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About Ms. Heleen

Hi everyone! 
My name is Ms. Heleen and I am the music teacher at Centerville Elementary School. In addition, I also teach music at Barnstable-West Barnstable Elementary School on Fridays and at Barnstable High School after school. I am so lucky that I get to work with more than 400 students each week! 2017-18 marks my fifth year as a teacher and my third year in Barnstable. 

I decided that I wanted to be a music teacher when I was 15, and I have never looked back! When I'm not teaching, you can find me playing my clarinet with the Falmouth Chamber Players Orchestra and Falmouth Town Band, growing vegetables at my family's garden, and listening to all sorts of music. After school, you can find me at BHS teaching the marching band and conducting the pit orchestras for the musicals!

Want to get in touch? Email is the best route! You can contact me at heleen_alison@mybps.us 

Thanks for stopping by the music page!

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December Updates

December is a very busy month here at Centerville! We are getting ready for our winter break and the holiday season. In music class, that means we are learning plenty of Christmas music! We have learned both traditional songs like "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" and brand new songs like "The Santa Claus Rock." We have also learned about Hanukkah. Hanukkah is very different from Christmas and has its own holiday songs. This year, we learned the song "Hanukkah Hanukkah" to recognize the holiday. We can't wait to sing these and other songs at our annual holiday singalong!  In December, I like to teach students about the most famous ballet in the world--The Nutcracker. Did you know that Mr. Tchaikovsky, the composer of The Nutcracker, actually didn't like the music he wrote for the ballet? He thought his other ballets, Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty, had much better music than The Nutcracker. But, I think Mr. Tchaikovsky was too hard on himself--The N

October Updates

Here are some things we are learning about in music this month: Kindergarten- Beatkeeping through dancing, instruments, and passing a beanbag New words "Presto" (fast) and "Largo" (slow) Songs and games "Apple Tree," "Pumpkin Stew," "Presto Largo" Music to tell a story ("Witch Doctor") Using the app TuneTrain First Grade- Beatkeeping through dancing, instruments, and passing a beanbag Reading and writing simple rhythms "Ta" "Ti-ti" "Shh" "Ta-a" (quarter note, pair of eighth notes, quarter rest, half notes) Songs and games "Apple Tree," "Pumpkin Stew" Music to tell a story ("Witch Doctor") Using the apps TuneTrain and Rhythm Cat Second and Third Grade- Beatkeeping through dancing, instruments, and passing a beanbag Reading and writing rhythms "Ta" "Ti-ti" "Shh" "Ta-a" and "Ti-ri-ti-ri"

January Updates

Wow! What a busy month it has been at Centerville! Students have been doing a lot of singing, dancing, and playing in music class! We are already starting to get prepared for our March concert performances and our Hat Parade in June. Dates for the March concerts are coming very soon! In Kindergarten, we have spent a lot of time singing this month. We learned the song "Shoo Fly" and learned a dance to go with it, too. We played the special music version of Freeze Dance, where we all freeze in a special pose. And, we are learning about sailor and pirate songs. It has been a lot of fun!   In First Grade, we have already learned a couple of our Hat Parade songs! In addition, we have been working with a lot of instruments. First, we added instruments to Jan Brett's book The Hat.   This week, we are learning how to improvise and play the song "Mallets in the Air" on xylophone. We have so much more singing to do to get ready for our Hat Parade.  Second graders ha