SUMMER MUSIC IDEAS!

If you are looking for a musical event or activity this summer, here are some ideas to get you started:

 

Live Concerts

• Grant Park Music Festival: Find FREE concerts all summer long in Chicago’s Millennium Park.  www.grantparkmusicfestival.com

• Ravinia: located just North of Chicago in Highland Park, this is the summer home of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.  Many local libraries offer free tickets for specific concerts.  There are great classical, pop and kids concerts (for your younger listenters, check out the Kraft Great Kids Concert series)!  Go to www.ravinia.org for more information.

• Wheaton Band: This band performs outdoor concerts on Thursday evenings in Memorial Park in Wheaton.  www.wheatonmunicipalband.org

Performing Experiences

• Anima Young Singers of Greater Chicago: this outstanding organization offers a Summer Music Academy for students entering grades 4 - 9.  Check out their web site (www.animasingers.org) or call 630-858-2471 for more information. (This group was previously known as the Glen Ellyn Children’s Chorus.)

Music Web Sites – play games, learn about instruments, and write music!

• www.playmusic.org (created by the American Symphony Orchestra League)
• www.dsokids.com (created by the Dallas Symphony Orchestra)
• www.sfskids.com (created by the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra)
• www.creatingmusic.com (compose music & play music games and puzzles!)

Music Mondays!

March was Music in Our Schools Month, a time that we celebrate the imprortance of music education in our schools and the music we create!  To celebrate, students at Franzen had two March Music Mondays (Benson celebrated with Tuneful Tuesdays!).  Each Monday, one Franzen teacher or staff member selected three of their favorite songs that were played at different times of the school day.  The music that someone likes tells a lot about them.  If we respect different kinds of music and the cultures they come from, we get insight into respecting the people behind that music as well.  Students got to take their best educated guess to determine who the mystery teacher was that selected the music.  The correct answers were placed in a drawing for a special prize.  The winners from our two Music Mondays are pictured below.  Congratulations!

Hubbard Street Dance 2 Performs at Benson and Franzen

Hubbard Street Dance 2, an incredible professional dance troupe based in Chicago, performed at Benson and Franzen Schools in April. They performed excerpts from their show "One Thousand Pieces," based on Marc Chagall's stained glass artwork "America Windows."  Students prepared for the event by studying Philip Glass and his music (they created their own class composition in the minimalistic style!), movement to music (locomotor vs. non-locomotor and pathways), and the stained glass artwork of Marc Chagall.  Thank you IEPTO for sponsoring this event!!

During the assembly, students got to see amazing choreography in action and they were even asked to learn part of a dance (sitting down!).

Hubbard Street 2 performing:

 

 Benson students performing seated choreography with the dancers:

3rd Grade Students Present "Thwacked" on May 1

Hop on down to Peacock Middle School on May 1 at 7 p.m. to see the third grade spring music program "Thwacked."  Students will present this fractured fairy tale (think The Princess and the Frog meets Chicken Little) in the Peacock Gym.  Third graders are screen-printing tee-shirts in art class this week to wear the night of the performance.  Students with speaking lines need to arrive at Peacock at 6:30 p.m. on the 1st and all other 3rd graders need to arrive at 6:40 p.m.  Third graders are working hard on their singing voices and "acting voices" (using projection, expression, fluency, and diction).  Come join us for a great evening of singing, acting, choreography, and entertainment!

4^th Grade Music Informance

An informal performance with singing, playing, and dancing by 4^th Grade Students

 

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Franzen Intermediate School Gym

12:45 p.m. Mrs. Busse’s & Mrs. Flanigan’s Classes

1:30 p.m. Mrs. Hanczar’s & Mr. Bergmann’s Classes

Students will perform songs and activities from their music class curriculum. 

Come get a first hand look into your child’s music class experience!

What is an informance?

An informance is a performance that informs parents and audience members about grade-level curriculum, daily music activities, and specific subject content that was addressed by a piece of music.  Its name is derived from a combination of “information,” “informal,” and “performance.” Your child can wear what they normally wear to school on that day, and needs to remember to bring his/ her recorder.  If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me: Erin Kozakis, Franzen Music Teacher; (630)773-0100; ekozakis@itasca.k12.il.us.  We look forward to seeing you on the 13^th!

1st Grade Informance: Friday, Feburary 1st

First Grade Students will present their music informance, Cooking Up Music!, on Friday, Feb. 1, 2013 in the Benson gym.  Please join us to hear your child perform songs and activites from music class and get an inside look at our music curriculum.  Each presentation will last approximately 1/2 hour.

COOKING UP MUSIC!

1st Grade Music Informance

Friday, Feb. 1, 2013

1:30 p.m.: 1SCH & 1P

2:15 p.m.: 1G, 1C & 1SAN

Franzen Chorus Session II Begins January 16!

The second session of chorus will begin on Wednesday, January 16.  Students will meet from 2:30 - 3:30 p.m.  Please visit the chorus tab for a complete calendar of dates.

Franzen has begun their Ozzie Reading Challenge!  The Franzen Chorus will sing the National Anthem at a Kane County Cougars Game on Sat., April 6.  To earn their ticket to the game, students must complete their reading goals each week.  Please encourage your child to crack open that book and turn in their documentaion each time they meet a reading goal.

I look forward to hearing the gym reverbarate with singing again on Jan. 16!