What do I do if my 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade band student was unable to attend the Winter Showcase?

Students who were absent from the Winter Showcase are asked to perform their songs for Miss Knitter at morning band OR email a video to Miss Jamel (hannah.jamel@go-vcs.com) to receive credit for their performance. Students are also asked to respond to the following reflection questions about music from the performance, depending on their grade level.

3rd - Why do you think this showcase has the name “Heaven and Earth”? Where do you see ideas about “Heaven and Earth” in your songbook?

4th - Which of your concert songs is your favorite to play and why?

5th - Pick one of your concert songs and explain how it relates to American history.

The requirement of a video or attendance at a morning band session is an effort to offer two options to parents for students who need to demonstrate their effort to learn their songs from class in order to receive a grade. The concert gives us an opportunity to assess this, so if a student has to miss, we rely on a video or in-person visit for this part of the assessment. As you can imagine, it would be extremely unfair if students who did not perform multiple songs in a single sitting received the same grade as a student who practiced and performed several songs in a public concert. However, we know that schedule conflicts occur, and want all of our students to have the opportunity to succeed, whether or not they are able to show up on a single day. 

We also believe that beyond being an important aspect of the developing musician, performance offers an experience that in itself is uniquely educational from a community point of view. The performance is more than just a way to assess how well students have learned their songs, as students have the chance to interact with their music in a way that is distinctive from class. Having an audience and student speakers involved in the experience allows students to see their own piece of a bigger picture and helps us approach the big "why" of music class. For this reason, we ask students to use a brief writing assignment to reflect on a question if they are not in attendance. This way, students who are unable to attend are also encouraged to approach their music in a deeper way, by considering aspects that go "beyond the notes", which students encounter organically at an event like our showcases.