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POP Freire Newsletter 3.20.2020

Friday, March 20 Freire Charter Middle School

“Back” from spring break!

Ok, everyone, I hope your students (and you!) had a restful break, and that you are figuring out our new kind of “normal.” As we transition back to learning, I want to give you some resources for helping your student to continue learning music while we are all in our separate places.

Please fill out this very short survey

Please take a minute to fill out this google poll and let me know if your student has an instrument and/or internet access at home. This will help me in determining what I need to send home for them.

Register for Summer Program!

At this point, we are uncertain what will be happening during the summer, but for now, we are planning on moving ahead. Please register your student for 2, 4, or 6 weeks of program. Remember that this will only cost you a $25 registration fee, and that’s all! The kids are REALLY going to need this by the time we get there. Here’s the link.

Spring Concert video coming up!

Mr. Vince is hard at work with our Development office compiling the videos from our very last minute recording session just over a week ago (can you believe it?!). As soon as that video is ready to go, I will share it with you, so be looking for an email on that. Please keep in mind that this was a very last minute set-up and some of the footage doesn’t get the entire ensemble into the picture. If you can’t see your student, ask them to help you hear them.

Your TAs are recording for you!

In an effort to continue to provide you with resources for your students at home, our TAs are busy making videos for you to use while you practice from home. We are still working on getting the videos up and live for you, but I’ll let you know when to check out the resources page of our website for links to our practice videos. These little mini teaching sessions are meant to help your child tackle some of the basics of their instrument. Your student will be able to do things like practice scales with Ms. Anna or intervals with Mr. St Clair.

No Program Scheduled until April 6 – But you can still be musical!

So many arts organizations are offering free access to their concerts and performances. Check out the links below to get some supplemental music in your house!

  1. The Berlin Opera is offering a free viewing of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Snow Queen from their home page through March 24, so put it on your weekend to-do list! Click here to access it, and scroll down – it’s the second one listed. The opera is about an hour. If you or your student tune in, let me know what you thought!
  2. Take a tour of the Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC. Click here for a virtual experience that is sure to delight you and your student. (This one is not musical, but my 10 year-old son took the tour, and really enjoyed it!)
  3. Have your student write an original composition for his/her instrument. Our last session was all about composers who wrote music for our kids specifically. See if your student is interested in writing a piece. We can provide a platform for them to perform the pieces when we come back! Here’s a link to some free music notation software.

Moving forward, if you have any questions, I’m certainly available to you. Feel free to email or call me. I hope you had a relaxing spring break! Please, everyone stay healthy – wash those hands!

~Anna.