Update! - Thanksgiving Family Mass, Nov.20th

Counting Our Blessings

"Thank you" to EVERYONE who came together Friday (November 20th) at Cunningham Chapel to sing in our impromptu choir for our annual NDE Thanksgiving celebration! The mass was absolutely beautiful. Thank you for taking the time to make the Thanksgiving Family Mass very special for all who attended.


The music we sang at the Thanksgiving Family mass:

Entrance: We Are Many Parts

Psalm: I Will Lift Up Your Name You can listen to this song or download a mp3 available for $.99 at http://www.spiritandsong.com/ Click on the MUSIC ON DEMAND tab and then type the song title in the SEARCH box and CLICK!

Offertory: Servant Song

Communion: One Bread, One Body You can listen to this song at http://www.spiritandsong.com/ Click on the MUSIC ON DEMAND tab and then type the song title in the SEARCH box and CLICK!

Meditation: *Share Your Goodwill (Music K-8, Vol 11, No 2.)
You can listen and/or download this song @ www.musick8kids.com Just type the song title in the SEARCH box and CLICK!

Closing: Soon And Very Soon You can listen to this song or download a mp3 available for $.99 at http://www.spiritandsong.com/ Click on the MUSIC ON DEMAND tab and then type the song title in the SEARCH box and CLICK!

I really loved the inspirational reflection that Fr. Tom Splain read to us at the end of his homily and so I asked him for a copy of it at the end of mass. I thought I would share it (here) with you, so that you can share it also, with your family and friends. Happy Thanksgiving!

Mrs. Marconi

BE THANKFUL

Be thankful that you don't already have everything you desire.
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?
Be thankful when you don't know something,
for it gives you the opportunity to learn.
Be thankful for the difficult times.
During those times you grow.
Be thankful for your limitations
because they give you opportunities for improvement.
Be thankful for each new challenge,
because it will build your strength and character.
Be thankful for your mistakes.
They will teach you valuable lessons.
Be thankful when you're tired and weary,
because it means you've made a difference.
It's easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who
are also thankful for the setbacks.
Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles,
and they can become your blessings.

Author Unknown

THANK YOUs...Carlmont Tree Lighting Ceremony - 1st & 5th

A group of our NDE 1st & 5th Graders sang at the Carlmont Tree Lighting Ceremony in Belmont, which was held Monday, November 30th.

We sang four (4) of the songs we had prepared for Christmas at Ralston the following day:

"Merry Christmas Bells"
"Ring Those Bells"
"Shalom"
"The Best Present Of All"

"Thank you" so much to the parents who brought their children to the event...and for your support! It was a beautiful night and the children sounded amazing!

We received a very nice note in the mail from Carlmont Shopping Center, thanking us for our participation, along with an unexpected $100 check toward our music program!

Classroom News - October

Note to Parents: All songs noted in this blog with an asterisk * can be found on the website https://www.musick8kids.com/ where you will not only be able to listen them, but you will also have the option to download them for a fee. Go to the SEARCH box, type in the song title, and hit ENTER.



Our 1st Graders are not only singing about pumpkins and ghouls ("*Scarin' Alive" - "*Pumpkin Jack" - "*Monster Day") in the classroom but they are busy preparing songs for their upcoming performance(s) for NDE's Christmas at Ralston (Tues., Dec. 1st & Wed., Dec. 2nd). Our 1st Graders have a lot on their plate, learning music for our school mass(es) + songs for Christmas at Ralston, AND adding in Halloween songs they enthusiastically want to do!

1st Grade - Christmas at Ralston songs include:

1. "*Jolly Old St. Nicholas"
2. "Jingle Bells"
3. "Ring Those Bells"
4. "*Shalom Chaverim"
5. "*Merry Christmas Bells"
6. "The Best Present of All"

2nd, 3rd, and 4th Graders continue on in the month of October singing songs that celebrate Halloween and the month of October:

1. "*Scarin' Alive"
2. "*Pumpkin Jack"
3. "*Vampire Cowboy"
4. "*October Rocktober"
5. "*Rattling Bones"
6. "Skin & Bones"
7. "*Mwa Ha Ha"
   

The students will tell you that I strongly emphasize the importance of our liturgical (religious) music, and that we rehearse the music for all our school masses FIRST during our 30 minute music classes...then we go on to sing what we call our "fun" songs.

The students receive sheet music for all of the Music K-8 songs. From this music, and from our Music Express magazines we use, I am able to teach the students how to "follow the road map" of music. In other words, they are learning to read music so they can follow along with a piece of music when it is handed to them. They are learning basic music theory as it applies to the music we are singing each day.
For example: If we are singing a song that has a glissando in it, as does "*Mwa Ha Ha", I will have the children sing the song and then go back and show them the musical notation that indicates a glissando, we will define what a glissando is, and demonstrate a glissando.

All of our NDE students should already know the following musical terms:

1. musical staff
2. measure
3. bar line
4. treble clef
5. repeat sign
6. d.s. al coda
7. coda

5th Grade students are singing Halloween songs also...but their emphasis right now on the list of songs they need to learn for Christmas at Ralston (Tues., Dec. 1st and Wed., Dec. 2nd). With just 30 minutes to learn songs for our school mass(es), songs for Christmas at Ralston, and any fun Halloween tunes, the 5th grade is VERY busy during music class.
Their Christmas at Ralston playlist:

1. "The Best Present of All"
2. "*Everlasting Fruitcake"
3. "*Jingle Jive"
4. "*A Nice, Nice Christmas"
5. "Ring Those Bells"
6. "*Shalom Chaverim"
7. "*Sing We Now of Christmas"
8. "Some Children See Him"
9. "A Tiny Little Baby"

6th, 7th, and 8th Graders too, have been enjoying Halloween fun singing "The Purple People Eater", "The Monster Mash" and "Ghostbusters" and watching cartoon videos of the same songs.

The 6th grade is busy preparing for our upcoming School Mass, which we will celebrate on Wednesday, November 11th, recognizing our Veterans. They are working on a beautiful song titled "*You Are Our Heroes" for the communion meditation.
They asked me to help them find some songs to go along with their classroom "group" names: Polka Dot Penguins, Aqua Tigers, and Purple People Eaters.

Here's what we came up with:
Purple People Eaters = "The Purple People Eater" by Sheb Wooley
Polka Dot Penguins = "*Penguin Polka"
Aqua Tigers = "What Kind of Cat Are You?" by Billy Jonas

6th, 7th, and 8th Graders are currently working on two (2) songs from Miley Cyrus: "Party in the U.S.A." and "Hoedown Showdown" (Music Express November 2009 magazine).

School Mass - October 7, 2009

Our first school mass was held at Cunningham Chapel on Wednesday, October 7, 2009 with the 7th Grade preparing the celebration that honored Our Lady of the Rosary.




The liturgical musical selections for the mass included:
Entrance Procession: "Come, Let's Build"
Psalm: "Ps 27: The Lord Is My Light"
featuring Christina T., Max S., & Kirsten B.
Offertory: "Hail Mary: Gentle Woman"
Communion Meditation: "Angels Among Us"
featuring Will F. - vocal intro and Adam L. & Patrick S. - guitars
Communion: "Servant Song"
Closing Song: "Lead Me, Lord"

Thank you to all the parents who were able to attend our first mass! What a blessing it is to have you share your time with us as we gather together to celebrate mass.