Week of April 2

Students were excited and tired when they came back to Wayne Thomas this week after Spring Break!  Read on to find out about a few of the things they learned in music this week.

This past week, Kindergarteners discovered that "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" has the same tune as the "ABCs" and "Ba Ba Black Sheep."  They listened to a story called The Star Story to reinforce high and low sounds, and then they did a creative movement activity with a song called "Star and Starfish."  They also looked at several instruments and predicted which ones would sound higher or lower based on the sizes of the instruments.

First graders reviewed the instruments in the brass family and then began learning about the instruments in the string family this week.  They were surprised to discover that there are so many string instruments!  Some of the string instruments are not typically found in a symphony orchestra, but they still belong to the string family.  Examples of these would include the banjo, ukulele, and guitar.

Second graders worked on their sight-reading skills this week.  They also learned a song called "Miss Sue."  This song helped them differentiate between the macrobeat and the microbeat.  They began learning a game to play with this song, and they will continue this game next week.

Third and fourth graders were very excited to learn their parts for the Spring Sing this week!  They also found out their spots on the risers, which they were looking forward to, as well.  Third and fourth grade students should be practicing their concert pieces at home to ensure that they have the basics of the songs learned, as we will now be adding many parts on top of the songs, so it is important that they have the songs learned well!  Some students still need to bring in their flashlights to use in one of the songs.  The flashlights should be small enough that they can fit in the students' pockets for the entire show, or they may have straps or clips that would allow the lights to be worn.

Fifth graders began recess rehearsals this week.  The students who came in to practice during recess did an excellent job!  Fifth graders should be practicing their songs at home to make sure that they know all of their words, movements, and instrument parts!  Many instrument parts are being added, so it is important that the basic aspects of the songs are learned well.

 

Music Fact of the Week

April is Jazz Appreciation Month!  Celebrate one of the most influential American art forms by listening to as much jazz music as you can this month.  Some jazz favorites include Dave Brubreck, Wynton Marsalis, Ella Fitzgerald, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, and Dianna Krall - to name a few!  Each week in April, I will be recommending a jazz website.  The first one has lots of information about Jazz Appreciation Month and lots of listening samples.  Visit  http://smithsonianjazz.org/  to learn more.