This week, our student teacher Mr. Lamb returned! He brought his brother Kevin along to teach a lesson on improvisation (making music up on the spot) and the blues. Kevin Lamb recently graduated from the College of Saint Benedict/Saint John's University with a double major in music and math. He has played both trombone and piano in several classical and jazz ensembles. The brothers began by teaching the students an easy improvisation game that they played as a family when they were kids. One person starts singing or humming a simple melody and the other players come in one by one, adding their own music, but following the tempo (speed) and mood of the leader's music. They taught the game by sending either Mr. Lamb into the hallway while the class determined the mood and tempo. Then that Mr. Lamb came back into the classroom and tried to sing something that went with the leader's music. In each class, students participated by singing as assistant leaders and followers or by using body percussion. Next, the Lambs introduced students to improvisation in the blues. The blues is an American genre of music that began in the deep South in the 1870s. It is influenced by African-American musical traditions, including work songs and spirituals. One of the most well-known forms of the blues is the 12-bar blues. This form uses a consistent pattern of chords and lyrics, making it an easy genre for beginner songwriters. To introduce this genre, the Lambs either performed their own composition, "The Lamb Brothers Blues" or showed a video of "One Shoe Blues" written by Sandra Boynton and Michael Ford and performed by famous blues musician B.B. King. The classes learned that blues songs are usually written about a problem. Each verse uses an AAB form, meaning that the first line is repeated, then there's a third line that rhymes with the first and second. The Lambs guided the students in coming up with a problem that they wanted to sing about. Then the students worked together to come up with lyrics ideas that stated the problem and how it made them feel. They wrote songs about a wide variety of problems including burning a cake, being chased by a giant chicken, the embarrassment of falling in a lake while fishing, being punished for the bad behavior of other kids in the class, and struggling to find friends. After writing the lyrics, Mr. Lamb (student teacher) led the students in singing their composition, accompanied by Kevin Lamb on piano. Students had a lot of fun learning a new game and writing new songs!
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On Friday, house leader Mandy Fassett visited our music classes. The students enjoyed learning about string instruments, improvisation, and how music can communicate emotions and tell stories.
Mandy is a professional multi-instrumental string musician from Minneapolis. She enjoys playing bluegrass, jazz, and other genres of music that are focused on improvisation. She currently performs with several groups in the Twin Cities and around the state. Mandy began each class by showing three instruments that she brought with her–fiddle, mandolin, and cello. She demonstrated on each instrument by performing bluegrass, traditional, Irish, and classical tunes for the students. With each class, she led a collaborative improvisation activity that began with students naming emotions or writing short stories. Students then determined what musical techniques could be used to express those emotions or stories, such as changes in volume, speed, instrument, playing technique, and more. Mandy led the students in improvising with her to create music that expressed their emotions or stories. One of our favorite stories was about a haunted house and a robot hamster. It used scary and scratchy sounds to set the mood of the haunted house, short and robotic sounds to represent the robot hamster, and students making body percussion sounds to help create the action in the story. The students enjoyed this opportunity to make music with Mandy, hear their own creative ideas expressed in music, and learn more about the career of a performing musician. Professional opera singer and performer house leader Eryn Tvete visited music classes on Monday. The students were very excited to meet her, having learned about her and her music making throughout this school year. Eryn became interested in music at a young age and fell in love with opera in college. Since then she's sung in over 30 opera productions, including 21 as a member of the Minnesota Opera chorus!
Eryn told students about her background in music, taught about the fun of exploring different languages and stories through songs, and answered many thoughtful questions. She amazed students with her powerful and expressive voice as she sang a variety of songs of different styles, time periods, and parts of the world. She performed an impressive Italian opera aria, a fun German folk song (which she taught the students to sing along with!), a beautiful French art song, a classic Disney song of each class's choosing, and more. Each class ended with a performance of the song "No One Like You" from The Muppets, a song about appreciating the uniqueness of every person. It was so much fun to have Eryn in our classroom and to see how interested and inspired the students were by her music!
On Wednesday of this week, Jacob Ford visited several music classes to teach about and demonstrate trumpet, flugelhorn, and piccolo trumpet. Jacob is a senior music education major at St. John's University who also specializes in trumpet performance. He taught students about how sound is produced on brass instruments, how his instruments work, and about the music that he plays. Students were excited to interact with Jacob, joining in discussions about the subtle differences in the sounds of his instruments and asking many questions. They especially loved his "cute" piccolo trumpet, the baby of the trumpet family, and how high it could play. A few lucky students who were celebrating their birthdays on Wednesday were even treated to a special birthday song played on trumpet! Students are hoping that Jacob can come back to show them more about his instruments soon.
Singer, songwriter, and violinist Gaelynn Lea visited Holdingford Elementary students on Tuesday. Students have been anxiously awaiting her visit since I learned that we would be able to bring her to Holdingford through Minnesota Public Radio's Class Notes Artists program months ago. Students have been enjoying listening to and learning about the music of this innovative musician since last school year when second graders performed Gaelynn's "Bird Song" on their spring concert. Gaelynn presented three engaging and interactive performances throughout the day for students in kindergarten through fifth grade. She performed a variety of music, including her own compositions and traditional folk music interpreted in her own unique style. The students were interested to learn about how she uses a looping pedal to create dramatic layers of sound in her music. They have been creating their own music using looping in music class to better understand Gaelynn's technique. Students especially enjoyed being able to participate in the performances in different ways. Gaelynn invited students to close their eyes while they listened to experience the emotions and images of the music, then asked them about what they had experienced. She taught the students to sing parts of two of her own songs, "Bird Song" and "Watch the World Unfold," so they could perform with her. They're still singing those songs days later! Students were also impacted by the non-musical lessons that Gaelynn taught them. She shared her perspectives on finding creative solutions to challenges, using music to deal with difficult feelings, and the importance of treating every person with kindness. It was wonderful to see the students connect with Gaelynn and experience her music so fully. They're already asking when Gaelynn will come back to our school!
Stage fright can be very uncomfortable, especially for young performer who haven't had many or any opportunities to sing or play in front of an audience. As our December 9th concerts approach, I've been talking with students about techniques to help with feelings of nervousness and performance anxiety. Here are three simple tips:
For many of the kindergartners, this will be their very first big performance. To help those who are nervous learn about the benefits of facing their fears, we read a new music room book, After the Fall by Paul Santat. This book tells the story of Humpty Dumpty after his fall. He was terrified of heights after his accident, but when he faced his fears by climbing up the wall for something he truly cared about, he discovered wonderful new things about himself. Performers who face their fears about performing can find out something amazing about themselves, too! For more tips from elementary students and for elementary students about managing performance anxiety, check out this article, "Second Graders' Tips for Managing Performance Anxiety." We were so fortunate to have a visit from the amazing St. John's Boys' Choir this week! Third, fourth, and fifth graders watched a performance of the junior varsity choir, which consists of fourth, fifth, and sixth graders. They performed songs in variety of styles that showed of their skill and musicality. The students and staff who attended the performance were all impressed by their high quality performance. Boys who are interested in joining the St. John's Boys' Choir should consider auditioning next week. There is an informational meeting on Monday, January 22 and three different auditioning times and sites on Friday and Saturday, January 26 and 27. There is no cost to audition. It would be wonderful to see some of Holdingford's great singers participating in this choir! Several girls have asked if there is a girls' choir like this that they might be able to participate in. The answer is yes! Cantabile Girls' Choir in St. Cloud will be holding auditions in early June. Look for more information about that this spring! For more information about auditions, see the St. John's Boys' Choir website: http://www.sjbchoir.org/auditions.html Join the St. John's Boys' Choir and Cantabile Girls' Choir on Saturday, January 20th from 9:30 am to 5:00 pm at St. Cloud State University for the 10th annual KidSing event for elementary students! It's free to participate in this day full of music and fun. For more information, see http://www.sjbchoir.org/kidsing.html |
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