Ranney Celebrates Music in Our Schools Month

The rock groups Coldplay and The Fray, and Hip Hop artist Kanye West took top honors for best song at this year’s second annual Ranney Grammy Awards, held on Friday, March 13 in the Dining Hall. While the winning musicians were noticeably absent, that did not stop Ranney Middle School students from enjoying their favorite tunes during their lunch period as part of a weeklong series of events marking “Music in Our Schools” month sponsored by MENC, the National Association for Music Education.

In Lower School, the week began with a national sing-along. Students in grades 2 – 5 gathered in Panther Hall to participate in the 2009 “World’s Largest Concert.” Everyone had a chance to view music students from across the nation as they gathered to sing a variety of songs. The concert featured the fifth grade choral dramatics students singing the national anthem. There was a special appearance by fifth grader Shruthi Vaidyaselvan who was featured on the national video reading her award-winning essay, “Music! I imagine...,” the theme for this year’s “Music in Our Schools” celebration.

In Middle School, student members of the Jr. Tri-M Music Honor Society® organized a daily music trivia contest with questions about contemporary musicians, instruments and songs. Contest winners received a $10 gift card. In addition, students were asked to cast their vote for the best Pop, Rock, HipHop/R&B, and Alternative Song and others in the 2nd Annual Ranney Grammy Awards. Winning songs were featured during Friday’s lunch period and included “Just Dance”, “Heartless”, “You Found Me” and “Viva La Vida.” The week ended with the St. Patrick’s Day Middle School Dance, featuring an Irish Jig Dance-off and raffles for iTunes gift cards, promoting the legal downloading of online music.

For additional information on all Ranney School news, please contact the Communications Department at communications@ranneyschool.org.