Year 13: Week 14 - Indeed I Do

Next week is our JK-5 Winter Program. We haven’t had one since the winter of 2019. Last year, we got close by doing a separate JK-3 and 4-5 assembly, but this was just for the students, and no parents or families were invited. This year, we are finally, after three years, bringing this event back. 

The current 5th graders were in 2nd grade the last time they participated in this performance, and most don’t have strong memories of this event. So in some ways, we are starting new and fresh, especially since many families and teachers were not part of our school community the last time we did this event in 2019.  

I teach 4th and 5th grade, so it was up to me to program this part of the program. Since they hadn’t performed as students in 4th and 5th grade before the pandemic, I needed to find a song that was easier to sing and teach and fun. After much thinking and research, I landed on “People Got To Be Free” by the

Rascals. 

 

The Rascals are a wonderful rock band, and having a song that felt more like “rock” would make students feel less apprehensive about it than a slower song. But, most importantly, this song has great connections to the Civil Rights movement and has important themes like freedom and caring for each other. 

Initially, my 5th graders didn’t catch on to this song, but I kept on, and slowly they came to like it. We’ve had some great conversations about the lyrics of these songs. I have a small group of volunteers who will sing parts of this song in small groups, which will be a nice touch.  

My 4th graders will perform “Crowded Table” by The Highwomen.  

 

I first taught this song to my 3rd graders in 2019 as part of a Thanksgiving presentation. I’ve continued to teach it to my students. I’m really excited for my 4th graders to perform it for the community.  

Everything about this song reflects the values of my school. The story of the Highwomen, a group of women coming together to create music and support each other, is beautiful and powerful. The lyrics during the pandemic became an anthem of all we were missing and all we were hoping for, and my students love singing this song.  

 

My 4th graders are then going to end the program by leading a dance-along with me. On his most recent album, Bruce Springsteen covered the Motown classic “Do I Love You (Indeed I do).”  

 

I commissioned a co-worker to choreograph a dance to his song and taught it to my 4th and 5th graders. This was so much fun with them that we will do it with everyone in the auditorium. I’ve led dance-along at my school, but never with parents and families in the audience. I’m a little nervous, but more than that, I’m looking forward to helping my community have a moment to affirm our love for each other and feel what it means to be a community through music and dance.