Current
Music Events
* * Last updated on September 26, 2004 * * * 9:15 AM * *
Kindergarten I've met almost the entire Kindergarten Class. I think we have a super group here! It's going to be a great first music year for the class of 2017!
The first week in Kindergarten Music Class includes a "get to know you" part where I tell the children my name and have them practice saying it "chorally". I actually direct them while they say it and then we talk briefly about how they sounded like a "chorus" and I was the "conductor". (Working on vocabulary from day one!) I then give them a chance to tell me their first and last name. This is a great chance for each child to find his/her "solo voice" in music class. Although they're just speaking, it's a beginning practice for solo singing!
After discussing just a few important rules, we got to sing a "Hello" song. After singing it in English, we changed the word, "hello" to "hola", "bon jour", and "jambo". Using a map on the wall, I showed them the location of the countries who use these greetings and we identified what language they each were.
A movement activity for the beginning of the year is a song that I love called "The Tree". It aids an an introduction to the four seasons of the year, and they just LOVE it! That one will be with us for a while, for sure!
We are off to a great start in Kindergarten Music Class. Ask your child what songs they've brougt home with them!
First Grade How nice to see all of our brand new FIRST GRADERS!
This week was a "getting to know you" week, as well as a reminder of what Music Class behavior "looks like". They are really getting the hang of what this school thing is all about. They're growing up!
After the "business" part was taken care of, we warmed up our voices using my "pretty smiling face", which is actually a helium balloon! Yes, I DID tell them to tell their parents that their music teacher has a "pretty smiling face"! Hehehehehe! Did they????
What we do with the balloon is make the sound effects for it as it goes up and down in the music room. First we find our "middle voice", then our "high voice", and finally our "low voice". After we've done that, we follow the balloon, vocally, as it ascends and descends in the room. What FUN!
First grade has enjoyed singing the song, "Hello." They know what the music cues are for the clapping parts and enjoy doing that. But...the song that got the greatest response in the form of giggles and smiles was "Chee Chee Cha". Oh my goodness! You would not believe how much fun that one is! Ask your child to teach it to you!
We sang a Patriotic song in honor of this patriotic time of the year. "America" is one that first graders know and sing beautifully. They stand tall and show great pride in our country when singing Patriotic songs.
First grade formed a longways set and did a fun little song and dance called "Willoughby". They are learning dance vocabulary including "longways set", "sashay", and "head couple". It is so fun to see them "dancin' down the alley, the alley, the alley..."
...and a fun time was had by all!
Second Grade Already in second grade! How time flies...
Second grade has been putting some extra time in on Patriotic songs. We have "fine tuned" a couple of our standards, "America" and "America, the Beautiful." I feel it's important for our children to be able to sing these songs with pride and understanding. You wouldn't believe the answers I got when I asked, "What is a 'fruited plain', anyway?" (Use your imagination...) *smile*
The song, "Hambone" brought together a familiar tune with familiar lyrics. The problem was that the two did not originally go together! "Hush Little Baby" lyrics were set to an Army chant melody. We got out instruments and played a little rhythmic response while sitting in a circle. Fast moving fun!!!
How second graders love singing with the guitar. I'm not really a "guitarist", but I know enough of the basics to play some children's songs. There's something about that instrument that children love. This week we sang a song called "Hello There." It's a very nice little echo song.
Egg shaker's, anyone? It's interesting how you can play a quarter note pattern on the egg shakers, but end up hearing an eighth note pattern. Ask your second grader why. (It's because the beads inside the egg hit the bottom AND the top of the egg, so even though our motion is saying "tah, tah, tah, tah", we are actually hearing "ti-ti, ti-ti, ti-ti, ti-ti.)
Can you say "Irish Stew"? No, we are not cooking in music class! This is a little circle dance that I have found the second graders love to do. It is in a simple A B form and is very basic. After the dance is taught and performed, we then make up our OWN "A" section and perform the new dance. I'll bet you could have guessed that the made-up section that the second graders come up with always includes SPINNING! (Ugh...I'm getting too old to SPIN!!!) *wink*
As you can see, we've been very busy already in second grade music class. And there's SOOOOOO much more to come! I'm looking forward to a GREAT year!
Third Grade Well, here we are nearing the end of our four years together. It continues to be a pleasure watching these children as they grow into little people and little musicians. Each year we add a difficulty level to our activities and performance. This year will be even more challenging and a lot of FUN!
This year we will be singing lots of rounds, as third graders get very good at "holding their own" in part singing. Their repertoire of songs will grow in leaps and bounds this year in third grade!
Sadly, I have found that most third graders are not comfortable with singing our National Anthem. It's no wonder, because it's a very difficult song to sing! Not only is the melody vocally demanding, but the words are somewhat confusing and downright hard to comprehend! After all...what is a "rampart" and what does "gallantly streaming" mean? This year I will spend some time teaching the text of the Star Spangled Banner, as well as the history of the writing of that poem at the Battle of Fort McHenry. It's really an exciting song describing the "perilous fight" which took place while Francis Scott Key watched from the harbor.
"Down, Down, Baby" has been an all time favorite already this year! "Down, down baby, down by the rollercoaster. Sweet, sweet baby, I don't wanna let you go. Shimmy, shimmy coco pop, shimmy, shimmy down. Shimmy, shimmy coco pop, shimmy, shimmy break down!" (And on and on and on...)
I feel that dancing in music class is an important thing. It is the best way to help children feel the music moving in steady beats and to understand the "road map" of a song. Each section and each phrase is clearly defined by the movements of the dance. It is a rich cultural activity and we usually do dances from several different countries each year.
Getting third graders to dance is interesting... It seems that the majority of them love to dance and are cheering when I say that I have a dance planned for music class. However, there are those that tend to shrink down in their seats at the thought of dancing. The funny thing is, that typically they ALL have a good time and enjoy the activity. It's ironic, I might note, that the ones who did NOT want to dance, are usually the ones that return the following week ASKING to dance. What's up with that??? *smile*
I love third grade music, because it is the culmination of everything we've done in the past. It gives me a chance to see the Five Points Music "final product". So far, the results are pleasing!
�
