Third Grade Black History Month Songs

Third Graders at SPARK studied musicians and artists for Black History Month, so we connected Music lessons as the topics made sense. The videos linked are more for fun and showing some learning than a perfect performance practices. We definitely had fun.

All students learned about the musical traditions of the Gullah culture on the Georgia Sea Islands and learned a bit of body percussion called Hambone and/or Juba, and Ms. Lockwood's class, who studied visual artist Jacob Lawrence, is featured performing two simplified pats that go with the songs Hambone and Juba.

Dr. Nease's class learned about Edward "Duke" Ellington, and in honor of him the class created choreography and performed a bit of "Sir Duke" by Stevie Wonder. In the song he mentions "Basie, Miller, Satchmo, and the king of all "Sir Duke", and with a voice like Ella's ringing out there's no way the band can lose!"  Count Basie, Glenn Miller, Satchmo=Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and Ella Fitzgerald.

Ms. Madlem's class learned about Gladys Knight, so her class created  choreography and performed "Midnight Train to Georgia" with a few Gladyses and lots of Pips.

Ms. McCafferty's class studied Ella Fitzgerald, and they will film "A Tisket, a Tasket" today.

Ms. McCrae's class will be featured doing "Have Some Love" by multi-award winner and Georgia native Donald Glover aka Childish Gambino (filming tomorrow), with a rap created by our own Eliana.

March Music Madness

Students interested in performing at SPARK Fine Arts Night should contact Ms. Turgeon.

March Music Madness--Did you know March is Music in our Schools Month? Did you know many schools have NO Music offered for students at all? 

We have a busy month ahead, and during March our Chorus/AC/GCMC will be performing at SPARK (Fine Arts Night), supporting SPARK (5th Grade Basketball Challenge), representing SPARK (LGPE aka Chorus Festival for Georgia Music Educators Association), benefitting our Music/Chorus program at SPARK (Gladiators game) and connecting SPARK kids to great music of the world (Metropolitan Opera this Saturday!)

March 1 Fifth Grade Basketball Challenge at Inman Call time 5:15pm for cheerleaders & players, 5:30ish for others, sing 6ish. Any fourth and fifth graders, plus kids playing and cheering will sing the National Anthem. Chorus and AC members who are present at the event are expected to sing (including cheerleaders and basketball players). These jobs won't overlap, and this is a scheduled gig. We need to sound our best, and we need all singers and their voices!

March 2  Opera-tunity--Ms. Turgeon has been given up to 50 free tickets for The Metropolitan Opera in HD live broadcast of La Fille du Regiment by Donizetti starring international star Pretty Yende at Perimeter Point 1155 Mount Vernon Hwy, Sandy Springs, GA 30338. If you're interested please let me know (how many tickets you need) and meet us at the theater about 12:40pm ish. Due to low response transportation will not be provided. :( But come anyway! It's on the MARTA train line and everything!

March 13 Come hear SPARK's AC at Large Group Performance Evaluation on Wednesday, March 13 at 9:10 am at Mays High School. 3450 Benjamin E Mays Dr SW, Atlanta, GA 30331 

LGPE is an adjudicated festival in which choruses are judged on repertoire and sight-singing.

If your AC child is NOT performing at LGPE please let me know in writing asap. Permission slips will be sent home soon. Again, we need all voices to sound our best!

March 23 Gladiators Game  Marvel Superhero night!(click for info) call 6:30pm, AC sings O, Canada a bit before the game, GCMC sings America the Beautiful at first intermission—Buy your tickets ASAP! 

Link to order online: https://store.atlantagladiators.com/grady-school-cluster-p712.aspx 

Code: GRADY

March 28 SPARK Fine Arts Night Chorus/AC will sing our LGPE repertoire, and individuals/groups are invited to sign up to perform, also! Please sign up soon!