This week (2/13/2/17)

This was quite a busy week at school! Getting ready to finish the trimester is always a busy time. A little bit about report cards for all to read:

Music students are graded on the same 1-4 scale used in the rest of the elementary school. I grade each student in four areas: singing, playing instruments, class work, and participation/attitude. The singing grade is based a bit on participation in terms of singing, but mostly based on the student's ability to match pitch. The instrument grade applies to all times we use instruments in class, including percussion instruments, mallet instruments, and recorders for grades 3, 4, and 5. The class work grade is usually based on all the paper assignments we do in class, and the amount of class work increases for higher grade levels. Finally, the participation/attitude grade is a culmination of what I have seen in terms of those two things from each student throughout the trimester. A 1 is this area means a student is always following directions and has a positive attitude. A 2 means a student is consistently doing those things. A 3 means a student is sometimes doing those things, and 4 means a student is seldom following directions and/or has a poor attitude consistently. If questions arise when report cards come out you may always contact me.

Informational letters regarding the spring concert have just been sent out, as well, so be sure to mark the date on your calendar. The performance will be May 9th for K, 1, and 2, and May 10th for 3, 4, and 5. I'm so looking forward to this event!

Now, to break down what we did this week:

Kindergarten- we did activities for Valentine's day! We played a game with "Messenger Song" in which students sit in a circle, sing the song, and pass around an envelope to the steady beat. At the end of the song, the child holding the envelope closes their eyes, reaches in, and pull out a name of someone in their class. The person who is called gets to go and choose a percussion instrument and play the steady beat with the song for the rest of the game. This continues until there is only one person left in the circle and all students have instruments.

1st/2nd grade- we learned some songs that are appropriate for Valentine's day, including the classic "You Are My Sunshine." We played metal instruments that ring during the long notes of the song. We also review our game "Bow, Wow, Wow" and learned to write the pitch 're' on our erasable white boards.

3rd/4th grade- we learned a Valentine song that involves movements with a partner. We also learned an ostinato (a repeating musical pattern) to accompany the song and played it on hand bells and boomwhackers. We reviewed our new song "True Colors" that we are learning to sing and sign. Look forward to hearing this one at the concert!

5th grade- students reviewed the song "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" by singing (some students even did solos) and playing recorders for the sections that are made up of notes we know how to play. We also continue to hone note reading skills with Mad Minutes.

Have a great long weekend, everyone!