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Centennial-Grand Woodlands’ Ukulele Club Performs at Remembrance Day Assembly

A teacher leads a group of students on ukulele

The annual Remembrance Day assembly at Centennial-Grand Woodlands School featured a poignant performance this year. Students in the school’s Ukulele Club rehearsed and played a fitting rendition of The Strangest Dream by Ed McCurdy – a number that moved all staff, students, parents, and community members in attendance, with lyrics such as: “Last night I had the strangest dream, I’d never dreamed before / I dreamed the world had all agreed, to put an end to war.”

The Ukulele Club at Centennial-Grand Woodlands School is made up of students in grades 5 through 8. These dedicated players meet twice weekly with Grade 5/6 Teacher Betty Decker to learn to read music, play the instrument, and sing along. Decker has been leading the Ukulele Club for more than 14 years, and some of its current members have been playing with Decker for four years now.

“The ukulele is a great instrument for students to begin learning about music and music theory,” said Cheryl Innes, Principal at Centennial-Grand Woodlands. “It’s also a lot of fun, and the atmosphere in rehearsals is incredibly positive.”

Taking part in the club and playing music together regularly also has the effect of fostering healthy environments that recognize the well-being of mind, body, emotion, and spirit – all goals of Grand Erie’s Multi-Year Plan and its Well-Being indicator which aim to create and promote enabling environments where students can participate fully in their education.

The Ukulele Club is planning their next performance at Centennial-Grand Woodlands’ upcoming Holiday Concert in December.

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