Friday, April 15, 2016

Who Writes the Songs?

Well... We do - at least, Mr. Barnes and his music classes do! A super fun feature of our Spring Program this year was an original song from each class.  The 2016 program, titled "Who Writes the Songs?," kicked off with a salute to the flag featuring local law enforcement officers and the audience joining in the singing of the national anthem, followed by the K-6 classes joining together to sing "Seek Ye First." Each of the  classrooms then presented a collection of songs, including one they wrote themselves with help from our multi-talented Mr. Barnes.  The students determined the theme for their songs, and worked on lyrics and music together.

Original songs for the evening included:
"When You Make God Happy" - Kindergarten
"Ninjas and Zombies" - 1st and 2nd
"White Hills of Nebraska" (played on the recorders) - 3rd and 4th
"Lilly's Tune" - (recorder) by Lilly, 3rd grade
"Black Night" - (recorder) by Jaelyn, 4th grade
"Genesis" - 5th and 6th grades

Judging by the reaction from the crowd present, "Ninjas and Zombies" might have been the favorite in the original song category.  Other highlights of the evening included guitar and piano pieces from Faythe and Leyton, junior high guitar students, and Malachi, 6th grade piano student. The 5th and 6th grade class presented a beautiful worship set, and the program concluded with all the classes again on stage together, singing "Shine, Jesus, Shine."

Mr. Barnes and the students definitely deserve an "Academy" award for a great program: a wide variety of selections, plus the original songs, made for an enjoyable evening celebrating God's gift of music and our student's artistry!