The amazingness of Elementary School. (February 5th 2015)

Today, my elementary school had their marching band performance. The day started out with me forgetting my lesson plan at home (-_-`) then finding out as I got to class that parents are allowed to come and watch today, (so I had an audience of parents standing quietly at the back, one class was able to get them to be included), and then I was told that my last class was cancelled because of the marching band performance. Cool I thought! I had seen some of my grade 5 and 6s practing at lunch times in the music room a few weeks ago. I knew they had brass instruments, drums, and even students spinning flags around! And their practices were awesome! So I was looking forward to it!

After playing Onigoku (tag) with the 3rd graders at lunch, (in the library? I wasn`t sure about it, but the students were throwing balls and paper planes in there too. One of the planes got stuck on a light on the roof and one even went to get the teacher who got it down and they continued playing) I grabbed my coat and off we went to the gym. And there were more parents arriving to watch! The grade 5s were sitting on the floor along the wall of the gym, and the parents and other students were going up to the second floor to watch from the balcony. I joined my grade 3 and 2 students up there. Then the show began! The grade 6 students marched in with their instruments and flags, being led by their leader. Everyone was dressed amazingly in costume , the girl leader had a red skirt and shirt on with the big red top hat and the conducting thingy, and the musicians had on white shorts and blue shirts and light brown hats, and the flag barers had white pants and red shirts and red hats with white trimming. They all looked so amazing in the outfits. I didn`t realise, but the whole of grade 6 made up the marching band. They performed a few songs,  marching into formations, twirling flags and the conductor stick, and then they even had the conductor standing on the flags, holding her up into the air at one point! Amazing!

Then, they stood in 3 lines and the grade 5s went to join them, standing opposite another grade 5 student. There were words from the grade 6 conductor, the grade 5 conductor (who ended up crying in her speech so I was a bit confused at that point as to what was going on), then the principal, then the grade 6s handed over their instruments and hats. The grade 6s then sat down along the other end of the gym and the grade 5s performed a song. It was really good!

At the end the grade 6s walked through a tunnel of the flags and the grade 5s kept playing as they walked out and then the parents walked out then the rest of the students walked out.

It was an amazing experience, and I wish I`d had my camera to take photos. Hopefully I get to see next year`s too!