Kindergarten

We have started the year learning procedures and routines for music class. Students have been working on learning where their circle spot is, how to safely move in the classroom, lining up, and following directions (move, freeze, when to play, when to stop, taking turns, etc). We have been learning about the 4 voices: speaking, shouting, whisper, and singing voice and when it is appropriate to use each one. Students have also been working on singing their names in the song “Hickety Tickety”.

Kindergarten students can go to www.musicplayonline.com and use the following information to log in and sing some of their favorite songs from class:
Username: falling
Password: leaves

1st Grade

1st grade students have been reviewing concepts covered last year in kindergarten in addition to reviewing routines and procedures for music class. We have practiced musical opposites such as quiet/loud, high/low, and fast/slow. Students have been singing several echo songs (where the teacher sings and they sing back) and are just starting to practice question and answer songs (where the teacher sings something and they sing something different back).

1st Grade students can go to www.musicplayonline.com and use the following information to log in and sing some of their favorite songs from class:
Username: falling
Password: leaves

2nd Grade

2nd graders have spent the first months of school reviewing routines and procedures for music class in addition to concepts covered in 1st grade. We have also played unpitched percussion instruments (drums, shakers, scrapers, metals) in addition to pitched percussion (xylophones and glockenspiels). They have also learned two hello songs, Jazzy Hello, and Good Morning. To celebrate fall, students have learned the song “Apple Tree” and played a game and used instruments to accompany it. Here are the words, ask your child to sing it for you!

Apple tree, apple tree,

Will your apple fall on me?

I won’t cry, I won’t shout,

If your apple knocks me out!

Traditional Folk Song

3rd Grade

Students in 3rd grade started the year with lots of snapping, clapping, patting, and stomping! We call this body percussion in music class. They learned a piece called “Alpha Four” and were able to transfer it to unpitched percussion instruments. Ask your child if they can play it in ABACA form! Form is a word to describe how music is organized into sections. Here is a link to a slightly different version of the piece. See if you can spot the differences!

4th Grade

4th graders have been working on lots of ostinati since the beginning of the year. An ostinato is a short melodic or rhythmic pattern that repeats. We’ve practiced layering ostinati in many different ways. Ostinati are especially important in music because they are often the basis for instrumental parts. We typically learn them first by speaking them, then playing them with body percussion (snaps, claps, pats, and stomps) and then finally transfering the patterns onto instruments. Check out this short video that describes (and uses!) ostinati!

5th Grade

5th graders have started the year learning a spoken piece that includes body percussion. See if you remember it!

If you’ve come to * * sing, *
If you’ve come to * * dance, *
If you * * have come * * to
Make a little music, don’t delay!
If you’ve come to * * move,*
If you’ve come to * * play, *
Then you * * have come * * to
Where you need to be today!

Matthew McCoy

They are also working on singing in a round (see youtube video below), and will soon start working in small groups to arrange instrumental parts for a poem.