Tonight was our 6th grade handbells, band and chorus concert. Shortly before the concert, I was jotting some notes to use to welcome the audience in our school auditorium. I was trying to find some magical words about why programs, like our stellar music program, are important in schools.
You may never hear about our concert tonight. It may never make the news like state test scores or school report cards do. But, as I sat in the audience, I had some thoughts worth sharing.
Our current sixth grade has 97 students enrolled. I asked our grade 6 band teacher how many students would be on stage tonight and he reported 70! That's 72% of our entire grade level! The groups that took the stage tonight included:
It was a great show! As principal, I genuinely enjoy listening to our band and chorus teachers tell us the little stories about each selection. Their passion for the music and the students comes through. They make me so proud. The students sounded good!
But as Mom...as Mom, I enjoyed watching my son on stage. It was his first Band concert. Having just started French Horn lessons this past Fall, I was secretly thrilled when we found out he would be able to join Band after only a short time with formal lessons. Chorus was fun to watch as well. Our teacher builds in some neat dance moves and accompaniments that add to the selections. Sam was fortunate to have a chance at a solo during this concert.
You know that feeling right before you see your child take that leap (could be anything...like sing a solo for first time, swing a bat at the critical part of game, or do something independently he/she hadn't done before)? That feeling was there as I watched Sam approach the mic. But, then he sang. It was great and a proud Mom moment.
And there it was...at the end of the day, THAT is what we want kids to feel. We want them to feel our pride and hope for them.
Rick LaVoie calls this filling up our kids with "good stuff" as the poker chips.
You may never hear about our concert tonight. It may never make the news like state test scores or school report cards do. But, as I sat in the audience, I had some thoughts worth sharing.
Our current sixth grade has 97 students enrolled. I asked our grade 6 band teacher how many students would be on stage tonight and he reported 70! That's 72% of our entire grade level! The groups that took the stage tonight included:
- Grade 6 Handbells
- Grade 6 Handbells Class (students who are not enrolled in Music 6, Chorus or Band, can choose this class to take instead. These students are invited to participate in each concert!).
- Grade 6 Band
- Grade 6 Select Chorus Groups (three groups!)
- Grade 6 Chorus
It was a great show! As principal, I genuinely enjoy listening to our band and chorus teachers tell us the little stories about each selection. Their passion for the music and the students comes through. They make me so proud. The students sounded good!
But as Mom...as Mom, I enjoyed watching my son on stage. It was his first Band concert. Having just started French Horn lessons this past Fall, I was secretly thrilled when we found out he would be able to join Band after only a short time with formal lessons. Chorus was fun to watch as well. Our teacher builds in some neat dance moves and accompaniments that add to the selections. Sam was fortunate to have a chance at a solo during this concert.
You know that feeling right before you see your child take that leap (could be anything...like sing a solo for first time, swing a bat at the critical part of game, or do something independently he/she hadn't done before)? That feeling was there as I watched Sam approach the mic. But, then he sang. It was great and a proud Mom moment.
And there it was...at the end of the day, THAT is what we want kids to feel. We want them to feel our pride and hope for them.
Rick LaVoie calls this filling up our kids with "good stuff" as the poker chips.
All of these experiences in school help build how we feel about ourselves. When good things happen to you, you get a lot of poker chips. Kids use these poker chips throughout other experiences that happen that are harder to get through (losing a game, failing a test, having someone say something mean...).
Some kids, according to Mr. LaVoie, don't have enough poker chips and that is what impacts their self-esteem. How do we build up a student's self-esteem? "You find the one thing that child can do well and you make a big deal out of it! (LaVoie)."
Tonight was about making a big deal out of the talents all of our children have. These 70 students will walk into our school tomorrow with a lot more poker chips than they left with yesterday.
Here's to a job well done, Mr. Ruggiero and Mrs. Aldridge.
Bravo kids!
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