Being "Brave" and Assertive

Because the theme of the year at TCS is Assertion, I have chosen some songs for the winter concert that connect with our theme. One of them is "Brave" by Sara Bareilles, which the 6th, 7th, and 8th grade chorus will be singing. The song touches on the power of words, and below are the lyrics from the chorus:

Say what you want to say, and let the words fall out

Honestly...I wanna see you be brave.

The music video below is Sara Bareilles' vision of random people "being brave" and dancing in public places. The students have enjoyed watching the video and talking about it in reference to how we can all be brave and assertive in respectful ways. Being brave and assertive in chorus class means sharing your voice and taking musical risks. 

How can YOU be brave?

Beginning & Reviewing Kodaly Rhythms

This week I have been introducing kodaly rhythms in my Kinder classes and reviewing kodaly rhythms in my 1st grade classes. Using a simple melody and lyrics about pumpkins, students have been tapping out rhythms with rhythm sticks.

We talk about slow tempo (Ta), medium tempo (TiTi), and fast tempo (TiriTiri) to designate the start of understanding quarter, eighth, and sixteenth notes.

Then we add the corresponding beats to the rhythm of the song.

The kindergarteners are getting used to tapping with rhythm sticks to slow, medium, and fast tempi, and the first graders are learning to hear which beat is a Ta, Titi, or TiriTiri rhythm in a given song. More fun with Kodaly rhythms and movable-do solfege to come!

Open Mic Sessions & A Home-School Musical Connection

I always enjoy having students share their musical talents in the classroom whenever possible. When I first arrived at TCS, I began holding "Open Mic" sessions throughout the year in my general music classes to encourage students to bring in something musical that they are working on outside of school (an instrumental piece, a vocal selection, etc) and perform for the class. These opportunities help students take musical risks and receive positive reinforcement from their peers. It also reinforces active listening skills for the audience.

Today I invited one of our new students, Collin, to perform at the end of his 3rd grade music class. He was thrilled to share his latest piece, "A Hunting We Will Go," from memory on piano. As the students applauded his performance, one student remarked that the song sounded a lot like "The Pumpkin On the Vine" song that we were working on in a previous class as an introduction to singing in a round. Turns out, it was the SAME melody! So we all sang the song together as Collin accompanied us on piano. What a fun connection to have between one student's private music lessons and our musical learning here at TCS!

On a Personal Note...

This blog is designed to be a place where I share different musical experiences that my students have with me throughout the year. However, I wanted to share some exciting news that happened to me this week, and I thought the TCS community might be interested in hearing about it, so on the blog it goes!

Long story short, I play violin and sing in a band called Goodnight Blue Moon (goodnightbluemoon.com), and we were recently nominated for "Best Folk/Traditional" band at the Connecticut Music Awards. The show was on Tuesday night, and I'm thrilled to announce that we WON! 

Check out the link HERE for details about the night along with a video of us performing the song "Baby" that will be on our new album.

It was such a wonderful night to share with all my friends in the band (there are 7 of us). We were also one of only four bands that were chosen to perform live that night, so we had a blast sharing the stage together and playing one of our newest songs, "Captain's Church" at the Bushnell Theater in Hartford.

It can be challenging to balance work, family, and performing, but I wouldn't have it any other way!

WELCOME BACK & HAPPY FALL!

Greetings! I am SO happy to be back teaching at TCS after spending the end of last year and all summer with my new daughter, Fiona. 

While I do miss her a lot during the day, I also love being back in the classroom with all of my students! This year we will continue exploring many different musical avenues through the 5 pillars of musical learning: 

Listening, Creating, Questioning, Performing, & Reflecting

We will also make connections to the school's theme of ASSERTION through music. Check out the pictures below of my two bulletin boards, which are lyrics from songs about assertion that my chorus groups will be learning for the winter concert:

The 6th, 7th, & 8th grade chorus will be singing "Brave" by Sara Bareilles

The 4th & 5th grade chorus will be singing 

"If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out" by Cat Stevens

Enjoy the warm weather while we still have it, and here's to another wonderful year of musical learning at TCS!