Music

Grades 3-6 have been working on reading music through playing recorder.  Grades 3-4 have just begun to learn how to read the notes B, A, and G.  The next 4 songs reinforce the reading of these notes.  Next week, we will add E and D.

Grades 5 & 6 Students have been using recorder, xylophones and voice to learn the song Hineh Ma Tov.  Last week we worked on learning the various xylophone parts.  Last Thursday we began learning the recorder part.  This week we are working on putting all the different parts together.

Happy New Year in the Music Room

Grades 1 & 2 students will be learning about musical expression and articulation this month.  Through a variety of poems, chants and songs, they will explore how to create sounds using body percussion, and different instruments to represent the words and ideas.  They have learned the terms "staccato" and "legato," and will develop some vocabulary words that help describe these terms.  To start their exploration of his concept, we are learning a poem called, "Jump or Jiggle."  It talks about what the different ways that animals move.  We have used movement and pictures to express our understandings.  Next we develop a list of vocabulary words that describe the ways these animals move and try to match it to an appropriate instrument.



Grades 3 & 4 students will be learning how to read the notes of the staff. What better way to learn how to read music is to also play music.  We have just started using our recorders and are learning how to make good sounds.  We have learned the fingering for B, A, and G, and have just started to play them.  The recorder is a very delicate instrument that requires gentle blowing to create a good sound.  Students practiced blowing on a feather using a "d" or "t" sound (tonguing) so that it barely moved.  They have brought their feathers home so that they can continue to practice their blowing and tonguing.  If your child has a recorder at home, please have them bring it to school.  They can choose to keep it at school or bring it back and forth every day.  We do have a class set of recorders that students can use, but if you wish to purchase one that is their own, please send $5.51 to the office or to me and we will make sure that your child gets their own recorder.

   

Students in grades 5 & 6 will be reviewing the notes of the treble clef staff.  We are learning a Hebrew song entitled "Hineh Ma Tov."  Through this song, students have learned about  the 6/8 time signature and are practicing how to read and play the various rhythm patterns associated with this time signature.  We will also learn how to play this song on the recorder, and will then add xylophones and other percussion instruments to accompany this melody.