Movies 101

Every year since I started teaching, I've had one musical performance that's kind of my pet. Each year there's been one show that I create and write, one show that I spend a huge amount of extra time and effort on, and one show that I hope and pray works out exactly how I imagined it. The first year I had this job, it was the 1st grade's "Celebrate Spring" performance. The second year, it was the 3rd grade's "Disney Display". The third year, it was the 5th grade's "Shrek Show". This year, it was the 2nd & 3rd combined grade's program of "Movies 101". 

 

Last spring, I found out that there would be one combined class this year with 2nd & 3rd graders in it. Although split-level classes have happened before at the school (Ammon was in a 3rd/4th split class when he was in 3rd grade), I've never taught one. As soon as I heard about it, I began thinking about possibilities for a new musical show this upcoming year. Traditionally, the 2nd graders do the Seussical Jr. play, and the 3rd graders have done the Disney Display the last two years (both are very popular and fun for the performers). But I knew that with the one specific split-level class, I couldn't do either of those shows. If I did the Seussical, then half the class wouldn't be happy because they'd already done it. If I did the Disney show, then half the class would possibly be repeating the same show next year, which wouldn't be interesting for them.

 

One day last summer, my friend Amanda and I were quoting some famous lines from movies (we love quoting movies!), and I had an idea: I could do a program all about movies. In all of my musical programs, I like to make sure that each student has some special part because I feel that each child deserves to have their own spotlight. I was thinking that every student could say a quote from a different movie during the program, and then each class could sing songs from some famous movies.

 

The more I thought about the idea, the more I liked it. I tried to work out all the details in my head how this could possibly work: with 5 classes of students, and over 100 individuals, and making sure the program didn't last longer than about a half hour (otherwise it's too long for the little ones' attention spans). I thought about every detail and created a master plan: each class would walk onto the stage one at a time, and as they walked on, the students would stop at the microphone and say their individual quote (of their choice) from a movie. After all the students said their quote, they would stand on the risers on the stage, and sing the songs their class learned. Then when their class was done, they would exit to the left of the stage as the next class entered from the right, and repeat the process all over again. This meant that no time was wasted in simply moving on and off stage or down and back from the microphone--there was always something going on during transitions.

 

That was the main conceptualization regarding the order of the event, and from there, details were added to make the program more interesting... As each child said their movie quote, the picture of that particular movie was projected onto a screen behind them (this was my first experience ever using PowerPoint, but it really made the show a hit!).  There were 4 student MC's that kept the flow of the program moving along--announcing the classes, and giving additional quotes from the movies that each class sang songs from. The MC's also asked the audience to guess which movie each song was from, and took their answers after the class performed the songs. It was a fun aspect to add audience participation into the young performers' program, but a little tricky to teach 8-year-olds how to do improv! And of course, I added props and movie-themed details to the performance space to enhance the surroundings of the gym & cafeteria that we performed in.

 

I've never had a production before in the elementary gym/cafeteria. I've always used my annex building for performances. But it would've been impossible for a show this size to fit in my narrow building. The stage in my building isn't big enough for 100 students, and there wouldn't have been enough room in the seating for the audience to fit, either. Having this show in the elementary school was the most complicated part of the entire process--I had to schedule times that would work for all 5 classes to practice and perform that didn't conflict with breakfast/lunch/P.E./teacher prep schedules. During the week of their performance, we all practiced together every day in the space to prepare for the large program, and at the end of each daily practice, I had to take down every piece of equipment used in order to clear the area for P.E. and meals for the following day.  Whew! It was a hectic week! 

 

The students began working on materials for this program in January. Each class learned two songs, and all the classes learned one song that they all sang together as a finale. Then I had the kids each choose a quote from a list of over 300 quotes from movies that I worked many months on creating. Several of the kids came up with their own quotes that weren't even on the list, which really impressed me! Then I had all the kids each color pictures on a paper, that when I put them all together looked like a large filmstrip to help decorate the gym walls for the show.  

 

I titled the show "Movies 101" because there was over 100 kids (102 to be exact) in the show, and each child gave a quote from a movie, so there was about 101 Movies quoted!

The day of the performance was Thursday March 20, which was the last day of school before a week-long Spring Break (which felt like a reward after all our hard work!). I decorated the gym that afternoon as a final preparation for the show...

This was the sign I put in the hallway for audience members to see when they first entered the building. 

 

I made this sign and propped it by a directors-style chair at the gym entrance.

I had some gold & silver stars hung on the high-curtain.
On both the left & the right side of the stage were some large cardboard video-cameras

In front of the microphone that each child spoke their part,
I rolled out a red carpet and had gold stands w/red theater ribbon.

I was so nervous for the show to start--the day before when we performed for other students in the school, I'd had some problems with the sound system. So, before the parents began arriving, I checked the microphone, and CD system, and Keyboard and all the amplifiers & speakers. I finally felt ready after that. I couldn't believe the amount of people that came to watch--I believe it was the largest audience that's ever come to one of my shows (we set up 230 chairs, and they were all full, as well as rows of people standing in the back)!

As each class performed their songs, I captured a photo of them from my angle at the piano (each class sang one song using CD accompaniment, and one song with me on the piano as the accompaniment). Mrs. Wilkins' 2nd grade class sang "Do-Re-Mi" (from Sound of Music) and "I Believe I Can Fly" (from SpaceJam).

Mrs. Foote's 2nd grade class sang "Let's Go Fly A Kite" (from Mary Poppins), and "On the Good Ship Lollipop" (from the Shirley Temple movie Bright Eyes).

Mrs. Schroeder's 2nd & 3rd grade combined class sang "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" (from Wizard of Oz) and "Raindrops Keep Falling" (from Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid). I tried to get songs from a variety of movies: westerns, musicals, cartoons, old, and new. The Butch Cassidy movie was the hardest one for the audience to guess what film the song was from! 

Mrs. Tippett's 3rd grade class sang "I'm a Believer" (from Shrek) and "Seize the Day" (from Newsies).

 

Mr. Lund's 3rd grade class sang "Movin' Right Along" (from The Muppet Movie) and "Tomorrow" (from Annie).

The final song, when they all came together on the stage was also from the movie Annie; it was the song "Let's Go to the Movies", which was a very fitting ending! The boys sang part of it, and then the girls sang part of it. It was awesome to see so many kids on the stage singing together!

 

I was SOOO extremely proud of all these 2nd and 3rd grade performers. The show went exactly how I envisioned it so many months before in my mind. I cried at one point, and got chills several times because I was just so happy with their performing abilities. I have received several compliments from audience members since the performance: they liked the audience participation with the movie guessing, they liked how there was a visual presentation to go along with all the quotes, they liked how each class got spotlighted, and how the show was new and different.

 

It's times like this when I remember why it is that I love my job so very much. I love using my creative skills to produce musical shows, I love seeing my students' abilities grow, and I love seeing them perform their talents for an audience and feel so happy with themselves! The kids bring me so much enjoyment and satisfaction, and I'm so blessed to have this opportunity to teach them.