Saturday, May 21, 2011

H.A.M.S. CAMP THIS SUMMER!

H.A.M.S. Camp    ("101 Dalmations" KIDS)
(Hamilton Area Musical Summer Camp)

Eligibility: Any Hamilton City School student who has completed 2nd, 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade.
Auditions will be held the 2nd week of the camp.  No one will be turned away.

Times/Places:

Camp/Rehearsals: 9:00 – 12:00 noon every Tues. and Wed. beginning June 14 through August 17. At Bridgeport Elementary during June and July At Garfield Middle School in August

Open Dress rehearsal Thursday, Aug. 18, 7:00, at Garfield

Performances “101 Dalmatians” (audience tickets will be $5.00 each) at Garfield Friday, Aug. 19, 7:00 Saturday, Aug. 20 2:00 and 7:00. (Performers should be prepared to stay between performances. We will order pizza, play games, and reflect on our experience)

Cost: $50.00 per camper. This covers music, scripts, materials, costumes, props, practice CDs. Each camper will also get a “101 Dalmatians” t-shirt and black shorts which will also serve as a costume base.

At least $25.00 will be due on first day of camp. The remainder needs to be paid by July 5.

Payment may be made by cash or checks made out to “Hamilton Performing Arts Association”.

Attendance: Since we are working towards a final product of a finished show, regular attendance is a must. Any camper with more than 2 unexcused absences will be dismissed from the camp without a refund.

We do realize that families do take vacations in the summer and we don’t require that you alter your vacation plans. We do, however, require advanced notice of any absence for vacation purposes. Please schedule other summer events on days other than Tuesday or Wednesday, if possible.

If a camper is ill, or in other emergency absences, please call

Ms. Meg Haven:
Mrs. Tari McKee:
What to wear: comfortable clothes for sitting on the floor, moving, etc. . Gym shoes – no flip flops, sandals, etc.

What to Bring: A snack and a water bottle. We will have a snack break each day.

*This group will also be performing 2 patriotic songs uptown after the 4th of July Parade. We will meet on the east Courthouse steps at 11:45. We will perform by the gazebo (I think) around 12:00.

FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO SIGN UP, CALL OR SEE MRS. MCKEE AT BRIDGEPORT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL  868-5580

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Wise Words from Former President Gerald Ford

Music education opens doors that help children pass from school into the world around them; a world of work, culture, intellectual activity, and human involvement. The future of our nation depends on providing our children with a complete education that includes music.

Gerald Ford
Former President,
United States of America

Expressive Movement in Second Grade

Each music period includes an opportunity to move expressively to music written by a great composer.  At the end of each class period, we have SQUILT, Super Quiet UnInterrupted Listening Time.  During this time, the students just listen without moving, talking, singing, etc. The SQUILT music is the same music to which  they moved earlier in the lesson.  We move and listen to the same musical selection for about 2 weeks, or 4 class periods. It is my hope that the moving and listening to the selection will help form a lasting bond with that piece. In this video, Mrs. Creach's class is moving to "The Aquarium" by Camille Saint-Saens.  This piece is part of a larger work called Carnival of the Animals.  

Research Shows Importance of Music Education

A research team exploring the link between music and intelligence reported that music training is far superior to computer instruction in dramatically enhancing children's abstract reasoning skills, the skills necessary for
learning math and science.

Shaw, Rauscher, Levine, Wright, Dennis and Newcomb

Third Graders Learn About Percussion Instruments

The third graders have been learning about the 4 instrument families of the orchestra. They have learned about the brass, strings, and percussion sections. Shown in this video is Mrs. Burns' homeroom singing the song "Crash, Boom, Bang" as they play some of the percussion parts along with the song.

A Proverb from Zimbabwe

If you can walk you can dance. If you can talk you can sing.


~ Zimbabwe Proverb

Second Grades - Expressive Movement to Saint-Saens' "The Aquarium"

Mrs. Asher-Williams' class  portraying fish with their hands to this beautiful music.

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Confucius Says...

“When music and courtesy are better understood and appreciated, there will be no war”

~Confucius

Confucius Says....

“Music produces a kind of pleasure which human nature cannot do without”

~Confucius

Bridgeport Chorus Creates History with Bridgeport's First Musical

The Bridgeport Chorus did an awesome job in their presentation of  "Dig It!".  Enjoy their performance of the first song, "So Long Ago".

3C - Pizzicato Polka

Mrs. Meade's homeroom (3C) play quarter notes, eighth notes and sixteenth note patterns with Strauss' "Pizzicato Polka"

3B - Pizzicato Polka

Mrs. Dower's homeroom (3B) play quarter notes, eighth notes and sixteenth note patterns with Strauss' "Pizzicato Polka"

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Third Grade Video Delay

I see that many of you have been checking to see if the 3rd grade videos from Friday are up yet.  Unfortunately, I forgot to take my camera home - so it will be sometime next week before they are up.  So sorry for the delay!

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Music Education Strengthens Students' Minds in Many Ways

"Many colleges view participation in the arts and music as a valuable experience that broadens students understanding and appreciation of the world around them. It is also well known and widely recognized that the arts contribute significantly to children’s intellectual development."

Students with coursework/experience in music performance and music appreciation scored higher on the SAT: students in music performance scored 57 points higher on the verbal and 41 points higher on the math, and students in music appreciation scored 63 points higher on verbal and 44 points higher on the math, than did students with no arts participation.

Students who participated in arts programs in selected elementary and middle schools in New York City showed significant increases in self-esteem and thinking skills. The musician is constantly adjusting decisions on tempo, tone, style, rhythm,phrasing, and feeling--training the brain to become incredibly good at organizing and conducting numerous activities at once. Dedicated practice of this orchestration can have a great payoff for lifelong attentional skills,intelligence, and an ability for self-knowledge and expression.

John J. Ratey, MD
Clinical associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.

Mrs. Stone's 2nd Graders - Expressive Movement

The Kindergarten and 2nd Grade music classes enjoy moving expressively to music.  Here, Mrs. Stone's class moves to Erik Satie's "Gymnopedie No. 1"

Albert Einstein on Being a Musician

If I were not a physicist, I would probably be a musician. I often think in music. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music.
~Albert Einstein

Miss Goebel's 2nd Grade Class Performing "Miss White" in a 4-Part Canon


All of our 2nd graders enjoy this chant, especially in a 4-part canon.  To do this well, the students must work together to maintain a good balance and a uniform beat.