Week of May 7

See below for information about what your child learned in music this week.

Kindergarteners continued their work with Up, Down, and Around.  They performed the entire story using the Orff instruments, and they performed movements with ribbons to show the "growing up" and "growing down" sections of the book.

First graders worked in groups to begin composing theme songs for the different characters in The Little Red Hen.  Some students are writing theme songs for the gossipy goose, some are composing for the lazy dog, and some are composing for the vain cat.  They worked together to determine a phrase that the character would say, and they figured out what types of notes they would use to write the rhythm.  They then began trying different melodies on the Orff instruments to determine what tune they want to use.  They will continue their work with this next week.

Second graders performed Orff instrument parts with Ping Pong Pig this week.  They did a nice job with all of the activities related to this book.  They also began learning about the life and music of George Frideric Handel.

Third graders learned the names of the African drums and began learning the proper technique to play each one.  They are very excited to begin the African drumming unit!

Fourth graders did some echo and question & answer activities using the African drums.  They especially enjoy playing the drums with question & answer phrases.

Fifth graders played the ukuleles in music this week.  Most students have successfully played and sung four songs.  Some have worked exceptionally hard and have done up to nine songs!

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