Dear Families,
This year, we have rethought our musical performance schedule and have created some unique opportunities for our students to have a variety of ways to engage with music and develop performance skills. We believe we have created something that gives our children a wider range of experiences and goes way beyond just a concert each year. Please see below to learn more about what each grade level group will be doing as a part of their musical journey at FSMA. We are looking forward to sharing these exciting opportunities with our FSMA Families.
| K/1 | South American Musical Adventure | 1st week of March during music class |
|---|---|---|
| 2/3 | Spring Concert | May 4th 7:00 pm |
| 4/5/6 | Visiting Artist Video Preview |
December all month in class Parent Observations – 12/20 |
Want to see the Visiting Artist in Action? 4th/5th/6th grade families are invited to join us in the morning on December 20th. Each class will be sending home their specific schedule for that day and the times you are able to come and observe.
K/1 will enhance their classroom study on South America with a special program in early March. They will present a short show about the rainforest, the jungle and exotic animals during their music class and families will be invited to join us. In this activity,
- Students will use movement and music to recount a piece of literature, a story by Jan Brett called “The Umbrella”.
- Students will use their imagination to create a soundscape that illustrates characters and actions found in the story using various un-pitched percussion instruments as a backdrop to the story.
- Students will practice movement and sing songs to demonstrate their musical skills, such as moving to the beat, singing in pitch and following the instruction of the conductor.
This program will allow them to demonstrate the progress they have accomplished in their ability to perform and show creativity in music class.
In the spring of 2017, 2/3 graders will present the musical “Disney: The Movies the Music.” Students will learn about Walt Disney, who is considered an international cultural icon, about the history of film music, and about famous film composers. Our students will participate in singing songs from Peter Pan, Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book, The Little Mermaid and The Lion King. They will also take part in acting on stage, using proper voice techniques while singing, following the direction of the conductor, and utilizing listening skills to maintain proper beat. This program is aligned with the National Core Arts Standards, and will expose students to creating, performing, presenting, and producing a show.
Throughout the month of December, our 4th, 5th and 6th grade students will be taught by some very special Artists in Residence. Thanks to a grant from the Delaware Institute for the Arts in Education, we will bring multiple artists to FSMA to work with the students throughout the month of December. Students will take part in weekly workshops with a local artist who combines percussion and movement. As a finale to our month long study, students will be working alongside world travelled professionals Tony Vacca and Abdou Sarr, who will be sharing their “World Rhythms” program with our children. Each session will be high-energy with lots of participation with a focus on cultural diversity, and global and social awareness. Tony Vacca will lead the Percussion Workshop while Abdou Sarr teaches the Senegalese Dance Group.