Music Notes: End of January 2015

Music Notes

End of January 2015

Happy New Year, everyone!

As always, I invite you to check out our music classroom blog at:

http://lannoyemusic.blogspot.com

It was great to see so many of our students’ families at our holiday musical performance last month! The Lannoye penguins put on a great couple of shows.

Now that our performance is over, we’re delving back into other curricular materials in the music room.

This month the kindergarteners have been practicing their echo songs, including “Purple Light,” “No More Pie,” and “Charlie Over the Ocean.” The students have been focusing on using their singing voices and echoing pitches accurately. They’ve also begun leading the echoes for the game with “Charlie Over the Ocean.” (Ask your kindergartener to teach you the song.) In addition to singing, the kindergarteners have continued to show the steady beat using body percussion, as well as pointing to beat symbols in a left-to-right pattern (preparing for future music reading skills). Finally, they have reviewed fast/slow, loud/soft, and high/low using actions and listening skills.

The 1^st graders have been reviewing their ta and ti-ti (quarter note and two 8^th notes) rhythm knowledge, and recently added rest (quarter rest). They’ve been clapping, speaking, reading, and writing these three rhythms. They’ve also been singing in large groups and small groups, focusing on using their singing voices and matching pitches.

The 2^nd graders also added to their rhythm knowledge – they continued practicing their 1^st grade rhythms, reviewed half note and half rest, and learned whole note. “The Water is Wide” is the main whole note song they’ve been singing. They’ve been clapping, speaking, reading, and writing their rhythms. Last month, they learned about The Nutcracker and its composer, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, before taking a field trip to the Meyer Theatre to see highlights from the second act of the ballet. Check out the music blog for videos of the Act II dances, as well as Olympic ice dancing videos to which the students drew connections.

The 3^rd graders have continued practicing their body percussion rounds and canons, and they’ve begun to take turns leading their classes. They began taking their knowledge and body percussion experience and applying it to songs. They’ve played rhythm football, practicing tiri-tiri (four 16^th notes) and ti-tiri (one 8^th note followed by two 16^th notes). Most recently, they read Tikki Tikki Tembo and will start to determine how to notate the rhythm of his name.

The 4^th and 5^th graders have been learning/reviewing their treble clef literacy skills. We’ve practiced using rhymes and acronyms to remember the lines (EGBDF) and spaces (FACE), always building from the bottom to the top. The students worked together to create their own acronyms. Currently, they are playing SMART Board games, doing written practice, and taking timed tests to improve their accuracy and speed. This helps the students build their treble clef literacy for recorder playing. When we start our recorder unit, they can focus on learning recorder fingerings while applying previous music reading knowledge. For at-home practice links and apps, please check the music blog.

The 5^th graders have also been learning about the program for the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra concert they will be attending on Tuesday, February 3. They’ve learned about several composers and the pieces they’ll be hearing at the concert, including Aaron Copland (Lincoln Portrait and “Hoe-Down” from Rodeo), Scott Joplin (Treemonisha Overture), George Gershwin (excerpts from An American in Paris), and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Oboe Concerto in C major, movement 1). They’ve also brushed up on singing “The Star-Spangled Banner” and “Yankee Doodle.” It’s been a whirlwind of a month, but they’ve been doing great! After the MSO portion of their field trip, they will eat lunch at Discovery World and then explore the exhibits. We’re all very excited for this trip!

Earning DRUM cards outside of class: If students are able to attend any performances outside of the school day, I ask that they bring in a program with their name on it and tell me (or write on the program) something about it (something new they learned, their favorite part of it, etc.).

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me!

Ms. Corinne Galligan
(920) 822-0433
cmgalligan@pulaskischools.org
lannoyemusic.blogspot.com