S C H O O L D I S T R I C T
O F P H I L A D E L P H I A
2018 - 2022
Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander University of Partnership School
Also referred to as the Penn Alexander (PAS), the Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander University of Partnership School was established 2001 as the result of a historic partnership between the School District of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania, and Philadelphia Federation of Teachers. I began teaching at the school during the 2018-19 school year, replacing the founding music teacher upon her retirement.
All K-8 students at PAS receive 45 minutes of class music instruction every 5 days. My schedule includes 25-30 sections of classroom music per week, extracurricular vocal ensembles, and before/after school rehearsals and meetings for the annual spring musical.
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Full in-person learning resumed in Fall 2021 for students at Penn Alexander. I currently teach 28 sections of classroom music during the school day and direct multiple extracurricular activities (listed below) before and after school.
Spring Musical Cast Rehearsals (Grades 6-8)
Spring Musical Choir Rehearsals (Grades 4-5)
Spring Musical Stage Crew (Grades 7-8)
Spring Musical Set, Prop, + Costume Design (Grades 5-8)
Kindergarten "Down By the Bay"
This activity connects literacy and music, having students develop rhyming phrases to be used at the end of the echo song.
Combined Cast + Choir Rehearsal
This short rehearsal clip features approximately 50 students in grades 4-8 rehearsing music and choreography for the finale from this year's musical production of Disney's Descendants.
T. Lam Teaching Video (February 2022).mp4Extended Choir Rehearsal Feature
This extended excerpt from choir rehearsal features approximately 40 students in grades 4-5 learning a new song for the first time.
Note:
There are limited upper grade videos shared on this website out of respect for my students' wishes to keep them private. Please let me know by email (taylorlam19@gmail.com) if you would like to see video recordings of my middle school teachings and I would be happy to provide them directly. Thank you in advance for your understanding.
Community Partnerships + Digital Showcases
Partnerships are crucial to any music program's success and I am fortunate to work in a school community that embraces the performing arts. We love to highlight our students' music-making and the links to the right will take you to digital bulletin boards that are periodically updated with pictures and notes from music class. You will also find a more formal newsletter that was sent home to highlight the work completed during the Fall at Penn Alexander.
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Digital + Hybrid Learning
School District of Philadelphia students learned virtually for nearly 1 year from March 2020 - March 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Featured in this section are videos and interactive sites that showcase both synchronous and asynchronous music experiences. The following videos are a showcase of my students' ingenuity, resilience, and dedication to our musical community.
Video Editing - Taylor Lam
Web Design - Taylor Lam
M U S I C A L
Disney's High School Musical Jr. | June 2020
Students in grades 4-8 rehearsed in both virtual and hybrid contexts during the Spring of 2021 to continue Penn Alexander's tradition of theatrical excellence. Disney's High School Musical Jr. was premiered virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic and features over 50 student performers in various singing, acting, and dancing roles. As co-director of the show, I direct music and choreography rehearsals. Scenes were filmed using a combination of in-person and remote Zoom sessions.
Filming - Taylor Lam
Editing - Taylor Lam
Kindergarten Asynchronous
This 7-minute video clip is an asynchronous lesson on musical characteristics. It was recorded as part of a 20-minute lesson featuring interactive activities on Quaver Music. Click on the link below to visit a website created to house Kindergarten's 2020-21 asynchronous lessons.
Middle School Music Production Tutorial
Middle schoolers (grades 6-8) spent Fall 2020 learning about music production by using the digital audio workstation BandLab. MS music is primarily project-based, with students learning new concepts and applying them in individual and group projects. This asynchronous tutorial was recorded for students who needed more support beyond the 30-minutes of live instruction given during virtual music class. It was provided as a resource in Google Classroom for students to refer to during independent work time.
1st Grade "Grizzly Bear"
This short virtual activity is adapted from one of the students' favorite in-person games - "Grizzly Bear". Students pretend to be sleeping bears, all while listening for the dynamic change at the end. The "bears" sing along in their sleep and wake up surprised at the final sforzando (sudden loudness).
4th + 5th Winter Showcase
Students in 4th + 5th grade Classroom Music engage in a short vocal music unit in the Fall in which they learn healthy vocal habits and explore different styles of singing. The students selected "Don't Give Up On Me" as their virtual performance piece for their collaborative Winter Showcase entitled Sounds of Change. Students submitted recordings of their singing and created the accompanying visuals featured in the video. Below you will find a link to the full winter showcase with student introductions. Note: the site password is pasmusic.
Video Editing - Taylor Lam
2nd + 3rd Grade Virtual Piano
2nd + 3rd graders participate in Music and the Brain (MATB), a piano program based in New York City that features large group piano instruction. In response to students' desire to continue their piano studies digitally, I adapted existing MATB lessons for remote learning - allowing students to "play" the piano using their Chromebook keyboards. Above is a sample tutorial practice video, while below is a link to the piano website I created.
K-8 Music: The Sound of My Heart
Click the link below to view our March 2021 Music in Our Schools Month Showcase, featuring work from students in grades 1-8. Note: the site password is pasmusic
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COVID-19 + School Closures
In March 2020 the School District of Philadelphia pivoted to virtual learning due to the emerging COVID-19 pandemic. School communities were forced to quickly adapt and provide instruction digitally. Despite these challenges, Penn Alexander students continued to make music and even presented an abbreviated version of the annual spring musical Shrek Jr. - recorded and edited remotely.
Kindergarten
In this video excerpt from January 2020, the Kindergarteners are learning a new song and actively modeling dynamic change. This activity is a student favorite and engages the class in a full-body musical experience.
Musical Choir
The Musical Choir is an elective, auditioned group of singers in grades 4-5. Though the Spring 2020 musical ultimately shifted to a virtual showcase due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this rehearsal recording features the students reviewing voice parts and choreography for the number "Freak Flag".
Shrek Jr. | Spring 2020
Despite the physical building closure in March 2020, students in both the cast and choir for Shrek Jr. continued to rehearse over Zoom to create and present this abbreviated version of the show. This was many students' first experience not only using the technology, but with the recording process as well.
Filming - PAS Students
Editing - Taylor Lam
K-3 Winter Concert | December 2019
All students in grades K-3 are invited to perform in a winter concert that showcases their learning in classroom music during the months of September - December. Each grade is featured separately in a coordinated 1 hour performance, singing and performing on instruments for an audience of community members.
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Year One
The 2018-2019 school year was my first at Penn Alexander. I had previously student taught with Ms. Robin Muse at the school and was offered the position upon her retirement. Below you will find the video recording from our school community's last live musical theatre performance.
Cast - PAS 5th - 8th Graders
Choir - PAS 3rd - 5th Graders
Crew - PAS 5th - 8th Graders
Piano - Taylor Lam
Drums - Andrew Malonis