All Decorated!!

I've been working to decorate for MIOSM for the past few days, and we're all done! Take a look at the awesome decorations! I really love my door, guess where it's themed from? ;) Each balloon has important things we do in music class that assists with the things the students are learning in other classes. Never knew music helped so much!

The teachers all have awesome secret musical backgrounds! I compiled them, and now we have a guess who wall! You read the paragraph about the teacher or staff member of BCPS, and guess which person it is; check your answer by flipping the white paper up. What a great way to get to know everyone a little better, and to see that not EVERYONE who loves music is a rockstar or a music teacher; you can be anything and still love to enjoy music :)

The hall is so much more colorful now! I love Music In Our Schools Month :)

First Grade Program

First graders are working hard to prepare for their upcoming program, "Our Musical Traditions," which explores folk song and dance from the United States! The program will be on March 23rd in the Primary School gym. As we get closer, costume ideas, performance times, and the lyrics to our songs will be sent home so that these awesome kids can practice! Ask your children as they come home to sing for you the songs they are working on, so that they can practice singing in front of people before the concert; we don't want any nervous kiddos, we want confident kiddos!

Composer of the Month: Duke Ellington

February's composer of the month is Edward Kennedy Ellington, better known as Duke Ellington! Ellington was born in 1899 and died in 1974, and is thought of by many as America's GREATEST composer,  bandleader, and recording artist. During his 50 year career, Ellington composed over 3000 pieces of music! He was awarded, by President Richard Nixon, the Presidential Medal of Freedom on his 70th birthday. Funny enough, Duke hated his piano lessons when he was young, saying they were "boring" and quit! Thank goodness he didn't give up music, because piano became his forte! In 2009, Duke Ellington became the FIRST African American to be featured on a US coin, which is also pretty cool, since he was one of America's first African American composers. Among his 3000 compositions, some of his best known are It Don't Mean a Thing, Satin Doll, Take the "A" Train, and Mood Indigo. Watch this video of his Big Band "The Cotton Club Orchestra" play It Don't Mean a Thing" with him at the lead on the piano!