Week of January 14

Don't forget to mark the Spring Sing dates on your calendars!  They were sent out earlier in the school year, but they can always be found under the "Important Dates" tab on the left of your screen.  Keep reading to learn about some of the highlights from your child's music class this past week!

Kindergarteners continued working with forte and piano sounds this week as they read a story called So-me in Space.  This story also taught them their first two musical symbols, which are the quarter note and the quarter rest.  They learned that a quarter note gets one beat of sound, and a quarter rest gets one beat of silence.  They also sang and did movements to a song called "Tap Your Shoulders."

First graders continued their study of the instrument families of the orchestra this week.  They have now learned about the brass, string, and percussion families.  They are becoming very good at identifying the instruments visually, but they are still working on identifying them by sound.  They have loved watching a couple of short video clips to see how particular instruments are actually made!

Second graders worked on a song in honor of National Pizza Week called "Pizza for All."  They added body percussion to this spoken song and then performed it in a canon.  They then created a soundscape with the piece using percussion instruments.  Finally, working in groups, they rolled dice to determine which pitches they were going to be using and then created group songs using these pitches.  They performed their final compositions for their classmates.

Third graders were recorded singing "Dance for the Nations" this week for a singing assessment.  They then began the process of listening to their recordings, self-assessing their performances, conferencing with Mrs. Crutchfield, and setting goals to work toward before their next recorded singing assessments.  Many students have said that they were pleased that they improved so much since the last recording, but others have said they still feel they have some work to do.  Listening to the recordings gives students the rare opportunity to hear what they sound like from someone else's perspective, so it is a great learning opportunity!

Fourth graders will finish recorder testing during class time this coming week in class.  Last week, many fourth grade students took advantage of the opportunity to sign up for a time to test during recess time.  That option is still available to those students who are interested this week and next week.  The fourth graders have been doing a great job of utilizing the "Recorder Music" section of this blog when they are at home to practice.  There is a link to a site that has additional music if students would like even more practice!

Fifth graders began the first song for their Spring Sing this week.  Remember, the 5th Grade performance is on Wednesday, April 17 at 7pm at Wayne Thomas!  The students will perform in an assembly for the Wayne Thomas students and staff on Monday, April 15 during the school day.  The students really seem to enjoy their first song and have been singing it all over the school throughout the day!  So far, they are doing a fantastic job!

 

Music Fact of the Week

Consider having a Family Karaoke Night!  Many cable networks have a karaoke channel, or go to http://www.thekaraokechannel.com/online#  This would be a great way to bring music that you and your kids can both enjoy into your home and have a some fun in the process!