3rd Grade Sound Investigation & Performance: The Little Yellow Leaf

This week during the WTCS radio show, 3rd graders shared 2 performances of "The Little Yellow Leaf" by Carin Berger. But their retelling of the story involved much more than mere words. 









Each class created their own musical interpretation of the book by using percussion instruments to tell the story through words AND sound! 

Instruments that were used included xylophones, drums, different kinds of shakers, and even a slide whistle! 







The story of one lonely leaf's hesitation to leave a tree translates to all of us with a message about friendship and conquering fears, and both 3rd grade class interpretations of the story were performed beautifully through cooperation and active listening. Check out the pictures of student performers in action, and click HERE for a link to author Carin Berger's website to find out more about this story and others.

Cultural Arts: Peking Opera

Today we had a special guest artist visit The Country School. Jamie Guan, a trained performer & choreographer who specializes in the Chinese tradition of Peking Opera, brought a presentation to the entire TCS community. Students were shown a short performance video, then watched as Guan transformed himself from a man into a monkey with expertly applied make-up. 

He then performed scenes from "The Monkey King" with the help of another performer who is currently training with Guan. The two men demonstrated beautiful and acrobatic choreography, complete with flags, swords, and spears (all weapons were props), and they also shared the ancient story through facial expression, language, and music. 

After taking some questions from the audience, Guan invited several students up on stage to try out some basic choreography using the different props. It was definitely a highlight for students to watch as their peers attempted to twirl flags and catch spears! 

Click HERE to read more about Jamie Guan, and a huge thank you to Nancy Tong, Pam Sachs, and the Cultural Arts Committee for inviting and bringing Jamie Guan and the Peking Opera tradition to TCS!

What's Up in Chorus in Grades 4 through 8?

Now that the first few weeks of school are behind us, I'm thrilled to share what's been going on in my chorus classes...read below for all the latest details:

4th & 5th grade Chorus
The students in this choral group have set some goals for the year, and they are as follows:

1) Sing at least 2 songs at the Winter and Spring Concerts
2) Share your voice
3) Take musical risks
4) Have fun!

These goals will help the chorus work together, listen to each other, and become a solid vocal group of singers. I have already seen and heard students encouraging one another to take musical risks during rehearsals by asking important questions, and we are currently working on learning some vocal warm-ups that will help us strengthen our voices and our ability to sing in 2-part harmony. 
Ask them about musical free throws!

6th, 7th, & 8th grade Chorus
The students in this choral group have also set some goals for the year, and they are as follows:

1) Perform 3 songs at the Winter and Spring Concerts
2) Perform with CONFIDENCE...how?
        a) practicing
        b) staying focused
        c) respecting teacher & peers
3) Share your voice...how?
        a) vocal projection
        b) diction
4) Take risks
5) Have fun and DO YOUR BEST!

These goals will help the chorus work together, listen to each other, and become a blended vocal group of singers. I am thrilled to share that we have a very large group of singers in this group (over 50 students!) which will only enhance our ability to sing songs in 3-part harmony. We are already hard at work on our repertoire for the Winter Concert, and one of our tunes will hopefully be sung a cappella. 
Ask them about the "1, 1-2-1" warm-up!

What's Up in Music in Grades K through 4?

Now that the first few weeks of school are behind us, I'm thrilled to share what's been going on in my general music classes...read below for all the latest details:

Kindergarten - Since Kindergarten is the first year that students come to the music room for class, it was very exciting to introduce them to my space! They learned about the movement line, the musical carpet, the daily music agenda (Sing, Move, Listen, Play), and they have already sung songs, danced and moved to different rhythms, listened to song tales, and played a variety of musical games together. Ask them about Honey Pie!

1st Grade - First graders also use the daily musical agenda, but this year they get to do a wider variety of songs, dances, observations, and games surrounding pitch and rhythm. We are currently working on sharing our musical voices with echo songs and call-and-answer songs, but I'm not the only leader...each student has already taken a turn leading parts of echo songs, and their ability to listen and follow each other vocally continues to grow. Ask them about the game Secret Leader!

2nd Grade - This year of music invites students to learn about solfege hand signals and kodaly-based rhythms to understand pitch and rhythm in a deeper way. We have already dissected one song according to Ta and Titi rhythms, and the students are also using Orff instruments to provide basic musical accompaniment for different melodies. Ask them about the song "Trees in the Forest" and have them try to clap out the rhythm for you!

3rd Grade - This week third graders began investigating musical instruments in the music classroom. This investigation is part one of a large project involving the transformation of a story into a sound poem. After reading "The Little Yellow Leaf" by Carin Berger aloud, students were instructed to listen to demonstrations of different instruments and describe their sound in relation to the story. For example, many students agreed that egg shakers created a sound similar to "crackly dry leaves," a phrase from the story. Ask them about other instruments like the water drum, and check back soon for more details about this project!

4th Grade - Fourth graders have the lucky opportunity to have two types of music classes each week: one class focuses on general music, and the other class is run as a chorus rehearsal with the 5th grade. In general music class, the students are working on their note reading and writing skills in preparation for a composition project that will begin later in the fall. In chorus rehearsals, students are learning proper vocal technique through a variety of warm-up exercises that center around vocal projection, breath control, and pitch accuracy. Ask them about musical free throws!

Charlie Brown & Chamber Chorus

At the end of our first full week of school, it is my pleasure to make two exciting announcements...

1) THE MUSICAL

This year's TCS musical will be You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown. Mrs. Barber and I are VERY excited for this show, and auditions will be held before Thanksgiving break. Look for more updates as we approach November.

2) CHAMBER CHORUS

Many talented singers came out to audition for the TCS Chamber Chorus this week, and I am extremely proud of all the students! The final list of new members will be posted at the end of the day today...congratulations to all!

Musical Connections

Last week was full of wonderful experiences! Greeting all the returning students, meeting new students, and sharing musical ideas reminded me why I do what I do: Teaching music is pretty spectacular, and I give credit to all the students I saw last week for making the first week both enlightening and fun! The picture above is one of two new bulletin boards in my classroom this year, and I think the message is pretty clear: Music is part of everything that we do, and I challenge everyone to make musical connections in other subjects at TCS this year!

WELCOME BACK TO TCS!

Greetings! I hope the summer has been a restful and relaxing one for all of you. I enjoyed some time up in Maine, did some amazing professional development (more on that soon), spent time with friends and family, and performed a bit on violin as well...what about you? Any exciting summer stories to share? Did you see any musical performances, or do some performing yourself? Do you have a new favorite song from the summer? I can't wait to hear what everyone has been up to over the past few months, and I'm looking forward to another exciting year full of songs, games, performances, and amazing musical teaching and learning. See you soon!