Five Acre School held its Winter Concert on Friday evening in Peninsula College’s Little Theater filled with family and friends.
The free show featured the musical skills of the elementary school-aged children who attend the non-profit school.
Rosie Sharpe, the school’s art and music teacher, led the children through numerous musical pieces in which the children danced, sang, played recorders and beat drums. Much of the program involved marimbas, large percussion instruments that the children play together. Staff also played one song.
The children proved competent and joyful, with an easy stage presence and a a commitment to individuality in dress while cooperating on a musical level.
“Engaging in musical play stimulates various cognitive processes,” Sharpe said later. “Singing, playing instruments, and listening to music enhances memory, attention, and concentration. Children learn to recognise patterns, follow rhythms, and understand musical structures, which contribute to their cognitive growth. They also get to be part of a big musical family, they want to learn and belong, and kids help each other to do it.
“We also learn about teamwork and listening to others. We must be aware of and take care of the group in order to succeed.”
Sharpe said, “I love seeing children discover their musical abilities. Marimba is a great vehicle for learning and being in a group. The arts are a great way to help children understand that they are unique, that they are ok the way they are, that they each bring a gift to the world.
“Music is our birthright, it is part of belonging and joy and community. It is for everybody and is a beautiful part of being human.”
As the program progressed from the youngest children to the most experienced, the music became more complex until it ended in a rousing finale, prompting the audience to stand in delighted ovation and some young gentlemen to throw their Santa hats in the air multiple times.
While the musicians and Sharpe exited, the crowd chanted “Rosie! Rosie!” to show their appreciation for a teacher who has dedicated 16 years of her life to the school, whose motto “Where children have room to grow,” might also be “Where families have room to grow,” said one audience member.
Anniversary
Five Acre is celebrating its 30th anniversary, and at the show, school director Sarah Bones spoke about their current fundraiser where they’re hoping to raise $10,000 for the William R. Jevne Memorial Fund for Tuition Assistance, which if reached by Dec. 23 would be increased to $15,000 by an anonymous donor.
Bones said the fund was established by Jevne’s wife and co-founder Juanita, in memory of her late husband, “whose vision for the school was deeply rooted in the idea that education should be accessible to all, regardless of financial circumstance.”
She said that tuition has been vital to many families who value the philosophy of the school, which prioritizes outside activities and “celebrates individuality while encouraging collaboration.”
Bones said that both her sons attended Five Acre from preschool through graduation. “We needed to use tuition assistance each year. It is one of the only ways we were able to afford this life changing experience. I will be forever grateful for the educational start that Five Acre gave my sons. They learned to be self-confident humans that loved to learn and could be launched into the world with a sense of self that they continue to carry with them.”
Kia Armstrong, current director of the Parent Service Organization, said that the concert was her son Spencer’s final one. “He’s in sixth grade and will age out of Five Acre this spring,” she said.
“My eyes were leaking with pride and joy last Friday night, watching him pound away on the marimbas with his classmates, as I remembered my little guy’s performance at age six.”
Armstrong said that she will be “forever grateful for the care and love of learning that Five Acre has brought to his elementary education.”
She said that the tuition assistance fundraisers are “critical to Five Acre serving a wide range of families. Bill and Juanita’s legacy lives on, and the Jevne Memorial Fund is a wonderful way to pay it forward so future families have access, too.”
For more information and/or to donate, visit fiveacreschool.org/jevne-campaign.
Sequim Gazette photo by Emily Matthiessen Five Acre School, a local non-profit elementary school, held their Winter Concert last Friday at Peninsula College under handmade decorative wooden snowflakes. The Old Hands Sound Waves after school group performs under the direction of Rosie Sharpe on the drums: back row, Miles Taylor, Spencer Armstrong, next row, Cascadia Cammett and Hero Gaede, next row, Ailo Saari, Hoko Saari, Alex Amirsadeghi, Soren Albright, front row, June VanDenburg and Elliana Ristick.
