Another brilliant performance that exceeded expectations was delivered by the 4th Grade Chorus students at the John F. Kennedy Primary School.
On Friday, April 17, these gifted singers, under the guidance of James Cicchino, the JFK Primary School's dedicated and enthusiastic General Music and Chorus Teacher, presented the 4th Grade Chorus Concert.
The gymnasium at JFK was packed in the morning with students, staff, and a few family and friends, while another large group, mostly family and friends, assembled for the afternoon concert.
“Every year, our 4th Grade students exceed my expectations on their concert day, and this year was no exception,” Mr. Cicchino stated.
Mr. Cicchino discussed the shows.
” From heartfelt solos, complex scatting, auditions for featured parts, difficult harmonies, contrasting vocal lines, instrumental accompaniment, student speaker lines, creative student-made cover artwork, pre-recorded sampling during rehearsals to enhance background tracks, and much more, the many moving parts that made up this concert presented quite a challenge,” he declared.
Mr. Cicchino further shared his feelings on what was a fantastic day of singing.
“I was especially blown away by their performance of "Sing A Song of Hope", the concert's titular piece. It is a medley I arranged of three songs, each with a powerful message. Due to its high difficulty, structural complexity, and demanding vocal lines, I was hesitant to try it, but our choristers rose to the occasion, and it turned out better than I ever dreamed it would. It was humbling and inspiring for me as their teacher to see them take on this challenging piece, master it, and finally perform it with such heart, soul, and intention.”
He continued to praise his chorus students.
"I was also especially moved by their performance of "We Shall Overcome", which featured a 4th grade student accompanist on the piano. There is one point during the song in which the Chorus sings the melody softly on an "ooh", while their classmate plays the piano, I strum softly on the ukulele, and in the background we pipe in a recording of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivering his famous "We Shall Overcome" speech. It gives me chills every time...even in rehearsals.”
Mr. Cicchino concluded.
“I am immensely proud of all of their hard work and the Chorus they have become.”