For an hour this past December, the Lower Elementary II (LE2) classroom turned into a coffee shop with an open mic. The children sat at tables set up around the room and had tea and cookies while listening to their classmates and teachers share their musical talents.
Ryell playing piano
Music Day was the brainchild of LE2 second year student, Ryell Remesch. Ryell started out by asking LE2 Lead Guide Sarah Gilleeny to bring in a keyboard so they could play piano in the classroom. Then they thought about it some more and decided “a lot of people in my class play an instrument and I thought Music Day would be fun for them.”
Ryell brought up the idea at a classroom gathering “and a lot of people wanted to be in it.” Ms. Sarah says that when they brought the idea to the class, they “were amazed at how many children actually took music lessons or played an instrument!”
Ryell organized a sign up sheet where students could sign up to play an instrument or sing. They could play a song that they knew, or they could write something to share with the class. Everyone who signed up got to practice once or twice before the performance. “The children were very respectful of their time when it was their turn to head up to the loft and practice their piece,” notes Ms. Sarah.
On the last Monday morning before the holiday break, the performers were organized and an official program was produced. The students also decorated the classroom; “we had fresh flowers on all of the tables, and signs everywhere!” says Ms. Sarah. “It was really nice to see the community getting excited and coming together to make a nice event for our class.”
In addition to serving tea and cookies, the class printed out some music-themed coloring pages to keep them busy while they were listening. “Music Day was a lot of fun,” says Ryell, “I played the piano. Wesley played the guitar. Some other people played the piano. Aislinn sang and so did Ms. Ileana. Ms. Sarah played the flute and made a mistake in the beginning! We all sat around and listened.”
When asked what their classmates thought about the event, Ryell said “everybody was a little nervous, but we all had a lot of fun.” Their classmate Wesley Theriault said he “really liked it,” while another student, Gabby Carlson, said “It was a good day. I want to do it again because I've learned another song.” Meanwhile, Ms. Sarah was “really thrilled that we all had a chance to get up in front of each other like that and share a common love of music.”
Asked if they would do it again if they had the chance, Ryell enthusiastically responded “Yes! Can we do it tomorrow?”
