Dommerich Elementary Music

Dommerich celebrates the arts! Be sure to come to Arts and Culture Night on Tuesday, February 24, from 6:30 to 8:00. The whole school will be set up like a museum with art work displayed everywhere! The cafeteria stage will come alive with performances by chorus (6:25), 5th Grade Strings(6:30) , 3rd Grade Students (7:30), and a special guest dance performance (7:00).

See you there!

I have the best job in the world! Every day I hear children raising their voices in song. I see their eyes light up when they think of an idea to create an accompaniment. I see the pride on their faces when they stand in front of the class and lead an activity. Last night I attended a concert of magnificent music that represents what goes on in music classes around the county every day.

The OCPS Elementary All County Music Festival brings together talented students from all over the county and creates a chorus, recorder ensemble, Orff ensemble and orchestra. The concert features over 400 students on stage. Students work hard to prepare their music then come together for an all day rehearsal to learn and create. Eight students represented Dommerich at this annual event.

On February 24 you can see students come together and make music at Dommerich. The first every Arts and Culture Night will showcase student’s artwork and musical talent. Everyone is invited to share the arts with the Dommerich community!

All County Orchestra rehearsing

Dommerich students front and center!

Chorus and recorder students after the concert

The evidence has been there for many years: Students who participate in high school music programs have higher SAT scores. The ability to keep a beat is directly related to language and reading skills. Young children who take music classes improve their math and spatial temporal reasoning skills more their peers who don’t.   Study after study shows that arts education supports children’s academic success. Now the evidence behind the research has taken on a new dimension. Watch the TEDed lesson linked below and see the synapses fire in the brain while these people participate in music. The most fireworks happen when they are playing an instrument!

Music and the Brain

On October 1, Dommerich 3rd, 4th and 5th graders went on a field trip to the Bob Carr Auditorium to hear the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra. Nature in Music was the theme of this year’s program, which included Vivaldi’s Spring from The Four Seasons, the “thunderstorm” movement from Beethoven’s Pastorale Symphony, and just in time for Halloween, Mussorgsky’s Night on Bald Mountain. When asked their favorite part, many girls said the ballet dancers. Orlando Ballet was featured on two pieces: Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake, and Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite. Students also heard an opera singer perform a beautiful aria from Handel’s opera Serse.  After the program when I asked students what they liked best the answer was EVERYTHING! The grand finale was Jupiter from Gustav Holst’s The Planets, so it is easy to see why we all left with a smile on our faces!

Singing the Star Spangled Banner with the orchestra

This is my 11th year teaching music in OCPS, but I have been a teacher forever! I have worked with the youngest babies in early childhood classes, taught piano lessons and musical theater classes, and I currently teach performing arts at a girl’s camp every summer. I taught workshops for teachers at OCPS, FMEA State Conference and Valencia Community College. For three years I was a writer for the Florida Performaning Fine Arts Assessment Project. I love to play piano and often perform with Winter Park Musicale. I am a National Board Certified Teacher and a member of FMEA and Central Florida Orff Chapter. I am married with two college age daughters.