K, 1, & 2 music students sang songs of peace and learned about Martin Luther King Jr. for our school assembly. I was so proud of the students singing together and listening to each other.
Kindergarten Music:
Students read and listened to Ferdinand, danced to Willowbee and listened to "Aquarium" by Saint-Saens.
1st Grade Music:
Students read Robert Frost's "Stopping by a Snowy Woods" and "Froggy" plays in A Band." We discussed the different moods of the books and named opposites. Grade one students are now learning about the instruments of the orchestra, Carnival of the Animals, and thinking about how the instruments tell a story with sound.
2nd Grade Music:
Students are focused on learning games and music from Ghana. They are learning to dance, drum, and sing Kpanlogo together and layer the percussion parts. They will also study 2nd line drumming from New Orleans in connection with the music curriculum and February Mardi Gras.
3rd Grade Music:
Students have begun learning two new notes: low D and high C. They have gotten many new songs using these new notes and should be practicing their new music at home for 5 minutes every evening. A very popular one we are practicing this week is called “The Big Boing Theory” and features a very silly frog. Things to ask your child:
· Can you play your new notes for me?
· Have you practiced today? J
· What is a challenge for you on recorder right now?
4th Grade Music:
Students are learning about African American spirituals this month. This week we are playing xylophone and singing “Wade in the Water”, “Rock-A-My Soul” and “Follow the Drinking Gourd”. Things to ask your child:
· What does the song “Follow the Drinking Gourd” actually mean?
· What is a spiritual?
5th Grade Music:
Students have been exploring form in music. We have looked specifically at a piece in rondo form called “Viennese Musical Clock” composed by Zoltan Kodaly. Things to ask your child:
· What is rondo form? What makes it special?
· How did we act out the form of “Viennese Musical Clock”
· What is a coda?
7th Grade Music:
Students are deep into a unit on digital composition using GarageBand. They have composed music in different styles, and in different forms, like binary, ternary and rondo. They are now recording themselves playing original music as part of their final composition. Your child will be transitioning from Music to Art for the 2nd semester. I have really enjoyed having them this year!!
Things to ask your child:
· What is your favorite aspect of using GarageBand?
· What form did you create fro your 2nd project?
· Of the three pieces you created, which are you the most satisfied with and why?
8th Grade Music:
Students are completing a unit on Jazz music this week, which has included listening to and analyzing different styles of Jazz music and writing music reviews on specific songs. They have been investigating the work of artwork of Romare Bearden and exploring the connections between how Jazz musicians and visual artists create. They are currently studying different Jazz musicians and completing a 5 paragraph essay exploring the cultural significance of their musician. Things to ask your child:
· Who is Romare Bearden and how was he influenced by Jazz music?
· What are some ways that Jazz music is different from the Blues that we studied earlier this year?
5th Grade Chorus:
Students have been practicing reading music using the solfege hand sign system. They are learning new music for our Spring Sing as well. Things to ask your child:
· Can you sing part of one of your new songs?
· Can you demonstrate all of the hands signs?
6th Grade Chorus:
Students have been practicing reading music using the solfege hand sign system. They are learning new music for our Spring Sing as well. Things to ask your child:
· Can you sing part of one of your new songs?
· What makes “Lightning” a challenging piece?
· Can you demonstrate all of the hands signs?
7/8th Grade Chorus:
Students have been practicing reading music using the solfege hand sign system. They are learning new music for the All Town Choral Concert on March 5th at BHS. Mike Driscoll, the choral director at BHS, visited our rehearsal last week. He worked with the group on the two pieces we will sing with his choirs at the All Town Concert, and took time to answer questions about the many vocal opportunities that await our students in high school. He was very impressed with our group and praised their singing, sight reading and behavior! Things to ask your child:
· Can you sing part of “The Blind Man” on solfege?
· Can you demonstrate all of the hands signs?