Hello Lowell Community. If we haven't met, I'm Anthony Spano and I've taught music here at Lowell for over 18 years. I hope to be preparing these newsletters on a regular basis to update you on what we've done, are doing, and will be doing in your child's music classes. Please feel free to email me with any questions or comments:

anthony.spano@watertown.k12.ma.us

This weekend, Watertown High School presents the classic Cole Porter musical Anything Goes. There will be three performances at the Mosesian Center for the Arts in Watertown:

Friday, 28 February, 7pm

Saturday, 1 March, 7pm

Sunday, 2 March, 2pm

Tickets are $10 and free for Watertown Students.

All members of the 4th and 5th grade Band ensembles (woodwind, brass, and percussion instruments) will be taking part in this year's Bandarama performance on Tuesday, the 11th of March at 7pm in the Watertown Middle School gymnasium. This is a unique opportunity for all of the band instrumentalists, grades 4-12, to be together on one stage for a big performance. See attached flier for details.

All members of the 4th and 5th grade String ensembles (violin, viola, cello, bass) will be taking part in this year's String Spectacular performance on Thursday, the 13th of March at 7pm in the Watertown Middle School gymnasium. This is a unique opportunity for all of the string instrumentalists, grades 4-12, to be together on one stage for a big performance. See attached flier for details.

Please join us this year on Friday, the 11th of April for our 12th annual MusicFest brought to you by our own Watertown Friends of Music. MusicFest is an opportunity for anyone in the Watertown community to perform enjoy music. The festival takes place across several hours at Watertown Middle School and features several performance stages, refreshments, and the ever-popular Instrument Petting Zoo for young and prospective musicians. Scan the code for more information or to sign up to be a performer.

Our Musician of the Month for February is American musician, songwriter, and producer Swamp Dogg. Born Jerry Williams in 1942, Swamp Dogg has developed a cult following over the last 5 decades, blurring the lines between various musical genres through his musicianship and lyricism.

This month, students in Grades 1-5 have been singing a legendary African American code song, "Follow the Drinkin' Gourd." The song was sung in the days of slavery to help guide runaway slaves northward to freedom. Grades 1 and 2 have also been reading the corresponding book adaptation by Jeanette Winter.

Students in grades 2-5 have been studying the piano in class. The piano makes a great vehicle to teach basic musicianship, theory, and note reading.

Later this year, Kindergarten and grade 1 will start by simply exploring the keyboard experimenting with high and low, loud and soft, steps and skips between notes, and chromatic vs. diatonic patterns. Then, we'll be using a simpler finger-number notation system to play familiar melodies, first just using the black key groups, and ultimately, the white keys.

In grades 2 and 3, we spent several weeks learning "middle-C position" which centers both hands at middle C allowing us to begin reading and playing a variety of simple, single-note diatonic melodies. Over the next few weeks, we will be reading basic notation and practicing some of these simple songs. The packet we use in class is linked below.

In our older grades (4-5), we've been working through the same "Middle-C packet" as mentioned for grades 2 and 3 above. As the students have a bit more background reading and playing, they're given more open workshop time in class to work on songs in the packet of their choosing that match their ability level. This month, we've been holding informal "recitals" in each class where students can perform the song they've practiced either privately for me, or for the whole class.

Black key melodies - finger notation (Kindergarten and Grade 1)

Middle C packet - standard notation (Grades 2-5)

White Key melodies - finger notation

Scales and Triads

"Hallelujah" - by Leonard Cohen - chord changes

Earlier this winter, students in grades 3, 4, and 5 studied guitar. We first learn basic mechanics, guitar technique, and picking on the open strings. Later, we learn to create new sounds on the fret board. Finally, we study simple single note riffs and melodies using a guitar notation system called tablature.

Click here to view or download the song book we use in class.

Singing is central to our music curriculum at all age levels. As I tell the students, your voice is the "oldest instrument in the world" and we carry it around with us everywhere we go. Below are just a few of the songs we've been singing in class this month:

Bele Mama - traditional round from Cameroon

Gramma Moses - traditional African American game song

Follow the Drinking Gourd - African American code song

A Tisket, A Tasket - traditional, performed by Ella Fitzgerald

Keep Your Eyes on the Prize - American civil rights song

We Shall Overcome - American folk song

Ode to Joy - from Beethoven's Symphony #9, English translation

Rocketship Run - Laurie Birkner

Giro Giro Tondo - traditional Italian children's song

Three Little Birds - Bob Marley

La Bamba - Richie Valens

In the Hall of the Mountain King - from Grieg's Peer Gynt Suite

Skin and Bones - traditional

Pumpkin Bones - Quaver music

If I Were a Tree - traditional

Hallelujah - Leonard Cohen

Stand by Me - Ben E. King

Doggie Doggie, Where's Your Bone - Folk game/song

Mr. Sun - Raffi

Blackbird - The Beatles

Yellow Submarine - The Beatles

Down by the Bay - traditional

Hello Song - sung to the Farmer in the Dell melody

Willaby Wallaby - Raffi

Students in grades 4 and 5 can participate in our Lowell chorus. In chorus, we focus on diaphragmatic breathing, balance, diction/enunciation, and rudimentary harmony including part singing, round, and 2-part harmony.

If your child is participating and you haven't yet officially signed them up, you can do so here.

We had a wonderful performance in December for our staff, students, and families. We're looking forward to several more performances this spring including the first annual district-wide "Sing Out" in May and our Lowell Spring Concert in June. Here are some of the songs we've been looking at in rehearsal this month.

"Such Great Heights" by the Postal Service - recording

"Waterloo Sunset" by The Kinks - recording

"Tshotsholoza," a traditional South African song - recording

Our instrument program has been very successful thus far this year. We have excellent participation from many of our 4th and 5th grade students and we're hoping to have some creative performance opportunities later in the school year. If you have any questions regarding your child's instrument lessons, feel free to email their instrument teacher at any time:

Macullen Byham (strings)

Maxwell Thew (winds, percussion)

Anthony Spano (winds, percussion)

Lauren Girouard (winds, percussion)