"Back to Mayberry"

Grandparents' Day was a wonderful success!!  Thank you to all the faculty, parents, and staff that worked so hard to honor our Grandparents!!  Here is a link of a video that was shown prior to the official program:http://youtu.be/TKmUOE7pLBg  If you didn't see it, please check it out now--it's adorable!  

Great Job!

To all my 1st & 2nd grade students:  You did a terrific job on your musical, "Once Upon a Lily Pad"! 

I am very proud of you!

Grandparents' Day on Friday, March 21 at 9:00am in the Nicholson Center

For Grandparents’ Day on Friday, March 21^st, my K4-4^th grade students are to wear blue jean pants/skirt, white shirt (dress code is fine), and a red bandana.  Blue jeans should be neat and FREE FROM HOLES OR TEARS.  *For 1^st &  2^nd graders only…They need to make sure they have POCKETS!!!  We will have motions to songs that require both hands, and then another song requires a KAZOO, which will be placed in their pockets.  Parents, please make sure your child has a KAZOO by Thursday, March 20th for our practice, and then for Grandparents' Day. 

Blessings,
Mrs. Debbie Dyer
ddyer@gwa.com

 

Parents, here's a link to some last minute instructions concerning this week's Dress Rehearsals/Performance schedule:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9ivxaC9DoMkbHZlaS1PMzIzYW8/edit?usp=sharing 
We hope to see you at one of the performances this Thursday, March 13th!  Come and celebrate SPRING!

GWA Lower School Curriculum Overview 2014

GWA Lower School Curriculum night was a HUGE success!  It was fabulous to meet so many of my parents and to show off the many talents of my students!  Thank you to everyone who visited my room and entered my drawing for Chick-fil-A gift cards.  Our winners are Ella Doster, and Mellie Fisher's parents!  

If you forgot to pick up a curriculum overview for your child's grade, or if you were unable to come to my room, please follow this link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9ivxaC9DoMkYi0zZmVjN3dEb1U/edit?usp=sharing  and it will provide a copy of the handouts of all grade levels!  Check it out and see what we are learning in music!

Lower School Music Performance Schedule 2013-2014
Several of you have asked me about the Spring musical performance schedule for your child.  Please click on the link below for a copy of the document with all the details!


https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9ivxaC9DoMkVXEzS3lJbW9HZjQ/edit?usp=sharing

All God's Children Have a Place in the Choir

As I was perusing possible musicals, I ran across an article written by a music teacher who had recently performed one of the musicals proffered for sale.  The article from Bad Wolf Press was entitled, "Derek's Triumph".  Derek was a highly intelligent, autistic student who loved music.  The article's author wrote, "Although he was friendly and eager to play and have friends, his black-and-white way of seeing the world was difficult for the other students to appreciate. Derek was quick to tattle because rules should not be broken, ever. Receiving acknowledgment and praise from his peers was rare."  While working on the school musical, Derek's mother had ordered the piano score online so he could learn the music and play along with the recording on one of the songs.  During the performance, which began well, the CD player abruptly stopped, leaving the students with no music.  Derek, who had learned to play ALL of the songs in the musical, saved the day as he brilliantly accompanied all the remaining songs.  To abundant applause, Derek bowed as his classmates and the audience showered their new-found hero with praise!

I love this story!  Every person has a place in music!  In fact, every person has a place in this world!  God made each of us and because of that we are highly valued!  I find this quote by Albert Einstein to be quite apt:  “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”  These are facts:  I will never play pro football, be a skilled mathematician, or a proficient skydiver--but, I am a skilled musician.  The marvelous truth about music is that the field is so vast and diverse, there is something for everyone!  All God's children have a place in the choir!

Musically Yours,
Mrs. Debbie Dyer