It's been so long since my last post!
January has been a busy month. During our first week back, we had a guest from Ohio State, Mr. Brinker, who plays in the OSU Marching Band and is studying to be a music educator. He did a wonderful job helping out our students and taking in a lot of information about elementary music! He taught one of our first grade classes a new song ("Billy Sad") and they loved it!
January is such a big month for learning!
Our kindergarteners just learned about steady beat last week. We discussed that every song has a heartbeat ( just like every person) and the beat keeps going for the whole song (just like your heartbeat keeps going for your whole life)! We will keep talking about the beat and using it with our drumming unit which we will start soon!
First grade students are working on 'high' and 'low' patterns and on practicing ta and ti-ti rhythm patterns. Today, we worked on making patterns using popsicle sticks. They are doing a great job recognizing 'high' and 'low' and reading and writing with ta and ti-ti.
Second grade students have been learning a "new" note (which they are itching to call its real name!) and practicing half note. Recently, they have worked in small groups to put rhythm cards in the correct order to make a specific song. They've also used individual solfa pointing charts to practice pointing or 'texting' a melody as they echo it. (See the photo below!)
Third grade Park Sharks have worked recently on a song we're calling "Captain, Don't Sidetrack Your Train" (a,k.a. "Chickahanka"). They learned to sing one part on solfa and then transferred it to barred instruments. They also played hand drums with a new technique to imitate the sound of a train. In the recordings below, you will hear them sing and play, then 'think' and play and then sing and play again at the end. I'm planning to record Mrs. Smith's class tomorrow to get them on here, too!
Mrs. Krasnodemski's Class- Captain, Don't Sidetrack Your Train
Ms. Good's Class- Captain, Don't Sidetrack Your Train
Fourth graders are testing for their French Song recorder quiz this week. I continue to emphasize that students will feel more confident on their quizzes if they practice at home before. We are working on learning responsibility with the recorders, so I am no longer allowing students to borrow a class recorder if they forget. If a student has lost his/her recorder or recorder book, please have them come talk to me! I have extra of both. Books are free and recorders are just $3.
Mrs. Shannon's fifth grade class did an awesome job singing two French songs today. (See the links below!) I was so impressed with how they handled the language and stayed on their parts. They also started learning how to self-assess their singing. When they listened to the first recording of "I Hear the Millwheel", they said they didn't like it. We talked about what, specifically, they wanted to improve and then did a 'take 2' version! By the end, they were very pleased with their recording of Frere Jacques. :)
Mrs. Shannon's Class- Frere Jacques
Mrs. Shannon's Class- I Hear the Millwheel
Lastly, sixth grade students are working on independently improving their keyboard skills. We covered some basics together and now they are getting a chance to work on their own with the keyboards in the music room. I like getting the chance to help them one-on-one and to see them reaching and exceeding their keyboard goals. Mrs. Taylor's class today was extremely focused on improving. They definitely are coming at this unit with a growth mindset!
Phew! That's a lot of info! But our students are making a lot of music! Stay tuned for some exciting news for February and March (including special guests, new instruments and introducing our 5th and 6th grade musical revue)!
