H. Conwell, which worked on Catch a Falling Star). The coqui is a type of frog indigenous to Puerto Rico and students were challenged to memorize lyrics in both English and Spanish! To make it even more fun, we used guiros shaped like frogs to mimic the sound of the coqui! In addition, we continued working on identifying sounds, recognizing that many things in our world make similar sounds, which is why it’s important to practice listening to understand rather than jumping to conclusions. 

Second Grade worked on Catch a Falling Star this semester. Students were challenged to memorize the lyrics and add percussive and melodic instruments to complement the tune, including the glockenspiel, triangle, egg shaker, tambourine, and djembe. In addition, we continued working on identifying sounds, recognizing that many things in our world make similar sounds, which is why it’s important to practice listening to understand rather than jumping to conclusions.

Third Grade either worked on Funga Alafia (New Hingham) or Toom-Bah-Ee-Lero (R.H. Conwell and Chester). Funga Alafia by LaRocque Bey and Babatunde Olatunji is written in three West African Languages; and Too-Bah-Ee-Lero by Ella Jenkins is written in a nonsense language that mimics the sound of West African Drums. Both songs use a call-and-response technique reminiscent of the music by the “Hi Dee Ho Man” Cab Calloway. In addition, students also practiced playing the recorder this semester, learning to play the notes D, E, G, A, and C from the pentatonic scale, allowing them to practice playing Doggy Doggy Where’s Your Bone by ear. Using these same pitches, students can also play both Funga Alafia and Toom-Bah-Ee-Lero!

Fourth Grade worked on This Land is Your Land this semester (except for R.H. Conwell students, who worked on Toom-Bah-Ee-Lero). Students learned the history of the song, including why Woody Guthrie was inspired to write the song in critical response to Irving Berlin’s God Bless America, and how it is a contrafactum of When the World’s on Fire by the Carter Family. After memorizing the lyrics, students practiced adding percussion instruments to the song to complement the beat. In addition, students also practiced playing the recorder this semester, learning to play the notes D, E, G, A, and C from the pentatonic scale, allowing them to practice playing Doggy Doggy Where’s Your Bone by ear.

Fifth Grade worked on Stand By Me this semester (except for R.H. Conwell and Chester students who worked on Lift Every Voice & Sing). Students listened to various versions of the song, discussed their likes, dislikes, and preferences of the various musical choices the artists made in their versions, and then they created their own rendition of the song, adding light percussion instruments along the way. In addition, students practiced playing the ukulele, learning how to tune it, how to strum it, and learning the chord shapes for the chords C, Am, F, and G7. 

Sixth Grade worked on Lift Every Voice & Sing this semester, learning about the history of the song—who wrote it, their inspiration for it, and how it’s on the cusp of becoming the National Hymn of the United States of America. Students listened to various versions of the song, including by Alica Keys, Andra Day, Ray Charles, and Beyonce. They discussed their likes, dislikes, and preferences of the various musical choices the artists made in their versions, and then they created their own rendition of the song, adding light percussion instruments along the way. In addition, students practiced playing the ukulele, learning how to tune it, how to strum it, and learning the chord shapes for the chords C, Am, F, and G7. 

As the semester wrapped up, I also asked students to reflect on what they learned this school year in the music room, what they enjoyed the most, what they might change about their music classes, and what they hoped to continue learning next year. As part of this reflection, I invite you as a family to submit your feedback on the music program. Click the link below that corresponds with your school to access the survey:

• Chester Elementary Music Survey
• New Hingham Elementary Music Survey
• R.H. Conwell Elementary Music Survey

Your responses will be used to improve the music program. Thank you for your support!

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