The secret word is....

spaghetti!

Tell your son or daughter my secret password and they can play one of their favorite instruments for the whole class, the gong!

All they need to do is whisper to me the secret word at the beginning or the end of music class! Make sure you tell them not to share it with their friends! This offer expires October 1st!

On this blog you'll find important dates, information and see what your children do at music! Make sure you follow by e-mail or become a follower!

5 Points of Posture!

At JFK and Parmenter this week the 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade choirs are off and singing! This week our learning objective was singing with Mrs. Mac's 5 points of posture. 1. Feet shoulder width apart. 2. Knees unlocked. 3. Backs straight. 4. Shoulders relaxed. 5. Eyes and heads towards the conductor. Thanks to the 3rd grade Parmenter chorus for demonstrating! Looking forward to their concerts in January!

 bad posture

5 points of posture!

Musician of the Month!

In the past few years, in an effort to enrich your child’s musical experience, I have created a bulletin board for first, second, and third graders that ties their birthdays to famous composers and musicians. This year I hope to broaden their musical tastes by introducing musicians from different parts of the world. My hope is that in addition to helping them grow as musicians it will also help them grow in their acceptance of people’s differences.

While I hope to present music with as much authenticity as possible, I know I will be learning much of the music alongside your children. I also recognize that within a small region there are many different musical styles. Therefore it will be impossible to represent all regions and styles. 

Here is where you come in! If you have any expertise in a musician from another culture I would love to hear from you! Please take this short survey below to share your idea!

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Q66XBFV

I decided to start with a musician born right here in the U.S. with a style that started right here in the U.S. The Blues! Here is the King of Blues himself! B.B. King! Born September 16, 1925.

Happy First Day!!!

Welcome back everyone! Hope you all have a great first day! Here is a picture of my new room at JFK! You can now find me on the other side of the building in room 10. Can't wait to make music with you all!

Look what I can do!

Hope everyone is having a great summer! While you are all taking a break from school I get to be a student myself! This week I took a really neat graduate class in music production with Professor Stefani Langol from Berklee College of Music. I'm learning a new program for PCs called MixCraft. This is very similar to GarageBand for Macs. I'm excited to say I was able to order this software for both PC labs at JFK and Parmenter. For my final project, I'm creating some projects I plan to use with 4th and 5th graders this upcoming year. I can't wait!

Here is a fun project I did the first few days using MixCraft. Notice the first clip is almost entirely without sound. In the second clip I was able to create all the sound using a microphone and sound clips in MixCraft. Enjoy the rest of your summer and see you soon!

Gromit leaves Home - silent

Gromit Leaves Home - sound

Summer Music Program 2013

Great opportunity for students who love to sing entering 4th and 5th grade!

Summer Music Program 2013

July 22 - August 2, 2013

Ms. Nancy Schoen, Director

For entering grades 4 to 12

Morning Program, 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM

Concert Band

for entering grades 5 to 9

This class is for students with at least one year of playing experience. Students will continue playing while improving their musical skills. Small group instruction, supplemented with daily games and activities will be used to help strengthen the sense of a music community. Older students will work in chamber music groups or act as music mentors for the younger students. $200 for 2-week program

Elementary Strings

for entering grades 4 and 5

This class is for students with at least one year of playing experience with a stringed instrument. Students will review the concepts learned in previous lessons, break up into small groups for new concepts, and get together again as an orchestra. $200 for 2-week program

Afternoon Program, 12:30 PM to 3:00 PM

Jazz Band Workshop

for entering grades 7 to 9

This class is for students with at least two years of playing experience. Students will learn the styles and

influences of modern jazz greats like Charlie Parker in a fun, relaxed setting. Using Bebop melodies, Latin Drum Beat, and 70’s Funk Rock, students will experience the excitement of playing jazz, while developing technical and musical proficiency. Traditional and non-traditional jazz instruments are included. Improvisation and simple chord progressions are addressed. $200 for 2-week program

Summer Orchestra

for entering grades 6 to 9

This class is for students with at least two years of playing experience with a stringed instrument. Students will receive small group instruction and will perform with the larger string ensemble. Students will perform music literature representing a variety of musical genres and styles. $200 for 2-week program

Summer Glee

for entering grades 4 to 7

If you enjoy "Glee", then you will love Summer Glee! This is a performance-based group that combines

singing and dance movements. A varied repertoire of age-appropriate music will be presented. $200 for 2-week program

All groups will showcase their talent with a short performance at the end of the 2 weeks.

Full Day Program, 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM

Music Mentors

for entering 10th graders or higher

Students who intern as Music Mentors work with summer chorus, string and band musicians under the supervision of Ms. Schoen. $25 for 2-week program

Register online at

www.franklin.k12.ma.us, select Departments, Lifelong, Summer Program508-553-4814 or lifelong@franklin.k12.ma.us

Freddy can sing!

Thank you so much to my JFK kindergarteners!

This is Freddy the frog. The one thing he wanted to do more than anything in the world is sing! In learning to use their singing voice and sing in tune, kindergarteners taught our beloved Freddy how to sing! Now he can't stop! Check out his video below!