Week of December 31

I hope you all had a fantastic time of fun and relaxation with your families over the winter break.  Now that school is about to begin again, keep reading to reflect upon what your students learned in music before the break.  Remember that the dates for the 1st through 5th Grade Spring Sings can always be found under the "Important Dates" section of the blog in case you need them again.  As always, please feel free to contact me if you ever have any questions about your child's progress in music class!

Kindergarteners played a singing game with a song called "I Have Lost My Jingle Bell."  They needed to use their best listening skills in this game.  They also did a movement activity with a song called "Potpourri."

First graders continued their study of call and response form.  They played a singing game called "Charlie Over the Ocean" to reinforce call and response.  They also sang a song called "Ding Dong Bells," with which they played resonator bells and tone chimes.  They focused on simple improvisation on Orff instruments using a song called "Winter is Here."

Second graders completed their self-assessments of their "Rocky Mountain" recordings this week.  Each student had a one-on-one conference with me, in which we set a goal for them to work towards.  While individual conferences were taking place, the rest of the class worked on rhythmic dictation activities and movement composition activities in groups.  At the end of the week, the students did a composition study of Prokofiev's "Troika."

Third graders learned two partner songs this week.  They reviewed what partner song form means and discovered that partner songs are not always composed at the same time.  Like this pair of songs, one may have been written long before the other.  They learned a song called "Snow, Beautiful Snow," which nobody knew previously.  Then they learned the partner song that it was written to be performed with: "Over the River and Through the Woods."  Some of the students were familiar with this song, so it was easier for them to learn.  They performed the partner songs individually and at the same time.

Fourth and fifth graders continued working on the recorder unit.  Most fourth graders are now working on their fourth recorder song.  Most fifth graders are currently working on their third recorder song.  Some students in both fourth and fifth grades are working incredibly hard and have soared way ahead.  Some find this unit a bit more difficult and require a little extra help.  Students are able to work at their own pace and receive extra assistance as needed.

 

Music Fact of the Week

     December 27 was National Fruitcake Day.  (January 3 was Fruitcake Toss Day!)  How many songs can you think of that have the word "fruitcake" in them?  Leave a comment with the name of a song if you can think of one!