The end of the school year, that is! There are a few big events at the school where I work which signify that summer break is upon us. One of those events happened just yesterday and is my very favorite of the whole year.
It doesn’t get much better than having all of the students faculty, and staff gathered in one place, singing the songs we’ve been working on in music therapy all year. And better yet, I have a full band! With Mike on bass, Joe on guitar, and Jayne (who unfortunately is not pictured; she is to the right of me) on drums, our songs get quite the rock ‘n roll treatment.
But the fun’s not over yet. Tomorrow morning, our graduation ceremony will be held in the very same room. Graduation is always a bittersweet event; as happy as I am for the students, I’m still sad to see them go. This year I’ll be singing “For Good” (from the musical Wicked) during the ceremony.
Next Wednesday is our last day of school, and in the afternoon we’ll have our annual talent show. It’s always so entertaining to watch not only students and entire classes, but also various faculty and staff, get up on stage and show off their dancing, singing, and instrument-playing talents. A couple of classrooms will be performing music therapy “hits” – an awesome choice of repertoire, if you ask me :)
So that’s what is going on around here. Now I must get to something I’ve been putting off all month…creating summer song packets and CDs for each class. Although there will be a sub (not a music therapist, but a music teacher who is very skilled in working with my student population) taking over for the summer, I still like to leave materials behind so that the teachers can continue reinforcing the skills and concepts we’ve spent all year learning. Plus, I don’t want everyone to forget me while I’m away!