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By Laura Drinan
Hometown Weekly Reporter
On December 11, Elm Street School’s cafeteria grew crowded and loud, with children buzzing around the room and chatting excitedly. The school staff knows this is not unusual for the elementary school, but the students were not waiting for their lunches.
Instead, parents and family members joined the students in the cafeteria at 6:30 p.m. for the annual winter sing-along.
“Elm Street School was established as an elementary school in 2004, but the tradition of our annual sing-along extends far beyond that,” said Ms. Elizabeth Schorr, Elm’s new music teacher. “The winter sing-along is a wonderful opportunity for families in our community to come together and share music!”
The singers rehearse for an hour each week after school, and proved their commitment to music with a performance at the sing-along. The group of 17 students performed five songs, including the Hebrew song “Hashivenu” and “Snow is Falling Still.” Accompanying the group was Elm Street’s retired music teacher, Linda Saripalli.
After the Elm Street Singers’ performance, though, the rest of elementary school students and their families joined in on the musical joy. With the lyrics projected onto the screen on the stage, the families began singing “Jingle Bell Rock,” with Ms. Schorr offering the brave singers a chance to sing into the microphone.
“The whole evening was so much fun for me,” said Ms. Schorr. “As a music teacher, it's always a lot of fun to be able to watch a group of students take ownership of a musical moment, and there were quite a few of those moments throughout the evening.”
Two moments that stood out during the sing-along were during “Frosty the Snowman,” when the kindergarteners and first graders sang on stage, and when the entire crowd of children passionately sang along to Frozen’s “Let It Go.”
“It's community moments like that which bring us together, and are memorable and so much fun!” continued Schorr.
While it may have been Ms. Schorr’s first winter sing-along, she will certainly be looking forward to continuing the tradition with Elm Street’s students and families.
