This week in...
Kindergarten- we made animal sounds (mooing and buzzing) and learned that the beginning of the song "Baa, Baa, Black Sheep" sounds same as the beginning of "Twinkle, Twinkle" and "Brown Bear, Brown Bear." We kept the steady beat in many ways up high and down low, and we moved like stars and starfish during high and low sounding music.
1st/2nd grade- we learned how to draw in so and mi on erasable music staff white boards. We listened to high and low music, and made guesses about which instrument between two choices would be higher. We moved around the room to show our musical opposites (high and low, forte and piano, allegro and lento) with our music buddies. We also read and sang along with the story book called "Pete the Cat."
3rd/4th grade- We learned to play the poem "Warm hands, warm" on drums. We would play regular drum strokes for most of the words, and thumb or down strokes for the stressed words in the poem. We repeated our Mad Minutes with the notes B, A, and G and began our work with recorders. We learned about how to correctly sit and use air when we play, and we learned to play the note "B." We played the rhythm of the poem "Thomas A. Tattamus" on recorders and had conversations with our music buddy using only the word "too." This was very silly and fun! Here's the tongue twister we used:
Thomas A. Tattamus took two T's
to tie two tups to two small trees.
To frighten the terrible Thomas A. Tattamus
tell me how many T's there are in that!
5th grade- We played the rhymed we learned last week on drums. ("Let's play a game. Clap and say your name. Everyone will copy you and sound just the same.") Last week, each of us came up with a way to clap and say our name that was unique and the class would copy it. This week, we came up with a way to play on the drum while saying our name. We learned a body percussion pattern to go with this rhyme that included clapping, patting our legs, and stomping. We performed this pattern in canon (2 groups, 1 starts first and the other starts a little later). We also learned to play this rhyme on drums and we later performed it in canon. We began our work on recorders this week as well. We used the same tongue twister as the 3rd and 4th graders (see above!) to learn to correctly use our tongue to start new notes.
Friday, September 28, 2012
Thursday, September 13, 2012
This week (9/10-9/14)
What a great first sing along on Friday! I loved it!
This week in...
Kindergarten- we are learning about loud and soft sounds. We discussed the soft ways we use our voice (whispering) and the loud ways we use our voice (calling.) We moved to lots of loud and soft music- tapping or doing something small for soft music, and stomping or doing something big for loud music. We practiced playing drums to the steady beat both loudly and softly. We played a listening game- students lined up behind a picture of a lion if they heard loud sounds and a picture of a mouse if they heard soft sounds.
1st/2nd grade- we are learning about dynamics! Dynamics is the "fancy music word" that means the volume of the music. We learned about loud (forte) sounds, and soft (piano) sounds. We identified pictures that showed forte and piano sounds, and we practiced using our 4 voices- singing, speaking, whispering, and calling. We learned the fun game "Grizzly Bear", which utilizes a medium, soft, and loud singing voice. We played rhythm sticks loudly and softly and heard many examples of loud and soft music. We also explored moving around the room in soft and loud ways, e.g. tiptoeing and stomping.
3rd/4th grade- we worked on mirroring with a partner- facing each other and copying movements exactly. We also worked on shadowing- one person stands behind the other and acts as their shadow. We also did this as a class and in groups of 4 when each person got to be the leader. We learned about call and response form with the song "Way Down Yonder in the Brickyard." Some students volunteered to sing duets for the class with a friend. We began exploring hand drums, tubano drums, a djembe drums with call and response form. I created a 4-beat call, and students improvised their own 4 beat responses.
5th grade- we had another go at our Mad Minutes with the notes B, A, and G on the music staff. We played a fun stick passing game with a song we learned last week called "Zigs and Zags." We began our study of famous composers by discussing the life and some well-known pieces by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750.) We will be completing a year-long project called "Music logs" this year. Every time we learn about a new composer, we will keep track of which pieces we listen to and our reactions to them. This will help us remember all the unique musical styles that we will hear! We also began to learn a new folk dance called the "Galopede."
This week in...
Kindergarten- we are learning about loud and soft sounds. We discussed the soft ways we use our voice (whispering) and the loud ways we use our voice (calling.) We moved to lots of loud and soft music- tapping or doing something small for soft music, and stomping or doing something big for loud music. We practiced playing drums to the steady beat both loudly and softly. We played a listening game- students lined up behind a picture of a lion if they heard loud sounds and a picture of a mouse if they heard soft sounds.
1st/2nd grade- we are learning about dynamics! Dynamics is the "fancy music word" that means the volume of the music. We learned about loud (forte) sounds, and soft (piano) sounds. We identified pictures that showed forte and piano sounds, and we practiced using our 4 voices- singing, speaking, whispering, and calling. We learned the fun game "Grizzly Bear", which utilizes a medium, soft, and loud singing voice. We played rhythm sticks loudly and softly and heard many examples of loud and soft music. We also explored moving around the room in soft and loud ways, e.g. tiptoeing and stomping.
3rd/4th grade- we worked on mirroring with a partner- facing each other and copying movements exactly. We also worked on shadowing- one person stands behind the other and acts as their shadow. We also did this as a class and in groups of 4 when each person got to be the leader. We learned about call and response form with the song "Way Down Yonder in the Brickyard." Some students volunteered to sing duets for the class with a friend. We began exploring hand drums, tubano drums, a djembe drums with call and response form. I created a 4-beat call, and students improvised their own 4 beat responses.
5th grade- we had another go at our Mad Minutes with the notes B, A, and G on the music staff. We played a fun stick passing game with a song we learned last week called "Zigs and Zags." We began our study of famous composers by discussing the life and some well-known pieces by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750.) We will be completing a year-long project called "Music logs" this year. Every time we learn about a new composer, we will keep track of which pieces we listen to and our reactions to them. This will help us remember all the unique musical styles that we will hear! We also began to learn a new folk dance called the "Galopede."
Monday, September 10, 2012
New school year!
Hello everyone!
I'm so sorry to have not posted sooner in this new school year. As we all know, the beginning of the year is a hectic time. Please take a moment to enter your email address into the white bar at the top of the blog page and hit "submit." You will then receive an email every time I write a new post on this blog along with a link to the blog page- super convenient! This makes it easy to know when to check up on my blog. I will also add new videos and pictures throughout the year, so don't forget to scroll down to check those out.
I attribute my lateness with this post to my sincerest attempt to make the most of including what I learned during my summer training course into my teaching this year. The course I took culminated with a Level I certification in the Orff Schulwerk approach. Orff Schulwerk is a way to teach and learn music. It is based on things children like to do: sing, chant rhymes, clap, dance, and keep a beat on anything near at hand. These instincts are directed into learning music by hearing and making music first, then reading and writing it later. This is the same way we all learned our language. I have been having so much fun incorporating this approach into every lesson so far this year. I even attended a workshop this past Saturday, the 8th, to brush up and get more new materials. That was one of 5 such workshops I will attend through this school year.
So far this year....
Kindergarten- we have been focusing on a few key points: the 4 ways to use our voice (whispering, speaking, singing, calling), being a good audience member, finding the singing voice, and learning about moving through self-space (staying in your spot) and general space (around the room.) We've learned the songs "Hello, Everybody", "Rover", "This is My Space", and "Counting Song". We've also worked with several rhymes and have learned basic technique for playing hand drums. We learned about the new words "conductor" and "solo."
1st/2nd grade- we began the year by coming up with a gesture (a unique body movement) to go with our name. We played a game with the song "Rig a Jig Jig" in which we paired up with multiple different partners in class. We learned a circle game/song called "Wake Me, Shake Me."We came up with lots of ways to move to the steady beat, including body movements (tapping the floor, patting your elbow) and even playing the steady beat on mallet instruments (this is called a bordun pattern.) We had our first experience playing mallet instruments with the song "Stars Shining." We experience playing with two hands together and one hand at a time while we counted the numbers of the stars in the song. We also got to figure out how to play our favorite food answer on the mallet instruments from the song "Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner." We have begun our discussion of musical opposites, beginning with loud and soft (piano and forte are the music words.) We learned the new words "bordun", "xylophone", "metallophone", "glockenspiel", "piano", and "forte."
3rd/4th grade- we began the year with the rhyme "Acka Backa" and played a game involving moving around the room and meeting classmates. We learned a song and game called "Wind Up the Apple Tree" that got us moving right away and taught us about AB form in music. We also immediately dove into reading notes on the staff, starting with the notes B, A, and G with an activity called Mad Minutes. Students have one minute to correctly identify the names of as many B's, A's, and G's on the paper as possible, out of a possible 30. We learned to sing the song "I've Been Wishing" which we then figured out how to play on the mallet instruments- the students had to find the notes by ear until they could play the melody! We learned a cumulative song called "I Bought Me a Cat" (see video here). We have also learned a traditional folk dance called the "Galopede" which involves a series of movements with a partner facing across from you. The kids had fun with this! We learned the new words "bordun", "ostinato", and "form."
5th grade- we began the year by examining our names. Names are such an easy way to begin the study of rhythm. We each had to find a unique way to say our name and the class would echo. We then had to try to fit our name into one pat, clap pattern. Students were divided into groups of 4 and created their own "name compostions." Students would choose one name to be the ostinato (a musical pattern that repeats over and over.) For example: Da-vid, Da-vid, Da-vid, Da-vid. They then had to choose the order in which to share the 4 names of their group members. For example: Da-vid, Syd-ney, Jack, Al-ex. Students then could decide whether their composition would start with the ostinato pattern or with the 4 name pattern, or both simultaneously. We performed these for the class and transferred the speech to percussion instruments. Students learned a song in a minor (sad sounding) key called "Who Has Seen the Wind?" Students learned a bordun pattern to accompany the song, figured out how to play the melody by ear on the mallet instruments, and also improvised their own new melodies. We also immediately dove into reading notes on the staff, starting with the notes B, A, and G with an activity called Mad Minutes. Students have one minute to correctly identify the names of as many B's, A's, and G's on the paper as possible, out of a possible 30. We have also learned one traditional folk dance called "Lucky Seven." It begins in one big circle but involves some tricky movements that took us several tries to master! We learned the new words "soprano", "alto", and "bass."
Please continue to read my blog throughout the year- it's here for you! Feel free to leave comments and ask your kids to further illuminate/explain/demonstrate some of the activities I summarize in these posts. :) Thanks!
I'm so sorry to have not posted sooner in this new school year. As we all know, the beginning of the year is a hectic time. Please take a moment to enter your email address into the white bar at the top of the blog page and hit "submit." You will then receive an email every time I write a new post on this blog along with a link to the blog page- super convenient! This makes it easy to know when to check up on my blog. I will also add new videos and pictures throughout the year, so don't forget to scroll down to check those out.
I attribute my lateness with this post to my sincerest attempt to make the most of including what I learned during my summer training course into my teaching this year. The course I took culminated with a Level I certification in the Orff Schulwerk approach. Orff Schulwerk is a way to teach and learn music. It is based on things children like to do: sing, chant rhymes, clap, dance, and keep a beat on anything near at hand. These instincts are directed into learning music by hearing and making music first, then reading and writing it later. This is the same way we all learned our language. I have been having so much fun incorporating this approach into every lesson so far this year. I even attended a workshop this past Saturday, the 8th, to brush up and get more new materials. That was one of 5 such workshops I will attend through this school year.
So far this year....
Kindergarten- we have been focusing on a few key points: the 4 ways to use our voice (whispering, speaking, singing, calling), being a good audience member, finding the singing voice, and learning about moving through self-space (staying in your spot) and general space (around the room.) We've learned the songs "Hello, Everybody", "Rover", "This is My Space", and "Counting Song". We've also worked with several rhymes and have learned basic technique for playing hand drums. We learned about the new words "conductor" and "solo."
1st/2nd grade- we began the year by coming up with a gesture (a unique body movement) to go with our name. We played a game with the song "Rig a Jig Jig" in which we paired up with multiple different partners in class. We learned a circle game/song called "Wake Me, Shake Me."We came up with lots of ways to move to the steady beat, including body movements (tapping the floor, patting your elbow) and even playing the steady beat on mallet instruments (this is called a bordun pattern.) We had our first experience playing mallet instruments with the song "Stars Shining." We experience playing with two hands together and one hand at a time while we counted the numbers of the stars in the song. We also got to figure out how to play our favorite food answer on the mallet instruments from the song "Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner." We have begun our discussion of musical opposites, beginning with loud and soft (piano and forte are the music words.) We learned the new words "bordun", "xylophone", "metallophone", "glockenspiel", "piano", and "forte."
3rd/4th grade- we began the year with the rhyme "Acka Backa" and played a game involving moving around the room and meeting classmates. We learned a song and game called "Wind Up the Apple Tree" that got us moving right away and taught us about AB form in music. We also immediately dove into reading notes on the staff, starting with the notes B, A, and G with an activity called Mad Minutes. Students have one minute to correctly identify the names of as many B's, A's, and G's on the paper as possible, out of a possible 30. We learned to sing the song "I've Been Wishing" which we then figured out how to play on the mallet instruments- the students had to find the notes by ear until they could play the melody! We learned a cumulative song called "I Bought Me a Cat" (see video here). We have also learned a traditional folk dance called the "Galopede" which involves a series of movements with a partner facing across from you. The kids had fun with this! We learned the new words "bordun", "ostinato", and "form."
5th grade- we began the year by examining our names. Names are such an easy way to begin the study of rhythm. We each had to find a unique way to say our name and the class would echo. We then had to try to fit our name into one pat, clap pattern. Students were divided into groups of 4 and created their own "name compostions." Students would choose one name to be the ostinato (a musical pattern that repeats over and over.) For example: Da-vid, Da-vid, Da-vid, Da-vid. They then had to choose the order in which to share the 4 names of their group members. For example: Da-vid, Syd-ney, Jack, Al-ex. Students then could decide whether their composition would start with the ostinato pattern or with the 4 name pattern, or both simultaneously. We performed these for the class and transferred the speech to percussion instruments. Students learned a song in a minor (sad sounding) key called "Who Has Seen the Wind?" Students learned a bordun pattern to accompany the song, figured out how to play the melody by ear on the mallet instruments, and also improvised their own new melodies. We also immediately dove into reading notes on the staff, starting with the notes B, A, and G with an activity called Mad Minutes. Students have one minute to correctly identify the names of as many B's, A's, and G's on the paper as possible, out of a possible 30. We have also learned one traditional folk dance called "Lucky Seven." It begins in one big circle but involves some tricky movements that took us several tries to master! We learned the new words "soprano", "alto", and "bass."
Please continue to read my blog throughout the year- it's here for you! Feel free to leave comments and ask your kids to further illuminate/explain/demonstrate some of the activities I summarize in these posts. :) Thanks!
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