CULLMAN, Ala. – The Vinemont Elementary School K – 5th grade classes gave performances at the first Vinemont Music and Art Fair on Tuesday. The annual music presentation has not been held for the past couple years, so this year, for the first gathering since the pandemic, an art show was included for parents to view the elementary students’ artwork after the performances.
Music teacher Laura Hayes conducted the groups of K-2nd grades, 3rd– 4th grades and 5th grade, keeping them all focused on performing together. Principal Kim Brown said about Hayes, “She works with 440 kids or so, pre-K all the way through 5th grade, and she does an amazing job. She never loses her cool. She sees every class every week except pre-K.”
Kindergarten-2nd grade performed songs “Hey Bunny,” “Moving Up, Moving On,” “Elephants Have Wrinkles,” “Groovy Zoovy,” “It’s Our Time,” “Honeybee” and “Es Bueno Ser Educado.”
Third – 4th performed “Lovely World,” “It’s all About the Music,” “Pass it to You” and “It’s Our Time.”
Finally, 5th grade presented “Stand by Me” and “Surfing USA” on ukuleles.
Hayes said that ukuleles have become a popular instrument in the music classroom.“In our day, a lot of people played recorders. Now its like we have branched out a little further, so ukuleles have taken off in elementary music. I love them, the kids love them.”
Practicing on the ukulele can actually prepare students for the guitar program offered in the high school music curriculum. “It’s not a guitar, but there are similarities in how you hold them and how you read the tabs to know chords. It’s enough to kind of get them in that world. So, if they want to expand and know how to play the guitar, it’s a little easier,” Hayes explained.
Hayes has been the music teacher at Vinemont for 15 years. She said, “It’s great to see, on days like this, everything we worked on for weeks. To the spectator it might not seem like it takes a long time to put together, but it takes a long time.”
K-2nd graders present their prepared songs (Sara Gladney for The Cullman Tribune) 
The 5th grade class shows off their ukulele skills (Sara Gladney for The Cullman Tribune)
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