Happy New Year from the Music Room

Happy New Year from the Music Room
Posted on 01/19/2017
The Kindergarten students did a fantastic job on their winter concert in December. This was a big deal for our littlest learners and we are all proud at how much they have grown since the start of the year. We can’t wait for the graduation concert in June to see how much their voices will grow. Bravo!

The first through fourth grade winter concert will be on Wednesday, January 25th, 2017 at 9:30AM in the auditorium. All students are expected to wear white tops and black bottoms with sensible shoes for standing on the risers.

First and second graders will be singing a total of five songs as well as leading us in our gathering song Harmonia Mundi. I wanted to take this opportunity to share with you a little information about our gathering song:

Harmonia Mundi is a German hymn tune with words written by a man named Sean Deibler (1947-2009). Mr. Deibler was an artist, musician, composer, teacher, and a pioneer of Kodály-inspired music education in America. Mr. Deibler traveled to the Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest, Hungary in the 1970s where he fell in love with the philosophy of music education by Zoltán Kodály. Upon his return he became a prominent pioneer for sharing his passion of teaching music with others in the United States.

Mr. Deibler taught at the Kodály Music Institute (then of Boston) and founded the Choral Arts Society of Philadelphia and the Music Group of Philadelphia. As some of the Early Birds are about to embark on this trip to Philadelphia in March, I couldn’t help but reflect on the connections between Peabody School, Kodály Music Education and Harmonia Mundi. Each year at the Organization of American Kodály Educators (OAKE) Conference meetings convene with the singing of this song.

A few years back, I was at an OAKE conference in Atlanta, GA and I was sitting in Ms. Pitty-Pat’s Porch awaiting my meal after a long day of traveling. I suddenly heard this beautiful sound and for a moment I thought I was listening to the radio but I wasn’t. In the room next to where I was sitting a group of music educators who donate their time to run the Organization for American Kodály Educators were beginning their meeting with this song:

We gather here together, with joyful heart and mind.
We raise our voices ever, our distant souls to bind.
To remember in this moment of friendship, love and joy;
That music made together may one day heal mankind.


I am proud that the Peabody students will grow up singing these words which come across as a promise and an oath to the greater promise of music in the lives of all.

We will be gathering to sing on January 25th. The First and Second grade students are excited and have been working so hard to prepare for their part of the program. They will begin their concert by singing Harmonia Mundi. We hope to hear you singing with us too.

Musically Yours, Ms. Bach
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