Second Grade Music - Our second graders here at Sprague School are off and running in music class. They have definitely graduated from first grade, remembering all we learned and are ready for more. Second graders began the year with vocal work, recalling how to focus their voice for singing, and enjoying vocal warm ups as they review the Sprague School Song. Our second graders are the leaders for our Patriot Day Assembly and I count on them to know all the words and lead our younger friends in the singing - and they did! Terrific work! This year also started with rhythm work, building on their rhythm reading skills from first grade. The twist for second grade is that I'm incorporating improvisation into our skills. I've been setting the scene for small chunks of improv as classes progress. My goal is that the children will be comfortable with creating their own (albeit short) rhythms and melodies that we can develop throughout the year. This style of short and directed improvisation - or creating - is also found in our barred instrument playing. Students are reviewing how to rotate through the 'xylophone forest' where a variety of instruments - xylophones, metallophones, glockenspiels, and drums - are played. Students are developing an ear for how each instrument sounds. Students are also learning about how to remove bars to create C Pentatonic - a scale with five tones. This scale enables our students to create short melodies and patterns while other students are building harmony. It's our Orff Orchestra. Improvisation is also a part of the exploration of locomotor and non-locomotor movement. Children are learning about creative ways to move and express themselves!
First Grade Music - Our first graders are moving and listening and thinking on their feet! Our classes begin with vocal exploration such as copying the sound of a slide whistle or flying toy with their voices, singing call and response songs, and simple songs with body motions. Children learn best from other children so there is plenty of opportunity for solo singing, even leading the class. Our singing voice is different from our speaking voice. We will spend a great deal of time in first grade music experiencing these differences and learning about good singing technique. The best way for children to do this is through games. Many of our fun activitiesa really planned experiences to get 'into our head voice' and promote good singing. The children are also exploring the concept of beat versus rhythm. Much of this is done through our apple rhymes and songs. Rhymes are a wonderful way to introduce beat as they have a natural flow to them. We isolate the rhythm of the text (clapping ) and the steady beat (walking). Then, we transfer this to a simple staff to begin reading music as musicians do. Two and three line staffs will be used throughout first grade for both melody work and tone color. The children are doing a lot of creative movement, exploring different ways to move their bodies, including levels, direction, focus. Thinking on our feet!
Kindergarten classes have begun with their trip to the farm. Each class introduces a new farm animal, complete with rhymes and songs and classroom percussion instruments. For instance, the cow featured an old song, "Milk Bucket Boogie" that we used to demonstrate beat and form, singing with the cowbells, and a fun game called, "Hunt The Cows" that also introduces form and fermata. While these concepts have not been labelled as such, the children feel the AB form through two distinct movements. "Farmer in the Dell" will be introduced before the end of the month and it's always a favorite - a game that has stood the test of time. "The Wild Horseman" by Robert Schumann is also featured during the horse classes, amidst playing tic toc blocks to emulate the hoof sounds. Throughout our visit to the farm, children are exploring good singing through vocal games and activities. Lots of repetition and opportunities for solo singing and helping our kindergarten friends gain musical confidence.
First Grade Music - Our first graders are moving and listening and thinking on their feet! Our classes begin with vocal exploration such as copying the sound of a slide whistle or flying toy with their voices, singing call and response songs, and simple songs with body motions. Children learn best from other children so there is plenty of opportunity for solo singing, even leading the class. Our singing voice is different from our speaking voice. We will spend a great deal of time in first grade music experiencing these differences and learning about good singing technique. The best way for children to do this is through games. Many of our fun activitiesa really planned experiences to get 'into our head voice' and promote good singing. The children are also exploring the concept of beat versus rhythm. Much of this is done through our apple rhymes and songs. Rhymes are a wonderful way to introduce beat as they have a natural flow to them. We isolate the rhythm of the text (clapping ) and the steady beat (walking). Then, we transfer this to a simple staff to begin reading music as musicians do. Two and three line staffs will be used throughout first grade for both melody work and tone color. The children are doing a lot of creative movement, exploring different ways to move their bodies, including levels, direction, focus. Thinking on our feet!
Kindergarten classes have begun with their trip to the farm. Each class introduces a new farm animal, complete with rhymes and songs and classroom percussion instruments. For instance, the cow featured an old song, "Milk Bucket Boogie" that we used to demonstrate beat and form, singing with the cowbells, and a fun game called, "Hunt The Cows" that also introduces form and fermata. While these concepts have not been labelled as such, the children feel the AB form through two distinct movements. "Farmer in the Dell" will be introduced before the end of the month and it's always a favorite - a game that has stood the test of time. "The Wild Horseman" by Robert Schumann is also featured during the horse classes, amidst playing tic toc blocks to emulate the hoof sounds. Throughout our visit to the farm, children are exploring good singing through vocal games and activities. Lots of repetition and opportunities for solo singing and helping our kindergarten friends gain musical confidence.