February has truly flown by! Both Kindergarten and 1st grade enjoyed learning songs about love for Valentine's Day, and about our nation for President's Day! 1st grade's favorite activity of the month was "I Hope I Get a Letter from my Valentine." This was a fun song/rhythm-guessing game. If a student got a "Valentine" with a rhythm on it, they played the rhythm on the drum, and the class had to guess which rhythm that student played!
Kindergarten's favorite activity this month was practicing for our March PTA Program, "King Springs Goes to the Farm!" Mark your calendars for March 4th and 7th! See the "Kindergarten" webpage for specific information on which night your child is performing, what they should wear, and what time they should arrive at the school! Both grades also enjoyed Block Day this month. We spent the time together learning about the science of sound and music! All sound is produced by vibrations! Where are the vibrations coming from on these classroom instruments? See our Instagram or Twitter page for a video of the kids discovering how sound is made on simple classroom percussion instruments.
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We started the year with some excited music classes in Kindergarten and First grade! Not only did we begin preparations for our PTA Performances later this semester, but we also experienced some great songs and activities to help us learn some new musical concepts. First grade is making great progress reading musical notation. We have been working on reading quarter notes, quarter rests, and eighth notes. We used the toys and things we got for Christmas to create our own rhythmic accompaniment to a song, "Lucky Lucky Lee."
Kindergarteners loved using their creativity in the song "SeeSaw!" We paired up with friends to create our very own seesaws to go with the song. We also enjoyed learning how to play instruments and sing with dynamic changes - changes in volume! We learned about piano (quiet) and forte (loud) playing through some really fun activities. December was a great month full of celebrations of all of the different holidays in this magical time of year. We learned folk dances, sang holiday songs, and talked about the traditions each of our families have to celebrate this time of year. In Kindergarten, one of our favorite activities was learning Cherkessiya, an Israeli folk dance. First grade loved working on our rhythm reading skills in our "Jingle Bells" activity. We learned a pattern of rhythms, and then played those rhythms on real jingle bells to the song. What fun!
Happy Holidays from your specials team! Wow, November was fun! We love these holiday seasons in music class. Thanksgiving celebrations included many turkey songs, including the Kinders' favorite - "Shoo Turkey!" This song was a call and response song in which every student got a turn with the solo part! What a fun improvisation activity. Other favorites were "Who took a piece of my Pumpkin Pie," "Little Jack Pumpkin face," "She'll be Coming 'Round the Mountain," "Bubble, Bubble," and "On the go!"
1st graders are developing their notation skills. As you can see in the picture above, their favorite activity was the "Popsicle Stick Rhythm Challenge." When the teacher clapped and said a rhythm, the students used the sticks to notate "ta's", "ti-ti's", and "rests." Working in partners, the students excelled at this activity! The ones who caught on the fastest were able to write the answers on the board for the class to check their work. They also loved learning American folk songs like "Yankee Doodle" and adding motions and instrument accompaniments. The other major concept we worked on was "phrases." We enjoyed activities like "Wait a Phrase," where students had to change their movement direction at the change of each phrase. And just like that, Thanksgiving is over and we are in the middle of December awaiting Christmas week to get here! Check back here to see what the quick and busy week of December included for our students. "I am so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers." - Anne of Green Gables
I think all of our students and teachers would agree with this sentiment! We absolutely loved all of our October activities and learning! Kindergarten practiced moving to the steady beat through autumn-themed songs and games like "Rake the Leaves," "With my Little Broom," and "Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater." We love singing about numbers, especially when our songs turn into games like "One Potato!" and "Ten Little Candles." We learned to play drums in unique ways we had never played them before, and we played rhythm sticks with one of our favorite songs "The Baby Mice." The first graders continued adding to their knowledge of musical notation by practicing their recognition of quarter notes, eighth notes, and quarter rests. We learned that a "phrase" is a "musical sentence" and that an introduction is "something short that happens at the beginning!" One of our favorite activities was "Engine Engine." As you can see in the picture above, there were many elements to this activity! Block class periods on Wednesdays this month were spent enjoying Halloween-themed activities and songs. Some favorites were "We are Scary Skeletons" and "The Witch has an Itch." Thanks for spending time on our blog! Check back later to see our next month's post. September was such a fun month of music class! The students are acclimated to their new school year and surroundings, and they are flourishing each and every class time!
Kindergarten enjoyed finishing our farm unit in music by doing songs and games about pigs and horses. Their favorite songs included "This Little Pig," "Hop on One Foot," "the Wild Horseman," "My Pony Macaroni," and "The Farmer and the Dell." We learned how to perform on various instruments, such as the woodblock and sandblock. We culminated their farm unit by learning a fun dance to Sandra Doynton's Barnyard Dance! board book. You can see in the picture above that we loved keeping the steady beat with our Stretchy Band! We then had fun with a "Fall" theme, doing movement activities to explore highs and lows, as well as rhythm. Our First Graders enjoyed spider themed activities to practice keeping our steady beat. We learned how to recognize and perform rests, quarter notes ("ta's"), and eighth notes ("ti-ti's"). The students enjoyed performing on xylophones, metallophones, and glockenspiels during our song and game "The Candy Store." We can't wait to enjoy Halloween themes activities during October! August was full of learning! Learning looks a little different in the music classroom than in core academic subjects. I know that people naturally respond to music; when you hear music, your body naturally moves! So, that's what we do in class. We do what is natural, and build from there.
This month was spent on creating a concept of steady beat through songs and games. At first, the students simply moved with no recognition of the beat. But, as we practiced more and more, their realization of the beat was evidenced through their movements! We have also been working on singing sol-mi melodies. These are the two pitches that come most naturally to people all around the world. So, that's where we start! We sang songs about different animals that you find on the farm in Kindergarten, and we sang monkey, clock, and spider-themed songs in 1st grade. Instruments are always fun! If we are honest, students come into music class hoping they get to play an instrument that day. We began building proper technique in Kindergarten by practicing to play a variety of simple percussion instruments. 1st graders began learning how to play xylophones and glockenspiels with proper mallet technique. Once mastered, we will add mallet accompaniments to our favorite songs! I am so proud of our kiddos this first month of music. Let's see what September brings! Here comes our first week of school! I have been excitedly planning songs and activities for when you all get here. Our music room is just full of instruments that are waiting for you to play. The walls are itching to be filled with your beautiful singing. The floor can't wait to contain your dancing feet! And I am looking forward to showing you how fun and beautiful it is to learn and enjoy music!
Soon, this blog will contain pages of pictures and words of what the students are up to in music class. Please frequently check it out so you can be a part of our experiences! Love, Mrs. Wright |
AuthorI'm Mrs. Wright, and here is what we are up to in Music Class! Archives
March 2020
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