Happy break! Are you PRACTICING?!?!?! Enjoy. :)
Best Christmas Light Shows
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Winter Break
Well, break time is almost here and is well deserved for all. I have enjoyed the last few weeks, incorporating lots of winter activities into much class. My Honors Choir took a field trip to some local nursing homes in Greeley to sing and spread some cheer. They also performed at the middle school concert and were very successful.
Here's what we've been up to:
Kindergarten- we took a story book called "10 Shiny Snowflakes" and added instruments and movements to go with it. We read the story "The Jingle Bell Ball" and "Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What do you Hear?" We watched the classic story "Peter and the Wolf" and learned more about instrument sounds. We learned to sing "The Snowman Song", which has fun movements to go along with it. Ask your student to perform this song for you!
1st/2nd grade- we've learned many fun winter songs, including "We Will Jingle", "Mittens and Gloves", "Snowman Jump", and "Hip Hop Reindeer." We played mallet instruments with "Snowman Jump" and had fun with some winter rhythms. We created our own question and answer winter rhythms, as well. We added instruments to the story "There Was an Old Woman Who Swallowed a Bell." We did some carol tune puzzles and some other fun SMARTboard activities.
3rd/4th grade- we learned a bit about the dreidl game played durin Hanukkah. We learned a song called "Dreidl Spin" which we sang and played on recorders. We have also been working on assessing our recorder playing on the Recorder Karate song "Gently Sleep." We have been singing other winter songs, and our favorite is "Winter Again", which we also learned to play on hand bells, boomwhackers, and mallet instruments. We also took some winter rhythms and created our own mini-compositions which we wrote on the music staff and learned to play on recorders. Encourage your student to practice his/her recorder over break!!!
5th grade- we learned several winter songs, including "Winter Again" and "Over the River." We learned to play "Winter Again" on handbells, recorders, and mallet instruments. We created ostinato patterns and movements to go with "Over the River", and we also learned a folk dance to go with the song! We learned to play a song called "Joyous Prelude" on recorders, which is based on Bach's "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring." We made ostinato patterns to go with the canon song "I Love the Mountains" and performed them in groups. We have continued to work on sign language for the song "Win", as well. Encourage your student to practice his/her recorder over break!!!
Are you going to PRACTICE over break? Are you going to sing, dance, and play instruments? Enjoy.
Here's what we've been up to:
Kindergarten- we took a story book called "10 Shiny Snowflakes" and added instruments and movements to go with it. We read the story "The Jingle Bell Ball" and "Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What do you Hear?" We watched the classic story "Peter and the Wolf" and learned more about instrument sounds. We learned to sing "The Snowman Song", which has fun movements to go along with it. Ask your student to perform this song for you!
1st/2nd grade- we've learned many fun winter songs, including "We Will Jingle", "Mittens and Gloves", "Snowman Jump", and "Hip Hop Reindeer." We played mallet instruments with "Snowman Jump" and had fun with some winter rhythms. We created our own question and answer winter rhythms, as well. We added instruments to the story "There Was an Old Woman Who Swallowed a Bell." We did some carol tune puzzles and some other fun SMARTboard activities.
3rd/4th grade- we learned a bit about the dreidl game played durin Hanukkah. We learned a song called "Dreidl Spin" which we sang and played on recorders. We have also been working on assessing our recorder playing on the Recorder Karate song "Gently Sleep." We have been singing other winter songs, and our favorite is "Winter Again", which we also learned to play on hand bells, boomwhackers, and mallet instruments. We also took some winter rhythms and created our own mini-compositions which we wrote on the music staff and learned to play on recorders. Encourage your student to practice his/her recorder over break!!!
5th grade- we learned several winter songs, including "Winter Again" and "Over the River." We learned to play "Winter Again" on handbells, recorders, and mallet instruments. We created ostinato patterns and movements to go with "Over the River", and we also learned a folk dance to go with the song! We learned to play a song called "Joyous Prelude" on recorders, which is based on Bach's "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring." We made ostinato patterns to go with the canon song "I Love the Mountains" and performed them in groups. We have continued to work on sign language for the song "Win", as well. Encourage your student to practice his/her recorder over break!!!
Are you going to PRACTICE over break? Are you going to sing, dance, and play instruments? Enjoy.
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Thanksgiving!
It's Thanksgiving break! Are you practicing?!?!?!
I had a WONDERFUL time at the Orff National Conference for music teachers in St. Louis this past weekend. I will be coming back to school full of inspiration and new ideas that I cannot wait to try.
So, 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders, you should PRACTICE!
Listen to music, sing, dance, play, enjoy. Happy Thanksgiving!
I had a WONDERFUL time at the Orff National Conference for music teachers in St. Louis this past weekend. I will be coming back to school full of inspiration and new ideas that I cannot wait to try.
So, 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders, you should PRACTICE!
Listen to music, sing, dance, play, enjoy. Happy Thanksgiving!
Friday, November 2, 2012
This week (10/29-11/2)
Happy end of the trimester!
A word about grades....
All specials teachers have made a change this year with our grading scale. In the past, we used a numbering system similar to the classroom teachers, 1-4. This year, the specials teachers have decided to make a change to benefit students and families in terms of understanding the grades. We will be using an ESU grading scale. E=Excellent (above expectations.) S=Satisfactory (meets expectations.) U=Unsatisfactory (below expectations.) This should make grades easier to understand for all.
This week in...
Kindergarten- we continued to learn about walking and jogging sounds in music. We reviewed high and low sounds, and we wrapped up the week with a quiz about some of the major concepts covered so far this year: high and low, identifying simple musical patterns, and walking versus jogging music.
1st/2nd grade- students performed a chant from the story Shake Dem Halloween Bones in groups using the expressive characteristics of music (loud and soft, fast and slow, high and low, and also some emotions- e.g. happy, sad, mad.) These were fun to watch! We also played a game with a pumpkin beanbag called "The Pumpkin Picker."
3rd/4th grade- we began to examine our recorder playing and graded ourselves in the 4 categories of tone, rhythm, fingerings/posture, and tonguing. Students used the song "Hot Cross Buns" (the white belt song on Recorder Karate) to gauge their current level of playing. We also had some fun playing a football passing game.
5th grade- we learned about Beethoven and wrote reactions to some of his compositions on our music logs. We also completed another Mad Minutes, which focuses on reading the notes B, A, G, and E on the staff. We reviewed our sign language for the song "Win" (see the link at the bottom of the page under 'Other useful links') and worked on some new recorder songs.
HAPPY PRACTICING!
A word about grades....
All specials teachers have made a change this year with our grading scale. In the past, we used a numbering system similar to the classroom teachers, 1-4. This year, the specials teachers have decided to make a change to benefit students and families in terms of understanding the grades. We will be using an ESU grading scale. E=Excellent (above expectations.) S=Satisfactory (meets expectations.) U=Unsatisfactory (below expectations.) This should make grades easier to understand for all.
This week in...
Kindergarten- we continued to learn about walking and jogging sounds in music. We reviewed high and low sounds, and we wrapped up the week with a quiz about some of the major concepts covered so far this year: high and low, identifying simple musical patterns, and walking versus jogging music.
1st/2nd grade- students performed a chant from the story Shake Dem Halloween Bones in groups using the expressive characteristics of music (loud and soft, fast and slow, high and low, and also some emotions- e.g. happy, sad, mad.) These were fun to watch! We also played a game with a pumpkin beanbag called "The Pumpkin Picker."
3rd/4th grade- we began to examine our recorder playing and graded ourselves in the 4 categories of tone, rhythm, fingerings/posture, and tonguing. Students used the song "Hot Cross Buns" (the white belt song on Recorder Karate) to gauge their current level of playing. We also had some fun playing a football passing game.
5th grade- we learned about Beethoven and wrote reactions to some of his compositions on our music logs. We also completed another Mad Minutes, which focuses on reading the notes B, A, G, and E on the staff. We reviewed our sign language for the song "Win" (see the link at the bottom of the page under 'Other useful links') and worked on some new recorder songs.
Here's a photo of my pup Wilson and I enjoying the Halloween parade at school!
HAPPY PRACTICING!
Thursday, October 25, 2012
This week (10/22-10/26)
This week in...
Kindergarten- we are learning about walking and jogging to sounds in music. We heard the piece "Slavonic Dance" and got to walk and jog along with the different sections. We also played rhythm sticks to walking and jogging rhythms and played a game with the story "Little Red Riding Hood." We learned to sing the song "I'm a Little Ghost" and did some other Halloween activities. We learned the chant "Five Little Pumpkins" and made our voices match pathways of ghosts on the SMARTboard. We even created our own vocal pathway with ghosts on a piece of paper using pencils and crayons and practiced singing them as a class.
1st/2nd grade- we have been learning about steady beat versus rhythm in music. We did several activities to continue to practice the difference between those two things, and we took a quiz about steady beat and rhythm on the erasable white boards. We sang "Apples Red" and practiced clicking the steady beat and rhythm on rhythm sticks. We sang the song "I'm a Little Ghost" and "Pick a Pumpkin" for Halloween. We passed a pumpkin bean bag around the circle to the steady beat in preparation for a beanbag passing game that we will play next week in class. We also had some fun with the classic song "Monster Mash."
3rd/4th grade- we learned to sing two songs: "I Bought Me a Bat" (a spooky rendition of "I Bought Me a Cat" that we learned earlier this year!) and "Autumn Vibe." We also continued to develop our note reading skills with Mad Minutes and played a football passing game. We played a longer piece on recorders called "B A Dancing Zombies", which focuses on the notes B and A. We also played a Halloween quiz game in groups.
5th grade- we played the mallet instruments with the chant I taught last week, "Double, Double." We learned a tremolo, an ostinato, and the melody pattern. We assigned different members of the class to play different parts and turned it into a performance.
There will be a spooky sing along tomorrow morning in the auditorium at 10am! All are welcome to attend.
Kindergarten- we are learning about walking and jogging to sounds in music. We heard the piece "Slavonic Dance" and got to walk and jog along with the different sections. We also played rhythm sticks to walking and jogging rhythms and played a game with the story "Little Red Riding Hood." We learned to sing the song "I'm a Little Ghost" and did some other Halloween activities. We learned the chant "Five Little Pumpkins" and made our voices match pathways of ghosts on the SMARTboard. We even created our own vocal pathway with ghosts on a piece of paper using pencils and crayons and practiced singing them as a class.
1st/2nd grade- we have been learning about steady beat versus rhythm in music. We did several activities to continue to practice the difference between those two things, and we took a quiz about steady beat and rhythm on the erasable white boards. We sang "Apples Red" and practiced clicking the steady beat and rhythm on rhythm sticks. We sang the song "I'm a Little Ghost" and "Pick a Pumpkin" for Halloween. We passed a pumpkin bean bag around the circle to the steady beat in preparation for a beanbag passing game that we will play next week in class. We also had some fun with the classic song "Monster Mash."
3rd/4th grade- we learned to sing two songs: "I Bought Me a Bat" (a spooky rendition of "I Bought Me a Cat" that we learned earlier this year!) and "Autumn Vibe." We also continued to develop our note reading skills with Mad Minutes and played a football passing game. We played a longer piece on recorders called "B A Dancing Zombies", which focuses on the notes B and A. We also played a Halloween quiz game in groups.
5th grade- we played the mallet instruments with the chant I taught last week, "Double, Double." We learned a tremolo, an ostinato, and the melody pattern. We assigned different members of the class to play different parts and turned it into a performance.
There will be a spooky sing along tomorrow morning in the auditorium at 10am! All are welcome to attend.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
This week (10/8-10/11)
This week in...
Kindergarten- students listened to different musical selections and had to determine if each had mostly high or mostly low sounds. If they heard mostly high sounds, they circled the picture of the mountain. If they heard mostly low sounds, they circled the picture of the submarine. We also listened to and acted out the story of "Thorn Rosa."
1st/2nd grade- we played the mallet instruments with the song "Apples Red." We enjoyed playing all the same note at the same time, and playing a bordun pattern to go with the song.
3rd/4th grade- we played the note B and A on recorders to the rhythm of the poem "Warm hands, warm." We also improvised our own melodies on mallet instruments to the rhythm of "Warm hands, warm." Several students shared their improvisations as solos.
5th grade- we review a chant we learned called "Let's Play a Game." We learned that the chant is actually a song. We figured out how to play the melody on the mallet instruments. We also took another listen to the song "Win" by Brian McKnight, which we will be starting to learn sign language for next week.
Kindergarten- students listened to different musical selections and had to determine if each had mostly high or mostly low sounds. If they heard mostly high sounds, they circled the picture of the mountain. If they heard mostly low sounds, they circled the picture of the submarine. We also listened to and acted out the story of "Thorn Rosa."
1st/2nd grade- we played the mallet instruments with the song "Apples Red." We enjoyed playing all the same note at the same time, and playing a bordun pattern to go with the song.
3rd/4th grade- we played the note B and A on recorders to the rhythm of the poem "Warm hands, warm." We also improvised our own melodies on mallet instruments to the rhythm of "Warm hands, warm." Several students shared their improvisations as solos.
5th grade- we review a chant we learned called "Let's Play a Game." We learned that the chant is actually a song. We figured out how to play the melody on the mallet instruments. We also took another listen to the song "Win" by Brian McKnight, which we will be starting to learn sign language for next week.
Thursday, October 4, 2012
This week (10/1-10/5)
This week in...
Kindergarten- we have been learning all about high and low sounds in music. We stretched up high like a star when we heard high sounds, and scooted down low like a star fish when we heard low sounds. We played a listening game with high and low in which we lined up behind either a picture of a mountain (high) or a submarine (low) depending on what we heard in each musical example.
1st/2nd grade- we learned a dance to go with the song "Shoofly." This was a beginning folk dance and we will learn more difficult versions of this dance soon! We kept the "fly" theme going and listened to "There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly." I then sang the students a story very similar to that called There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Leaves. Students took a quiz with their music buddy on the erasable white boards. Questions focused on whether each musical example had a steady beat or no steady beat.
3rd/4th grade- we continued to be introduced to recorders- see post from last week. Some classes also got to do short call and response compositions with their music buddy. These were also performed for the class.
5th grade- we reviewed B and A on recorders. We also learned about the life and music of Mozart as we filled out our music logs. We learned the following poem:
Deedle deedle dumpling my son John
Went to bed with his stockings on
One shoe off and one shoe on
Deedle deedle dumpling my son John
We learned a body percussion (stomps, pats, claps, and snaps) to accompany this poem. We also made 4 beat word chains and played them on our recorders. This became a fun performance in ABA form. We also listened to the song "Win" by Brian McKnight, which we will be learning to sign in sign class this year. Here is a link to the video:
"Win" video
Happy weekend!
Kindergarten- we have been learning all about high and low sounds in music. We stretched up high like a star when we heard high sounds, and scooted down low like a star fish when we heard low sounds. We played a listening game with high and low in which we lined up behind either a picture of a mountain (high) or a submarine (low) depending on what we heard in each musical example.
1st/2nd grade- we learned a dance to go with the song "Shoofly." This was a beginning folk dance and we will learn more difficult versions of this dance soon! We kept the "fly" theme going and listened to "There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly." I then sang the students a story very similar to that called There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Leaves. Students took a quiz with their music buddy on the erasable white boards. Questions focused on whether each musical example had a steady beat or no steady beat.
3rd/4th grade- we continued to be introduced to recorders- see post from last week. Some classes also got to do short call and response compositions with their music buddy. These were also performed for the class.
5th grade- we reviewed B and A on recorders. We also learned about the life and music of Mozart as we filled out our music logs. We learned the following poem:
Deedle deedle dumpling my son John
Went to bed with his stockings on
One shoe off and one shoe on
Deedle deedle dumpling my son John
We learned a body percussion (stomps, pats, claps, and snaps) to accompany this poem. We also made 4 beat word chains and played them on our recorders. This became a fun performance in ABA form. We also listened to the song "Win" by Brian McKnight, which we will be learning to sign in sign class this year. Here is a link to the video:
"Win" video
Happy weekend!
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