It's time for our after school musical group to begin rehursals.  This year we are performing Guys and Dolls Jr., auditions will be held Wednesday February 8th, from 3:45 to 5:00pm in the Library.  Rehursals will begin the following week every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.  8th grade has begun creating a music website; which is planning to go live at the end of this month, 7th graders are starting a unit on the Classical era of music, and 6th grade is learning how to play jazz on their recorders.  The 3rd - 5th grades are continuing to practice for the multi-cultural concert on February 16th; performances at 9am and 1pm.  Everyone is welcome to attend.

Class Spotlight: 1st Grade
The first grade is learning about the fundamentals of music.  They are learning about loud and soft sounds, short and long sounds, and high and low sounds.  As a class, we are using music software called Groovey Music.  The program introduces students to various sounds and allows them to create their own music all while learning about the basic principles of music.

I hope everyone has had a wonderful time of relaxation and fun!  Now that school has resumed so has our concert schedule.  The 3rd - 5th grades have begun to practice for our February 16th multi-cultural concert, the 7th graders are starting music history, and the 8th graders are laying the groundwork for their music website: Hope Tunes.

Class Spotlight: 7th Grade
The 7th grade classes are learning about music history.  They are studying music from 1600 through 2012, learning about the changes of music over time and how the popular music of today developed.  Presently they are learning about the Baroque era of music, starting the last week in January they will begin learning about the Classical and Romantic time periods.  If you are interested in learning about the different time periods and styles found in music, ask a 7th grader to explain it all to you.

It's that time of the year again!  The holiday break is right around the corner and that means another holiday concert as well.  This year our concert will take place on Friday December 16th, and students are busy preparing for their two performances at 9am and 1pm.  The 4th and 5th grades will be singing a song or two as well as the Hope of Detroit Afterschool Choir.  Furthermore, the 6th graders are preparing a special holiday recorder feature and an eigth grader will be singing the classic Where Are You Christmas?  Additionally, our music fieldtrip to go see the musical Wicked at the Detroit Opera House will take place on Tuesday December 13th at 8:00pm.

Class Sptlight: 6th Grade
The sixth grade music classes are busy preparing for Jingle Bells in 10 Flavors.  The song features the students playing their recorders to ten different styles of the classic holiday tune Jingle Bells.  From the traditional version to the boogie woogie, this performance will sure to keep you entertained as you watch the Hope of Detroit Academy 6th grade class bring in the holiday spirit!

I've returned safly from the Ukraine and it's time for concerts!  There are two upcoming concerts in November.  Our first concert features the 2nd grade students in a mini musical titled the Bear Went Over the Mountain.  There will only be one performance at 9am, so make plans accordingly.  Our second concert will feature the after school choir singing songs from Broadway.  The Broadway Beat will take place on November 22nd, with two performances at 9am and 1pm.

Class Spotlight: 2nd Grade
The second graders have been preparing since the first week of school for The Bear Went Over the Mountain.  Their determination and focus in practice earns them the November spotlight.  So encourage a 2nd grader today, tell them you look forward to seeing their performance; or if past, tell them of their wonderful job.

The after school choir is practicing, 2nd graders are preparing for a mini-musical, 4th grade is learning to play the recorder, and the 8th grade have their own online music journals.  School is off to a great start!

Class Spotlight: 3rd Grade
The third graders at Hope of Detroit Academy are learning about cultures and songs from around the world.  Last month, Ms. Hirth and Ms. Corbet's classes explored music from the countries Bolivia and Senegal during the month of September and in the coming weeks they will be exploring music from Jamacia, Austraila, and Canada.  For this music adventure, each student has their very own Passport Journal.  In their journal, each student writes down information about the various countries and receives a sticker of the flag from each country we visit as a class.

Last, I will be visiting the Ukraine this month and will therefore be away from Hope for two weeks.  I will miss everyone and will bring back pictures for all of you to see.

I am excited to begin the 2011-2012 school year.  This summer, I took a couple of graduate classes, will be completing a Masters degree in December, and I have the wonderful opportunity to travel to the Ukraine in October for ten days.

There are lots of changes this year, as well as many familiar activities.  To begin with, the after school musical group was a fantastic success last year and will continue into this year as well.  Any Hope student from 3rd to 8th grade is welcome to join.  The musical group will be meeting in the Library from 3:45 to 5:00pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays beginning September 13, 2011 with their first concert taking place on November 22, 2011, “Broadway Beat.”  Additionally, on November 10, 2011 the 1st & 2nd grade will be performing “The Bear Went Over the Mountain,” a mini-musical.

In middle school, we will be focusing on the history of music and music creation.  Students will learn and use professional music creation technology and create a variety of projects many of which will be posted online for all to see.  Continuing in the process I started during the 2009 school year, student projects will be posted to the “Hope of Detroit Music” Facebook Group, Youtube.com, and now on this very web page (as always, strict anonymity will be enforced).  Furthermore, 8th grade music classes have their own site found at kidblog.org/hopeofdetroitmusic.

The 4th – 6th grades will continue to learn and play the recorder.  This year, recorders and books will be sold together for $12 if your child still has one from last year then they do not need to purchase a new one (individually recorders are $4 and books are $8).

Last and certainly not least are the wonderful kindergarteners.  While there aren’t any concerts planned for the first half of the year, you have not been forgotten.  Kindergarten students will participate in our Multi-Cultural concert in February & the Memorial Day Concert celebrating America in June, as well as learn about the singing, marching, and moving like animals all to music.

Looking forward to a great year!

Mr. Z. S. MacLean, Jr.
zachary.macleanjr@leonagroup.com