For music teacher Heather Lumley, this year’s fourth grade performance marked the long-awaited return of the classic Disney program. After 10 years, Decades with Disney took the stage once again, thanks to months of preparation from nearly 100 young performers.
The 4th-grade music program was performed on November 20th. Music teacher Heather Lumley said, “My 4th-grade class has not performed this particular program for a decade.” She added, “We had a blast learning the songs and performing them.” The excitement is also shared by the students. Fourth grader Cannon Ebbrecht stated, “I am excited to perform as Timone.” He added, “We have practiced the songs and speaking parts a lot in class.“ Many of his classmates felt the same way and were ready to perform for their friends and family.
Lumley shared rehearsals began at the start of the school year and had become part of the routine each week. She stated, “I see each class almost once a week, so we spend our time learning the songs and practicing speaking parts.” She continued, “The most difficult part as a teacher is helping 95 students learn to focus on the goal of performing together as one team. It is challenging, but well worth the effort.”
According to Lumley, this year’s fourth grade includes approximately 95 students and about 90 of them were able to participate in the performance for their families. Despite the challenges and the group’s size, Lumley stated that the program went smoothly thanks to the effort put in from the 4th graders.
Before they took the stage for their families, the students also presented the show to the elementary school during the day as a full dress rehearsal. This daytime performance offered good practice and helped the performers get an idea of how the real performance would feel.
The musical selections for the program spanned nearly 80 years, beginning with Disney’s first full-length feature film, Snow White, from 1937. The last group song the fourth grade music program performed was “Try Everything” from the 2016 movie Zootopia. Lumley said, “I love this song because it has a driving beat, and the lyrics teach the kids never to give up.” She finished, “We will always make mistakes in life, but it is imperative to get back up and try again.”
