March's Composer of the Month was Felix Mendelssohn, a composer from the Romantic period who lived from 1809-1847. He is famous for writing background music for Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream, which includes the very familiar "Wedding March" (click below to hear it.) Felix had a sister, Fanny, who was also a great composer. We took some time to talk about her as well as how difficult it was to be a female composer in the 19th century. This month, students in 5th grade composed a short piece for drum. They went through several drafts, receiving feedback and refining their work through the course of several weeks. They also had a chance to evaluate others' work and provide suggestions for improvement. At the end of the unit, all students shared their work by performing their piece for the class. Students in 4th grade continued to work on their recorder unit, learning a new note - Low D. The purple belt song, "Old Macdonald Had a Farm," is the longest song yet and uses some challenging rhythms. Students also had a chance to play a game called "Recorder Rumble," where they rolled a die to see which pattern they should play. If they played it correctly, they got a point for their team! 3rd grade students learned about a new improvisation (making music up on the spot) technique called Question and Answer. The leader plays a pattern (the question), and the others respond with their own pattern (the answer) which should be similar to the question but with a few differences. The students also learned a new note called Fa and continued to practice reading and playing music in 2 parts. Students in 2nd grade composed their own songs using the notes Do, Re, and Mi and sang them for the class. They also learned about accents, which are the notes that are louder and more emphasized. Students listened to different music and identified where the accents were in the song (every 2, 3, or 4 beats). They practiced moving to a song with accents every 4 beats by learning a dance called Irish Stew (pictured below). 1st graders learned how to write La on the staff and two new music words, "Forte," which means loud, and "Piano," which means quiet. Students practiced identifying and moving to loud and quiet music. They also played a listening game where they had to identify certain instruments by sound only. Kindergarteners practiced reading, singing, and moving to long and short sounds. This is preparing them to begin to read rhythmic notation in the near future. They also performed loud and soft music. Below is a picture of the students moving to high and low sounds with scarves.
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The Composer of the Month for February was Franz Schubert. Students in 4th and 5th grade learned about his life and listened to his lieder (German for "song"), for which he is famous. He also started to write a symphony but never got a chance to complete it. Despite remaining unfinished, it is still one of Schubert's most popular pieces. Here is a link to a performance of the 1st movement Also, during February, 5th Grade continued to work on their drumming unit. They practiced improvising (making music up on the spot) as well as their 6 part ensemble piece. This piece was centered around a poem which had a specific drumming pattern. The students then layered in 5 more rhythm patterns using drums, cowbells, guiros, and shakers. It takes a lot of focus to play your part correctly when others are playing something different all around the circle! When the students were able to put it all together, I recorded their performance. While listening to the recording, students evaluated their performance then discussed what was good and suggestions for improvement. Fourth graders continued work on their recorder unit all last month. They added the note Low E to their repertoire. In order to earn their Green belt, students must play "It's Raining" with correct fingerings, rhythms, posture, hold, and tone. This one is a particularly tricky song, so I discussed with students the importance of practicing and not giving up. They are doing a great job! Students in 3rd grade learned a new note in February - Low La. They also practiced recognizing the difference between major and minor. They learned that music in a major key sounds happy and bright, and music in a minor key sounds sad, sleepy, and sometimes scary! During class, students learned and performed both types of songs. Third graders have also been practicing a tricky xylophone technique called the "crossover bordun," where you cross one hand over the other to play a pattern. You can see some students working on this technique in the picture below. In 2nd grade, students continued to work on singing and playing the notes Do, Re, and Mi. They then learned how to write the notes on the 3 line staff. Second graders also practiced sorting percussion instruments into three different groups: wood, metal, or skin. Students had to use their knowledge of the science of sound to determine what part of each instrument was vibrating (making the sound) and place it in the correct category. First graders worked on singing, playing, and writing the notes Sol and Mi. They had to learn the difference between line notes and space notes on the staff in order to write Sol and Mi correctly. They also learned a new note - La - which is a little higher than Sol. They used these notes to play some fun games! Also, students in first grade tested their listening skills by playing a game where one student played a rhythm on a drum and the others had to guess which one they played (pictured below). Kindergarten students learned the difference between steady beat (we call it the "heartbeat") and the rhythm (the long and short sounds). They have been practicing showing these two important concepts in lots of different songs and games. Kindergartners have also been practicing singing solos, where one student sings all by himself/herself! This helps students practice matching pitch and use their singing voices. Thanks for reading about our music class activities in February! Check back soon for more updates :) |
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