Yes, December 11th is already next Wednesday.  All the students in grades k-5th will be participating in the Winter Concert.  The theme: "Jingle Bell Jukebox".  The students will be singing many familiar holiday favorites.  Some of our 6th - 8th grade students will be involved too, singing, playing instruments and working behind the scenes. 
Those who are performing should wear nice clothes (shirt, pants, skirt.. no jeans, sweats, t-shirts...).

After school lessons

I know a lot of students and parents have been asking about the after school lessons.  The sign up forms should have gone home today.  If you have any questions about the lessons at OCS you can reach via e-mail.  Sfirling@oxfordcentral.org. The due date to sign up is October 5th.  If you need to rent an instrument  (a good option, especially if your child changes their mind about what instrument to play) I have forms available from Hunterdon music.

2013-2014
What to look for this year?
Concerts - The Winter Concert is already scheduled for Wednesday, December 11th.  Get ready for the Jinglebell Jukebox.
Continued after school lessons - the students have already been asking - yes, there will be small group lessons for piano, guitar, trumpet, trombone, clarinet, flute, and saxophone again this year.  It appears that we already have students that will be using the flute and clarinet donated to OCS.  Also, there will be a private lesson option (Note: the fee for private lessons will be higher per week). Sign up forms should be coming home soon.
Benchmarks - students in the upper grades will have an opportunity to see how much they have learned 2013-14 school year in music.
Rhythm, instruments, history, moving, singing, guitars, xylophones, music elements..... there is always something to learn about and do in music.

Congratulations Graduates and Welcome Summer

Congratulations to the class of 2013 - w/The Imperial March as your song.?  I hope you enjoyed the class and video of the interview w/John Williams back in January.  (yes, he wrote your song).  Good luck in high school.

Welcome Summer!  New to OCS this year, students will be able to take instrumental lessons over the summer.  Students in grades 2nd-7th (2012-13 school yr) should have received a flyer with the information.   If you have any questions about the lessons you can reach me at sfirling@mail.oxfordcentral.org.  Sign-ups are open until next Tuesday, June 25th. 

Have a wonderful summer.

June already?

Time sure does fly.  It seems like yesterday we were just starting the school year - reviewing rhythm, notation and terms.  Highlights of 2012-2013 include: 2 wonderful concerts with the support of the outstanding staff at OCS and a wonderful community.  (Still amazed over that globe).  The students always rise to the occasion.  This year OCS had its first instrumental recital featuring students that have been part of the after school music program.  Not only did we have guitar and piano, but trumpet, trombone and saxophone to bring a sound to our school we haven't heard for a while.  And information about summer lessons will be coming out soon.
The classes range from Kindergarten learning about tempo and Carnival of the Animals to 8th grade doing reports on music careers with a visit from an opera singer.  I can't forget the wonderful singing from our k- 5th grade students, recorders from not only the 4th grade but a group of 5th graders,  all the different music in the history lessons in grades 6th - 8th and the curiosity of our first grade as they saw all the different instruments during our instrument family unit.

HEROES ALL - SPRING CONCERT

Next Wednesday- May 22nd - 6pm.   The children should be there at 5:30.  Hope to see you there.

What music will stand the test of time?  We still hear music by Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Scott Joplin, Tchaikovsky......., and many others that were writing music 100, 200 or even 300 years ago.  What will be said about today's music 100 years from now?

MIOSM

March is Music In Our Schools Month!  (recognized nationally). What do we have at OCS?
At Oxford Central School there is general music for all students in grades k-8th grade.  Within Our general music classes the students are learning musical elements such as basic notation and music terminology, history, basic recorders and guitars, facts about various musical instruments and the orchestra and singing skills.  All k-5th grade students are involved with 2 major performances per year and students in 6th -8th are given opportunities to be part via singing, guitars, keyboards, bells and recorders.  New to OCS this year - some of students in grades 4-8 have been able to take advantage of the small group instrumental lessons that are available before and after school.  While other instruments are available, we presently have students taking saxophone, piano, guitar and trumpet lessons, giving these students musical experience beyond the general music program that they may enjoy for a lifetime.

Spring Concert

Get Ready!  The Spring Concert is Wednesday, May 22nd.  The theme - Heroes All.  And of course we can look forward to other selections from the students singing, recorders, guitars, keyboard, saxophones and trumpets.

There's always something happening in music.  Presently the kindergarten is learning about tempo.  The 1st and 6th grades are learning about instruments and how they are placed into instrumental families based on similar characteristics.   The 5th grade will be completing their unit on singing ( in which they are learning terms to describe vocal music and vocal techniques), and soon  2nd grade will be starting their singing unit.  3rd grade will be singing stories as they learn about ballads and other musical forms such as cumulative songs, rondo, verse/refrain, and A/B form.  4th grade will be getting their recorders soon.  And last but not least - our 7th and 8th graders are working on their history units.  8th grade will be focusing on 20th and 21st century, romantic and jazz.  7th grade will be focusing on baroque, medieval and classical.