Lowell Elementary School

2016-2017 Residencies


How can we utilize historical facts and figures to build creative stories through music?



Students will be able to define character, setting, and dialogue.

Students will be able to define melody, rhythm and tonality in music.

Students will gain a better understanding of historical figures and the impact they made on our current society.



Fifth House Ensemble began their 8 week residency with Lowell Elementary by discussing what a composer’s job is, and teaching students a refrain about time travel that they all worked weekly to sing as part of their final project. Members of the ensemble branched off from here during weeks 2-3 into subgroups with students to discuss facts about Neil Armstrong, Alexander Graham Bell, George Washington and Eleanor Roosevelt, working to create lyrics for verses about each historical figure. Students continued to work in these small groups, discussing the structure of melody and adding rhythm to lyrics they created for their historical figures determining instrumentation and mood. Along with creating their own melodies and lyrics, students worked throughout all 7 weeks on learning lyrics to two different songs composed by Stacy Garrop, and created scenes with characters, dialogue, setting and instrumentation, created around each historical figure.



“You guys were extremely organized, you provided a clear outline and kids knew the expectation before class…”

“It was a huge motivator for kids to come to school. Especially the day of the performance. We had 100%…and that is next to impossible.”

“The staff that came in, you were positive towards them and therefore you hold a positive place in their hearts…and that’s neat to see.” 

-Michelle Hogan, Facilitating Classroom Teacher



At the end of the 8 weeks at Lowell Elementary, Fifth House Ensemble worked with the students to put on a short play for the rest of the school. The students presented their story about two time travelers who visit 2017 when their time machine gets stuck. The students presented elements of history, characters and lyrics about two friends who get swept up by the malfunctioning time machine, visiting different points in history.