Jennifer Hicks
3 min
Updated: May 3, 2021
We've had an excellent week discussing blossom trees, writing songs, creating a "butterfly retirement home", penning poems, listening to a concert and explored moods.
In Simon's "Music is Life" class we discussed blossom trees. We were inspired by the cherry blossom tree in Simon's yard.
Simon asked "what experiences have you had with fruit trees?" Here are some of our answers:
We had a cherry tree at our cottage home. We had so many cherries on that tree we invited the neighbours to come with baskets to pick some!
In our backyard we have an elderberry bush. One year I spent 4hrs picking the tiny berries to make a batch of elderberry jam!
There are no fruit trees where I live but there are dandelions on the grass, more than I have ever seen this year.
Jennifer and Simon did a little improv to get us ready to write a song.
Here are the lyrics to our song which is a work in progress:
Trees a-swaying in the wind
Dancing in the wind
Sleeping under the blossom tree
Mmmm it feels so good
Calling you to dream time
Candy coated wedding blossom
Scattered mice upon the ground
It rains blossoms
A cloud of perfume falls from the tree
It brings such peacefulness to you and me
Perfume twinkling in the air
Little blossoms go to sleep and wait for the next spring
The trunk of the tree supports all our dreams
Stay tuned for the completed version!
In Jennifer's "Nia Movement & Music" class the topic was weaving.
We shared what we want to weave more of into our day:
A coffee break!
30mins in my backyard
A nap
Spaghetti
A cup of tea!
Rest and relaxation
A chicken!
We moved ("bobbed and weaved") to several songs and enjoyed feel good movement together.
It was fun to sing this familiar song (sung by The Weavers) - we all knew the lyrics!
The poem we wrote, called "Natural Weavers" ended with a funny line - "take it or weave it"!
Finally, we created a nature weave and decided it would be best suited as a Butterfly Retirement Home!
In Robin G's "Creative Cafe" class we discussed the concept of an "Open House".
Robin asked us, "what is an Open House?". Here are some of our answers:
A place for imagining your life.
Kids showing parents their classroom, and who they sit next to!
A live fire and books.
A place to meet new people and old friends, relatives … I really enjoy that!
A drama group getting together to meet the director. They serve drinks and some food.
Sense of welcome, and acceptance.
Homey place, with the smell of freshly baked bread.
Warm connections and sharing of ideas.
Good vibes, where you feel like you are at home already.
Playing smooth jazz to ignite a mood!
We also wrote a beautiful poem called "If I offer you a window".
We had a lovely concert given by the Fellows of the Glenn Gould School. Look for our next free concert happening Thurs May 27 at 2pm. Reserve your spot here to hear artists on the cusp of major careers. Featuring solo and chamber works performed by Rebanks Fellows currently enrolled in the one-year Rebanks Family Fellowship and International Performance Residency Program at The Glenn Gould School.
In Steve's "Piano concert and music history" class we explored the theme of "Moods".
We shared different emotions including:
Jealousy
True love
Laughter and Joy
Missing/Longing
Loneliness
We brainstormed songs that have the word “Mood” in the title:
“In the Mood”
“Mood Indigo”
Steve and Kathleen explored moods using clowning and musical improvisation.
Join us next week for more creativity, engagement and fun! Book your classes here.
And don't forget to join us for our Virtual Open House on Thursday May 6 at 3pm. Reserve your spot here!