This month, the students at Barlow Mountain Elementary School will be participating in the National Association for Music Education's (NAfME) "Concert for Music in Our Schools Month" (the new name of the 27-year old World’s Largest Concert®). For more than two decades, the World’s Largest Concert® has provided an opportunity for schools around the world to sing a 30-minute program together at one designated date and time during March.
The name is not the only change to this event. Instead of a designated date and time for the concert, schools can now participate during the entire month of March, rather than at the one half-hour designated time as in the past. The NAfME hopes that, "with participation no longer limited to one specific day and time, teachers can use the Concert for Music In Our Schools Month songs as a month-long performance opportunity for students and a chance to shine the community spotlight on the importance of school music programs."
The traditional date and time of the concert has always been the second Thursday in March at 1pm. EST, and Barlow Mountain has chosen to participate at that time.
- Discussin’ Percussion – arr. Tom Anderson
- Dona Nobis Pacem – Cristy Cary Miller
- El Vito – arr. Emily Holt Crocker
- Everlasting Melody – Rollo A. Dilworth
- Feel the Beat – Roger Emerson and John Jacobson
- Rock Island Line – arr. Jan Klevberg Day
- The Star-Spangled Banner – 1st verse only, Francis Scott Key, attributed to John Stafford Smith
The Barlow Mountain students under the direction of music teacher, Colleen McGuirk, have been working hard in their music classes learning the music and lyrics of three songs. They will be performing Dona Nobis Pacem, Everlasting Melody and The Star-Spangled Banner. As Fifth Grader, Henry Garlick, exclaimed, "Even though we won't be in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's largest concert, it has been fun to learn songs that kids all around the world are learning, and to be able to sing them together."