We're celebrating Halloween in music class this cycle! All of the classes have been learning the song "Pumpkin Bones," but different grades are focusing on different concepts, highlighting what they've learned so far this fall. 5th Grade: Form and Rhythm Fifth graders reviewed and sang "Pumpkin Bones," then focused on the form. This song has a form that's similar to many pop, rock, country, etc. songs, using verses, choruses, and a bridge. After determining the form, the students learned body percussion ostinato patterns to accompany each section of the form. After performing the body percussion accompaniment for the whole song, they learned a new set of ostinatos to be played on percussion instruments–bucket drums, rhythm sticks, tambourines, triangles, and scrapers. 4th Grade: Form and Rhythm Fourth graders focused on form, sixteenth note rhythms, and playing the percussion accompaniment for "Pumpkin Bones." They did a great job with the instruments! Here's a recording of Mr. Ahrens' class performing the percussion accompaniment to "Pumpkin Bones." 3rd Grade: Form and Rhythm Third graders enjoyed singing along with "Pumpkin Bones," then applied what they recently learned about ostinatos to adding a percussion accompaniment. After singing, clapping, and playing the song, we did a short singing activity in which each student sang the name of their Halloween costume. It was great to hear how they're able to match pitches with their singing voices and hear about their costumes! 2nd Grade: Rhythm and Notation Second graders focused boomwhackers with" Pumpkin Bones." We discussed the story and sang through the song. Then students practiced clapping the rhythm of a boomwhacker accompaniment for the song. Each student had one boomwhacker or triangle and they were responsible for following the written notation to know when they should play and what rhythm they should play. The did a fantastic job in a very short time! Here's a recording of Ms. Loso's class performing the instrumental accompaniment to "Pumpkin Bones." Second graders also showed of their solo singing skills by singing the names of their Halloween costumes for the class! 1st Grade: Voice Types First graders reviewed the four voice types–talk, whisper, shout, and sing–with a game that they first played in kindergarten last year. They had to identify as many voices as they could in 45 seconds. The top score was 13! Then, students identified those four voice types in "Pumpkin Bones." After discussing the story of the song and they types of voices, they sang, talked, shouted, and whispered along with it. After singing the song together, first graders showed of their singing voices alone in a short activity in which each student sang a very short phrase, matching the pitches that I sang. They did a great job! After a practice round, every one sang the name of their Halloween costume for the class! Kindergarten: Voice Types Kindergartners reviewed what they recently learned about the four voice types with "Pumpkin Bones." This song uses all four of the voice types! The students discussed what happened in the story of the song, identified the different voice types, then tried singing along with it. After warming up with this song, each student got a chance to sing alone to tell what their Halloween costume will be! On the topic of holiday songs, we began talking about the upcoming winter concert for kindergarten through second grade, which is scheduled on the evening of Monday, December 6th (see the Concerts page for more information). Students are already beginning to learn the songs that they will perform! We also began discussing feelings that we might have about performing in front of people. We read the book "We Will Rock Our Classmates," which is about a dinosaur who is nervous about a performance. You can watch a reading of the book below!
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5th Grade: Meter Fifth graders finished their listening activity comparing two versions of the same song this cycle (you can listen to the recordings in the last post), and they finished their unit on meter with a short quiz. They're getting really good at reading and understanding meter signs, feeling and playing meters in different ways, and identifying meters by listening to music. 4th Grade: Rhythm and Singing Fourth graders also finished a unit this cycle. After playing a review game, they did a great job on their rhythm quiz. They had just enough time to start a new unit on singing. They reviewed the interval of an octave (two pitches that are eight notes apart) and practiced singing octaves using their lower chest voices and higher head voices.
2nd Grade: Singing Second graders are kicking off their unit on singing by getting to know the body parts that are involved in singing well, including the lungs and diaphragm. Singing well requires having control over these body parts and your breathing. We all practiced using our diaphragms with some breathing exercises and a fun song called "Disco Sensation" which included disco moves and some diaphragm-moving sound effects. 1st Grade: Meter First graders reviewed all that they have been learning about meters of 2, 3, and 4 beats per measure. We connected this to reading and language by practicing meters with words of different numbers of syllables. The students played a review game and did very well on their meter quiz, identifying the meters of music they listened to, understanding the different movements that go with different meters, and showing their knowledge of how strong and weak beats are organized in different meters.
5th Grade: Meter Fifth graders began a two-part listening activity and continued learning about the meter of 6/8. For the listening activity, they listened to excerpts of two versions of the same music. One was performed by eight singers singing without any instruments (a capella). The other was performed by a marching band! In this first part of the activity, they analyzed and wrote about the mood and feeling of each piece and the dynamics (volume changes) that they heard. Check out the full recordings of both pieces below! Students also continued learning about 6/8 by collaboratively writing a composition in 6/8 meter and playing it on lummi sticks. Then they edited it to try to make it just the way they wanted!
4th Grade: Rhythm Fourth graders have continued learning about sixteenth note rhythms. Last cycle, they read and played rhythms with sixteenth notes; this time they showed a deeper understanding by improvising and composing with sixteenth notes! Each student improvised (made up on the spot) a four beat pattern that used sixteenth notes in at least one of those beats. They then wrote and played a collaborative composition using sixteenth notes, eighth notes, quarter notes, and quarter rests. 3rd Grade: Rhythm Third graders improvised in this cycle, too! They started out by reviewing the concept of ostinato (a short repeating pattern) by creating movement ostinatos. Students made up dance moves or body percussion patterns that the whole class tried repeating to create an ostinato dance with music. Then students used the rhythm ostinato that they created in the last class period as an accompaniment that the class played while individual students improvised their own four-beat rhythm patterns on rhythm sticks using quarter notes, eighth notes, and quarter rests. 2nd Grade: Meter Second graders began a new unit on meter. They reviewed meters of 2 and 4 with an emphasis on how those meters make us feel like moving in different ways. A meter of 2 often makes us feel like marching, whereas a meter of 4 is a good walking meter. They played rhythm sticks to a Sousa march in a meter of two, then learned how to conduct in a meter of 2.
Kindergarten: Voice and Rhythm Kindergartners wrapped up their unit on different voice types in this cycle. They're doing a great job of identifying and using the four voice types–whisper, talk, shout, and sing! They used their talking voices on the chant "Yes, I Can," their singing voices on "March of the Ducks," and all four voices on "Kangaroo, Kangaroo." Kindergartners also began a new unit on rhythm. We started out with the song "Kangaroo, Kangaroo," which they had learned in the previous unit. However, this time we explored different ways to keep the beat by hopping like kangaroos and notice the different rhythms in the song. As we settle into the 2021-2022 school year, it's time to revitalize our class blog to share with you all the exciting learning that is taking place in music class! Specialist classes are on a four day rotation this year. We just completed our sixth rotation for grades 1-5. Kindergarten is in the middle of the fifth rotation due to their school year starting two days later than the other grades. Here's what we were up to this week! 5th Grade: Meter Fifth graders have been delving deeper into the concept of meter. Meter is how beats are organized into groups (called measures), usually of 2, 3, or 4 beats. They've been studying meter since first grade, but in this cycle, they learned about their first meter that has more than 4 beats per measure! The meter of 6/8 has six beats per measure and an eighth note gets one beat. This is a very versatile meter that can be felt as six, two, or even one beat per measure, making it popular in a wide variety of music. The students counted and played rhythms in this meter on percussion instruments including lummi sticks, triangles, jingle taps, and maracas. 4th Grade: Rhythm Fourth graders have been expanding their knowledge of rhythms this week. We started out by reviewing a new favorite song that reviews the triplet rhythm that they learned about in the last cycle, which has three sounds in one beat. "The Triplet Song" involves call-and-response singing and students split into four parts that take turns chanting very silly nonsense words in triplet rhythms. Students then moved on to learning about another new rhythm, sixteenth notes. Sixteenth notes are four sounds in one beat. They learned to read, hear, and play this new, faster rhythm using the song, "Sixteenth Note Samba." 3rd Grade: Rhythm In this cycle, third graders reviewed what they've been learning about how to read meter signs and identify the meter of song just by listening to it, and they learned about rhythmic ostinatos. Ostinatos are short repeated patterns that are very common in music because they're an easy way to create an accompaniment to many songs. To create their own ostinato accompaniment to the fun, hip-hop style song that they had learned earlier in the unit, "Hey, Mr. Beat Boy," they collaboratively wrote a four measure rhythm using quarter notes, eighth notes, and quarter rests. After composing their rhythm, they practiced playing it. Then we tried each measure as a repeating ostinato and voted on which one was the class favorite. We used that one to accompany "Hey, Mr. Beat Boy." Some students were even able to sing along while they played the ostinato. That takes a lot of coordination! 2nd Grade: Beat Second graders finished up their unit on beat this cycle! We reviewed all that they've been been learning about beat, including strong and weak beats and how they're organized into groups. They seemed to especially enjoy the activity we did with a piece of music called "Mummy Walk." They had to walk around like mummies with their feet moving in time with the beat AND showing the difference between the strong and weak beats. They did very well on the short quiz they took to wrap up the unit! 1st Grade: Meter First graders began a new unit all about meter, or how strong and weak beats are organized into groups. They began by learning about the meter of two with a really fun song called "Stinky Pirates." They used singing, moving, playing rhythm sticks, and conducting to demonstrate the meter of two in this song. They also did a listening game to try to tell the difference between meters of two and four. I was impressed with how well they did! We finished the class by marching and conducting the meter of two in John Phillip Sousa's famous march, "Stars and Stripes Forever." Kindergarten: Voice
Kindergartners continued practicing identifying and using the four voice types: whisper, talk, shout, and sing. They're doing a great job of hearing and feeling the difference between these voices, and determining which voices are appropriate for different situations. These are very important skills in learning how to control the voice in order to use it in an expressive and musical way. They learned the lyrics to a song called, "Kangaroo, Kangaroo," then decided which voice type to use for each line and performed it with those voices. They also composed and performed a simple piece of music using whisper and shout voices (of course, we have to use a pretend shouting voice when we're in school!) with a steady beat. They also played a game they learned in the last cycle in which they have to identify as many voices as they can in 45 seconds. Some of the classes were able to set a new record of 10 voices within the time limit! These are strange times that we're all experiencing right now. Social distancing and extra efforts to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe and healthy are surely challenging all of us in different ways. For some people, this means not being able to work. One of our house leaders, Gaelynn Lea, makes her living by touring and performing all over the country. Because she is unable to do that right now, she is having a virtual concert today. I hope you will consider "attending" (and donating, if you are able!)! See Gaelynn's advertisement for this concert below for all the details.
Sunday Afternoon Online Show! Gaelynn Lea Virtual Concert March 22nd @ 2pm CDT YouTube Live Streaming Link (Tune in Here): https://youtu.be/zejaEQccg00 All-Ages Get Tickets (Donation): https://gaelynnleaonlineshow.eventbrite.com As you may have heard, I had to cancel my March tour due to Coronavirus. So instead I am hosting a "virtual tour" of two shows that are open to everyone, and powered by the donations of those who can afford to give right now. Your generous donation is a Coronavirus Counter-Attack for a musician in a tight spot! Any amount you can donate will help me to cover lost income from my March Tour Cancellation. But if that's not possible, no worries... You can still tune in at the link in this event listing. Either way, I REALLY appreciate your support! Stay safe, healthy and happy! KidSing, an annual central Minnesota children's singing festival, will be held this weekend on Saturday, January 11th at the College of Saint Benedict in Saint Joseph. It's hosted by two local children's choirs–Saint John's Boys' Choir and Cantabile Girls' Choir. This is a great opportunity to meet other young singers from the area, work with an accomplished conductor, and have fun! And this event is completely free for participants! For more information, visit http://www.sjbchoir.org/kidsing.html 12th Annual KidSing Festival
Saturday, January 11, 2020 9:30 am to 5:00 pm College of St. Benedict – Benedicta Arts Center Conductor: Jim Papoulis Cost: FREE to participate! Festival Finale Concert starts at 4:00 pm in Escher Auditorium at CSB Ticket Cost: $10 adult | $5 youth (free for children 5 and under) *All guest participants receive 1 free ticket. It's been a busy month! On December 8th, K-5 students presented their winter concerts. They did a fantastic job! After the concert, we watched the video that our superintendent, Mr. Swenson, made for us. We analyzed how we did, finding the great parts of the performances as well as the things we can work on to make the next concert even better. As we always do after concerts, we wrote thank you cards to all of those people who helped but who might not get the recognition that the performers do. It was nice to see the students think of custodians, administrators, other teachers, and collaborative musicians who helped to make their concert a success. After wrapping up the concert, we celebrated Amundson House's first quarter victory with a reward day chosen by house leader Bret Amundson. Students came to music class as their favorite musician and Amundson House members tried to guess who each student was portraying. Students dressed up as their musician, performed one of their musician's songs, or gave facts about their musician. It was interesting to get to see what music the students have been listening to! In the last few days, students have been learning about the music of the upcoming winter holidays. 5th Grade–"Cray, Cray Christmas" Students really enjoyed learning "Cray, Cray Christmas," a hip-hop style Christmas song. In addition to singing, rapping, and dancing to this music, they also played along with a fun Boomwhacker ostinato. 4th Grade–"Christmas Medley" Fourth graders sang a medley of familiar Christmas tunes while noting changes of tempo (speed) and meter (groupings of beats). Some classes had time to add instrument parts to the song. 3rd Grade–"I Have a Little Dreidel" Third graders had fun learning this catchy and popular Hanukkah song that tells about the dreidel game that's often played during that holiday. They sang the song, then added drum and glockenspiel ostinatos. 2nd Grade and 1st Grade–Holiday Celebrations Both second and first graders have been learning about the similarities and differences between three of the major winter holidays–Hanukkah, Christmas, and Kwanzaa. Although each holiday celebrates different things, they have a lot in common. All of them are happy times to celebrate with family by giving gifts, eating special food, lighting candles, decorating, and singing holiday songs. Kindergarten-Ways of Making Music and Ways of Giving Kindergarten has been learning about different styles of music and how there are many different ways to make music. We listened to and identified the styles of several recordings of "Jingle Bells" and "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer." Musicians can play the same songs in very different and interesting ways! Kindergartners also learned about the different ways of giving, which are especially important during this holiday season. We talked about five different ways of giving, including tangible gifts, time, energy, love, smiles. We watched video of the story about a holiday tree that includes several different examples of giving and listened to and sang "O Tannenbaum," a traditional German song about a Christmas tree. With the holidays fast approaching, perhaps you're looking for gifts for your elementary music student. If so, I have some ideas!
If you have a child in third grade, get a head start on the post-winter-break recorder unit by getting a recorder early! This Amazon wishlist includes Canto soprano recorders, the same kind that you can order through the school after the break. I've also included a few supplemental books. We will NOT be using these books in class, but they could be fun for ambitious students looking to learn some extra songs! For students in fourth and fifth grade, we will be starting to use ukuleles after the break. Students will be sharing instruments from our classroom set in class, but if your child would like to be able to play at home, a ukulele is an inexpensive and easy-on-the-ears instrument. Check out this Amazon wishlist if you're interested in purchasing the type of ukulele we'll be using in school. Ours are Husker green, but you can choose from a wide variety of colors. I've also included some accessories that could be useful, including a tuner, replacement strings, and a method book. We won't be using the method book in class, but students who are playing at home might want some additional music to work on!
Kindergarten: Rhythm
Kindergartners wrapped up their unit on rhythm this week, too. Rhythm is one of the foundational concepts of music. They learned about how it's related to beat using a chant and movements that help them feel both beat and rhythm with their whole body. They practiced stepping with the steady beat while clapping the rhythm of the words. It took a lot of coordination! They also learned to play rhythms and beat on classroom instruments and they moved to rhythm in a variety of music.
1st Grade: Meter First graders have been learning about meters of 2, 3, and 4 beats per measure. This week, they concluded their meter unit by listening to music of different meters and identifying which meter pieces have by listening for strong and weak beats. They did a great job on their meter quiz and are now starting a new unit on rhythm.
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