First Composer of the Month: Danny Elfman

WELCOME BACK!

Our first composer of the month is the incredible Danny Elfman. Please read below for information about him taken from Wikipedia.

Daniel Robert "Danny" Elfman (born May 29, 1953) is an American musician, best known for composing music for television and movies and leading the rock band Oingo Boingo as a singer/songwriter from 1976 until its breakup in 1995. He is a frequent collaborator with long-time friend Tim Burton and has scored most of his films (the exceptions being Ed Wood and Sweeney Todd). He has been nominated for four Academy Awards and won a Grammy Award for Tim Burton's Batman and an Emmy Award for his Desperate Housewives theme. Elfman is famous for creating The Simpsons main title theme, and his role as Jack Skellington's singing voice in The Nightmare Before Christmas. He also sang for the character Bonejangles in the movie Corpse Bride. He is the uncle in-law to actress Jenna Elfman.

4th Grade Soloists performing "There Will Be Peace" at the All-School Assembly on January 15th honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

It has been a busy winter for Lower School Music! Aside from dealing with many Snow Days, all of the 1st-4th Graders have been hard at work preparing for various concerts and assemblies. As shown above, all of them were involved in a special assembly which honored Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The 1st Graders had an incredible performance in February that centered around Valentine's Day, President's Day, and the "Whacky, Whacky" West. And our 4th Grade leaders are currently preparing to present "101 Dalmatians KIDS!" on Thursday, March 11th (at 1p for the Lower School and at 7p for anyone who needs some canine amusement).

We will also be focusing on the AMAZING Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington as our Composer of the Month during March and April. He is considered to be one of the most prominent jazz musicians throughout American history, but his work extended far beyond just that simple genre. To hear one of his most famous compositions, "It Don't Mean a Thing," scroll to the bottom of the page and click PLAY to see him with his orchestra! You can find out more about Mr. Ellington by visiting his official website.

We have our sights set on Spring Break and then wonderful concerts by our 3rd Graders and 4th Grade Choir in April and May! And then, Mrs. Garver Solis will be welcoming her son into the world...hopefully after all of these concerts are finished! Haha!