Embedded Files
2015-2016 School Year:
Here is a short video of 1-H playing Zechariah Zebra on the Orff instruments (xylophones and metallophones) on Jan. 28th:
Here is a short video of 1-K working on RHYTHM BLOCKS in January 2016. The students wrote their own 4-beat rhythms with the blocks, and then made a 'rhythm train.' Here, the girls in the class have made a train and the boys are speaking the rhythms that they see. Then they switched.
2014-2015 school year:
Our FIRST GRADE CONCERT will be on Thursday, June 11, 2015 at 2:00PM in the COMMON ROOM! Students will be performing several songs from movies, as well as some of their favorite songs from this school year!
The first grade classes have been enjoying an amazing year in music classes! We've been busy playing xylophones, drums, rhythm sticks, and we've done A LOT of singing this year.
Here is a short video of a first grade class improvising to the chant that goes "2-4-6-8, meet me at the garden gate..." Students hear the words, and then improvise their own melody to match the rhythm of the lyrics. They are encouraged to use alternating hands. I challenged the students to end together on the note "C" at the very end of the song, which puts them on "DO" of the scale. We play this improv on a C Major Pentatonic Scale, which is C D E G A or Do-Re-Mi-Sol-La. All of the notes sound good together. We hope you enjoy our short video: https://youtu.be/x1roBJ00ayY
Here is another class doing the exact same activity: https://youtu.be/m1TCjeLc0n8
Another "improv" activity is based on a chant that starts with "Sugar, Sugar, play for me..." Students again hear the words and then improvise their own melody to match the rhythm of the words. Students were also encouraged to play ALONE on this activity. They had a great time. Here is a short video: https://youtu.be/eHXVLCr9U8I
2013-2014 school year:
First Grade Music, June 2014:
The first grade has had an incredible spring! They performed their first grade musical, Sing Me a Story, on June 10. Congratulations to all of the students on their amazing performance!
Here is a short video of Mrs. McNamee's 1st Grade Class singing two of our HELLO SONGS and the SCHOOL SONG. Recorded June 11, 2014: http://youtu.be/xhVVEh01k-w
Here is a short video of Mrs. Markham's 1st Grade Class singing the same songs on June 11: http://youtu.be/JnkDle3Pt9Y
Mrs. Neike's Class: http://youtu.be/f1vJQ_vHol8
Mrs. Rosen's Class: http://youtu.be/aOqqUJQSpWE
Year-End Performance --- First grade musical !!!
"Sing Me A Story."
TUESDAY, JUNE 10, 2:00 PM.
All four of the first grade classes will combine together to put on a 'show' that involves singing, playing, dancing and acting.
The program is open to parents and family members.
The songs in the show include "Sing Me A Story," "Kibungo," "The Top Joined the Circle,' "Deux Cocodries (Two Crocodiles)," and "Puff the Magic Dragon." Here is another link to Puff with Peter, Paul and Mary in a 'live' performance.
February 2014
We have had a very strong month in music class already with the first grade classes! They love the Kangaroo Song (and the GAME!), which involves jumping 3 times and then singing a song about a kangaroo going to the store. Students get a chance to sing 'solos' throughout the song and have others copy them. The song is based on the pitches Sol-Mi-La, which is what we have been working on in solfege! We are also working on the concepts of up/down & high/low. Students also got a change to use their ACTING skills and did a short melodrama in class, featuring three characters. There are some amazing actors in this class! This melodrama gave the students a chance to use their high voice, low voice and middle voice. Other current songs include a song about the Olympics, Oliver Twist, I Hope I Get a Letter (about Valentine's Day), Lucy Locket, It Rained, Ebeneezer Sneezer and Cumberland Gap.
January 2014
The first grade music classes have been working on the 'sounds of voices' in music class this month. We have worked on poems, chants, and raps, including a rap based on The Three Little Pigs. We are also working on Sol-Mi patterns (high-low patterns that go from 5 to 3 of a scale). Songs are based around sol-mi and the students have learned the Kodaly hand signs. They love working on rhythm cards, especially as they get more challenging! The classes can easily read patterns with quarter notes, 8th notes and 16th notes, plus quarter rests! One of the 'hit songs' of the week has been SILLY WINTER SONG ("Winter in my bathtub, winter on the moon..."). All of the students are gaining more and more confidence with their solo singing, and take turns volunteering to 'be the teacher' on the HELLO SONG, leading the class in a call and response style. I think we may have some future AMERICAN IDOL winners in this class!!!!
October 2013
The FIRST GRADE music classes have been very busy this fall learning a variety of songs and instruments!
We begin every class with a HELLO song, and we have several of these from which to choose. One of them is a call-and-response song that allows the students to 'be the teacher' as they lead the class to respond to their melody. (Hello there! How are you? It's so good to see you...) Another one of them has a very strong beat and has a melody in the dorian mode, with fast moving rhythms at the end. ("Hello everyone. Welcome to the music class. Hello everyone. It's very nice to see you. Ba da da da da da da da bum bum bah. Ba da da da da da da da bum bum bah.") The students have played along on rhythm sticks and drums and have also played an ostinato pattern on the xylophone while others sang the tune.
The students have been brushing up their ITALIAN music terminology with these songs, as we explore presto, allegro and largo (all examples of different tempo markings).
INSTRUMENTS:
The first graders have learned the difference between the 3 types of mallet instruments that we have in the music room:
Xylophone is an instrument with wooden tone bars and is played with a soft mallet. We have soprano, alto and bass xylophones in our classroom.
Metallophone is an instrument with metal tone bars and is played with a soft or a hard mallet. We have soprano, alto and bass metallophones in our classroom.
Glockenspiel is a very small instrument (high pitch!) with metal tone bars that is usually played with a wooden mallet. We have 3 glockenspiels in our classroom.
Altogether, we have 15 mallet instruments that are played during our classes. Students usually work in pairs at each instrument.
Ebeneezer Sneezer by Lynn Freeman Olson is a piece that uses an ascending and a descending scale. The students first learned this by starting on the floor and reaching higher and higher as the notes went up the scale. Then, they went lower and lower as the music rapidly descends at the end of the song. Then, the students moved the song to the Xylophones and Metallophones and have have had a blast playing the song individually and together.
Another XYLOPHONE piece is THE JELLY BEAN SONG. This piece only uses a 5-note scale, but has a big leap at the end, so that the students learn to jump across several tone bars (keys) to find the final note.
Some of their favorite songs at Thanksgiving time have been:
Hip Hop Turkeys
A Turkey Followed Me Home
I Like Thanksgiving
Pumpkin Pie Polka
One of the most beautiful songs we have sung this winter is A MILLION LITTLE SNOWFLAKES. It's a short, slow song (largo tempo!) with a prominent violin part in the introduction and coda.
We end nearly every class with a "GOODBYE" song that is very slow and minor-sounding. (It's actually in phyrgian mode!)
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>2015-2016 School Year: </strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Here is a short video of 1-H playing Zechariah Zebra on the Orff instruments (xylophones and metallophones) on Jan. 28th:</p>
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/e4SQyVTN6n0" width="420" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Here is a short video of 1-K working on RHYTHM BLOCKS in January 2016. The students wrote their own 4-beat rhythms with the blocks, and then made a 'rhythm train.' Here, the girls in the class have made a train and the boys are speaking the rhythms that they see. Then they switched.
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-p6Xg2Ol6wU" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>2014-2015 school year:</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><strong>Our FIRST GRADE CONCERT will be on Thursday, June 11, 2015 at 2:00PM in the COMMON ROOM! Students will be performing several songs from movies, as well as some of their favorite songs from this school year! </strong></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">The first grade classes have been enjoying an amazing year in music classes! We've been busy playing xylophones, drums, rhythm sticks, and we've done A LOT of singing this year.</p>
Here is a short video of a first grade class improvising to the chant that goes "2-4-6-8, meet me at the garden gate..." Students hear the words, and then improvise their own melody to match the rhythm of the lyrics. They are encouraged to use alternating hands. I challenged the students to end together on the note "C" at the very end of the song, which puts them on "DO" of the scale. We play this improv on a C Major Pentatonic Scale, which is C D E G A or Do-Re-Mi-Sol-La. All of the notes sound good together. We hope you enjoy our short video: <a title="First Grade 2-4-6-8" href="https://youtu.be/x1roBJ00ayY" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/x1roBJ00ayY</a>
<p style="text-align: left;">Here is another class doing the exact same activity: <a title="First Grade 2-4-6-8" href="https://youtu.be/m1TCjeLc0n8" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/m1TCjeLc0n8</a></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Another "improv" activity is based on a chant that starts with "Sugar, Sugar, play for me..." Students again hear the words and then improvise their own melody to match the rhythm of the words. Students were also encouraged to play ALONE on this activity. They had a great time. Here is a short video: <a title="First Grade Sugar Sugar Improvisation" href="https://youtu.be/eHXVLCr9U8I" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/eHXVLCr9U8I</a></p>
<hr />
<hr />
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>2013-2014 school year: </strong></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><strong>
First Grade Music, June 2014: </strong></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><strong>The first grade has had an incredible spring! They performed their first grade musical, Sing Me a Story, on June 10. Congratulations to all of the students on their amazing performance! </strong></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Here is a short video of Mrs. McNamee's 1st Grade Class singing two of our HELLO SONGS and the SCHOOL SONG. Recorded June 11, 2014: <a title="1-MC hello and school song" href="http://youtu.be/xhVVEh01k-w" target="_blank">http://youtu.be/xhVVEh01k-w</a></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Here is a short video of Mrs. Markham's 1st Grade Class singing the same songs on June 11: <a href="http://youtu.be/JnkDle3Pt9Y" target="_blank">http://youtu.be/JnkDle3Pt9Y</a></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Mrs. Neike's Class: <a href="http://youtu.be/f1vJQ_vHol8" target="_blank">http://youtu.be/f1vJQ_vHol8</a></p>
Mrs. Rosen's Class: <a href="http://youtu.be/aOqqUJQSpWE" target="_blank">http://youtu.be/aOqqUJQSpWE</a>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Year-End Performance --- First grade musical !!!</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>"Sing Me A Story."</em> </strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>TUESDAY, JUNE 10, 2:00 PM. </strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">All four of the first grade classes will combine together to put on a 'show' that involves singing, playing, dancing and acting.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> The program is open to parents and family members.</p>
The songs in the show include "Sing Me A Story," "Kibungo," "The Top Joined the Circle,' "Deux Cocodries (Two Crocodiles)," and "<a title="PUFF" href="http://youtu.be/U0PI2djoA10" target="_blank">Puff the Magic Dragon</a>." Here is another link to <a href="http://youtu.be/RC2tlNmz4ao" target="_blank">Puff</a> with Peter, Paul and Mary in a 'live' performance.
<strong>February 2014</strong>
We have had a very strong month in music class already with the first grade classes! They love the Kangaroo Song (and the GAME!), which involves jumping 3 times and then singing a song about a kangaroo going to the store. Students get a chance to sing 'solos' throughout the song and have others copy them. The song is based on the pitches Sol-Mi-La, which is what we have been working on in solfege! We are also working on the concepts of up/down & high/low. Students also got a change to use their ACTING skills and did a short melodrama in class, featuring three characters. There are some amazing actors in this class! This melodrama gave the students a chance to use their high voice, low voice and middle voice. Other current songs include a song about the Olympics, Oliver Twist, I Hope I Get a Letter (about Valentine's Day), Lucy Locket, It Rained, Ebeneezer Sneezer and Cumberland Gap.<strong> </strong>
<strong>January 2014</strong>
The first grade music classes have been working on the 'sounds of voices' in music class this month. We have worked on poems, chants, and raps, including a rap based on The Three Little Pigs. We are also working on Sol-Mi patterns (high-low patterns that go from 5 to 3 of a scale). Songs are based around sol-mi and the students have learned the Kodaly hand signs. They love working on rhythm cards, especially as they get more challenging! The classes can easily read patterns with quarter notes, 8th notes and 16th notes, plus quarter rests! One of the 'hit songs' of the week has been SILLY WINTER SONG ("Winter in my bathtub, winter on the moon..."). All of the students are gaining more and more confidence with their solo singing, and take turns volunteering to 'be the teacher' on the HELLO SONG, leading the class in a call and response style. I think we may have some future AMERICAN IDOL winners in this class!!!!
<strong>October 2013</strong>
The FIRST GRADE music classes have been very busy this fall learning a variety of songs and instruments!
We begin every class with a HELLO song, and we have several of these from which to choose. One of them is a call-and-response song that allows the students to 'be the teacher' as they lead the class to respond to their melody. (Hello there! How are you? It's so good to see you...) Another one of them has a very strong beat and has a melody in the dorian mode, with fast moving rhythms at the end. ("Hello everyone. Welcome to the music class. Hello everyone. It's very nice to see you. Ba da da da da da da da bum bum bah. Ba da da da da da da da bum bum bah.") The students have played along on rhythm sticks and drums and have also played an ostinato pattern on the xylophone while others sang the tune.
The students have been brushing up their ITALIAN music terminology with these songs, as we explore <strong><em>presto</em></strong>, <strong><em>allegro</em> </strong>and <strong><em>largo (</em></strong><em>all examples of different <strong>tempo </strong>markings). </em>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>INSTRUMENTS: </strong></span>
The first graders have learned the difference between the 3 types of mallet instruments that we have in the music room:
<strong>Xylophone</strong> is an instrument with wooden tone bars and is played with a soft mallet. We have soprano, alto and bass xylophones in our classroom.
<strong>Metallophone</strong> is an instrument with metal tone bars and is played with a soft or a hard mallet. We have soprano, alto and bass metallophones in our classroom.
<strong>Glockenspiel</strong> is a very small instrument (high pitch!) with metal tone bars that is usually played with a wooden mallet. We have 3 glockenspiels in our classroom.
Altogether, we have 15 mallet instruments that are played during our classes. Students usually work in pairs at each instrument.
<a title="Ebeneezer Sneezer" href="http://youtu.be/MCTC_ruVjdM" target="_blank">Ebeneezer Sneezer</a> by Lynn Freeman Olson is a piece that uses an ascending and a descending scale. The students first learned this by starting on the floor and reaching higher and higher as the notes went up the scale. Then, they went lower and lower as the music rapidly descends at the end of the song. Then, the students moved the song to the Xylophones and Metallophones and have have had a blast playing the song individually and together.
Another XYLOPHONE piece is <a title="Jelly Bean" href="http://youtu.be/JZVZtuBB0Jo" target="_blank">THE JELLY BEAN SONG</a>. This piece only uses a 5-note scale, but has a big leap at the end, so that the students learn to jump across several tone bars (keys) to find the final note.
Some of their favorite songs at Thanksgiving time have been:
Hip Hop Turkeys
A Turkey Followed Me Home
I Like Thanksgiving
Pumpkin Pie Polka
One of the most beautiful songs we have sung this winter is A MILLION LITTLE SNOWFLAKES. It's a short, slow song (largo tempo!) with a prominent violin part in the introduction and coda.
We end nearly every class with a "GOODBYE" song that is very slow and minor-sounding. (It's actually in phyrgian mode!)
<video src="http://blogs.darienps.org/ktheisen/files/2016/01/20160128-122457.mov" controls="controls" width="480" height="360">Your browser does not support the video tag</video>
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