Global Play Day 2017

Official Global Play Day Song

Global School Play Day is an event promoting the importance of unstructured play in schools. Unstructured play helps children develop 21st century skills. Since our music classes are only 30 minutes, there are some very expensive things in our room and we have a smaller space to play in, the loudness can be overwhelming when trying out instruments, but we still managed to play and explore lots of things. Here are some of the things the kids loved to do.

Dancing with ribbons

Handbells

Exploring the piano - always a hit!

How many sounds can a triangle make?

Everyone's always drawn to the percussion!

Music art

Contra-bass bars and finding the beat.

We love music!

Musical Magic

Congratulations to all the St. James Music Theatre kids, staff, volunteers, and of course the amazing Mrs. Paula Olko (director) for your amazing work on James and the Giant Peach Jr.  The Grade 4/5 classes were able to go on Monday, January 30th and it was very well done.  Way to go Jessica and Kiera on this big accomplishment.  Your singing and dancing were superb!

James Theatre Tickets

The SJASD Divisional Music Theatre tickets are now on sale for performances at Westwood Collegiate for James and the Giant Peach Jr.  There are 10 shows between Jan. 28-February 4, 2017.  To book tickets, click on the links below for dates and times.  Note: Stevenson students are in Cast 2.

Click Here - Cast 2 Tickets

Click Here - Cast 1 Tickets

Grade 4/5 students will be going with Ms. Rempel to the show on Monday, January 30th in the morning.  Parents, please have field trip form in ASAP.

Story Summary: Based on one of Roald Dahl’s most poignantly quirky stories, Roald Dahl's James and the Giant Peach JR. is a brand new take on this "masterpeach" of a tale. Featuring a wickedly tuneful score and a witty and charming book, this adventurous musical about courage and self-discovery is destined to be a classic.

When James is sent by his conniving aunts to chop down their old fruit tree, he discovers a magic potion that grows a tremendous peach, rolls into the ocean and launches a journey of enormous proportions. James befriends a collection of singing insects that ride the giant piece of fruit across the ocean, facing hunger, sharks and plenty of disagreements along the way.

Directed by the amazing Paula Olko

Music Literacy

Creating their own patterns.

Figuring out patterns from musical chairs game.

Grade 1 students are getting lots of practice reading, writing, and playing quarter note, eighth notes, and quarter rest rhythms.  We play games, sing songs, dance, read, and write, 4 beat patterns.

The classes shared presents they got for the holidays and we figured out the the rhythms of words and made this chain.

Musical Discoveries

On Monday, the Grade 2/3 classes had the amazing opportunity to go to the Centennial Concert Hall to hear our very own Winnipeg Music Symphony.  Check out some of the students responses...

Before we even went, we did several lessons and activities about the music so we had some ideas of what we liked and what we could look and listen for.  Check out the tab "WSO Gr. 2/3" for more of the songs and dances we heard.

Learning how to professional play the castanets.  Not easy!

True North!

29 students, 4 teachers, and several parents ventured to the MTS Centre on Friday night for the MB Moose vs. Chicago Wolves hockey game.  We had the amazing privilege of singing O Canada on the ice and it was amazing!!! Check out the video below.

Spreading the Cheer

Our Grade 4/5s went to a local carehome in December to spread some holiday cheer with the residents.  They were excellent ambassadors for our school.

Winter Concert 2016

Ahhh.... aren't you forgetting something??

I just realized that I never blogged about our Winter Concert 2016 on December 1.  It was awesome! The Kindegartens sang 2 songs: "The Hat I Got for Christmas is Too Big" and "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer."  The Grade 1-3 classes did the play, "Melton, the Warm-Hearted Snowman."  They had many songs and dances to learn and did a great job at putting it all together last minute.  The Grade 4/5 classes performed "Elflandia."  It was a fun and fantastic show.  Congratulations to all our students on your hard work.

Solos for Silly Humans 

Melton and his momma!

Santa and his hard-working elves!  Getting ready to deliver those toys to all the good girls and boys! 

Melton actors taking the stage.

The hat I got for Christmas is too big!!!!!

Speaking Hands

Our Kinders are learning a new song called "ABC Ya Later."  We are learning about using our hands to talk which is called sign language.  We are excited to practice our alphabet and share with you our song at the February I Love to Read Assembly.

Cultural Dancing

Understanding music in context is very important at Stevenson and a focus of the Manitoba Music Curriculum. Students connect music to contexts of time, place, and community, and develop understanding of how music reflects and influences culture and identity.

In this season, there are many holidays celebrated by the various families in our community. We can seek to understand and appreciate the beautiful gifts that they give through music, song, and dance, by experiencing them and participating in activities in the music room.

One of those traditions celebrated by some of our families at our school is Hanukkah (the Jewish word for 'dedication'). It is called the Jewish Festival of Lights and it remembers the rededication of the second Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. This happened in the 160s BC (before Jesus was born).

As the Grade 1s are learning about this festival and Jewish culture, they were learning a modified dance from this community.  We discovered that the song had a pattern.  Can you guess it?

Folk Dance - Niguno Shel Yossi