The view from my window is more of a soundscape. Outside, I can hear the children playing basketball and eating lunch. Next door, I hear Teacher Molly exploring science and Prof. Andrea working on vowel sounds with our youngest friends.
This week at Meeting for Worship, we sang the round, Vine and Fig Tree, to celebrate the upcoming Jewish holiday Yom Kippur. Chag Sameach to everyone celebrating next week.
This month in music class, we are refreshing our memories and building a foundation for the rest of the year. Our Middle School students have been reviewing rhythm and note reading in preparation for the music theory skills we will explore this year. The Middle School Chorus has begun rehearsing, focusing on vocal technique and sight reading.
In Elementary School, many of our students have already played on the conga drums or xylophones to review rhythm and melody skills. This week, 4th-grade students finished working on the song Bubble Gum, the common schoolyard game: “Bubble gum, bubble gum in a dish. How many pieces do you wish?” We played, stomped, clapped, sang, transcribed, and finally, composed.
Our Primary School students have been dancing, singing, playing games, and focusing on critical foundational skills, such as steady beat, loud vs. quiet, fast vs. slow, and self-space. This week, Kindergarten read one of my favorite books, Mole Music by David McPhail, learning how practice helps us to grow.
Music Appreciation, an enrichment course that studies genres, artists, history, and current topics in music, started last week. We asked the question, “How do you actively listen to music?” Through various songs, such as Hayden’s Surprise Symphony and Sunflower by Post Malone and Swae Lee, all 1st through 8th-grade students engaged in listening for the beat, rhythm, timbre, tempo, and meaning.
I look forward to making music with each of your students this year!
Sincerely,
Jessica Fielding
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Announcements:
- Sunday, September 24, Friends School High School Fair at Haddonfield Friends School 1:00 - 3:00pm
- Monday, September 25, school closed for Yom Kippur
- Monday, September 29, Picture Retake Day
- Sunday, October 1, families are welcome to the Family Council and Westfield Meeting celebration of World Quaker Day, 10:00am - 12:00pm at Westfield Meeting House. The theme this year is “Ubuntu - I am because you are”.
- Monday, October 16 (RAIN DATE!), Westfield's 7th Annual Golf Outing at Riverton Country Club - Support Westfield and be sure to visit the Auction Catalog to start bidding on items such as outdoor adventures, autographed Eagles footballs (Go Birds!), golf and baseball outings, and more! Something for everyone. BIDDING ENDS Monday, October 16th @ 7:00 pm.