Oh my, so much has taken place in the music room this week that I don’t know where to start
KINDERGARTEN – I’ve already had a few parents email me to ask about the game we played in Kindergarten this week. The name of the song/game is called “Juba” and it’s lyrics are below
Juba this and Juba that
Juba bought a yellow cat
Juba up and Juba down
Juba running all around.
1st GRADE – We performed the song “Rain Rain Go Away” on Orff instruments. Later, we learned and performed the Appalachian Folk Dance for the song “Leila.” At the end of class we looked at a map of the Appalachian Mountains and talked about the history of the folk song and the first settlers in those mountains over 100 years ago.
2nd GRADE – the 2nd grade musical “Go Fish” is getting closer by the day and I’m super excited! Here is a clip of the “Shark Rap” performed by Mrs. Craig’s class. The performance is on Oct. 13 at 6pm if you want to hear the rest!
3rd GRADE – Ear training in music can mean many things. This week we learned how you can train your ears to pick out one sound / instrument among many. We practice this skill through a follow the leader game called “I Lost My Partner.” In the game, one student closes his/her eyes while a partner carefully guides him/her around the room by playing an instrument. Check out Mrs. Callahan’s class below
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4th GRADE – This week the word was “dynamics” – the louds and softs in music. We learned about pianissimo (pp) and fortissimo (ff). Students used these in the B-section of the song “Dr. Bell” which also made use of orff instruments and a handgame. In true orff fashion every student learned every part before putting it all together. See Mrs. White and Mrs. Barton’s students below!
5th GRADE – Improvising means making up music as you go. We learned the song “Rondo For Instruments” which involves reading and performing music from a 3-part score and adding contrasting sections where students get to improvise their own music on instruments.
CHORUS FUN! – Each week, during chorus rehearsals, I try to work in some fun transition activities between songs. This gives students a “brain break” and makes the whole experience fun for them. Here is a short video of the “Boom Chika Boom” transition I like to use. I picked these up from a training session two years ago and they have become a lot of fun 🙂