Week of February 10

Find out what your child learned this week in music by reading below!

Kindergarteners read a book called Nellie Belle.  This book is sung, and they learned the words "ascending" and "descending" to describe the pitches of the song.  They began learning to play the tune on the Orff instruments.

First graders studied woodwind instruments this week.  They did an activity with J.S. Bach's "Little Fugue in G Minor" that helped them to visualize the interactions between each new instrument that entered.  They also did an experiment to find out what impact the amount of water in a glass bottle has on the pitch that comes out.

Second graders played a game that helped them to identify the Solfege pitches in the pentatonic scale (do, re, mi, sol, and la) on the treble clef staff.  They also read a book called Bear's Loose Tooth and played unpitched percussion instruments with the story.

Third and fourth graders learned movements for their third concert piece and began singing their fourth song this week.  They are doing a nice job with their songs so far.  Students should be practicing their music at home for a few minutes each evening.  All songs are accessible under the "Concert Music" section of this blog.

Fifth graders began their playing tests for recorder this week.  Most students have earned their white belt, which is the first recorder belt they can earn.  They should be practicing their recorders for a few minutes each evening.

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

Week of February 3

Learn about what your child experienced this week in music by reading below!

Kindergarteners studied the string and percussion instrument families this week.  They especially enjoyed using iPads to compose body percussion songs.  They worked very hard this week!

First graders listened to the percussion section of Benjamin Britten's "Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra."  They enjoyed looking at a snare drum up close, and they worked on being able to identify percussion instruments by the sound and look of the instrument.

Second graders sang a song called "One Small Musician" this week.  They performed a body percussion ostinato with this piece, and played a game that focused on short body percussion improvisations.

Third and fourth graders performed movements with their second concert piece and began learning to sing their third song.  Their second piece is a medley, and one of the songs in it is from a musical called "Meet Me In St. Louis."  They enjoyed watching a short clip of Judy Garland singing their song from the movie version of the musical.

Fifth graders played their first recorder piece this week.  It is a song called "The Snake Charmer," and it is not easy!  All recorder music is available on the "Recorder Music" section of this blog.  Songs are password protected, and students were given the password in class.  If they have forgotten it, they can email me.

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

Week of January 27

Find your child's grade level below to find out what your child learned in music this week!

Kindergarteners dug in deeper to the brass and woodwind families this week.  They were able to identify features of brass and woodwind instruments and to recognize them by sound.  They especially enjoyed composing movements to flute and trumpet sections of various pieces of music.

First graders enjoyed listening to Johann Strauss Jr's "Pizzicato Polka," which features the string instruments playing pizzicato, or plucking the strings.  They also began learning about the percussion instruments.

Second graders performed their compositions about pizza this week.  They made video recordings and then self-assessed their videos.  I plan to share these videos on Seesaw, so you can see what your child has been working on recently!

Third and fourth graders learned movements for their first concert song this week and began singing their second song.  They are doing a fantastic job with their music already!  They should be practicing at home.  All recordings and lyric sheets are available under the "Concert Music" section of this blog.

Fifth graders enjoyed playing Staff Wars to review the letter names of the notes on the treble clef staff.  They also began playing their recorders.  They reviewed the fingerings for B, A, G, C', and D'.  There are a couple of students who did not have recorders in class this week.  Recorders should be kept in the music room, so they either need to bring one in, or they can purchase a new one for $3.50.

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

Week of January 21

See below to find out what your child learned in music this week!

Kindergarteners continued learning about the instrument families of the orchestra.  They played games where they identified the instrument by its looks, sound, and clues about it.  They enjoyed doing several movement activities with songs featuring the different instrument families, as well.

First graders studied Aaron Copland's "Fanfare for the Common Man," which features the brass instrument family.  They also began learning about the string instruments in the orchestra.

Second graders continued working on their pizza themed compositions this week.  Most groups are getting close to finishing their songs, so they will be polishing them and preparing for classroom performances next week.

Third graders listened to their own singing recordings this week.  I had a short conference with each student.  They graded their own recordings, we compared our ratings, and we set a goal for them to work toward.  They also began learning their first concert song.

Fourth graders concluded their recorder unit this week.  Students seemed to really enjoy this unit.  They also began learning their first concert song.

Fifth graders completed their body percussion compositions this week.  They were very excited to perform their songs for their classmates.  They did an excellent job with this activity!  Fifth graders will begin the recorder unit next week.  All students are asked to have two recorders.  One is kept at home so they can practice there, and the other is kept at school.  If your child needs to purchase a recorder, I have a few extras.  They can bring $3.50 to the music room, and I will get them a new instrument.

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

Week of January 13

Find your child's grade level below to learn about some of the highlights from their music classes this week!

Kindergarteners sang an Indonesian folk song called "Burung Kakatua" this week.  They enjoyed playing instruments with this song.  They also began learning about the instrument families of the orchestra.  The instruments they are focusing on include trumpet, violin, drum, and flute.

First graders played a singing game with a song called "Charlie Over the Ocean," which is in call and response form.  They also began learning about the brass family of instruments.  They learned that the four main brass instruments include the trumpet, French horn, trombone, and tuba.

Second graders began working in groups to compose songs about pizza.  This week is National Pizza Week, so they are working in teams to create their own pizza theme songs.  They will be playing these songs on the Orff instruments.

Third graders made recordings of themselves singing "Dance for the Nations" individually.  They will listen to their recordings next week and set singing goals to work towards while they are learning their concert music in the upcoming months.

Fourth graders in Mr. Bogie's class concluded their recorder unit this week.  Students in Ms. Hoffman's class will have their last class focused on recorder next Wednesday.  Fourth graders have worked hard during this unit.  A few students have earned their black belts, and many have worked all the way up to their blue belts.

Fifth graders worked in groups to compose body percussion songs.  They started with a basic outline and then achieved various levels in their compositions.  Some groups composed words, some added their own movements, some altered the form of the piece, and some composed instrument parts.  They will perform their songs for their classmates next week.

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