"If arts have a place in society, they must be a part of a community. To be an artist is not the privilege of a few, but the necessity of us all." –Robert Lawson Shaw
Happy Thanksgiving from our @APS_SPARK community! Students, moms, dads, grandparents, and friends! Guitar, ukulele, glockenspiel, xylophone, and lots of studies! Thanks,
@QuaverMusic for a great song we adapted to be about socially- distant Thanksgiving!
Celebration Sing Along songs using Upbeat Music App
Our December #TKTD19 Celebration Songs can be your family's favorite holiday songs--from ANY holiday! Christmas, Hanukkah, Diwali, Ramadan, Chinese New Year, Kwanzaa, or any others!
Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah! Joyous Kwanzaa! Happy Diwali! Gong Xi Fa Cai!
Which holidays are special to your family? Do you sing or make music or dance for your celebration? Share your joy with our SPARK friends and families in #TKTD19 Celebration Songs!
Everyone is welcome! Kids, please be sure to check with your parents that I can post this--put a thumbs-up or put in the comments if you got permission! Parents: If your child records in TKTD links, they will be published on the blog at springdaleparkmusic.blogspot.com.
1. Click the red camera and record (or click the ... menu next to the camera and upload a video)
2. Take a selfie and put a thumbs up emoji if I can publish your song!
3. Submit. Performances are moderated, which means once you submit no one will see the video until I publish them!
Until we publish Episode 17, be sure to check out previous episodes, especially our newest Hispanic Heritage Songs!
#TKTD17 Scare-oling & Autumn songs
Sing a spooky song, a football fight song, a song about autumn. One of the BEST times of the year is here!!
Everyone is welcome! Kids, please be sure to check with your parents that I can post this--put a thumbs-up on your selfie if you got permission!
Parents: If your child records in TKTD links, they will be published on the blog at springdaleparkmusic.blogspot.com.
1. Click the red camera and record
2. Take a selfie and put a thumbs up emoji if I can publish your song!
3. Submit.
Performances are moderated, which means once you submit no one will see the video until I publish them!
Students, teachers, and community members are invited to get this fiesta started! Sing, dance, play, and represent your favorite Spanish-speaking country! While we welcome kids who perform songs within our theme, we also welcome performances of any kind! Thank you for sharing your talents!
Welome back, SPARK!
One of my favorite humans, my mentor teacher from when I began teaching, and my chosen sister is Dawn Williams. She LOVES the first day of school, and at the beginning of the school year she goes around shouting, "Happy New Year!!"
Tiny Kids at Tiny Desks is our community concert series that we started in May. It's just a chance for kids and community members to share a performance they've worked on to give an incentive to practice and to stay connected through music.
Start our happy new school year with a song! On your porch or anywhere! Everyone is welcome!
1. Click the red camera and record OR upload a performance you have done already by clicking the "more options" dots.
2. Take a selfie and put a thumbs up emoji if I can publish your song!
For the month of July I decided to keep this link live, and folks can add songs whenever they wish--your performance will go live as soon as you submit! That way we won't have to worry about deadlines or pressure.
I went ahead and started the show off with "Summertime" from Porgy and Bess, which lots of folks know from the Janis Joplin version (or another). Read more about the Atlanta Opera's Porgy and Bess below the Flipgrid.
Throughout the month of July, record and submit your own Summer Songs. Operatic songs are not required!
Summertime has always been one of my favorite songs to sing, and the last performance I saw before Covid times was the AMAZING version of Porgy and Bess produced by the Atlanta Opera. The cast included my friends from all of the singing things in Atlanta--Tyrone Webb from the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Reggie Smith from Atlanta Young Singers, Timothy Miller, and several friends who were in the Opera Chorus. I've had the chance to sing with the ASO and Morris Robinson many times,
Reginald Smith, Jr. I was the Assistant Music Director with Atlanta Young Singers when Reggie was a kid. I met him when he joined, and he always was one of the most friendly and kind folks I knew, aside from being a magnificient singer!
Timothy Miller you probably know from singing at the Braves and Atlanta United games
This week's featured family is the Willner family, and they represent the theme--Sunrise & Sunset because we have had a Willner child enrolled at Springdale Park every year since we opened, but now it is time for Miles, SPARK's last Willner, to go to middle school.
Allyson & Tom Willner have three wonderful, musical kids: Klara (SPARK 2009-2012), Elliot (2009-2015), and Miles (2014-2020). The first year SPARK was open we did not have 5th grade, so our Chorus and AC, Band, and Orchestra students (including Klara) began their ensemble study, in addition to Music class, as third graders. Tom (click for his bio) is a cancer survior and musician who uses storytelling and music to teach about the patient experience through his musical "Turning Thirty". He also works in higher education technology. Before SPARK even opened Tom came by to offer to accompany our chorus concerts (!!!), and he was our regular accompanist until Klara went to middle school. While Allyson claims to not be a musician, you can hear a tiny bit of her singing in one of the flipgrid videos below. Allyson has been an amazing & strong advocate and shining light for me to be able to stay focused on the great work our students can accomplish! I'm so grateful! Allyson and Tom have been stalwart supporters of SPARK for 11 years, and their commitment to keeping Music strong at SPARK rubbed off on their kids--Klara was in Chorus, AC, and Orchestra, Elliot was in Band and was a great Music student, and Miles participated in Band and AC, honor choruses, and special events. Miles performed in nearly every event we've had, online or offline over the past few years, and he even organized and performed a benefit concert at the Red Light Cafe to raise funds for our Music programs in 2018 (#MilesandFriends) and 2019 (#SPARKRocks2). Tom has reprised his role as accompanist during Miles's 4th and 5th grade years. All three Willner kids were active musicians at SPARK, and I hope they will each continue making music for their entire lives!
Klara in 3rd & 4th grade AC at the Governor's Mansion, December 2009
Hot Chocolate from the Polar Express
accompanied by Tom Willner
Christmas Time is Here from A Charlie Brown Christmas
accompanied by Tom Willner
Klara in AC "Oye" by Jim Papoulis Tom Willner and Willard Santos, Accompanists
In addition to being a saxophone player in Band, Elliot was a great Music student, earning second place in our Composer Project Festival that was judged by members of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.
Elliot in Band May 2014 playing Tempest, Erin Moore director
How many 4th graders plan and perform a benefit concert for their school Music program?
Check out #MilesandFriends on Twitter for more videos from 2018
It looks like the summer is keeping folks busy, but luckily our theme drew in the Mahony kids and Miles to perform some songs.
For this week I decided to highlight the Mahony Family and some of their musical friends, and other SPARK families and/or music schools will be highlighted in coming weeks!
Aine, Aisling, and Padraig have been active musicians and dancers their entire lives, and through music they have developed some wonderful bonds with friends. Check out this wonderful family and their friends Miles and Patrick!
Aine and Miles practice Shallow from A Star is Born
Mahony Family sings Ob La Di
Mahony Family dances the Treble Reel
Padraig sings Ice Ice Baby
Aine, Miles, and Patrick sing at Hands On Atlanta's 9/11 Day of Service
Teeny Aine singing Riptide (check out her 5th grade version below!)
Sing a song about something you believe in--something worth standing up for.
I love the variety of submissions this week. The students sang and played songs that move them, but some friends also spent an afternoon having some fun, but also in making up songs on topics that are swirling in their minds. These friends give a childlike perspective of justice but also how paying attention to differences and fairness is just part of their lives. Huge thank you goes to Rachel Platt, who was a student of mine at Morningside before SPARK was built. She just graduated from Vanderbilt (Summa Cum Laude--BAM!), and Rachel embodies music. It has been a wonder to see her grow into such a wonderful and active singer/songwriter and actor, and I can't wait to see all she does as a teacher! More thanks go to Ms. Emily Backus, the Music teacher at Mary Lin who always contributes her great talents and thoughtful songs to our TKTD concerts. Ms. Backus is on the Board of Directors and is an instructor for Girls Rock Camp, and she can play any song in any key on guitar, plays banjo, and lots of other instruments, but majored in percussion at UGA. She can literally play guitar, sing, and play drums with her feet. All at once. She's that person who can do it all. Thanks also goes to master librarian Rebecca Ballard, the Oconee County Library’s Children’s Specialist (read about the cool things she's doing!), aka Rebecca Sunshine of the Rebecca Sunshine Band! Check out her work and CD here! http://www.rebeccasunshineband.com/
Throughout the summer we'll keep the TKTD opportunities open. This week is a tiny but wonderful show! I included this week's submission, but also a GREAT example of our solfege scale and skips to Do and the SPARK Song.
A dedication from Ms. Turgeon: Round of Goodbyes is a song I learned with Atlanta Young Singers. We would circle up and sing it at the end of each season, and it has always been a very special song to me. I didn't even cry when I recorded it! And the ending is not how I wanted it, but this is my first grid-style video and I'm just learning to edit (Acapella does not work for me).
Goodbye, farewell, the time has come for parting.
Take care, stay well, I'll see you in a while.
We have had a lot of happy memories, and I guess we've had a lot of fun,
and I hope the memories will linger on, now that we're through and done.
Goodbye! Au revoir! Ciao! Fare thee well! We've had a happy time.
Goodbye! Au revoir! Ciao! Fare the well! See you again!
Y'all, this is very cool--L & E decided to figure out the melody of the SPARK Song on their own, from memory and with voice and flute. They did a fine job! I'm so impressed! Now they have the sheet music they are working on that, too.
It is SO MUCH FUN seeing performing kids and teachers each week. Thank you to Mary Lin folks Ms. Backus, Luke, Jack, and Giuliana for participating, along with our SPARKies!
A Grady Cluster Trifecta!
Aine (SPARK), Padraig (Inman), and Aisling (Grady) Mahony perform "Ob La Di" by the Beatles
Be sure to scroll down below the flipgrid videos for more performances!
Ladybug Parade by Lynette Sharp
Performed by Kindergarten Student Nia Henderson.
The Winds of Change by Mary Leaf
performed by 2nd grade student Norris Henderson
"Alouette"
Performed by 3rd grade student Lillian, flute and 1st grade student Elise, piano
"Roar" by Katy Perry
Performed by Lillian, flute
Cooper playing "Ain't Misbehaving"
David DeStefano, Fulton County Music Teacher
playing "Irish Washerwoman" on concertina
and "more than Hot Cross Buns"
'
"Grandpa's Sonata"
Composed and performed by 3rd grade student, Donovan C.
'
"Stairway to Heaven"
Performed by 5th grade student Patrick R.
'
"Wish You Were Here" from our Google Meetup
'
Happy St. Patrick's Day
Traditional Irish Dance
Performed by 5th grade student Aine,
and former SPARK students 7th grader Padraig and 9th grader Aisling
'
"Rhode Island is Famous for You" by Blossom Dearie
Performed by former SPARK teacher, Jenna Mobley
'
Oliver's Glockenspiel songs
2nd grade student
'
Rise Up
Performed by 5th grade student Aine
'
SPARK Song
Performed by SPARK 4th and 5th grade students in 2018
While I’m disappointed that Fine Arts Night is cancelled, I’m grateful for our Administration for prioritizing the health and safety of our community.
As an alternative, I’d like to give our performers a chance to create a video of their performance that I can share with the SPARK Community and beyond!
Go to https://flipgrid.com/a6754033 and sign in with a Google or Microsoft account (students may use their school login), and record an intro and the performance--I have set the time limit to 3 minutes to include intro and talent. I will share the performances on my Music blog and Twitter. If you prefer to use YouTube as a platform you can upload your child's performance and send me a link! I use the "unlisted' setting to protect our students' privacy.
Please submit by Wednesday, March 18 to be included in the Fine Arts Night Musical postings. Submissions that are sent after will be added, but may not get as much viewership.
While I know it's not the same as having a live performance, I don't want your child(ren)'s practice to go to waste, and we may as well let the world know about the talented musicians, dancers, singers, and athletes at SPARK!
Thanks for your support, and I can't wait to see the videos!
Our third, fourth, and fifth graders had a blast singing with kids from Mary Lin, Hope Hill, and Morningside at the Atlanta Gladiators game on Saturday, February 29, 2020. This was our first time opening the opportunity to third graders, and we even had a bonus first grader who joined us. The kids sang well, and we had a great time watching the Gladiators whip up on the Admirals 5-0!
Here is some very cool video, courtesy of Melanie Relyea, the MES Music teacher. We also had awesome help from Emily Backus from Mary Lin!
Purchase your tickets here: GLADIATORS TICKETS Remember this is a fundraiser for all Grady Elementary Chorus groups. Each group receives a donation back to their school based on ticket sales.
for O, Canada (English and French) and the Star Spangled Banner Harmony.
The Gladiators play at Infinite Energy Center 6400 Sugarloaf Pkwy, Duluth, GA 30097
Our "uniform" is: Chorus/AC: Music@SPARK shirt/black pants/skirts/shoes Others: any SPARK shirt or green shirt and black/dark pants/skirts The call time is 6:05pm. At that time you'll drop your kids with me and take their belongings with you. Singers will meet up, line up, warm up, and get to our singing location. After we sing we'll bring the kids to the seating area for our group and you can enjoy the game!
On Thursday, February 20 our Advanced Chorus attended the
Georgia Music Educators Association Large Group Performance Evaluation (LGPE)
at Tri-Cities High School
LGPE is an event in which choruses from our GMEA district perform for a panel of judges. We are rated on a scale, based on criteria for excellence in Choral music, and our judges are well-known choral experts in Georgia.
We got to spend some time on the bus
with singers from Mary Lin!
Woodward Academy 8th Grade
Maynard Jackson HS Women's Ensemble
Westlake HS Women's Ensemble
Ms. Turgeon's friend from UGA, Suzanne Grant's
Northwestern MS 8th Grade Chorus
Inman 8th Graders waiting to sing. Hi Sydney!
The Inman 7th Grade Chorus could hardly fit on the risers!
Our Music@SPARK performance 😊
(the person who filmed the live performance had an unfortunate coughing fit throughout Tango, so this is a still shot from the video with the professional recording dubbed in)
While no performance is perfect, our students and I were proud of our performance and our scores. I chose a 7th/8th grade unison sight-singing example, and the kids rocked it.
