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On March 21st, the second graders at Fair Grove Elementary performed their singing program, Television Trip Through Time, in the upper elementary gym.
The theme of every second grade program is older television shows. This was thought up by Heather Lumley, a music teacher at Fair Grove Elementary. She has been in charge of different music programs since 2011.
Lumley said, “I wrote this program several years ago because I thought it would be an engaging program. I thought back about many of the tv shows that I grew up watching and decided this would make a great program.”
Lumley added, “We learned the theme songs to the shows like the Brady Bunch, Gilligan’s Island, The Muppet Show, Scooby Doo, The Beverly Hillbillies, and many more. I also wrote speaking parts to introduce each song.”
This year’s program included theme songs from The Flintstones, Happy Days, The Andy Griffith Show, The Addams Family, and Happy Trails as well.
The students started preparing for this program in November 2023, in a variety of ways. Lumley explained, “I make copies of the words to the songs, so we can practice reading them. We listen to recordings of the songs and we sing along…repetition is the key. The more they hear, read, and watch the songs the better they will know it.”
Lumley continued, “Not only do we learn the songs, the children have speaking parts and acting parts…Some children would rather not come up front, and they stay in the big group and sing the songs. I want children to feel comfortable with their parts and don’t want to make them do something that they will be too nervous to do the night of the program.”
Second grade teachers at Fair Grove Elementary contributed to the process as well, including Mrs. Leslie Johnston.
Johnston said, “Mrs. Lumley does most of the work. I will help the kids with lines or where to stand or walk. I also give my kids tips on how to speak into a microphone.”
She also discussed what she enjoyed about the program. “My favorite thing is watching the kids’ personalities come out. As they learn their lines, songs, and dances, you can see so many of them shine.”
Lumley furthermore explained, “Every time we perform this show, I have people say how much they loved it. Also, kids become so interested that they look these shows up on Netflix and start watching them.”
Johnston stated, “These programs positively impact our kids. I think that some second graders truly find that they love acting or singing during these programs. They are learning skills that help in other areas by performing in front of others and memorizing lines and songs.”
As the Fair Grove Elementary students grow throughout the years, they will continue to perform in various programs that demonstrate the musical enjoyment presented by Fair Grove Elementary’s music program.
