Getting Ready....

Villa di Maria's Upper Elementary class has been busy preparing for the Winter Concert. The play has been written, casting is complete, lines are (mostly!) memorized, blocking and lighting are all in order. Music is always a key feature in the Upper Elementary play and this year the group was lucky enough to work with Alan Stewart, a percussionist with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra!Getting to sneak peeks at the upcoming awesomeness is one of the joys of blogging for VdM. The highlight of watching the Upper Elementary in action came when a stage hand leaned over and told me how much their classmates had improved. It wasn't a negative comment, it was an honest observation. We all get better with practice. Consciously experiencing the shift from muddling through to mastery gives children the understanding that it's important to work on the things we want to improve. And being part of such a big endeavor teaches the children that others also improve with practice. There are so many good things that come out of the enormous undertaking of the Upper El play - this is just one of my favorites.The Winter Concert will be a great show... From the pride of the Extended Day children, the evident joy in that first row of  Children's House performers, the poetry and songs of our thriving Lower Elementary classes, to ... well, to a Unicorn. I'm pretty sure this one rehearsal picture says it all. Don't miss it!