Wow. The 2014-2015 school year just started! I am so excited to be back at school and am ready to get started making music with Sprague students. I spent lots of time with my family, ran, rode bikes, traveled, camped on a little island near Canada, canoed, and drove my kids all over. I even took a class, earning my Orff Schulwerk Level II certification. Whew....it's been a long summer. I can't wait to hear about what you've been up to and see what we can do together!
First Graders - congratulations on a terrific Portfolio Day Performance! The theme of "Music Makes Me Feel....." was definitely conveyed through your enthusiasm and musical skills. Each class rose to the occasion and presented themselves as the fine, young musicians they are. Performing in front of a large group of people can make adults nervous, let alone children. Some people love it and some learn to tolerate the experience. Our first graders learned that being prepared is the best way to enjoy a performance. I know I certainly did and was very proud of these six and seven year old children. Playing instruments, singing well, singing in a canon, singing in Spanish, moving to music, remembering sequences of movements, keeping a steady beat, and even speaking into a microphone. That's a lot to remember, yet they did. Bravo! And remember, your trip to " Peter and the Wolf" is next week. Maybe you can find a book at the library and read it before you go...or find a recording and listen to it so you can use your imagination - like Elmo!
Kindergarten students presented their Portfolio Day demonstration class today, and it was super. Mrs. Clay's students did a fine job in the morning - and definitely used their musical talents to shine! This afternoon,the other classes filled the gym with singing, dancing, moving, counting, finding partners, clapping patterns, and sharing the joy of music with their families. Music is best when shared, and today you all did that. Super job! Second Graders are in the midst of busy times. Next week they have a trip to "Peter and the Wolf" which we are all very excited about. Our students spent the month of March studying this piece, and I'm certain they will enjoy the trip. Portfolio Day share is coming May 22! Our second graders are busy putting together their musical skills to share the story of 'The Great Kapok Tree' by Lynne Cherry. Students will represent different animals of the rainforest, sing in Spanish, sing in English, use instruments, movement, and scarves to highlight this story. It's quite a challenge, but they are doing great work! Then, students will be treated to a performance by the Half Day and Daniel Wright orchestra, and a visit from Mr. Turini, Half Day orchestra director. During his visit, children will have an opportunity to try their hand at orchestra instruments - violin, viola, cello and bass. Furthermore, students (parents) will be able to sign up to join the Half Day orchestra. Information will be sent home after his visit. This is a wonderful opportunity for students to learn to play a string instrument as a third grader, AND as part of their school day. It's a great program! We will wrap up the year with a review of lots of Patriotic songs, and a chance to play their instrument for the class at recital day. What a year! Kindergarten students have willed Spring to arrive by singing lots of songs about Spring! "Spring is Here" is a catchy tune the children sing. The favorite part is the end, where the children add handbells. How fun is that? Small, easy to use handbells are a new addition to our classroom instruments and we can't stop playing them! "The Cuckoo" is another great spring song. The children enjoyed watching a video of a cuckoo clock - this one has a great cuckoo, a woodchopper, and dancers spinning to the song, "Val-de-ri." "Mr. Sun" by Raffi is always a fave, as well. In addition, the children have been exploring musical form through two pieces, "The Wild Horseman" by Robert Schumann - AABA form - and "An Old Dance" by Aram Khatchaturian - ABA form. We use physical movement to identify the different parts of these songs. Listening skills are emphasized throughout class, and these skills only enhance their classroom studies. Kindergarten students recently visited The Little Red Schoolhouse with their classes, and studied about Laura B. Sprague. Music classes offer so many opportunities for curricular tie-ins, and this was no exception. In music class, we discussed the time period when Laura was alive and teaching in Lake County - mid 1800's. During this time, "Mary Had a Little Lamb" was popular, along with "The Farmer in the Dell," and "Here We Go 'Round the Mulberry Bush," and even "The Wild Horseman" - though written in Germany. The children always enjoy playing these games and we try to realize that some things are still the same. Children everywhere enjoy playing singing games and learn about their world through music. Interesting side note.....Thomas Edison invented many items, including the phonograph. One can find an actual recording of Thomas Edison - from his original phonograph - reciting 'a little piece of practical poetry,' then he continues to read Mary Had a Little Lamb as his first recording. It's fun to hear.
First Graders are busy being star performers. Earlier in March, children spent some time writing down feelings that they associate with different musical pieces they were learning. I gathered this fabulous information and compiled it into a 'script' to be read at our upcoming Portfolio Day Share Performance on Thursday, May 1st. Their feelings will be the connecting threads as we explore first grade musical experiences. Students are learning to work/perform as a group, which is very challenging for some of our little ones in first grade! Working as a team, standing on big-kid risers, singing with good tone, expression and diction, and focus are all targets we arePortfolio Day is a great opportunity to connect with what your child is doing in the classroom, and then we also bring you to the gymnasium to connect with the arts. Artwork is on display, and your children will be sharing some music and activities from first grade, to give you a little taste of their experiences. There is a page on this website with all the details - timing, clothing, dates. We hope to see you on May 1st! Second Graders have been conquering some really challenging xylophone pieces. Each class has learned this piece, and the students rotate amongst all the instrument parts. This lively piece has four layers of instruments, and the children REALLY have to count. I'm always telling them, MUSICIANS ALWAYS COUNT! It really has two meanings, but truly we are focusing on actual counting right now. They may realize the other meaning later on:) The pieces have started coming together in a most impressive way - and their teachers are always so amazed at what they can do. (That's because in December I have the teachers learn xylophone songs and they do realize how challenging it can be!) Second graders are also mastering some performing skills through two Spanish language songs, a choreographed singing piece, and learning how to read collectively - it is a skill. You can find much of this music listed under, APRIL MUSIC, on this website. They will be showing off all of this on Thursday, May 22! A letter will be coming home next week, and I will have a page on this site, as well, with all the details. March is blowing in some great stuff in 2nd Grade music classes! The students will be exploring the great work, "Peter and the Wolf" by Sergei Prokofiev. The story of Peter and his adventures trying to capture the wolf are expressed through narration and music. Each character is represented by a musical theme played on specific instruments. During our studies, the children will learn about the various musical instruments of the orchestra and how they are grouped into musical families, as well as discovering the role of a narrator and learning about musical themes. In addition to our "Peter and the Wolf" unit, the children will continue to develop their singing skills through a variety of choral activities, further their Orff playing skills, as well as firm up their Spanish while singing "El Coqui" - a traditional Puerto Rican folksong about a little tree frog, and "Que llueva" a traditional Spanish rain song. Singing, moving, listening, creating, playing, and analyzing are all a part of 2nd grade music!
Our first graders have been exploring Orff instruments - beginning with learning how to move through the 'xylophone forest.' Students are learning about the variety of instruments in the 'forest', from the largest contrabass bars, to the basses, altos, to the smallest glockenspiels. These instruments are providing a lovely background to a lullaby they are singing, "Sleep, Baby, Sleep." Hopefully, they can use this song to help lull a family member back to sleep sometime! In addition, the children have watched some old video footage of Bill "Mr. Bojangle" Robinson tap dance along with Shirley Temple - to support a very rhythmic story, "Rat-a-Tat-Tat." If your child came home and tried to put quarters on their socks, I admit, that was my idea! Now, in March, the children have watched a scene from another really old movie that features Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers dancing to "Pick Yourself Up." This is a sweet song with a great message, and watching those two amazing dancers was a great way to introduce the song. So, if there are questions about black and white movies - again, I admit, that's probably from me, too! Kindergarten students did a fabulous job in February creating musical compositions using lines and symbols. This student-created notation helps to cement the concept of high and low sounds being high and low on the paper, and later on a musical staff. It also reinforces the concept of reading from left to right. These 'pieces' were performed each class by the students. It was great fun to have the composer give instructions, but even more important, was realizing that our 'notation' had to be clear in order for others to perform our piece. Kindergarten students have also been learning several dances. Some with partners, and some in lines. It's another opportunity to use our manners as we work take new partners each round. Dr. Seuss' birthday was celebrated with a reading of "My Many Colored Days." This Dr. Seuss story explores feelings using colors to identify these moods. The children used colored scarves and creative movement to help bring the story to life. Dr. Seuss keeps on giving to children after all these years! Kindergarten Students are continuing to explore high and low in music. The children have been using various materials - pipe cleaners, stuffed animals, yarn, and such - to illustrate sound moving up and down. We will be using the word melody eventually to identify this concept. Right now the children have been using these activities to 'warm up' their voices or to stretch their vocal range. In February, the children created their own vocal sounds chart. They were to choose the line shape, and the vocal sound to use when performing. Students shared and performed each other's charts. Another class, we substituted vocal sounds for instrument sounds. The children have been learning to read the symbols that represent various instruments. Some charts have several instruments, some have vocal sounds included, and the children played through many different charts. Then, another day next week, the children will be creating their own instrument charts - to be shared in their classes. We are reinforcing the concept of moving from left to right across the page, and using large shapes to represent loud sounds, and small shapes for quiet sounds, and pictures spread out or close together for fast and slow. In addition, we always have time for Valentine's Day songs - including a favorite "Heel, Toe" which is a really cute dance where the children must remember a sequence.
First Grade students have been wrapping up their unit of study on Camille Saint-Saens' "Carnival of the Animals." The children had a chance to be composers, and were assigned a small group and an animal. They had two class periods to create 'music' to represent their animal, and some even added body movement. During the class performances, the other groups guessed what animal they were playing. It can be very difficult to find just the right sounds, as the children discovered. Furthermore, they discovered a song is more than just random sounds. It has a beginning and a middle and an ending - like a story. Then, the children watched what may be my favorite children's video - Carnival of the Animals - performed at a zoo, with a narrator reciting the verses of Ogden Nash introducing each animal. It is so much fun to get to hear the entire piece of music that the children are familiar with, added with the amazing animal footage, AND seeing the actual orchestra playing at the zoo, too! Love it! Next we will dig into some Valentine's Day activities and some songs we are preparing for our May portfolio day performance. It is never too early! Second graders have been investigating the science of sound. They used Ipads last week to explore some great materials, including BrainPOp Jr videos on sound, pitch and vibration, and the App Young Musical Genius. The app allows the children to listen to a variety of orchestral instruments and see and hear them, and then play listening games where they have to identify the sound. After the activity the children used a QR code to take them to a short 'exit slip' - a quizlet. I asked them to answer several questions about sound production, and those answers helped lead me to items they knew, and some concepts that need more instruction. February also brings Black History Month - which leads us to Jazz studies. Students are learning about Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and Ella Fitzgerald, for a start. Repeated listenings are leading the children to grasp the 'jazz' feeling and many share that 'this is Portillo's music!' So funny, but this is where many children hear this music. Ella FItzgerald's version of "A-Tisket, A-Tasket" is a favorite! We are singing songs in a Call and Response style - where there is a clear leader and an answer. "Did You Feed My Cow?" is a great example - and leads us to some interesting discussions about the vocabulary involved....udder, 'tick' and buzzards to name a few. We will be weaving jazz into our class this month, and are also starting a great xylophone piece that we will present at portfolio day in May. It's a multi-layered piece with lots of challenges for 2nd graders, but I know we can do it! Kindergarten students are welcoming 2014 with a familiar song - but we've changed the words to "It's a Brand New Year!" We used this song to allow opportunities for solo singing, as each child offered what they did over winter break. It was great to hear all the fun things our students did, especially with those two extra days! January brings lots of opportunity for creative expression. Children are exploring the concept of high and low sounds through many pieces. First they move their hands to indicate the sounds they are hearing, then they move their bodies, then they pair up with partners to create shapes. I love snow, and so do our children, so January is the perfect time to explore this concept musically. We begin with some poetry that awakens our imagination - 'hush, hush, hush, hush, don't make a sound. be a little snowflake that falls to the ground.' This poem opens a magical world of children and white feathers...they are so gentle and quiet as they pretend to hold snowflakes(feathers). It also further explores high and low. This leads to a reading of "The Snowy Day" by Ezra Jack Keats - another favorite of mine. The children will be acting out the story, which is always a wonderful experience. We will continue the idea of creative expression with another poem, "The Robin." Through the month of January we will continue to explore high and low, and melodic contour with bodies, voices and manipulatives. It is so fun!
First Grade students welcome 2014 with another great work study. Last month it was the Nutcracker by Tchaikovsky. January brings "Carnival of the Animals" by Camille Saint-Saens. This is such a fabulous piece of music, with many short pieces representing different animals. We began last week by exploring several of the pieces - trying to guess which animal fits which piece. This week the children will learn a bit about Saint-Saens, and continue to hear (and move to) more of the short pieces. Terms they will be learning include composer, staccato - short, legato - smooth and marcato - marked. These terms will be the basis for some wonderful creative movement using BODYSOX. I will post pictures of this activity when we get to it. The other big idea students will be focused on is instrumentation. Saint-Saens selects different instruments for the different animals, so as we study the children will be learning many different instruments of the orchestra. We end the unit with a composition project, where teams of children create a short song to represent an animal - then the class gets to guess! Don't forget LAMP night!!! That's when first grade students and their special grown-up or two come to school at night to explore the 'specials' classes. We would love to invite your whole family, but there simply is not enough space for that many. It's a great night and we hope to see you on the 23rd or 30th. Check the schedule on the home page. Second Grade students are off to 2014 with scientific experiments exploring the concept of SOUND. What is sound? How can sounds be changed? These are two questions we investigate in January. The students began using tuning forks. It is very telling to strike and hold a tuning fork, listen to it, and then see what happens when placed in a bowl of water. They can see the vibrations! More experiments will follow to help the children understand the concept of vibration, including more activities with tuning forks, balloons, constructing megaphones, and using classroom instruments. BrainPop videos help fill in some further information regarding hearing and ears that is hard for us to see. Right now, after one experiment, children should remember that sound is vibration, and it takes energy to make vibration. Martin Luther King, Jr. day is also in January, and 2nd graders will learn a piece using xylophones, glockenspiels and drums. This great piece allows for improvisation, and helps reinforce why we celebrate this holiday. Whew! Lots to do! December in Kindergarten Music brings lots of opportunities for creative movement. Children enjoy acting out being toys in a toy shop, being a jack-in-the-box,and using scarves to move to the "Sugar Plum Fairy" by Tchaikovsky. They have to be so gentle and delicate! Children continue to improve their singing skills with lots of echo singing, vocal exploration and call and response songs. Full-day kindergarten children are learning songs for the annual Winter Sing, including "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "Esta es la Navidad." "Ten in a Bed" is a great song, especially as the holidays approach and family comes to visit. Maybe there won't be ten in your bed, but it is fun to sing the counting song. Half-day kindergarten students are singing some of the winter sing songs, as well, while they continue to focus on their singing skills and creative movement.
First Grade music classes are gearing up for the Winter Sing. Singing together as a school is a wonderful experience that builds a strong feeling of unity. Something special happens when people make music together, and the children feel the profound experience, while they have a great time. Students continue to explore their singing voices, with call and response songs, echo songs, and opportunities for individual singing. First graders can be terrific models for each other. The other main focus for December in first grade is our study of "The Nutcracker" by Tchaikovsky. The children have been toy soldiers while they learned about "March," and have heard the story behind the ballet. We will explore Tchaikovsky - the composer - this week, and hear and dance to more of the songs. Terms we will be using are BALLET, COMPOSER, TCHAIKOVSKY, SUITE. This is one of our favorite units!! Second Graders are preparing to be the leaders of the Winter Sing. They take great pride in knowing ALL the words to ALL the songs! This year we are singing, "Esta es la Navidad" in addition to our standard songs, "Rudolph," "First Snowball of the Season," and many more. December is not complete without "The Chipmunk Song," from the Alvin and the Chipmunks. Silly but fun. Second grade has been playing "Sol-la-mi," a game of echo singing, except if I lead with 'sol-la-mi.' Then they earn points by staying silent. It's a great listening game, and the children love to beat me - and I love that, too, because they are developing crucial listening skills. The second graders have also been playing a game in our xylophone forest. The children rotate through the instruments (xylophones, glockenspiels, metallophones and drums), copying rhythms I clap. Then, we bump things up a notch. Depending on my delivery (snap, clap, pat or stomp) different instruments respond. Again, a great activity for really honing in on listening skills and reinforcing the aural timbre of the different instruments. So much to do!!!! Kindergarten Music
As the leaves fall off the trees outside, the kindergarten children are singing about falling leaves. ''Rake the Leaves" is a fun song that provides lots of opportunity for pretend play. The children make up verses for the song and act them out. Some of them have very questionable raking skills; perhaps more practice at home! This song is used as a springboard for more tunes and poems about fall. All this talk about Fall is a great chance to explore up and down in music. The children move their bodies, use their voices and play instruments that represent high and low and up and down. This month we also learn some songs about Thanksgiving, our Sprague School Song, America and this year, Hanukkah. We continue to strive for good singing through vocal exploration. Call and response songs, echo songs, and silly warmups all help pave the way for pitch matching. Ask your child to sing "Peep, Squirrel" or "In the Woods" to you to check their progress. First Grade First grade moved into November working on the idea of beat versus rhythm. They learned in September (through apple activities) that steady beat can be represented by tally marks, apples, anything as long as it is the same. However, rhythm is represented by different symbols - such as ta's (quarter notes), ti-ti's (eighth notes) and rests. Students have had opportunities to perform steady beat on one sound, along with others playing rhythms on another sound. We are preparing the way for maintaining their own parts while in the midst of an orchestra, or band, or chorus when they are older. Last week we used the nursery rhyme, "Pease Porridge Hot" as the basis for beat and rhythm activities. We even created ABA form, by focusing on beat for the A section, and rhythm for the B. November also bring squirrel songs. These simple songs enable the children to work on pitch matching and singing, along with upward and downward, which they play on glockenspiels. We work to stretch our repertoire for fall as we work on songs for Thanksgiving, and Hanukkah. I have posted some of the titles and recordings on the website if you are interested, or if your child wants to sing along:) Second Grade The second graders are doing a great job working on lots of musical concepts. Most classes begin with a rhythm warm up. During this time, the children clap rhythm flashcards while listening to a variety of pieces of music - some blues, jazz, world music, classical. The students are mastering the idea of eighth notes being paired up or separated. They look different, but the children are recognizing the symbols more readily. Daily we also work to stretch our vocal skills. Sliding sounds, ghostly 'boos', whale sounds, are all used to get the children used to singing in their 'head' voice. Then, we follow with echo or call and response songs. I'm sure your child can lead you in a rousing round of "Down By The Bay." Ball bouncing games have also been used to help us feel the half note beat. The half note was then the rhythm used on some "xylophone orchestra" pieces." Last week I introduced the children to five levels of bordun skills to play on the xylophones. Most classes have made it to level two. By the end of the year, we hope to master all of them. Whew. Second graders are also working on Thanksgiving Songs, and Hanukkah, too. Luckily, our second graders already know most of the tunes, so they are just brushing up so they can be the leaders as the big kids on the block. I have posted some of the titles and recordings on the website if you are interested, or if your child wants to sing along. KINDERGARTEN
The second half of the month has brought us to Halloween. The students are experimenting with many different ways to use their voices. A favorite so far has been "With My Little Broom." This rhyme begins, "with my little broom I sweep, sweep, sweep" which is fun to act out but really becomes fun when we use our witch voices. The children do a great job, and hopefully they weren't scared too much by my witchy voice! Then, it offers us the opportunity to discuss the difference between our witch voice and our regular voice.....it's higher, squeakier. That's what we are looking for - high and low. Then, it's great fun to try the poem like a giant and discuss how the giant's voice is.....lower! "Pumpkin, Pumpkin" is another fun rhyme that clears up the difference between pumpkin and jack o'lantern. We continue to explore creative movement through our color game (a non-verbal game where children move in different ways depending on the color card held up in the air), "This is Halloween" where the children act out various characters, and "Rake the Leaves." Based on the movements I see, many of our children are ready to help raking their yards! 'Mouse's First Halloween" is a story we use to further creative movements, as the children act out the story, and then we will add instruments for more variety. Throughout these activities, lots of opportunities for good singing are emphasized. Echoing provides children with a chance to hear good singing and try to emulate the sound. Copying the sounds of other students is especially effective and also allows strong singers to lead and build their confidence. It's a win-win! FIRST GRADE The weeks approaching Halloween are special for first graders. That's when we explore the expressive qualities of music. This may not seem exciting, but reading a poem quietly and then reading the same poem with a crescendo can be very exciting! Students are learning the Italian words for soft/piano, loud/forte, getting gradually louder/crescendo, getting gradually softer/decrescendo. These qualities can dramatically change the feeling of a piece of music or poem. "Skin and Bones" has a sudden forte at the end (boo) that always surprises and excites, and the children get to use that wonderful singing tone as they sing "oo-oo-oo-ooh." Sliding up or down/glissando is another expressive device that they students use on the xylophones and it helps the children to understand high and low. One of the favorite pieces we explore during October is Edvard Grieg's "In the Hall of the Mountain King." This classical piece is full of expressive qualities that make it exciting. The children recognize that the entire piece is one long crescendo! SECOND GRADE Student have been working on the difference between xylophones and metallophones and recently took a little quiz to identify which instrument I was playing - I was hidden behind the piano. This exercise proved challenging. We will continue to explore this skill and will retake the quiz later next month and look for improvement. Second graders are also reviewing and exploring expressive qualities as they perform Halloween songs. "Must Be Halloween" is a piece we use to address the different ways eighth notes may be written - barred or flagged. However, the song itself is fun to sing in the style of a witch, zombie, bat, cat, ghost....the children come up with the ideas and then we are able to discuss how they are different - low, high, soft, loud, nasal. They have great ideas. The children also use different instruments to perform the different note values in that piece. "Pumpkin Jack" is always a favorite song and affords more opportunities for great sound effects! As we continue to focus on rhythm reading, the students will be using little toy spider and bat wings to create rhythms on a chart. Spi-der equals two eighth notes (ti-ti) , and Bat equals one quarter note (ta). MEEE-OWWW will represent a half note. "Sorcerer's Apprentice" by Dukas will be the classical piece for second grade as they explore expressive qualities in music, and of course, no Halloween is complete without my favorite - Pumpkin Carols! Kindergarten Music Classes are wrapping up their visits to the farm. This week we are finishing with horse - one of my favorites - because the children get to listen to "The Wild Horseman" by Robert Schumann. This wonderful piano piece is in a musical form of AABA. The children are introduced to the concept of musical form - sections - and explore these sections through galloping. Sometimes the girls gallop on A, and the boys on B, and then we swap. We try all different combinations, during which time the children are becoming familiar with the music, and always thinking on their feet.
1st Graders are working toward identifying steady beat and rhythm. They have chanted and tapped 'apples' (pictures on the smartboard) to a steady beat; they have created movements to a steady beat; and this week they will draw a steady beat. Once this concept of beat is cemented, they will associate it with a music symbol - I - which we refer to as a 'ta.' We will use ti-ti's and ta's to represent rhythms this year and next. By the end of first grade, your child will have a super sense of beat and rhythm. This will provide them a strong basis for any future music studies. First grade is also exploring their voices. Each class begins with vocal activities to stretch their vocal range, help them find their singing voice, and strengthen their pitch matching ability. Children learn best from other children, so each class has opportunities for individual singing. It is amazing how a brief opportunity for solo singing can be so beneficial to everyone. It strengthens listening skills and allows each child to shine. Ask you child to sing something for you! 2nd graders have spent a great deal of time in the xylophone forest. That is the area where all the barred instruments(xylophones, metallophones and glockenspiels) are kept. The children spent some time identifying a sequence. This sequence had the children speak a rhythm, tap a rhythm, and play a rhythm as its guidelines. The children then transferred this to the barred instruments. It is quite challenging to get an entire class to pay attention and complete the sequence correctly. After practice, the students returned one day to find that they were to use ipads to record a classmate completing this sequence, while reading a rhythm correctly, too. The pairs reviewed and discussed the 'performances' and then used the ipad to launch a QR code that took them to a brief quiz of their work. It was great! The children were very honest and sincere about their performances and the ipad was a great tool! The 2nd graders are now moving on to ostinato patterns. These are 'stubborn' or 'obstinate' little rhythms. Ostinato patterns offer a chance for basic harmony, when combined with a melody. It can be difficult to maintain a 'part' while another is playing the other 'part' but the challenge is worthwhile. By the end of second grade, this skill of maintaining one's part will be extremely beneficial when these children begin participating in orchestra or chorus in third grade! |
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May 2015
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