Week of November 7

Keep reading to learn about some of the highlights from music classes this week!

This week, Kindergarteners in Ms. Tepper's classes sang a song called "Walk to School."  They discovered that music can be fast or slow, even within the same song.  They enjoyed showing fast and slow movements to "Walking Song" from Acadian Songs and Dances.  Students in Ms. Waller's class played hand drums and rhythm sticks to certain sections of a book called Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb.

First graders performed a folk dance called "Shoemaker's Dance."  This dance has three distinct sections, so students were able to describe the form of the song, as well.  They also learned about Carl Orff's "O Fortuna" from the cantata, Carmina Burana.  They really liked how dramatic this song is!

Second graders took the names of the games they rhythmically dictated from the Pieter Brueghel painting and worked in groups to choose games that added up to eight beats.  Each group then decided how they wanted the melody to sound, and wrote the tune on the staff.  Second graders also learned about Irving Berlin's "Alexander's Ragtime Band" this week.

Third graders worked on their sight-singing skills with a song called "Dide."  They also really enjoyed learning about ragtime music by listening to Scott Joplin's "The Entertainer" and reading about Irving Berlin.  They studied his song, "Alexander's Ragtime Band," and were surprised to learn that they know many of his other songs, too!

Fourth graders reviewed "B" and "A" on their recorders and learned to play "G."  They are working on keeping in mind the two most common causes for squeaking, which are that they are blowing too hard or the finger holes are not covered completely.  These two things are incredibly important to remember when playing the recorder.

Fifth graders worked on playing the notes B, A, G, high C, and high D on their recorders this week.  Their first song focuses on the difficult transition between high D and B, so that is something on which they should be focusing during their practice time at home.

 

American composer Aaron Copland was born on November 14, 1900.  Visit the Classics for Kids website to listen to and learn about Aaron Copland and his music: http://www.classicsforkids.com/composers/bio.asp?id=14