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!