Thursday, November 13, 2014

Salute to Veterans

 

I'm proud of this year's 5th grade students. They did an amazing job writing, singing, and honoring our veterans. Here are some highlights from their program:


Crestline 5th graders share their thoughts about veterans:


"Sing, America, Sing": (Their favorite part is the interlude, which gives them the opportunity to move to the risers.)


Veterans are heroes: (Students share their thoughts on what makes veterans heroes.)

"You Are Our Heroes":


Letters to veterans:


"Step in Time": (Includes all themes from the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines, and Coast Guard.)  

For more information about how we incorporate students' writing in the program and also have them reflect on the performance, you can check out previous posts:

Due to the size of our auditorium and student body, we had 4 performances of the program. The final performance was for parents and veterans. We had 91 veterans attend our program this year. Our students enjoyed honoring the men and women who have served our country. One of their favorite moments was singing "Step in Time" with the veterans present, because the honorees stood and sang during their theme song.

I hope these clips spark your creativity and give you ideas for your next program honoring veterans!

18 comments :

  1. What a wonderful performance experience for your students! What a wonderful way to honor veterans. I have nominated your blog for a Liebster Award http://melodysoup.blogspot.com/2014/11/liebster-award-find-some-great-music.html#.VGkrWfnF-So

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  2. Love all the ideas for Veterans Day- we had to move our program to the High School auditorium this year because it was so crowded last year! I have also nominated your blog for a Leibster Award!
    http://emilyskodalymusic.blogspot.com/2014/11/liebster-award.html

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  3. Hello, I just found your blog from Melody Soup. That sounds like a fabulous program! I love the student interviews, too. Brava!

    Music With Mrs. Tanenblatt

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  4. Great site! Love the videos! I just nominated you for the Liebster Award! http://bethsmusicnotes.blogspot.com/2015/02/liebster-award.html

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  5. May I ask where you found your music for this program? Looking for new ideas for a Veterans Day Program. Thank you!

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    1. Laura,
      "You Are Our Heroes" is a great song that is available from Music K-8: http://www.musick8.com/store/alphadetail.php?product_group=917&uks=SK-617&findme=you+are+our+heroes&srchfield=title&search_type=prod&searchcategory=All+Products#.Vb619kt9lg0

      We tweaked the lyrics a bit to fit with Veterans' Day a little better. I posted the lyrics in this post: http://makemusicrock.blogspot.com/2013/10/veterans-are-heroes.html

      Also, that post includes some ideas about how we get the students to write and share their thoughts in video clips throughout the program.

      We open with Jill Gallina's "Sing, America, Sing," which is found in our textbooks (Silver Burdett: Making Music, 2005), so it may be harder to find if you don't have access to that textbook series. If you can find it, I think you will enjoy it. It is a nice, upbeat way to start the program. We begin by standing in the aisles and across the front of the stage, and then move into place on the risers during an interlude.

      "Step in Time" is a piece that includes all of the themes from the branches of the military. It is always a favorite, but I can't figure out where to tell people to get it. There was a CD accompaniment track already at my school when I started teaching there, and there really wasn't a written piece of music. I'll try to do some detective work on it, though.

      If you find some great song ideas, let me know. We're always looking for ways to keep things fresh!

      Thanks,
      Laura

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  7. How did you make your "Letters to the Veterans" videos? Good stuff!

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    1. I used iMovie. I found pictures to use as backgrounds, added the letters as titles that scrolled across. I tried to time them out for an appropriate reading speed, and then each student recorded a voiceover. Hope that helps!

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  8. Do you have the speaking parts written out to share?

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  9. This written piece gives fastidious understanding yet.
    KC Veteran Amit Raizada

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  11. Where did you find the music/recording for "Step In Time"?

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