This week in...
Kindergarten- we played the steady beat AND learned to play the melody of the song "Star Light, Star Bright" on mallet instruments. This was a difficult but fun challenge! We also took a listening quiz about music moving upward and downward, as well as identifying walking and jogging music.
1st/2nd grade- students took a quiz that assessed their ability to hear pitch and rhythm patterns similar to those we have been studying in class. We also learned to play the melody of the song "Tinker, Tailor" on mallet instruments.
3rd/4th grade- we learned about major scales and played a C major scale on mallet instruments. We also played the song "Do Re Mi" on mallet instruments and sang. We continued to practice playing songs on recorders and note reading skills, and also began to learn the song "True Colors."
5th grade- students learned a new note, D, on recorders and began to learn the song "Old MacDonald." We also began learning to sing "Start Your Day With a Song", an upbeat, swing style tune. We continued to improve our ability to identify notes on the staff by spelling out words using music note cards and we also did some music Mad Minutes.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Thursday, January 19, 2012
This week (1/17-1/20)
This week in...
Kindergarten- students continued to learn about foot motions to match music, including walking, jogging, and galloping. They learned the song "Star Light, Star Bright" and helped me draw a picture on the board to match the melodic shape of the song. We also played some listening games with music moving upward and downward.
1st/2nd grade- students echo sang patterns using so, mi, and do. Students learned the song "Mother, Mother" and worked with their music buddies to create a 4-beat pattern (using so, mi, and do) to perform for the class. Students also decoded patterns that I sang to them using the syllable "oo" and showed me if I was singing so, mi, or do.
3rd/4th grade- we continued to work on the songs "Do Re Mi" from The Sound of Music and "Trail to Mexico", both of which include 2 parts going on at the same time. Students assessed their progress on playing recorders with the song "It's Raining." We also learned about music stepping, skipping, or leaping from note to note and about how long different notes and rests last.
5th grade- we had a drum circle! Students reviewed known rhythms and learned a brand new rhythm: eighth note triplets, which is three sounds equally distributed on one beat. This is one of the rhythms used in the beginning of the song "Wavin' Flag." We learned to play that rhythm on drums and did some call and response improvisation. We also reviewed the Spanish sections of "Wavin' Flag."
There will be a sing along tomorrow morning at 10am in the auditorium. Hope to see you there!
Kindergarten- students continued to learn about foot motions to match music, including walking, jogging, and galloping. They learned the song "Star Light, Star Bright" and helped me draw a picture on the board to match the melodic shape of the song. We also played some listening games with music moving upward and downward.
1st/2nd grade- students echo sang patterns using so, mi, and do. Students learned the song "Mother, Mother" and worked with their music buddies to create a 4-beat pattern (using so, mi, and do) to perform for the class. Students also decoded patterns that I sang to them using the syllable "oo" and showed me if I was singing so, mi, or do.
3rd/4th grade- we continued to work on the songs "Do Re Mi" from The Sound of Music and "Trail to Mexico", both of which include 2 parts going on at the same time. Students assessed their progress on playing recorders with the song "It's Raining." We also learned about music stepping, skipping, or leaping from note to note and about how long different notes and rests last.
5th grade- we had a drum circle! Students reviewed known rhythms and learned a brand new rhythm: eighth note triplets, which is three sounds equally distributed on one beat. This is one of the rhythms used in the beginning of the song "Wavin' Flag." We learned to play that rhythm on drums and did some call and response improvisation. We also reviewed the Spanish sections of "Wavin' Flag."
There will be a sing along tomorrow morning at 10am in the auditorium. Hope to see you there!
Thursday, January 5, 2012
This week (1/3-1/6)
Welcome back after break!
This week in....
Kindergarten- we greeted each other after the break with a "Hello" echoing song. We learned "Car Song", "Little Blue Truck", and listened to a story called "Wiggle and Waggle." This helped to learn about music moving upward and downward. We also reviewed the term tempo, meaning to speed of the music.
1st/2nd grade- we learned the song "Tinker, Tailor", learned to put the notes of the song on the music staff, and learned a game to go with the song. Students learned the pitch "do" from the scale in the context of the song "Little Sally Walker." We learned to draw new notes on music white boards.
3rd/4th grade- we continued to read notes with Mad Minutes and learned "It's Raining" on recorders. We learned about home tone with the song "Trail to Mexico" and learned the song "Do Re Mi" from The Sound of Music.
5th grade- we reviewed and learned songs on recorders, including a latin tune called "The Time Traveler's Trombone." We learned about the composer Franz Schubert and wrote reactions to two of his pieces as well as Bob Marley's "Three Little Birds" on our music logs.
This week in....
Kindergarten- we greeted each other after the break with a "Hello" echoing song. We learned "Car Song", "Little Blue Truck", and listened to a story called "Wiggle and Waggle." This helped to learn about music moving upward and downward. We also reviewed the term tempo, meaning to speed of the music.
1st/2nd grade- we learned the song "Tinker, Tailor", learned to put the notes of the song on the music staff, and learned a game to go with the song. Students learned the pitch "do" from the scale in the context of the song "Little Sally Walker." We learned to draw new notes on music white boards.
3rd/4th grade- we continued to read notes with Mad Minutes and learned "It's Raining" on recorders. We learned about home tone with the song "Trail to Mexico" and learned the song "Do Re Mi" from The Sound of Music.
5th grade- we reviewed and learned songs on recorders, including a latin tune called "The Time Traveler's Trombone." We learned about the composer Franz Schubert and wrote reactions to two of his pieces as well as Bob Marley's "Three Little Birds" on our music logs.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
This week (12/12-12/16)
This week in...
Kindergarten- my classes were in slightly different places. Some us learned to play "The Snowman Song" on xylophones. Ask your student to sing this song for you with the motions- so cute! We also read the story "Jingle Bell Ball" and heard some new instrument sounds. We sang "We Will Jingle" and "Mittens and Gloves."
1st/2nd grade- we read the story "There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bell." We also did a lot of fun activities with the SMARTboard- each student got to come up to the board at least twice to participate in the lesson. Students had to hear high and low, do math with music notes, and match a picture to a melody. We also watched "Peter and the Wolf", a story that has specific instruments playing to match each character.
3rd/4th grade- we added a new note (E) to our Mad Minutes, in which students have one minute to identify the letter names of as many notes as possible out of 30 on their paper. We also learned about Hanukkah and the musical traditions associated with the holiday. We sang "I Have a Little Dreidel" and learned about the dreidel game.
5th grade- this week was busy as we finished a project. We discussed the major elements of music and performing (harmony, melody, rhythm, mood, style, etc.) We have been watching the film Sister Act 2. This week students compared two performances of the song "Joyful, Joyful" that happen at the end of the film. Students wrote about the similarities and differences of the two performances on a venn diagram and also wrote about which they preferred and why.
I hope you all have a wonderful break! I'm headed off to San Diego for a friend's wedding and then to Hawaii for a week! Parents of 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders: please encourage your child to practice his/her recorder at least twice. They may go to the "Recorder Music" page on this blog to find music to work on. Thank you!
Kindergarten- my classes were in slightly different places. Some us learned to play "The Snowman Song" on xylophones. Ask your student to sing this song for you with the motions- so cute! We also read the story "Jingle Bell Ball" and heard some new instrument sounds. We sang "We Will Jingle" and "Mittens and Gloves."
1st/2nd grade- we read the story "There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bell." We also did a lot of fun activities with the SMARTboard- each student got to come up to the board at least twice to participate in the lesson. Students had to hear high and low, do math with music notes, and match a picture to a melody. We also watched "Peter and the Wolf", a story that has specific instruments playing to match each character.
3rd/4th grade- we added a new note (E) to our Mad Minutes, in which students have one minute to identify the letter names of as many notes as possible out of 30 on their paper. We also learned about Hanukkah and the musical traditions associated with the holiday. We sang "I Have a Little Dreidel" and learned about the dreidel game.
5th grade- this week was busy as we finished a project. We discussed the major elements of music and performing (harmony, melody, rhythm, mood, style, etc.) We have been watching the film Sister Act 2. This week students compared two performances of the song "Joyful, Joyful" that happen at the end of the film. Students wrote about the similarities and differences of the two performances on a venn diagram and also wrote about which they preferred and why.
I hope you all have a wonderful break! I'm headed off to San Diego for a friend's wedding and then to Hawaii for a week! Parents of 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders: please encourage your child to practice his/her recorder at least twice. They may go to the "Recorder Music" page on this blog to find music to work on. Thank you!
Thursday, December 8, 2011
This week (12/5-12/9)
This week in...
Kindergarten- students learned the winter song "Mittens and Gloves" and played along with the song on jingle bells. We also learned movements to match the song. Students learned "The Snowman Song" and some movements to go with it as well.
1st/2nd grade- students learned the song "Mittens and Gloves" as well as "Hip Hop Reindeer." We sang/read "There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bell" and compared it to "There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly." I introduced the half Spanish, half English version of "Wavin' Flag" to students that I will be teaching after break.
3rd/4th grade- we reviewed the song "Winter Again", "Celebramos Juntos", and "Wavin' Flag" (half in Spanish.) We also learned "Fantasy on an Old French Carol" on recorders using the notes B, A, and G.
5th grade- students learned "Fantasy on an Old French Carol" on recorders and reviewed Recorder Karate songs. We finished learned the song "A Hawaiian Christmas" (in honor of my upcoming winter holiday to Hawaii!) We watched the last part of Sister Act 2, in which the choir performs "Joyful, Joyful." We learned that the "Joyful, Joyful" melody is adapted from "Ode to Joy", which is a melody in Beethoven's 9th Symphony. This created a nice segue for us to learn about Beethoven and hear a couple of his other pieces and write about them on our music logs.
I also had the pleasure of taking my Honors Choir (5th, 6th, and 7th graders) on a field trip Wednesday to 3 local nursing homes. The students sang beautifully and interacted so well with the senior citizens. It was such a fun day! Pictures coming soon.
Sing along tomorrow at 10am! Hope to see you there.
Kindergarten- students learned the winter song "Mittens and Gloves" and played along with the song on jingle bells. We also learned movements to match the song. Students learned "The Snowman Song" and some movements to go with it as well.
1st/2nd grade- students learned the song "Mittens and Gloves" as well as "Hip Hop Reindeer." We sang/read "There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bell" and compared it to "There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly." I introduced the half Spanish, half English version of "Wavin' Flag" to students that I will be teaching after break.
3rd/4th grade- we reviewed the song "Winter Again", "Celebramos Juntos", and "Wavin' Flag" (half in Spanish.) We also learned "Fantasy on an Old French Carol" on recorders using the notes B, A, and G.
5th grade- students learned "Fantasy on an Old French Carol" on recorders and reviewed Recorder Karate songs. We finished learned the song "A Hawaiian Christmas" (in honor of my upcoming winter holiday to Hawaii!) We watched the last part of Sister Act 2, in which the choir performs "Joyful, Joyful." We learned that the "Joyful, Joyful" melody is adapted from "Ode to Joy", which is a melody in Beethoven's 9th Symphony. This created a nice segue for us to learn about Beethoven and hear a couple of his other pieces and write about them on our music logs.
I also had the pleasure of taking my Honors Choir (5th, 6th, and 7th graders) on a field trip Wednesday to 3 local nursing homes. The students sang beautifully and interacted so well with the senior citizens. It was such a fun day! Pictures coming soon.
Sing along tomorrow at 10am! Hope to see you there.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
This week (11/28-12/2)
This week in...
Kindergarten- students were assessed on their ability to hear fast versus slow in music. Students circled a picture of a tortoise if they heard slow and a hare if they heard fast. (We read "The Tortoise and the Hare" before break.) We read "The Story of Empaminondas" to learn about music becoming faster or slower. We also played Simon Says with the mallet instruments and played the instruments along with the chant "Jack and Jill."
1st/2nd grade- we played the "Acka Backa" game and did an activity with so, mi, and la in which students had to identfy which of 3 melodies they heard. Students learned two holiday songs- "Celebramos Juntos" (part in Spanish!) and "We Will Jingle." We also played the steady beat and rhythm of the song "Rain, Rain, Go Away" on mallet instruments.
3rd/4th grade- we learned two holiday songs- "Celebramos Juntos" (part in Spanish!) and "Winter Again." Students worked on their ability to match pitch while singing. We also played part of the melody of "Winter Again" on mallet instruments.
5th grade- we played syncopation on mallet instruments to go with the song "Funga Alafia." Students took a quiz on syncopation in which they had to identify which of a set of four rhythms they were hearing. Students reviewed songs on recorders, learned a new note on recorders, and learned the fun song "A Hawaiian Christmas." We also continued to watch the film Sister Act 2.
Students, reminder: If you wish to be entered into the drawing for Recorder Karate tests, you must complete the test(s) by Friday, December 9th. The drawing will take place on Monday, December 12th and the winners will get a special prize!
Kindergarten- students were assessed on their ability to hear fast versus slow in music. Students circled a picture of a tortoise if they heard slow and a hare if they heard fast. (We read "The Tortoise and the Hare" before break.) We read "The Story of Empaminondas" to learn about music becoming faster or slower. We also played Simon Says with the mallet instruments and played the instruments along with the chant "Jack and Jill."
1st/2nd grade- we played the "Acka Backa" game and did an activity with so, mi, and la in which students had to identfy which of 3 melodies they heard. Students learned two holiday songs- "Celebramos Juntos" (part in Spanish!) and "We Will Jingle." We also played the steady beat and rhythm of the song "Rain, Rain, Go Away" on mallet instruments.
3rd/4th grade- we learned two holiday songs- "Celebramos Juntos" (part in Spanish!) and "Winter Again." Students worked on their ability to match pitch while singing. We also played part of the melody of "Winter Again" on mallet instruments.
5th grade- we played syncopation on mallet instruments to go with the song "Funga Alafia." Students took a quiz on syncopation in which they had to identify which of a set of four rhythms they were hearing. Students reviewed songs on recorders, learned a new note on recorders, and learned the fun song "A Hawaiian Christmas." We also continued to watch the film Sister Act 2.
Students, reminder: If you wish to be entered into the drawing for Recorder Karate tests, you must complete the test(s) by Friday, December 9th. The drawing will take place on Monday, December 12th and the winners will get a special prize!
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Happy break!
I hope that everyone has an enjoyable week off! Parents of 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students: encourage your child to practice his/her recorder once or twice over break using the 'Recorder Music' page on the blog. As for me, I will be enjoying music by playing my clarinet for my family back in Minnesota. Happy Thanksgiving!
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