Kindergarten Graduation

Kanyon graduated Kindergarten! Since I began teaching music, he's my first child to participate in a Kindergarten Graduation program (I began half-way through Jonah & Micah's 1st grade year). So this was extra special for me, and I felt really involved in the whole process this time, knowing that it was the first AND last time that my child would be in it.

I like to make personalized decorations for the stage for every production. In preparation for the Kindergarten Graduation musical program this year, I created a banner. The "graduation" part I made for the program last year, and the "Kindergarten" part I made new this year. Unfortunately the extra blue paint in the teacher's cupboard this year didn't quite match the blue paint from last year! Other than the blues not matching, I thought the banner looked pretty good! 

One weekend I went in and did the whole stage set-up: moved the risers, added the partial walls, hung up the banners and large crayons, and figured out how I was going to place the kindergarteners on the stage. I did it differently this time--utilizing the front steps in addition to the risers for them to stand on, to give them more space on stage because there's a lot of kids in this age group that require extra space around them. I like to have the students be the focal point in the shows, so during this progam, I sat by the keyboard to the right and in front of the stage.

There were 60 Kindergarteners this year, and Kindergarten Graduation is always the most-attended show that I put on. I had 190 chairs set up in my music building. I went in to work the  night before the program, and spent an hour getting stacked chairs out of the small closet, and then setting them up. Just getting them out of the crammed space took a lot of time, and in an hour, I was only able to take out half the chairs needed! Here's a photo of the closet after I took out one stack (of the 4 stacks on TOP of two rows!).

I took a break from it, went home, and then came back an hour later and enlisted the janitors' help to finish setting up the chairs! It always goes by so much faster with multiple people working together!

We had one practice with all 3 classes together--because the afternoon class came in the morning with the 2 morning classes the day before the graduation. They practiced wearing their caps and we ran through the entire program for the first time just like we'd be performing it the next day. It took about 35 minutes, which was pretty good (long enough to make it worth coming, but short enough that they kids can stand long enough before having to use the bathroom!). The program centered around the theme "what I learned in Kindergarten". The kids sang 9 songs, there was one poem with students playing instruments, and I spoke in between each song about things the students learned during the year.  I snapped a few photos during the rehearsal. Ms. Jane joined us for one song--she is a fabulous volunteer who goes into classrooms each week and sings songs with the students while accompanying them on her guitar. 

These were the 4 students who played shaped-instruments while I recited the poem "Shapes" by Shel Silverstein. The students had an audition day, and these were the best listeners & rhythm players: Keegan, Matthew, Kanyon, and Charley. Kanyon got to play the "rectangle" (wooden block), but he told me that he wished that he got to play the "square" (cow bell) instead.

The Kindergarten Graduation was on the morning of Wednesday, May 22. There has never been a higher attendance for any one of my musical programs before--there were about 250 people that came that day! It was exciting to see the room overflowing with people! When the students walked in and onto the stage wearing the caps & gowns, the room was filled with awe and emotion. I loved being present and feeling the mood in the room!

 

Kanyon was so happy to be graduating from Kindergarten! It made my heart happy to see him that way!

Each song that the students sang correlated with something that they learned during the Kindergarten year that I spoke about in the narration part of the program. For example, I told the audience they learned to say the Pledge of Allegiance, and learned the words and meaning of the song Star Spangled Banner, then they sang the song called "Red, White, & Blue".

The students sang "Alphabet Song" and used sign language for the letters after I told the audience how learned to say letters, sounds, and words in Kindergarten. (thanks DannerPhotography for the pic) 

One of Kanyon's favorite songs in the program was "Days of the Week" to the tune of "Addams Family". They sang it after I told the audience about the rotation schedule the Kindergarten students have for each day of the week, between going to Library & P.E. & Music & Centers or Art.

We did the "Shapes" poem after I told the audience that the students learned about shapes & patterns & sorting during the year.

After we sang our final song "Kindergarten", the students moved their tassles from the right to the left. Then student said their name in the microphone, walked down the aisle, and exited the building (where they returned back to their homeroom classroom to return the cap & gown and pick up their backpacks & wait for their parents to pick them up and take them home). While they were walking down the aisle among the audience, I told the crowd what each child had told me they learned in Kindergarten and also what they loved about going to school.  I don't have a photo of Kanyon's portion (it's impossible to direct the program and take pictures a/o video of the show! Josh tried really hard to get images I requested, and he did a pretty great job. Thanks, Josh!), but another parent sent me a copy of the photo they took of their child saying their name...

After all the students had left the building, the audience was excused to go pick up their child. I walked back to the school to go take pictures of Kanyon in his cap & gown, but he'd already taken them off and was waiting by the door for me to pick him up. He refused to go back in and put the clothes back on. Thankfully, in the packet that his teacher Mrs. Foote had given him with his diploma & report card, she'd also included a photo she'd had her husband take of each of the students wearing a graduation cap & gown, so at least I had one good photo of him.

I remember crying at Ammon's Kindergarten Graduation, and getting teary-eyed at Jonah and Micah's, too. I thought I would be the same way for Kanyon's, but directing the program forced me to keep my emotions in tact. At one point, right before Kanyon said his name in the microphone, my throat got all choked up. He said he learned his letters and his favorite part of school was music (I swear I didn't coerce him into saying what his favorite part was!!).

I was so proud of him for making it through his Kindergarten year, which started off very challenging and difficult for him. He was able to improve his behaviors at school throughout the year and learn to cope with his problems better. I can't believe he's already done--I swear once they graduate Kindergarten, the rest of the school years seem to just fly by. My baby is growing up, and he's so happy about it that it makes it hard for me to not be happy for him, too.