3rd Grade Archives (previous years)

May 2016:

The third grade has been SO BUSY working on spirituals (our curricular focus theme), singing, recorders (especially with QUAVER!), and xylophones! Here is a short video clip of 3-N on May 20, which was the first day they had worked on Shortnin' Bread/Pick a Bale of Cotton. Here is a clip of the students playing three different parts at once! This was after just a few minutes of work on the piece!

March 2016

Congratulations to the students in Ms. Nigri's 3rd Grade Class! The students all earned their GREEN BELTS in Recorder Karate on March 21st! We have already started learning the PURPLE BELT, so we are about halfway toward our BLACK BELTS!

January 2016

Congratulations to the students in Mrs. Mirabella's 3rd Grade Class and Mrs. Nigri's 3rd Grade Class!! Every student in BOTH class earned the ORANGE BELT in Recorder Karate on January 20th! Here is a short video clip of each class playing MARY HAD A LITTLE LAMB/MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG:

3-Mi:

3-N:

3-Mi is also having a BLAST playing the pieces from Paul Corbiere's book called FROM BAGS TO RICHES. Here is beginning of a piece called Steps Ahead : (recorded Jan. 20, 2016)

3-N also recorded Steps Ahead on January 20th:

Here is a clip of 3-N playing "It's in the BAG" on the soprano recorder at our class on December 17, 2015. This is only our 22nd music class of the year, and just the 13th class that we've worked on recorder! They are doing a GREAT job learning the notes B A G !

Here is another video of 3-N from December 17, playing their 'yellow belt' piece called "Suo Gan" (Gently Sleep).

November 11, 2015: 3-N took advantage of the unusually warm weather to step outside to do a short game/song called "How Many Miles to London Town?"

Fall 2015

Here is a bit of inspiration for our 3rd graders as they are learning to play the recorder:

The third grade music students will be playing the RECORDER this year! Letters will be sent home on Tuesday, September 8th with more information. For a copy of the letter, click here: RecorderLetter2015-Edited

Q. Who are the teachers for 3rd Grade music?

A. Ms. Kozlowski teaches Mrs. Moore's 3rd Grade class. Miss Theisen teaches Ms. Mirabella's class and Mrs. Nigri's class.

September 3, 2015: This is a 3rd grade class working on note-reading using a 2-line staff with color-coded note heads. "Do" is Red. "Re" is orange. "Mi" is Yellow. (The orange and yellow colors look slightly different in this video. Sorry!) Students are making their heads into a 'line note' for "Do," and a 'space note' (in between the lines) for "Re." This is an activity that we do starting in Grade 1 and 2. (Note: I created the SmartBoard file with the colored notes in the SmartNotebook iPad app.)

October 6, 2015: Here is 3-N working on their VERY FIRST recorder piece, "Walk Like a Mummy," from the Quaver curriculum. (We have a free trial of the curriculum for this month.) This is their VERY FIRST DAY with recorders! Great job, everyone!

__________________________________________________________________________________

May & June 2015:

Parents are invited to join us for a brief (20-25 min.) RECORDER SHOWCASE on Monday, June 8th in the MUSIC PORTABLE at the following times:

Ms. Mirabella's Class: 8:50-9:20am

Ms. Nigri's Class: 2:20-2:50pm

Over the course of the school year, the 3^rd graders have been learning to play the soprano recorder in music class. The students have worked hard to learn about the instrument, how to read music and how to perform individually and in groups. They have also been working extensively on singing and playing Orff Instruments (xylophones, glockenspiels, metallophones.) We would now like to share some of our music with you! There is no need to RSVP for this music ‘showcase,’ but please arrive a few minutes early to sign in at the security desk in the main school building. We are looking forward to sharing our music with you on June 8. (If you cannot attend, a video of the Showcase will be on the music blog within a week.)

THIRD GRADERS are also invited to join the MINSTRELS (CHORUS) for our final rehearsal of the year on Thursday, June 4th! Minstrels meets in the COMMON ROOM from 7:30-8:20AM. We look forward to seeing a lot of third graders at this rehearsal!

October 2014: The 3rd graders have begun their adventure into recorder playing!!! So far, 3-N and 3-M have learned the notes B, A and G and have begun the tune 'Hot Cross Buns.' When they can play the piece alone, they will earn the white belt in Recorder Karate! Here is a short reminder video about how to play this piece: http://youtu.be/rO1AjcLTAMU

SEPTEMBER 2014: The 3rd, 4th and 5th graders will be playing the RECORDER in music class. Please return the bottom of this form, along with $8, to purchase a white Yamaha recorder. Students should also bring a 1" (or smaller) binder with 20 plastic sheet protectors for their music. This will remain in the music room throughout 3rd, 4th and 5th grades and will hold their recorder music, drum ensembles, compositions, worksheets, and much more! If you need another copy of the RecorderLetter2014, click on the blue link.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

FRIDAY, JUNE 6 - 8:50 AM - Miss Mirabella's 3rd grade invites their PARENTS to join us for an in-class 'share' in the MUSIC PORTABLE. We will be singing, playing recorders and performing on the Xylophones/Metallophones. Forms were sent home with the students at the beginning of MAY. Please return the bottom of the form to school ASAP to indicate who will be coming to the 'share.' Need another copy? Click here: 3Mmusicshare

All parents of 3-M are welcome to join us that morning in the music portable :)

A VIDEO OF OUR MUSIC SHARE CAN BE FOUND HERE: http://youtu.be/jxySD59JO68

March-April 2014

We have continued our study of RECORDERS and I am proud to announce that as of April 8, all students in Ms. Mirabella's class have earned their white, yellow and orange belts in RECORDER KARATE! We have been playing the pieces along with SmartMusic (an intelligent accompaniment software) at a variety of tempi (speeds).

This class has also learned about the BLUES and we have sung our own version of "C Jam Blues" using our own lyrics. One of our favorite tunes in the blues style is, "If it walks like a Duck."

We have also been playing xylophones, composing short tunes, and singing Broadway show tunes, including "Make 'Em Laugh,' one of the favorites for our entire school! The students LOVE this song.

February 2014

We have continued our study of the RECORDER this month. Miss Mirabella's class is working on earning their white and yellow belts in RECORDER KARATE! This is a very exciting time! As the month of February progresses, students will also be working on writing original compositions, learning more about duple and triple meter in their music, and will continue to work on some Olympic songs. Some of the pieces from February include: Three Little Monkeys (on boomwhackers and xylophones), Love Somebody, Take Me Out to the Ballgame, Coffee, Old Brass Wagon and more canons!

January 2014

Miss Mirabella's class has been working on RECORDERS a lot in music class this month. They have learned to play the recorder with the LEFT HAND at the top, how to sit properly, how to hold both arms and all of the fingers. We are playing simple melodies and rhythms on the notes B, A, G right now. The students really LOVE to play along with the recordings in the program SMART MUSIC, which I can project on the Smart Board at the front of the room. We are using the recorder exercises and songs from the book called 'Recorder Express,' which is embedded within the SMART MUSIC program. Playing the recorder combines their knowledge of note-reading with their knowledge of rhythm-reading, and then adds the element of breathing and dexterity to the mix.

This class has also done a GREAT JOB with the rhythm cards, and are able to speak rhythms using whole notes, half notes, quarter notes, 8th notes, and 16th notes, as well as rests.

January also introduced the term 'canon' and we learned a canon called 'Welcome All.' (Welcome all. January's here. Wishing you a safe and happy new year.) All of my 3rd, 4th and 5th grade classes have been working on this particular canon this month, to build skills in unison singing, then singing the canon in 2 parts, then 3 or even 4 parts!!! Here is a simple explanation of the 'canon:' http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canon_%28music%29

December 2013

The third grade classes received their recorders this week! 3-M learned the notes B and A and played along with several 'tracks' on the SMART MUSIC software, which is projected to the Smart Board. (Those are 2 different companies, albeit sharing a similar name.)

Here is a link to a VIDEO of the very FIRST PIECE that 3-M played this week:

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

November 2013

The 3rd grade is beginning their study of the RECORDER this month! Students are required to purchase their own recorder, which will remain at the school and will be used in 3rd, 4th and 5th grade.

Recorder study helps children learn to read music and apply their skills to an instrument. Playing recorder will strengthen your child’s knowledge of rhythms as well as the notes in the treble clef. This year, we will be combining the recorder with a variety of other instruments - including Xylophones, Metallophones and Drums - to create small ensembles during music class.

If your child has a recorder at home, please send it to school as soon as possible in a case or Ziploc bag with your child’s name and class clearly marked. Recorders will be kept in the music room and will not be sent home with the students this year. Recorders will not be shared.

You may order a recorder through the school. Please return the letter that was sent home, along with a payment of $8.00.

Please also send in a 1-inch 3-ring binder with 20 plastic sleeves (sheet protectors) to hold their music. This will become your child’s recorder and composition portfolio as they progress through 3rd, 4^th and 5^th grade. They may decorate the cover of the binder however they wish. Binders will remain in the music room.

Please contact me at ktheisen@darienps.org if you have any questions or concerns.

Regards,

Kathleen Theisen

Royle School Music Teacher/Choral Director

203-655-0044 x8279

To print a copy of the letter that was sent home, click here:

RecorderLetter2013

The third grade has been SO BUSY working on spirituals (our curricular focus theme), singing, recorders (especially with QUAVER!), and xylophones! Here is a short video clip of 3-N on May 20, which was the first day they had worked on Shortnin' Bread/Pick a Bale of Cotton. Here is a clip of the students playing three different parts at once! This was after just a few minutes of work on the piece!

March 2016

Congratulations to the students in Ms. Nigri's 3rd Grade Class! The students all earned their GREEN BELTS in Recorder Karate on March 21st! We have already started learning the PURPLE BELT, so we are about halfway toward our BLACK BELTS!

<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>January 2016</strong></span>

Congratulations to the students in Mrs. Mirabella's 3rd Grade Class and Mrs. Nigri's 3rd Grade Class!! Every student in BOTH class earned the ORANGE BELT in Recorder Karate on January 20th! Here is a short video clip of each class playing MARY HAD A LITTLE LAMB/MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG:

3-Mi:

3-N:

3-Mi is also having a BLAST playing the pieces from Paul Corbiere's book called <em>FROM BAGS TO RICHES.</em> Here is beginning of a piece called <em>Steps Ahead</em> : (recorded Jan. 20, 2016)

3-N also recorded Steps Ahead on January 20th:

Here is a clip of 3-N playing "It's in the BAG" on the soprano recorder at our class on December 17, 2015. This is only our 22nd music class of the year, and just the 13th class that we've worked on recorder! They are doing a GREAT job learning the notes B A G !

</span>Here is another video of 3-N from December 17, playing their 'yellow belt' piece called "Suo Gan" (Gently Sleep).

November 11, 2015: 3-N took advantage of the unusually warm weather to step outside to do a short game/song called "How Many Miles to London Town?" <span style="text-decoration: underline;">

Fall 2015

<em>Here is a bit of inspiration for our 3rd graders as they are learning to play the recorder: </em>

<strong>The third grade music students will be playing the RECORDER this year! Letters will be sent home on Tuesday, September 8th with more information. For a copy of the letter, click here: <a href="http://blogs.darienps.org/ktheisen/files/2013/10/RecorderLetter2015-Edited-1tfyevb.pdf">RecorderLetter2015-Edited</a></strong>

<blockquote>Q. Who are the teachers for 3rd Grade music?

A. Ms. Kozlowski teaches Mrs. Moore's 3rd Grade class. Miss Theisen teaches Ms. Mirabella's class and Mrs. Nigri's class.</blockquote>

<strong>September 3, 2015:</strong> This is a 3rd grade class working on note-reading using a 2-line staff with color-coded note heads. "Do" is Red. "Re" is orange. "Mi" is Yellow. (The orange and yellow colors look slightly different in this video. Sorry!) Students are making their heads into a 'line note' for "Do," and a 'space note' (in between the lines) for "Re." This is an activity that we do starting in Grade 1 and 2. <em>(Note: I created the SmartBoard file with the colored notes in the SmartNotebook iPad app.)</em>

<strong>October 6, 2015:</strong> Here is 3-N working on their VERY FIRST recorder piece, "Walk Like a Mummy," from the Quaver curriculum. (We have a free trial of the curriculum for this month.) This is their VERY FIRST DAY with recorders! Great job, everyone!

__________________________________________________________________________________

May & June 2015:

Parents are invited to join us for a brief (20-25 min.) RECORDER SHOWCASE on Monday, June 8th in the MUSIC PORTABLE at the following times:

Ms. Mirabella's Class: 8:50-9:20am

Ms. Nigri's Class: 2:20-2:50pm

Over the course of the school year, the 3<sup>rd</sup> graders have been learning to play the soprano recorder in music class. The students have worked hard to learn about the instrument, how to read music and how to perform individually and in groups. They have also been working extensively on singing and playing Orff Instruments (xylophones, glockenspiels, metallophones.) We would now like to share some of our music with you! There is no need to RSVP for this music ‘showcase,’ but please arrive a few minutes early to sign in at the security desk in the main school building. We are looking forward to sharing our music with you on June 8. (If you cannot attend, a video of the Showcase will be on the music blog within a week.)

<strong>THIRD GRADERS are also invited to join the MINSTRELS (CHORUS) for our final rehearsal of the year on Thursday, June 4th!</strong> Minstrels meets in the COMMON ROOM from 7:30-8:20AM. We look forward to seeing a lot of third graders at this rehearsal!

<hr />

<strong>October 2014: </strong> The 3rd graders have begun their adventure into recorder playing!!! So far, 3-N and 3-M have learned the notes B, A and G and have begun the tune 'Hot Cross Buns.' When they can play the piece alone, they will earn the <em>white belt</em> in Recorder Karate! Here is a short reminder video about how to play this piece: <a href="http://youtu.be/rO1AjcLTAMU">http://youtu.be/rO1AjcLTAMU

</a>

<strong>SEPTEMBER 2014: </strong>The 3rd, 4th and 5th graders will be playing the RECORDER in music class. Please return the bottom of this form, along with $8, to purchase a white Yamaha recorder. Students should also bring a 1" (or smaller) binder with 20 plastic sheet protectors for their music. This will remain in the music room throughout 3rd, 4th and 5th grades and will hold their recorder music, drum ensembles, compositions, worksheets, and much more! <strong>If you need another copy of the <a href="http://blogs.darienps.org/ktheisen/files/2013/10/RecorderLetter2014-14te87n.pdf">RecorderLetter2014</a>, click on the blue link.</strong>

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

FRIDAY, JUNE 6 - 8:50 AM - Miss Mirabella's 3rd grade invites their PARENTS to join us for an in-class 'share' in the MUSIC PORTABLE. We will be singing, playing recorders and performing on the Xylophones/Metallophones. Forms were sent home with the students at the beginning of MAY. Please return the bottom of the form to school ASAP to indicate who will be coming to the 'share.' Need another copy? Click here: <a href="http://blogs.darienps.org/ktheisen/files/2012/09/3Mmusicshare-1uuvx9b.pdf">3Mmusicshare</a>

<span style="line-height: 1.5em;">All parents of 3-M are welcome to join us that morning in the music portable :)</span>

A VIDEO OF OUR MUSIC SHARE CAN BE FOUND HERE: <a href="http://youtu.be/jxySD59JO68" target="_blank">http://youtu.be/jxySD59JO68</a>

<strong>March-April 2014 </strong>

We have continued our study of RECORDERS and I am proud to announce that as of April 8, all students in Ms. Mirabella's class have earned their white, yellow and orange belts in RECORDER KARATE! We have been playing the pieces along with SmartMusic (an intelligent accompaniment software) at a variety of tempi (speeds).

This class has also learned about the BLUES and we have sung our own version of "C Jam Blues" using our own lyrics. One of our favorite tunes in the blues style is, "If it walks like a Duck."

We have also been playing xylophones, composing short tunes, and singing Broadway show tunes, including "Make 'Em Laugh,' one of the favorites for our entire school! The students LOVE this song.

<strong>February 2014</strong>

We have continued our study of the RECORDER this month. Miss Mirabella's class is working on earning their white and yellow belts in RECORDER KARATE! This is a very exciting time! As the month of February progresses, students will also be working on writing original compositions, learning more about duple and triple meter in their music, and will continue to work on some Olympic songs. Some of the pieces from February include: Three Little Monkeys (on boomwhackers and xylophones), Love Somebody, Take Me Out to the Ballgame, Coffee, Old Brass Wagon and more canons!

January 2014

Miss Mirabella's class has been working on RECORDERS a lot in music class this month. They have learned to play the recorder with the LEFT HAND at the top, how to sit properly, how to hold both arms and all of the fingers. We are playing simple melodies and rhythms on the notes B, A, G right now. The students really LOVE to play along with the recordings in the program SMART MUSIC, which I can project on the Smart Board at the front of the room. We are using the recorder exercises and songs from the book called 'Recorder Express,' which is embedded within the SMART MUSIC program. Playing the recorder combines their knowledge of note-reading with their knowledge of rhythm-reading, and then adds the element of breathing and dexterity to the mix.

This class has also done a GREAT JOB with the rhythm cards, and are able to speak rhythms using whole notes, half notes, quarter notes, 8th notes, and 16th notes, as well as rests.

January also introduced the term 'canon' and we learned a canon called 'Welcome All.' (Welcome all. January's here. Wishing you a safe and happy new year.) All of my 3rd, 4th and 5th grade classes have been working on this particular canon this month, to build skills in unison singing, then singing the canon in 2 parts, then 3 or even 4 parts!!! Here is a simple explanation of the 'canon:' <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canon_%28music%29" target="_blank">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canon_%28music%29</a>

<strong>December 2013</strong>

The third grade classes received their recorders this week! 3-M learned the notes B and A and played along with several 'tracks' on the SMART MUSIC software, which is projected to the Smart Board. (Those are 2 different companies, albeit sharing a similar name.)

Here is a link to a VIDEO of the very FIRST PIECE that 3-M played this week:

http://youtu.be/Kd8k3ldtzEg

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

<strong>November 2013</strong>

The 3rd grade is beginning their study of the RECORDER this month! Students are required to purchase their own recorder, which will remain at the school and will be used in 3rd, 4th and 5th grade.

Recorder study helps children learn to read music and apply their skills to an instrument. Playing recorder will strengthen your child’s knowledge of rhythms as well as the notes in the treble clef. This year, we will be combining the recorder with a variety of other instruments - including Xylophones, Metallophones and Drums - to create small ensembles during music class.

If your child has a recorder at home, please send it to school as soon as possible in a case or Ziploc bag with your child’s name and class clearly marked. Recorders will be kept in the music room and will not be sent home with the students this year. Recorders will not be shared.

You may order a recorder through the school. Please return the letter that was sent home, along with a payment of $8.00.

Please also send in a 1-inch 3-ring binder with 20 plastic sleeves (sheet protectors) to hold their music. This will become your child’s recorder and composition portfolio as they progress through 3rd, 4<sup>th</sup> and 5<sup>th</sup> grade. They may decorate the cover of the binder however they wish. Binders will remain in the music room.

Please contact me at <a href="mailto:ktheisen@darienps.org">ktheisen@darienps.org</a> if you have any questions or concerns.

Regards,

Kathleen Theisen

Royle School Music Teacher/Choral Director

203-655-0044 x8279

To print a copy of the letter that was sent home, click here:

<a href="http://blogs.darienps.org/ktheisen/files/2013/10/RecorderLetter2013-1q2fl4u.pdf">RecorderLetter2013</a>