Week 9 - Our final rotation together for the School Year

In our final rotation together for the school year - week 9 - here's what happened in music:

• Kindergartners focused on learning and playing several singing and movement games:  Down in the Valley and Old King Glory of the Mountain were new ones.  We also brought back some of our favorites:  Doggie, Doggie, Where's Your Bone, Beat Detective and Jack in the Box.

• First Graders used the rhythms they have learned to read/play a piece for Hand Drum:  Big and Small.  We extended the Rondo form of the piece (ABACA) with an interlude involving improvisation (making up rhythms) and a Coda.  Some students took on the 'teacher' role and lead the echoed sections.  In addition, we also used the Boom Whackers one day to revisit our Colored Dominoes musical score reading using melody.  Our fifth day together was our final in class Talent Time and class choice.

• Second Graders used the rhythms they have focused on this year to read/play a piece for Hand Drum:  Big and Small.  We extended the Rondo form of the piece (ABACA) with an interlude involving improvisation (making up rhythms) and a Coda.  We also got a start on a second piece with 3 parts stacked together called Three Plus.  In addition, we also used the Boom Whackers and Joia tubes one day to revisit our Colored Dominoes musical score reading using melody.  Our fifth day together was our final in class Talent Time and class choice.

• Third Graders got to play the Tubanos (drums designed for drum circle) - learning the Low, Middle, and High Drum and Shekere parts of an ensemble called Drum Up the Sun (World Music Drumming), plus a recorder piece that fit with it called "Spring Rains".  Our fifth day together was our final in class Talent Time and class choice.  Our fifth day together was our final in class Talent Time and class choice.

• Fourth Graders and Fifth Graders  concentrated primarily on World Music Drumming and drum circle communication since we had not taken time for much of that kind of drumming yet this year.  We put together all of the parts of Ensemble One:  Low Drum, High Drum and Middle Drum, single bell, gankogui (double bell) and shekere.  In addition, added a djembe solo for anyone who wanted to add something 'over the top' of the ensemble.  Students also learned a traditional end call/response from the djembe to bring a piece to an end.  Starting out our drum circle work each day we did rhythmic questions and answers, sometimes augmented with echo answers.  Students really had to work together in a different way - focusing to listen and watch to keep the ensemble together.  Beside our drum circle ensemble playing, we also took one 50 in 5 challenge - our timed note naming challenge with treble clef notes.  The students that have made it into the Hall of Fames this year will still have their names up at the start of the next school year until the first time we do that challenge next year.  Our fifth day together was our final in class Talent Time and class choice.

Thank you for a great school year!  I have enjoyed making music with you.  I wish you all a restful, exciting, musical summer.  Take time to sing and dance.

Week 8

Remembering that with the specials schedule we have at Gold Rush, 4 weeks equals 1 instructional week for me with all of the students - therefore this post is called - Week 8

In our eighth rotation together a lot was happening.  Here's a glimpse into what we did together.

• Kindergartners were introduced to the rest of the timbre (tone color) families from our small percussion instruments. . . . Scrape, Ring and Membranic.  They got to play a lot of instruments - learning the instrument's name, the best way to play it and recognize it by sound.  We reinforced that with our "Listen" game.  

• First Graders focused on rhythm again, including writing out some rhythm patterns from dictation (Hearing, Decoding or figuring out what they hear, and writing it down).  These rhythms were combinations of Tah, Rest, and Tee-Tees.  (Quarter notes, quarter rests, and pairs of eighth notes).  In addition, we did a quick review of small percussion timbre families and score reading with our Colored Dominoes activity.

• Second Graders focused on rhythm again, including writing out some rhythm patterns from dictation (Hearing, Decoding or figuring out what they hear, and writing it down).  These rhythms were combinations of Tah, Rest, Tee-Tees and Ta-ahs.  (Quarter notes, quarter rests, pairs of eighth notes and half notes).  In addition, we did a quick review of small percussion timbre families and score reading with our Colored Dominoes activity.  Students collaboratively created a 4 beat rhythm suitable to their timbre family as an extension to random sounds and single beats per box reading.

• Third Graders wrapped up their musical connections with Science by sharing their "Rock Concert" with invited family and friends.  This included specials parts that students chose to work on including the narration, dramatization of a volcano with movement and props, and two groups who composed a new section for our Rock Rondo - a piece for recorders.  These small groups created a collaborative composition using rock rhythms and choosing melodic pitches for each rhythmic note.  It was great to have  a live audience to perform for.  Their pieces included:  Rock Concert - opener and closer,  Rock Rap, Earth Changes, Rock Rondo, My Favorite Rock and Obwisana - a rock passing game from Ghana.  Video clips can be found on the In the Spotlight page of this blog.

• Fourth Graders wrapped up their musical connections with the classroom by sharing their "Colorado Connections Concert" with invited family and friends.  It was great to have  a live audience to perform for.  Their pieces included:  The Symbol Song,  two recorder pieces:  Stegasaurus Stomp and Ride the Iron Horse, Cripple Creek - which featured singing in harmony, a square dance - Comin' 'Round the Mountain, a sing-along of the state song, Where the Columbines Grow, Gold Rush Rap and Colorado!   Video clips can be found on the In the Spotlight page of this blog.

• Fifth Graders focused on Colonial Music and Dance.  We began by charting what students already knew about Music and Dance in Colonial America, and what questions or curiosities they had about this.  Then we played a round of Name that Tune with only songs from Colonial America.  It was surprising what songs are still known from that time.  We sang through many of the verses to Yankee Doodle and a bit of Soldier, Soldier.  Some of our learning came through observing some video clips of Colonial Dance reenactments with live musicians.  We learned to dance two Colonial Dances - The Four Hand Reel, and George Washington's personal favorite, Sir Roger de Coverly.  Some video snippets are available to see on the In the Spotlight page of this blog.