Some of our elementary students may be heard humming folk songs from around the world. Two new music classes have been introduced to students at Timothy Christian School that are giving children an amazing look at the world of music.
The curriculum for the new classes comes from one of the world’s top music organization, Carnegie Hall. The Musical Explorers Program for students in grades one and two, and Link Up Program for grades three and four, are being taught by Mrs. Elizabeth Simmons, who is new to TCS this year. Simmons has more than 40 years’ experience as a freelance musician, having performed as a soloist, church musician, in bands and ensembles, and orchestras including the Carnegie Hall Music Educators Orchestra.
“My expectations for students in both programs are to discover the joy of learning music, active classroom participation and study, and most important- mutual respect for one another as beginner musicians,” explains Simmons.
Musical Explorers introduces children to the fundamentals of multicultural music and rhythmic activities while Link Up focuses on music history and theory including the study of the symphony orchestra, jazz band ensembles, and the soprano recorder; classical and jazz music repertoire and composers.
“We are excited to offer this multi-disciplinary approach towards teaching music to students through Mrs. Simmons and the Carnegie Hall Weill Music Institute, and are honored to have been chosen for this program,” says TCS Elementary Principal, Kristi McInerney. “As we begin our first year working with Carnegie Hall, we are thrilled for our students to be learning so many new music skills.”
Through these new offerings, children will explore musical genres such as Cumbia (Colombian Folk Music), Armenian Folk Music, Christian Hip-Hop, Bluegrass, Chinese Folk Music, and Iraqi Folk Music. At the end of each semester, students will perform in an interactive concert at Carnegie Hall in New York City, with international artists and more than 500 students from the tri-state area.
Our students are getting ready for the performance of a lifetime and learning how to use their musical gifts to shine for Him! (Psalm 150) To learn more about “Music with Carnegie Hall” visit: https://timothychristian.org/music-with-carnegie-hall/.