Week of February 27

If you have a child in 1st and 2nd Grade, you should have received a Spring Sing information sheet in the past week.  If you did not receive it, you may access it here: 1st-2nd Spring Sing Info or under the "Important Dates" section of the blog.

This week, Kindergarteners in Ms. Waller's class sang a song called "Lemonade" to reinforce the difference between rhythm and steady beat.  They played a singing game with this song, too.  Students in Ms. Tepper's classes learned about eighth notes this week!  They learned that eighth notes get two sounds on a beat.  They really enjoyed figuring out the rhythm for "Closet Key," the song they learned last week, on the Promethean Board.

First and Second graders had their rehearsals with their entire grade levels this week.  All three first grade classes had music together, and all three second classes had music together.  It was very exciting for them to see how their Spring Sing music looked and sounded with so many more students in the room!  Monday will be their assembly for the school in the Wayne Thomas gym, and Thursday evening is their concert at Elm Place.  The assembly is for Wayne Thomas students, staff, and those parents who are unable to attend Thursday's concert.

Third and fourth graders started learning their fifth Spring Sing song this week.  This song is a ballad, so they analyzed why the composers might have decided that a ballad was appropriate at this particular point in the story.  Students will be using flashlights in this song, so they should begin bringing in flashlights.  The flashlights should be somewhat small so that they can fit in the students' pockets during the rest of the performance.  They may also be the kind that have the straps to wear around their necks if that is comfortable for them.  When they bring the flashlights to school, they should be labeled with the students' first and last names and classes (masking tape is fine).

Fifth graders learned a Beatles song this week!  They have been looking forward to this song for quite a while.  They learned about the British Invasion and watched a clip of the song from the 1968 film Yellow Submarine, which was based on the music of the Beatles.

 

Music Fact of the Week

Did you know that "The Star-Spangled Banner" was declared our national anthem on March 3, 1931?  Take a look at Patricia Pingry's book, The Story of "The Star-Spangled Banner":  http://www.amazon.com/Story-Star-Spangled-Banner/dp/0824965671  or learn more about "The Star-Spangled Banner" here:  http://americanhistory.si.edu/starspangledbanner/the-lyrics.aspx