Chicago Christian Oak Lawn’s Fall 2025 Music Club
— Overture Games•Lead Teacher: Tommy Shermulis
Building Rhythm and Harmony at Chicago Christian Oak Lawn
Students at Chicago Christian Schools Oak Lawn kicked off the Fall 2025 session of Overture Games’ after-school music club with rhythm, creativity, and plenty of laughter. The first few weeks focused on learning beats, teamwork, and harmony through interactive games like Rhythm Rally, Beat Decoders, and Chordstruction.
Things went alright, a couple of hiccups here and there. We had a strong start with a name game and a rhythm lesson. The kids are great and willing to learn.
By late September, Tommy brought in tambourines and rhythm sticks to help students connect physical movement to musical timing.
Today was fantastic. I brought a bunch of tambourines and rhythm sticks, and we went over how to read eighth, quarter, half, and whole notes. Afterwards, we all shared our Overture Music Maker songs and the kids fell in love with it.
Through games, collaboration, and hands-on exploration, students quickly discovered that rhythm is not just learned; it is felt.
Finishing the Fall with Creativity and Confidence
As the fall session wrapped up, students explored melody, harmony, and instrument families through music games and creative challenges. Overture music teacher Amber Gillani led a session focused on composition and ear training, where students used Piano Clicker, Overture Music Lab, and Beat Decoders to write their own songs.
Today went well. Kids were a little goofy to start, but we prioritized creation activities on Piano Clicker, Overture Music Lab, and Beat Decoders. They still shared their creations with each other and with me.
Tommy closed out the program with a celebratory class on October 16, combining games, instrument identification, and student choice time.
The kids were a bit sad it was the last class. We started with a game where if they could tell me an instrument and its family, I would give them Musecash. It was a great class overall.
Students ended the semester proud of what they had learned and already looking forward to the next session of music, games, and creativity.
