Introducing.....(drum roll please) our 2019-2020 Founders Memorial School Choral Group!
This group is offered to any and all 4th and 5th graders at FMS, and we meet Thursday mornings in Mrs. Ferris' music classroom. Although it is a tight fit, students are thus far doing very well with vocal warm-ups, and our repertoire for the January 2020 concert. When students arrive, they sign in, and then pick a spot either on the rug or the risers. Each student is responsible for a lyrics packet that contains the words to the songs we are learning. Students are expected to give their best effort in chorus, as well as being kind and supportive to fellow choral members. We are very excited to continue our journey through singing weekly!
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Students in all three grades have been practicing their listening skills in music! 4th and 5th grade have been studying the music of Camille Saint-Saens, and 3rd grade, Ludwig Van Beethoven.
These listening worksheets are done while the students listen to the song. They fill out the title and composer, and within the circles/bubbles, they are allowed to share different things they may hear such as:
4th and 5th graders have completed three thus far, and 3rd graders have completed one. Student work is handed back within two weeks, and is expected to go home; please ask them about their listening worksheets! Hello FMS Family and Friends!
Our 4th and 5th grade students spent their first music class hearing about the orchestra and or/band, as well as the choral group offerings. Fellow musician and teacher, Tyson Valyou, demonstrated the orchestral instruments for our 4th grade students (violin, viola, cello, and bass). He also demonstrated band instruments for our 5th grade students (flute, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, trombone, xylophone, and snare drum). Students who would like to sign up should see Mr. Valyou for more information. Students also heard about the 4th and 5th grade choral group, and received a 'chorus contract.' These are due by Friday, September 13th, but I will happily take them earlier. If your child has misplaced it, please see my previous blog post for a link to the contract. Performance groups are a wonderful way to try something new, meet new friends, and belong to a meaningful group. Music is lifelong, so some students may even sing their whole lives, or play an instrument until they are 100! We highly recommend that students stay within their groups for the entire year to gain the necessary musical knowledge to impact their decisions around being 'life-long instrumentalists, or vocalists!' GREETINGS!
The start of the school year is upon us; welcome back to the EWSD! My name is Megan Ferris, and I cannot wait to teach music to the students of Founders Memorial School and Essex Middle school for the 2019-2020 school year. This will be my 8th year educating Essex students in the arts. GENERAL INFORMATION I am a full time music educator teaching at both Founders and Essex Middle School. I split the time between the two, and teach general music to 3-5, as well as chorus for 4/5, and 6-8. This blog will be used for Founders Memorial School only. Email is the best way to get in touch with me ([email protected]), and I try to reply to the message within 24 hours or less; communication is key! I am in the middle of changing my name legally (I got married this summer) so I apologize if there are any mixed messages around my last name and soon to be changed email address. It is being changed from Megan Beaucage to Megan Ferris for future reference. General music is provided for all FMS students for 45 minutes two times per week. During this time, each student will have the opportunity to learn how to read music at a basic level both treble clef notes and basic rhythms, as well as singing, games, and instrument playing of all sorts. Students will be learning and assessed through the National Common Core Arts Standards. CHORUS INFORMATION FOR 4th AND 5th GRADERS Chorus contracts for Founders Memorial School students will be sent home within the first week of school; please keep an eye out for this packet. Signed contracts will be due by Friday, September 13th, and the FIRST DAY OF CHORUS will be SEPTEMBER 19th, 2019 in my general music classroom from 7:50am-8:30am; students are pre-excused from morning meeting for Thursdays. Students may hand in their signed contracts to their homeroom teacher, Mrs. Kedzierski in the front office, Mr. Valyou, or myself. Please be sure to keep all of the concert information and expectations; only return the single sheet with the parent information and signatures. I highly suggest marking your calendars right away to avoid missing concerts as we only have a few per year. If your child fails to bring home a contract, please email me and I would be happy to forward to document via email, or you may feel free to click to Word Document link below to access the chorus contract. A reminder, that this is for 4th and 5th graders only. FMS Chorus Contract THANK YOU ALL, HAVE A WONDERFUL START TO THE SCHOOL YEAR! |