Daycroft Montessori School’s Young Music Makers Brighten the Holiday Season for Area Seniors and Shoppers

Sing (and play) we joyous, all together!

To delighted area seniors and shoppers – as well as the students’ own schoolmates, family members, and friends – the young music makers of Ann Arbor’s Daycroft Montessori School (www.daycroft.org) recently served a generous helping of tuneful holiday cheer.

Daycroft’s Treble Makers choir and hand chimes ensemble entertained at three very distinct venues on Friday, December 14.

They began the day with a 9:00 am performance for the preschoolers and kindergarteners at Daycroft’s Preprimary Campus on Oakbrook Drive. Then, at 10:00 am, they scooted over to Brookdale Place, a nearby assisted living facility for elderly and memory-challenged people, where they played for about 40 residents.

By 11:00 am, the students were in the center court at Briarwood Mall, brightening the spirits of 100 or more people who paused in their shopping to hear the children perform.

The hand chimes ensemble, numbering some 20 students from Daycroft’s Grades 5-6 classroom, led off each show with spirited renditions of “Carol of the Bells,” “Good King Wenceslas,” and “Winter Wonderland.”

A brief video of the hand chimes ensemble’s performance at Briarwood Mall can be viewed here.

The Treble Makers – composed of 27 students from Grades 3 through 6 – sang “Starry Night of Winter.” A pair of Grades 5-6 students, Mason Hughes and Paul Middleton, followed with a duet on violin and viola of a Mozart Polonaise. Next, fifth-grader Emily Torrance performed a saxophone solo on a theme from Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake.”

The Treble Makers’ closing performance of “Song of Peace” was a particular crowd favorite. The piece’s vocal solo allowed a different student to be featured at each venue. Third-grader Mira Lenart performed the solo at Daycroft Oakbrook. Another third-grader, Anda Jiang, soloed at Brookdale Place, while Emily Torrance – now soloing vocally – took the spotlight again at Briarwood Mall.

Daycroft’s music teacher, Marlene Inman-Reilly, directed each performance. Bonnie Dingman, the school’s physical education teacher, helped with sound at Daycroft Oakbrook. Daycroft’s Grades 5-6 co-teachers, Amy Morell and Niki Buchanan, provided crucial support throughout the rehearsal and performance sessions.

The following week, Daycroft students carried on another of the school’s holiday music traditions. On the evening of Wednesday, December 19, in the gymnasium of the school’s Elementary Campus on Zeeb Road, the children put on “Winter Songfest,” an ambitious program of instrumental, singing, and dancing performances.

This time the students’ enchanted audience consisted of Daycroft parents, families, and friends. Marlene Inman-Reilly again directed the school’s young musical performers, who spanned the school’s levels of learning from kindergarten to Grade 6.

About Daycroft Montessori School

Daycroft Montessori School blends the distinctive student-centered teaching methods of Maria Montessori with traditional and progressive education. This helps Daycroft accomplish its mission: to provide a personalized learning environment that appreciates individual differences, nurtures the whole child, and enables students to develop at their own pace and achieve to their potential.

Daycroft is one of Washtenaw County’s leading private schools. It began as a preschool program in 1968. Daycroft has since grown to include a full-day kindergarten program, an elementary school program through 6th grade, before-school and after-school care, summer camp programs, and enrichment classes.

Daycroft has earned accreditation from the Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS; www.isacs.org). It is a member of the Association of Independent Michigan Schools (AIMS; www.aims-mi.org), the American Montessori Society (AMS; www.amshq.org), and the North American Montessori Teachers’ Association (NAMTA; www.montessori-namta.org).

Daycroft Preprimary School (preschool and kindergarten) is at 100 Oakbrook Dr., Ann Arbor, MI 48104.  Phone: (734) 930-0333.

Daycroft Elementary School (grades K through 6) and Daycroft’s administrative offices are at 1095 N. Zeeb Rd., Ann Arbor, MI 48103.  Phone: (734) 662-3335.