Welcome to Lower School Music!

All 1st through 4th grade Ursuline girls take music with Elementary Music teacher, Lauren Benoit. This includes singing, dancing, and the beginnings of reading music for xylophones, recorders, and percussion. Beginning in 3rd grade, all Ursuline girls take Suzuki style violin classes with Lulu Reeks. Through their music classes, each girl learns to read and create music amongst her peers.

Below you will find a variety of projects and performances from this school year, including our period of distance learning. We are so proud of our Ursuline girls and their creativity!

Early Explorers Meet the Orchestra

Kindergarten and 1st grade girls learned all about the orchestra! After completing their unit on instrument families, the girls got to attend the "Early Explorers: Meet the Orchestra" program with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra at the Jefferson Performing Arts Center. First, they attended meet and greet sessions with some of the musicians. Then, they attended an interactive concert. After the performance, several of the girls even said they wanted to be conductors and musicians! Ms. Benoit and Mrs. Reeks are so proud of what they learned through this experience.

The Slime Girls Jingle

To enhance their social studies unit on Entrepreneurship, the 1st grade class collaborated together to write their own jingle for their Slime Girls business. They worked in pairs to brainstorm lyrics and melodies. Then, Ms. Benoit combined the best of their ideas to create the song! Click play to see their full commercial featuring their creative jingle that had the whole academy singing!

The National Anthem

Our 1st grade girls learned about patriotic music and our national anthem, the "Star Spangled Banner." At their 1st Grade Election, Red, White, Blue, and YOU, they performed the song, demonstrating anthem etiquette with their hands over their hearts. Play the video to listen to their heartfelt performance!

Ursuline History and "Hymn to Our Lady of Prompt Succor"

In collaboration with social studies, technology, and art, 2nd grade girls learned about Ursuline's rich history. To expand on their learning, the girls learned "Hymn to Our Lady of Prompt Succor." This song has been important to Ursuline students and Sisters for decades, and it acts as our prayer to Mary for strength and wisdom. Click play to hear them sing!

2nd Grade - Hymn To Our Lady.wav

Learning the Minor Scale

The 2nd grade girls learned about the minor scale through a song called "Pass the Pumpkin." They loved playing the circle game and playing xylophones! Click play to listen!

3A class brings Charlotte's Web to life.

Storytelling with Percussion Instruments

Our 3rd grade girls read Charlotte's Web in English class. To expand on their learning, they put together a performance in music with Ms. Benoit. The girls selected a chapter to summarize, decided which characters and events were significant, and selected a percussion instrument to represent each event or character. Click play to hear the final product!

3B brings Charlotte's Web to life.

"Water Dream" on Recorders

In 3rd and 4th grades, Ursuline girls learn to play the recorder. In addition to learning this skill, they also begin to read music with less guidance. Click below to hear a song they learned to play called "Water Dream." Ms. Benoit is so proud of their hard work!

"Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star"

During our period of distance learning, 3rd and 4th grade girls have been performing for each other on Flipgrid, a video sharing website. Click to hear some of their performances of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" on violin. Mrs. Reeks is so proud of their hard work!

"This Little Light of Mine" Virtual Performance

During our period of distance learning, 4th grade girls have been polishing their recorder skills and practicing note reading. By playing along with Ms. Benoit's practice videos, they learned to play "This Little Light of Mine." Click play for their fabulous distance learning, collaboration performance!

Distance Learning Piano Lessons

COVID-19 hasn't stopped our Ursuline girls from keeping up with their extra-curricular activities from home. Ursuline's private piano teacher, Irina Vychko, has been providing virtual instruction during this time. Click to hear several students twinkling the keys from their homes!

2nd grader, Layla, playing "Club Jazz" by N. Faber.

2nd grader, Ava, playing "Lavender's Blue."

4th grader, Audrey, playing "Dance of the Irish."

3rd grader, Ava, playing "Carnival of Venice."

2nd grader, Emily, playing "Sonatina for a Wooly Warm (l mvt.) J. Poe."

4th grader, Danielle, playing "Tarantella."

3rd grader, Lylian, playing "A Day at the Carnival."

3rd grader, Sawyer, playing "Malagueña."

4th grader, Lucia, playing "Cuckoo."