We were thrilled to bring back the cherished Grandparents and Special Friends Day tradition in the Beasley Lower School this year! Our youngest students had an exciting opportunity to showcase their passion for learning music, enjoy interactive classroom activities and share a day in the life of a Beasley student.
In the classroom, students and their guests played educational games, explored student reading and writing samples, and delighted in sharing details about their typical school day.
In the music studio, Beasley students prepared songs from various musical genres, unique instruments, and choreography in three programs titled A Celebration of Music. Junior and Senior Kindergarten students sang songs such as I Got Rhythm by George Gershwin and Bob Marley’s Three Little Birds, where grandparents and special friends joined the chorus filling the Beasley Studio with song.
First and second graders sang the classic Do, Re, Mi from The Sound of Music and the famous jazz standard, It Don’t Mean A Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing. The students loved surprising the audience by turning around with sunglasses on and doing riser choreography that they developed for the piece. Second graders also had a unique feature doing box drumming in Just Give Me That Beat before closing their performance with the powerful anthem, Lift Every Voice and Sing.
The afternoon concluded with third and fourth graders showcasing their advanced level of musicianship by singing the fun, rhythmically driving choral standard, The Rhythm of Life, in two parts. Additionally, these Beasley Chorus students sang lovely harmonies in traditional two and three-part rounds such as Music Alone Shall Live and Oh, How Lovely is the Evening. Lower School Music Teacher Katy Nichols said, “Fourth Grade students accompanied themselves on the ukulele while singing Music Alone Shall Live, which is quite challenging to accomplish even for experienced players!”
The third graders rocked a drum circle feature, Thump, Thump, which demonstrated their excellent drumming skills and musicianship as an ensemble. Nichols said, “The fourth graders brought down the house with their boomwhacker piece, Splash of Blue, which is inspired by the Blue Man Group. These fourth graders layered rhythms using boomwhackers, which are colorful plastic tubes that each have their own pitch. The students choreographed movements for their particular parts to make it easier for the audience to visually see when their parts came in and when they were resting. It was very cool to see and a fun way to end the series of shows.
“Most of all, students were happy to have their grandparents and special friends in the audience and to share what they had been learning in music. It was a special day for the kids and guests alike. We’re so glad this wonderful tradition is back!”
In between activities, our special guests were invited to browse the artwork from all six lower school grades displayed from the previous evening’s Arts Fest. Head of Lower School Amy Scheer said, “Grandparents and Special Friends Day is a multi-generational celebration of our students that is one of the highlights of the school year. Not only do the children have the opportunity to share some of their accomplishments from the year, but they also provide their friends and loved ones with a window into what learning looks like in Beasley. I love talking to the guests and seeing their appreciation for the work our teachers and staff do with the students each day.”
Thank you to all Beasley students for welcoming your guests to celebrate a day in the life of a Lower Schooler!