Students in 4th and 5th grades have been playing games and doing activities to help them review note names and values. They also learned about Medieval and Renaissance music while studying a few composers from those time periods. In October, they learned about Antonio Vivaldi and listened to his concerto "The Four Seasons." Students enjoyed listening to each piece and making connections to the season it portrayed. Around Halloween time, 4th and 5th graders composed their own spooky rhythms in different time signatures.
Fall went by so quickly! We have been very busy in music class this season. Here's a little update about what we have been working on! Students in 4th and 5th grades have been playing games and doing activities to help them review note names and values. They also learned about Medieval and Renaissance music while studying a few composers from those time periods. In October, they learned about Antonio Vivaldi and listened to his concerto "The Four Seasons." Students enjoyed listening to each piece and making connections to the season it portrayed. Around Halloween time, 4th and 5th graders composed their own spooky rhythms in different time signatures. Students in 3rd grade have been learning to sing, sign, and notate the notes Do, Re, Mi, Sol, and La. They have also been practicing reading rhythms using whole notes, whole rests, half notes, and half rests. In October, students learned about the difference between music in a major key (which sounds happy) and music in a minor key (which sounds spooky or sad.) Second grade students have been learning how to sing, sign, and notate the notes Sol, Mi, and La. They have also been reviewing the rhythms that they know - quarter note ("Ta"), quarter rest ("Sh"), and eighth notes ("Ti-Ti"). In October, students practiced showing Forte (loud) and Piano (quiet). In 1st grade, students have been dancing, singing, and playing instruments to practice keeping the steady beat and showing same and different. They have been learning about quarter notes ("Ta"), quarter rests ("Shh"), and eighth notes ("Ti-Ti"). In October, students practiced hearing, showing, and playing up/down and high/low. Kindergartners have been learning about music by taking imaginary trips to the farm. Each week they "met" a new animal which introduced a new instrument. Each student got a turn to play the new instrument of the week, including tambourine, cowbell, maracas, and woodblock. Kindergartners have also been practicing using their singing versus speaking voice, showing the steady beat, and listening to high/low, short/long, fast/show, and same/different.
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Music Advocacy’s Top Ten for Parents
(from http://www.childrensmusicworkshop.com/advocacy/toptenparents.html) 1. In a 2000 survey, 73 percent of respondents agree that teens who play an instrument are less likely to have discipline problems. - Americans Love Making Music – And Value Music Education More Highly Than Ever, American Music Conference, 2000. 2. Students who can perform complex rhythms can also make faster and more precise corrections in many academic and physical situations, according to the Center for Timing, Coordination, and Motor Skills - Rhythm seen as key to music’s evolutionary role in human intellectual development, Center for Timing, Coordination, and Motor Skills, 2000. 3. A ten-year study indicates that students who study music achieve higher test scores, regardless of socioeconomic background. - Dr. James Catterall, UCLA. 4. A 1997 study of elementary students in an arts-based program concluded that students’ math test scores rose as their time in arts education classes increased. - “Arts Exposure and Class Performance,” Phi Delta Kappan, October, 1998. 5. First-grade students who had daily music instruction scored higher on creativity tests than a control group without music instruction. - K.L. Wolff, The Effects of General Music Education on the Academeic Achievement, Perceptual-Motor Development, Creative Thinking, and School Attendance of First-Grade Children, 1992. 6. In a Scottish study, one group of elementary students received musical training, while another other group received an equal amount of discussion skills training. After six (6) months, the students in the music group achieved a significant increase in reading test scores, while the reading test scores of the discussion skills group did not change. - Sheila Douglas and Peter Willatts, Journal of Research in Reading, 1994. 7. According to a 1991 study, students in schools with arts-focused curriculums reported significantly more positive perceptions about their academic abilities than students in a comparison group. - Pamela Aschbacher and Joan Herman, The Humanitas Program Evaluation, 1991. 8. Students who are rhythmically skilled also tend to better plan, sequence, and coordinate actions in their daily lives. - “Cassily Column,” TCAMS Professional Resource Center, 2000. 9. In a 1999 Columbia University study, students in the arts are found to be more cooperative with teachers and peers, more self-confident, and better able to express their ideas. These benefits exist across socioeconomic levels. - The Arts Education Partnership, 1999. 10. College admissions officers continue to cite participation in music as an important factor in making admissions decisions. They claim that music participation demonstrates time management, creativity, expression, and open-mindedness. - Carl Hartman, “Arts May Improve Students’ Grades,” The Associated Press, October, 1999. Spring is finally here! While we have been enjoying the sunshine, we have also been preparing for our spring concert! The title of the concert is "Let It Grow," which is inspired by a song of the same name from The Lorax movie. Most of our concert songs are about appreciating our planet and caring for our environment. Our concert theme has also led to some great discussions about personal growth and achievement. You will hear a few songs inspired by these thoughts as well.
“Music is exciting. It is thrilling to be sitting in a group of musicians playing (more or less) the same piece of music. You are part of a great, powerful, vibrant entity. And nothing beats the feeling you get when you've practiced a difficult section over and over and finally get it right. (yes, even on the wood block.) Music is important. It says things your heart can't say any other way, and in a language everyone speaks. Music crosses borders, turns smiles into frowns, and vice versa. These observations are shared with a hope: that, when schools cut back on music classes, they really think about what they're doing - and don't take music for granted.”
- Dan Rather — CBS News Third grade students at both schools are studying China for the first few months of school. This week, we watched a video of traditional Chinese ribbon dancing and listened to a Chinese song. We discussed and defined a phrase: a small section of music which is often ended by a pause or breath. Several students related this to a sentence in a book. After identifying the phrases in our Chinese song, the students moved to the phrases using scarves (we didn't have real ribbons, so we made do with what we had!). They had to listen carefully to whether the melody went up or down and when phrases began and ended. The last part of the activity was to add finger cymbals, wood blocks, and crash cymbals to this song. The students had a lot of fun dancing, and it was great to see all their creative movement ideas!
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