Imagine That! Connecting Your Community Through Music

$10.00

by Chelsea Dehner

(67 slides)

This is digital resource.

This resource provides everything you need to recreate a music performance project for your staff or your students. Through covering John Lennon’s Imagine, school staff can build community and connect with their students, whether virtual or in-person. Use the editable files that accompany this tutorial to create meaning and have some fun with those around you!

Description

As a music educator, I’ve always felt that we music teachers have superpowers that other people do not possess. We have the ability to use music as our vehicle to bring people together and show them new abilities, to help them feel a sense of community and belonging, and to give them an outlet to express themselves!! How cool is that!?!?

When Covid-19 shut down our schools in the middle of the “Musical/Spring Concert Season,” I needed an outlet, and frankly, so did the rest of our staff members! Have you heard your fellow staff members make comments like, “I wish I could sing,” “I used to do theater/choir when I was younger,” “I wish I could play an instrument,” “I wish there was a staff choir,” “I wish I had the time to join a musical group,” etc…?  Here was my *GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY* to help our staff make their voices heard… literally!!

Our district team wanted to show our students we cared, were willing to be vulnerable, AND, were willing to do something extremely uncomfortable in the name of showing up for our students! Our staff at LM was longing for creativity, music-making, and most importantly, connection. I found that the perfect equation to push people out of their comfort zones and convince them to be vulnerable was this:

Excitement + Encouragement + Great Cause = VOLUNTEERS!

In using this model of thinking, I was able to gather 46% of our LMTSD teachers, our entire high school administrative team, and both our superintendent and assistant superintendent to be a part of “Lower Moreland Township School District Staff Sings/Plays ‘Imagine!’” In total, we had 93 staff members, one-third of the LMTSD workforce, sing or play a line of music alone or with family members (dogs included) OR smile and wave at the camera to create our own rendition of John Lennon’s song, Imagine.  #Cheeeeeese

In this product, you will find everything you need to recreate the incredible experience described above. From google spreadsheets to editable emails, you can easily recreate this project with your students and/or staff!

About the Author

Chelsea Dehner is the Lower Moreland High School Choir Director in Huntingdon Valley, PA, and has been a music educator for 12 years with experience in K-12 vocal/general and instrumental music.  She has her Bachelor of Music in Music Education with a concentration in voice from Moravian College ’08 and her Master’s in Education from Cabrini College ’14. At Lower Moreland, Chelsea teaches Concert Choir, Piano Lab, Singing & Vocalization and Beginning Guitar.  She leads the Honor, Treble and Bass Choirs, serves as the LMHS Drama Club Spring Musical Vocal and Pit Director, and holds the position of PMEA District 11 High School Professional Development Chair.  You can find her performing with “The Hoppin’ John Orchestra,” “The Bux-Mont Camerata Chorus,” the LMHS Teacher Band, “Staff Infection,” or working at her new adventure of songwriting under the direction of Dr. Kat Reinhert.  Chelsea is a certified Bikram Yoga Instructor ’18 and loves to laugh, spend time with friends and family, and play with her dog Lala!

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