Lion of the Sky Music Program at Rogers Elementary!

The world is topsy-turvy right now. My schedule has changed, my income-earning events are being canceled, future family and travel plans are up in the air, and more. But my family is healthy, and I’m focusing on that. I’m also continuing to focus on creativity, flexibility, and kindness. In addition to practical measures, these help keep me calm and optimistic.

Recently, I posted about my wonderful school visit to Rogers Elementary School. Shortly after my visit, music specialist Michelle Pagel showcased Lion of the Sky in her second-grade music program. I am awed. Here’s a medley sampling some of the pieces.

Michelle says, “For our program, we read the poems from the story in the presentation, then chose pieces that reflected the poems. Some of the pieces were composed pieces and others were simple folk songs that we added our own improvisation and instrument parts to. We also created our own melody and movements to inspired by the poems in the story.”

Specifically, in this video:

[T]he [first] song was perfect as an introduction. It came from our curriculum series and is by H. Barnett. Otherwise, the song for umbrellas…is a traditional song, and we made up the instrument parts. “The Nest” was a rhythmic piece, and the students made up their own words about the building the nest. The Snow Angels song was arranged by me, and the movement was created by the students to go with the song and represent the poem from the book. [The students] were really proud of their final work.”

I sure hope so! I am astonished at the creativity and musicality and am just so honored to have my book serve as the inspiration for this lovely program. Thank you, Michelle and second graders!