On May 12 and 13 over 550 Newberry students participated in our Arts Extravaganza!This event showcased student work in drama, music, and visual art for audiences of students and families. A survey of this first-ever collaborative event received rave reviews! Read comments from families below: "Many children are interested, or even gifted in the arts and don't even know it. It would be a disservice to ALL of them to not incorporate all the arts in school!!" "I think the addition of the arts program to Newberry's curriculum is valuable in rounding the students' education." "I've heard of research suggesting that the arts support cognitive development generally, and I like that teachers trained in the specific arts areas are available to provide arts curriculum." "It was great to see some of the kids really "shine". I am always a big supporter of keeping the arts in our schools and would love to see more opportunities for the students." Great job, Newberry musicians, actors, and artists! You should be proud of your hard work! Because of the generosity and help of our Newberry family, we are now the proud owners of 14 beautiful xylophones, metallophones, and glockenspiels on loan from Claire and Henry Castner of North Carolina! In Mid-may Mr. Castner was kind enough to drive the instruments from North Carolina to Chicago where they were transferred to Newberry parent, Susan Johnson, and then delivered to the school. All Newberry students have had the opportunity to play the new instruments and are thrilled with the added 50% more playing time that comes with having individual instruments! We are so grateful and send out our thanks to all that helped make this huge opportunity possible! Check out our musicians demonstrating team-building and steady beat as they teach a cheer (7th grade - see below) and play a singing game with new partners (2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades - see below). Music classes started at Newberry in mid-February as our program comes back to life. You might be wondering, "What is my child doing?"
Great question. While it is mid-year and most of Newberry's routines and rules are instinctual around the school, it is important to establish routines and expectations in a new setting, the music room! As our goal is to become excellent musicians at Newberry, we are learning the expectations of the classroom and practicing routines like entering the room, lining up, and how to communicate non-verbally for needs like tissues, restroom, forming a circle, and reflection...all of these routines will mean a culture of musicianship and learning at all times. We will achieve excellence by making rules and routines seamless and instinctual. To further develop our class culture of excellence and musicianship, we are engaging in name games, team-building, and that means, fun! PreK-5th grade musicians are playing singing games and movement games all while doing a lot of name practice to help Ms. Ellington learn over 550 names! So far, we've played Sasha! and started our team competition of singing attendance. Middle school musicians completed an "About Me" activity including favorite music, hobbies, places to travel, and 'fun facts.' We used this information to get to know each other better in a game of Guess Who and looked at our Wordles to see what we have in common. Check out the Wordles or 'word clouds' made by each middle school homeroom below! We musicians have a lot in common and many unique interests as well. *More information coming for parents....middle school students are using Class Dojo as a participation tracker and are working to earn points for various incentives. More information coming soon! Please share our Donorschoose page....bringing back a music program to life means we have some needs! Stay tuned to our website and blog for updates and information as we continue on Newberry's music revival! |
Newberry Primary MusiciansCheck out what is happening in the music room with primary! Archives
April 2015
|