Happy New Year!
November and December came to a close with some EXCEPTIONAL music concerts at MLE, I could not be prouder of my students. Their hard work, dedication, and musicianship always shines so brightly when they hit the stage each Christmas Season.
Now that concert season is all wrapped up, the music rooms returns to curriculum and concept building.
While I love the opportunity to share our students successes through performance, getting back to musical concepts is always a great joy for me as a music educator!
KINDERGARTEN:
What we have learned so far:
- 4 Voices: Speaking, Singing, Whisper, and Calling
- Steady Beat
- Fast versus Slow
- Loud versus Quiet
What we will be learning in the next month:
- High versus Low
Kindergarten is working hard on listen to music and discovering if pitches are "Same" or "Different". Later we will label these "different pitches" as either High or Low.
Songs that have been helping up learn our "Different pitches":
- My Little Rooster
- Black Horn
- Sarasponda
- Wind Blow East
- Old King Glory on the Mountain
Each of these songs contains a "Big Leap" between notes and is easier for little ears to tell that they are different. As we hear more and more "Big Leaps", we will start hearing songs that have smaller leaps that will challenge our ears and help us to really understand the difference between High and Low
I will be posting a video soon of an Incredible Instrument Exploration activity we completed with xylophones and drums.
Please stay tuned for a full description and pictures of this exciting activity!
1ST GRADE:
What we have learned so far:
- Quarter Notes
- Paired Eighth Notes
- Quarter Rest
What we will be learning in the next month:
- So and Mi
1st grade is working hard and dissecting our songs and finding the "High" and "Low" pitches in each song. We have been using our heads and shoulders to show when we hear each pitch. High pitches are placed on our heads, low pitches are placed on our shoulders.
This is all in preparation for presenting the new musical terms "so" and "mi", which are the proper solfedge names for "high" and "low".
Songs that have been helping us learn our "High" and "Low" pitches:
- Star Light, Starbright
- Sea Saw
- Good Night
- Some Love Coffee
Each of these songs contain the pitches "so" and "mi" in various patterns. Students have been listening, reading, and writing using picture icons to place "high" and "low" in the proper order for each song.
Here is an example that you can have your students read at home!
In the following week, we will be labeling "high" and "low" with their proper "so" and "mi" names and learning their hand signs! Stay tuned for a audio and video clip of students sight reading using their new solfedge!
2ND GRADE:
What we have learned so far:
- Ostinato
- Repeat Sign
- "la"
- Half Note
What we will be learning in the next month:
- 16th Notes
2nd Grade has been working hard on their rhythm flashcards. We far we can count and clap quarter notes, eighth notes, quarter rests, half notes, and soon we will be adding to that list!
Currently, we are discovering our new rhythm that contains 4 sounds on a beat. We have been labeling it with 4 dots on our rhythm heart beats and counting is as "short, short, short, short".
Songs that have been helping us with "Short, Short, Short, Short":
- Alligator Chant
- Chicken on a Fencepost
- Little Swallow
- Chattanooga Choo-Choo
Students can read and speak our prep symbols for 16ths notes. Below is an example of what our prep flashcards look like on the SMARTboard each day:
Challenge your student to read the above rhythm! My guess is they breeze right through it and beg for a "HARDER RHTYHM!" like they do in class each day!
In the following week, we will be learning the musical name for "Short, Short, Short, Short" and learn what they symbol looks like in written music.
Stay tuned as I plan to post a video of a riveting game of "Ka-Boom!" that will be new to the 2nd grade student that they are sure to enjoy!
3RD GRADE:
What we have learned so far:
- ti ta ti (Syncopation)
- "do"
- "re"
- "mi"
What we will be learning in the next month:
- eighth note, double sixteen
- "so"
- "la"
3rd grade is such an exciting time in music class. Students are so well rounded in music already and are truly starting to dig into complex musical content.
Students have been working hard on discovering our new "long, short short" rhythm in our songs and chants.
We are getting very fluent at reading our prep rhythm symbol, which looks like this: "_ . ."
Students have been reading, writing, and listening for this prep symbol in music class each day.
Here is an example of the symbol in one of our songs:
Students will be learning the counting syllables for our "long, short short" note in the next week! Students will also learn what two notes we already now that combine to build this 3 sound beat!
Stay tuned for pictures and videos of 3rd graders using foam cards to dictate, compose, and improvise 4 beat rhythms using our new rhythm!
Well, that about wraps up what we have been working on in the Primary Music Classroom!
It is a true joy to get back to teaching these exciting new concepts and it is an even greater joy to hear students exclaim, "A NEW NOTE!" What is it?! When can we learn it's name!" upon discovery that we have a new concept in our songs.
I am truly blessed to work at Maple Lake where students are so thirsty for knowledge and eager to learn more!
I hope that the new year has treated you and your family well so far!
Come back and visit soon!
Musically Yours,
Abby Hoselton
