Week of February 29

Find out about some of the highlights from your child's music class by reading below!

Kindergarteners performed rhythms using quarter notes, quarter rests, and eighth notes on the hand drums.  They were also very excited to perform "Wee Willie Winkie" on the Orff instruments.

First graders completed a worksheet that helped them review the instrument families and the instruments that played the characters' theme songs in "Peter and the Wolf."  They also began learning a new folk dance.

Second graders read a book called Bear's Loose Tooth.  They used this story to do rhythmic and melodic dictation activities using quarter notes, quarter rests, half notes, and whole notes.  They figured out that the tune in the book used do, mi, and sol Solfege pitches.  They performed this story on Orff instruments and unpitched percussion instruments.

Third and fourth graders are doing a nice job with their Spring Sing music so far.  They learned to sing and perform the movements for their fifth song, which is called "Grandma's Pretty Good Chicken Pot Pie."  They should be thinking about what parts they would like to have in the concert because they will be choosing their parts soon!

Fifth graders did a much better job with their recorder music this week!  Most students came to class prepared to test, and they did a great job!

1st-5th graders watched a short video this week that features a "Marble Machine" that uses various instruments and marbles to play music.  They LOVED this!  It is a great example of how skills developed in STEM (or STEAM, which is what most districts call it: Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) can be used to create music!  Take a look at the video for yourself:

Wintergatan Marble Machine

As always, please free to contact me with any questions or concerns: ecrutchfield@nssd112.org