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Cate Schmittle » Schmittle Bio

Schmittle Bio

Ms. Schmittle holds a K-12 teaching endorsement in music. Ms. Schmittle graduated with honors from Temple University in Philadelphia with degrees in music education and Spanish language and literature. She is certified in all three levels of Orff Schulwurk. She is dedicated to public school education and arts integration. She has been teaching at Decatur since 2015. Her favorite way to teach music is through active music making and utilizing student created performances. When she is not teaching, she enjoys cooking, singing in many choirs in the city, and being outdoors.
Schmittle
Ms. Schmittle with some guitars donated by Little Kids Rock
 

Posts

Spring Show Postponed

Dear Wizard of Oz Parents, 

We are so appreciative of your support as we had just begun the process of building our spring show. It is with heavy hearts that we are announcing to students today via google classroom that we have made the decision to postpone the show. We know the students will have tons of questions about how delaying the show will work, but due to the uncertainty of our transition back to school we hope to be able to answer them when we return to the building. We do not currently have all the answers as so much changes day to day - but we will work to create a plan when we return to school. The cast and crew have been working so hard already and we can’t wait to get back to work with them on this performance. In the short time we had, amazing things were happening, so we know that whenever we get started again, we will produce a magical “Wizard of Oz.”

Sincerely, 

Chelsea, Cate & Margaret

February in the Music Room

In this video you can see: 4th grade students working on ukulele, 5th grade students working on guitar, 2nd grade students playing an improvisation game, 1st Grade Students playing instruments along with Duke Ellington's Giggling Rapids and primary students enjoying the day of play in early February. 

Decatur's Spring Show - The Wizard of Oz

We are excited to announce the spring show at Decatur, Wizard of Oz: Young Performers Edition! The show will take place on May 20th at 1:00pm and May 21st at 9:30am and 1:00pm. 2nd, 4th, and 6th grade students will be in the chorus of the production this year and 3rd-6th graders will be auditioning for main roles. You can find more information about auditions and rehearsals on our website. Please stay tuned for information about ticketing closer to the show. 

Wow! The set crew is hard at work with Mrs. Strong and Ms. Koreman for our Shel Silverstein inspired backdrop! Costumes were due today for all classrooms performing in the show. Please see the show page for ticketing, costume, and volunteer information. See you on January 29th or 30th! 

Costume and Ticket information for Winter Show

Please visit the show page to view your child's costume requirements as well as reserve your free ticket(s) to the show. Please only reserve the amount of tickets you will need as shows can sell out. If you have a change of plans, please cancel your tickets. 

Music Class This Week

In this video you will see 5th grade students on a field trip to the Lyric Opera where they went on a backstage tour. You can also see 5th grade students playing ukulele in preparation for the winter show. You can also see the rock band rehearsing for the winter show. Some 6th grade students are playing violin during their recess time - the music room is a place where you can always learn and create - even during recess!

What's going on in music class this week?

1st grade students are playing and improvising on xylophones and they are exploring many instruments through seasonal games. Choir students help to organize music. 4th graders are practicing their aabc form compositions. 6th grade students are practicing their class-created arrangements of Liberian folk songs.

Orff Ensemble

We had our first 30 minute recess rehearsal this week and began working on a new melody and 3 mallet harmony part!

Week 5 in the music classroom!

This week 5th grade students played the drumset for the first time! We played the backbeat with 3 people, 2 people, and sometimes by ourselves! We made connections between our complementary rhythm projects and the complementary rhythms produced in the backbeat. You can see 4th grade students composing with fruit pictures as they explore 16th note rhythms. You can also see some K students exploring high and low and short and long sounds with manipulatives!

What are Decatur students up to in the music room?

This week you can see pictures of 5th graders improvising on the djembe, 6th graders creating arrangements, and 6th graders working on technology projects!

Rock Band Audition Sign Up

If your child (3rd-6th) is interested in auditioning for Decatur's after school rock band, they can sign up outside of room 108 (The Music Room) for an audition on October 3rd. Students audition for a panel of teachers who select students for this ensemble. If the child is home sick from school that day, they can e-mail Ms. Schmittle to reschedule an audition. Please see attached document for more information. 
This week students in 6th grade continued work on a song from Liberia called "Take Time in Life." They have learned to play this song on guitar, ukulele, voices, 3 xylophone parts, drums, and shekere. Some even tried playing with 3 mallets this week! I am excited to see how they decide to arrange our song next week!