In our second week together, our Musical Headline was Melody
- Kindergartners were introduced to the concept and contrasts of high and low. They used their voices in the story of Wiggle and Waggle, going up, down, and staying level on one note. This was reinforced with movement activities using high movements, low and middle level movements. They also finished turns for the Walk/Run poem and determining how many claps (syllables) in each person's first name. In addition Kindergartners learned a new singing and movement game: Jack in the Box. In this game individual students have the chance to create their own way of popping out of the box when the class has sung the song. In our toy store, each 'Jack in the Box' is different. Students can create a variation of another's idea, but it must be unique in some way.
- First Graders reviewed the concept of Sol-Mi-La pitches. We did this with vocal warm ups using the solfege and hand signs. Students took turns creating new melodies using the hand signs to direct singers to sing their newly created melody. Students learned a new song called "2, 4, 6, 8" which uses only these 3 pitches. In addition to singing it, they accompanied themselves on the xylophones with a beat bordun (Do/So open 5th). They also varied the beat pattern with sound and silence (tah and rest) experienced in Week 1. Once the melody was very well known, students 'searched' for the melody on xylophones to play the melody in phrase fragments - discovering the match between their singing and the notes on the instruments. Our 5th day together in this rotation, students had the opportunity to share performances with their class during 'Talent Time' and then got to choose songs to sing and/or favorite music/movement games.
- Second Graders worked with the pitches/notes of a Pentatonic Scale (Do, Re, Mi, Sol, La, Do'). Classes competed to score the most points in the "Simon Solfege Challenge". After warming up singing with solfege syllables and hand signs, students were challenge to sing a note that was only shown, not sung by the teacher. If successful, then another note was added. In past years, the 2nd grade record has been 13 notes in a row from this process. This year, a new 2nd grade record has been set - 15 notes! The current record holder is Mrs. Meier's class. I know the other classes are looking forward to a re-match. Amazing singing! Second Graders learned to sing and play a round with these notes, "Autumn is Here." They accompanied their singing on xylophones and glockenspiels using a beat bordun (open 5th - Do/So). As the song was better known, they got to try it in a round. Additionally, they 'figured' out the melody - one phrase at a time - until they could play the whole melody. Students rotated from one instrument to another so that everyone got to play the melody on every size of instrument. On our 4th day, we tried it as an instrumental round - woods (xylophones) and metals (glockenspiels and metallophones). Our 5th day together in this rotation, students had the opportunity to share performances with their class during 'Talent Time' and then got to choose songs to sing and/or favorite music/movement games.
- Third Graders were introduced to the lines and spaces of the treble clef. The song, "The staff has five" introduced them to the letter names of both the lines and spaces. As homework, each student created a new saying to help them remember the pattern of the lines from the bottom to the top - E, G, B, D, F. A few of the new sayings and artwork illustrating the saying were shared each day. [In the next rotation they'll be voting for the class favorites so they can be displayed to help everyone's learning.] We also go a start on learning to play the recorder. Third graders learned how to hold the recorder and where to place their fingers, they best way to blow the recorder and how to articulate (start and stop the sound). They were introduced to the notes B and A. The recorders that have been purchased [thank you parents!] should be coming home in the next rotation. I told the kids I wouldn't send them home until they had learned 3 songs with 3 notes and had a start on getting a good sound. That way families won't object to recorder practicing at home! The pieces with B and A that we played in this rotation included "B Ready", "B Funky" and "The Sheep May Safely Graze Tango." Our 5th day together in this rotation, students had the opportunity to share performances with their class during 'Talent Time' and then got to choose songs to sing and/or favorite music/movement games.
- Fourth Graders reviewed the lines and spaces of the treble clef staff that they were introduced to last year, and using the pattern of the music alphabet were shown how to recognize the notes above and below the staff. The took the 50 in 5 challenge for the first time - a timed note naming challenge with 50 notes on a page. Students will have four times to try the challenge within the school year. As doing the challenge is also practice, it is expected that each time students will improve their score and time. Fourth graders also reviewed recorder technique and reading B, A and G with a song with a Colorado Connection - Stegasaurus Stomp. Fourth graders also got a good start on learning what will become their opening song for a later parent sharing of Colorado Connection pieces, The Symbol Song. There are parts of the song that everyone sings together and 5 verses which will be performed by smaller groups. Each student chose which of those 5 verses they'd most like to learn. Our 5th day together in this rotation, students had the opportunity to share performances with their class during 'Talent Time' and then got to choose songs to sing and/or favorite music/movement games.
- Fifth Graders focused on melody by reviewing the names of the lines and spaces of the treble clef, plus the notes extending outside the staff to a space above and below the first ledger line. They took the timed 50 note naming challenge for the first time this year. In addition, students reviewed basic recorder technique and fingering, and best practices for decoding/sight-reading new music. We did one 4 measure example as class - reading the rhythm, naming the pitches, combining rhythm and pitch names, adding fingering, playing each measure and then stringing them together into a musical whole. Following this, students were divided randomly into 4 groups to replicate the process with a new 4 measure melody. These melodies each stacked together into one larger piece for recorders and accompaniment which I wrote called "Quickie Quodlibet". At some point in the future we will share the piece on the Music in the Spotlight page. Currently the students have learned the recorder parts (or are still working on them) and have each played one of the tone bar accompaniment parts. The whole piece is beginning to come together. Our 5th day together in this rotation, students had the opportunity to share performances with their class during 'Talent Time' and then got to choose songs to sing and/or favorite music/movement games.
In the next rotation, "Week 3" (October 5-November 6) the musical focus will again by rhythm.
