Month: November 2019

Kindergarten: This week, the kindergarten music students are practicing singing high and low sounds in Old King Glory, and are starting to learn their song  An Angel Came From Heaven that they will be singing at the Christmas Program in December. To help the younger child learn the all-school songs, it will be very beneficial for them to listen to Joy to the World, O Come O Come Emmanuel, O Come All Ye Faithful and Let There Be Peace on Earth at home so they become more familiar with the melodies.

1st Grade: This week, first grade students are practicing quarter note and eight note patterns with rhythm sticks. They are also learning the song Go Tell It On A Mountain that they will be singing for the Christmas Program in December. To help the younger child learn the all-school songs, it will be very beneficial for them to listen to Joy to the World, O Come O Come Emmanuel, O Come All Ye Faithful and Let There Be Peace on Earth at home so they become more familiar with the melodies.

2nd Grade: This week, second grade students will perform a song for Grandparents Day called Grandma and Grandpa that they have worked hard at the past two weeks to memorize and get performance ready.

3rd Grade: This week, third grade students will practice sixteenth note rhythms and learn the action song Long Legged Sailor. They will also practice their class song Hark the Herald Angels Sing in preparation for the Christmas Program. 

4th Grade: This week, fourth grade students will be practicing their new learned rhythm (“ta-tika” and “tika-ta”, the eighth note with two sixteenth notes rhythm) and doing play-along rhythm reading practice. They will also be working on their song People Look East for the Christmas Program. 

Orchestra: This week orchestra students are working on putting together the first 25 measures of The First Christmas March which they will be playing at the Christmas Program. They are working through challenges of playing different rhythms at the same time with other instrumental sections, and working on how to create a beautiful tone on their instrument. As we won’t have class again till after Thanksgiving Break, it’s important for each member of the orchestra to keep practicing next week to keep our momentum going. We are a team, and every part matters!
Homework: Working on keeping a straight bow and beautiful tone while playing (no scratchy sounds!) and putting left hand fingers down on TOP of the tape to cover it. There will be a playing test on measures 25-40 on Thursday, November 5th.

Kindergarten: This week, kindergarten students are exploring the musical concepts of fast and slow. They are singing songs, participating in creative movement, and listening to music that helps them grasp these concepts.

1st Grade: Since there was no school on Monday, 1st grade students will only have one music class this week. They are going to begin their preparation for the Christmas Program with their class song, Go Tell It On a Mountain.

2nd Grade: This week, students are learning a special song that they will be presenting at Grandparents Day. They are also reviewing la sol and mi melody patterns with the song Doggie Doggie, and starting preparation for the much awaited Christmas Program.

3rd Grade: Since there was no school on Monday, 3rd grade students will only have one music class this week. They are going to begin their preparation for the Christmas Program with their class song, Hark the Herald Angels Sing.

4th Grade: This week, students are practicing ensemble playing with the song Land of the Silver Birch, and naming a new rhythm, “ti-tika” – the uneven eighth note with two sixteenth note pattern. They are also going to begin their preparation for the Christmas Program with their class song, People Look East.

Orchestra: This week, students will learn and label notes on the staff for the D string. They will also begin working on their Christmas Program music. The music will be a challenge, and at-home practice will be essential for the success of the group in time for the performance.
Homework: Measures 1-16 in Christmas March and listening to the Christmas March recording. Audio recording for Christmas March can be found here:

It is a shortened school week, so most grades will have only one music class. Kindergarten will get the usual two classes, and there will be no Orchestra this week. 

Kindergarten: This week, students are singing the song and finger play Tommy Thumb. Finger plays like this song can help develop finger dexterity essential to learning good printing skills or learning to play a music instrument such as piano and guitar. They are also discussing hibernating bears, with the help of the songs I Can’t Wait to Hibernate and Grumpy Grizzly. We are also using Grumpy Grizzly to explore singing at different dynamics.

1st Grade: This week, 1st grade students are listening to and singing the song Just One Candle to discuss Veteran’s Day, mood, and concert etiquette. They are also singing and moving to Thread and Needle and experiencing the 6/8 time signature.

2nd Grade: This week, students are singing sol la mi patterns as a solo and being assessed on their pitch matching. They will be singing Grand Old Duke to review tempos, Starlight to sight read a mi-sol melody, and This Way That Way to label AB form and add creative improvised movement to music.

3rd Grade: This week, students are being assessed on their ability to read quarter note and eighth note patterns. They are learning Three Blind Mice, in preparation to sing it in a round next week. They are also learning the circle dance and song Old Brass Wagon, and reviewing the difference between beat and rhythm.

4th Grade: This week, students are learning a new solfege note called Fa in Cut the Cake. They will also be introduced to the new composer of the month, Ludwig van Beethoven and learn some facts about his life and about his most famous musical compositions.

Orchestra (5th & 6th Grade): No Orchestra this week due to Veteran’s Prayer Service on Thursday, and conferences on Friday. Students should practice at home all of the material we have worked on in class so far and be prepared next week.

Kindergarten: This week, students are singing the song Alphabet Action to learn the letters of the alphabet and create movement for each letter to help them remember the letter. They are also showing high and low sounds in a song and tracking the beat in Pumpkin Fat.

1st Grade: This week, 1st graders are learning the cumulative call-response Spanish song Juanito to learn the parts of the body in Spanish, and move creatively to the beat of the song. They are also learning the song Bats and Cats and preparing an ostinato part that will be played on xylophone accompaniment.

2nd Grade: Second graders only got one music class this week due to a field trip. This week, students are creating an answer in rondo form with the chant Pumpkin Stew. They are discussing form, and what makes a rondo. Then, they are playing the game and signing Old Mother Witch to practice mi and sol pitches.

3rd Grade: This week, 3rd grade students are reciting a poem using different musical dynamics, playing percussion instruments to Hobgoblin by Robert Schumann, and learning the song Old Woman Skin and Bones.

4th Grade: This week, 4th graders are being assessed on their ability to read and perform syncopated rhythms. They are also making more advanced stick motions with Ma Ku Ay to solidify their knowledge of the 3/4 time signature, and adding dance motions to the song Syncocopation.

Orchestra (5th & 6th Grade): This week, orchestra students are learning the ascending and descending D major scale. They are learning their open strings on a music staff, and beginning some note reading on their instruments with the song Ragtime Fiddles. They are also learning Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and practicing string crossings from the A to D string.
Practice Homework: A and D pitch ladder (scale), Mississippi Reel (both parts), Hot Cross Buns and Mary Had a Little Lamb, Twinkle Twinkle, Ragtime Fiddles.