4th Grade Archives (previous years)

2015-2016:

June 2016:

Two 4th graders stopped by a Kindergarten music class to share a couple of pieces on the recorder! Thanks so much, 4th graders! We really enjoyed your playing!

January 2016:

Here are some 4th grade students working with the BEAT BLOCKS that Ms. Theisen created. These are just MegaBlocks with music notes drawn on the sides. We can use them to create original rhythms, or we can use them for rhythmic dictation. After the students have created a rhythm, they can create a long rhythm 'train' and have the others in the class speak the rhythm that they see. Here are a few video clips from class:

The fourth graders are off to a great start in music class this fall. Here is a short clip of a small group of fourth graders from 4-T singing the song, "Parlez-vous francais?" while playing a cup game. This requires cooperation, ensemble and team work, sense of timing, and much more! It's also a lot of fun.

We are also working on UKULELE right now! We are excited to be using a new program called FUN MUSIC FOR BEGINNERS: http://www.funmusicforbeginners.com. The color-coded chords give the students a quick start to playing the C, F and G7 chords. We will also continue to play xylophones, drums, recorders, and all of our other instruments!

Here is a 4th Grade class working on the C and F Chords with the FUN MUSIC FOR BEGINNERS ukulele program :) We are having a blast!

Here is a video of 4-K playing HEAD, SHOULDERS, KNEES and TOES with the FunMusicForBeginners ukulele program.

January 2016.

2014-2015:

The fourth grade will be presenting a musical called WHY MOSQUITOES BUZZ IN PEOPLE'S EARS on Friday, June 12 at 8:45am in the COMMON ROOM. This show is an African folktale and will feature acting, singing, dancing, recorders, Orff instruments (xylophones, metallophones, glockenspiels), drumming, guitar, piano, and much more. This musical combines so many of the aspects of what we learn in music class every week!

2013-2014:

THURSDAY, June 5, 2014 - 1:40 PM. Ms. Tiani's 4th Grade invites their PARENTS to join us for an in-class music 'share' in the MUSIC PORTABLE. We will be singing, playing recorders, and performing on the Orff Instruments (xylophones/metallophones/etc). 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: 4Tmusicshare

FRIDAY, JUNE 6, 2014 - 12:50 PM. Mr. McCully's 4th Grade invites their PARENTS to join us for an in-class music 'share' in the MUSIC PORTABLE. We will be singing, playing recorders, and performing on the Orff Instruments (xylophones/metallophones/etc). 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: 4Mmusicshare

4-M VIDEO: http://youtu.be/xYHEOLmoC5g

MONDAY, JUNE 9, 2014 - 8:50 AM . Mr. Betts' 4th Grade invites their PARENTS to join us for an in-class music 'share' in the MUSIC PORTABLE. We will be singing, playing recorders, and performing on the Orff Instruments (xylophones/metallophones/etc). 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: 4Bmusicshare

April 2014:

Following Spring Break, we are back to work on RECORDER KARATE, with students reviewing their white, yellow and orange belts and beginning to move on to the more advanced belts! We spend some time in each class playing along with the SmartMusic program, which is a really wonderful tool for the classroom!

February 2014

The fourth grade music classes have an exciting month ahead in music class! We have played the boomwhackers and xylophones for the tunes WHOOPS! and Three Little Monkeys. We will soon be working on If I Were a Rich Man from Fiddler on the Roof. We will be singing it, and then accompanying our singing by playing the boomwhackers and xylophones.

To capture a bit of Olympic spirit, we have also sung One Moment in Time, which was made famous at the 1988 Olympics. Another Olympic piece from our Music K-8 curriculum is The Games are Coming. Many of the classes have also sung this pop-style piece!

As we continue to focus on playing the recorders and earning our 'karate' belts in recorder, we also focus on playing Question and Answer phrases, improvising and composition! The students spent some time the first week of the month writing treble clefs, barlines, double barlines, and the song Hot Cross Buns on the dry-erase lap boards. As we continue through the spring, this will morph into original composition, with the recorder and xylophone as a composition tool. One of our new Recorder pieces from the Game Plan curriculum is Lullaby. This will take the kids out of their 'G-A-B comfort zone' and get them to play a low D and E, as well. Miss Tiani's class performed this piece in class on February 7 and did a GREAT job with it!!!!

January 2014

The fourth grade music classes have been studying 'form' in music and have learned to recognize pieces in AB and ABA form. They are singing 'canons,' as well, including the song "Welcome All." (A canon is a piece of music that uses one melody, but has the performers starting at different times, creating a song with melody on top of melody, with staggered starting times. Frere Jacques is another example of a 'round' or 'canon.') Some of our current repertoire includes: River, Don't Count Your Chickens, Great Day (Traditional Spiritual), Music, Music

We are also playing the recorders and will be working on solos and ensembles in the coming weeks! The 4th graders are very excited to be playing for their recorder 'belts' as part of the 'Recorder Karate' program. Mr McCully's class began playing for their white belts on January 14th. It was quite the exciting moment! (Our 'belts' are "fuzzy sticks" in all of the 'belt' colors. We wrap them around the end of each recorder. By the end of the year, those recorders will be VERY colorful!)

We continue our work on rhythm patterns. The students have become excellent sight-readers of patterns built from 16th notes, 8th notes, quarter notes, half notes and whole notes, as well as rests. Sometimes we add words to the rhythms instead of the "ti-ri-ti-ri" language. e.g. Instead of "ti-ri-ti," we might say "applesauce." An old favorite from last fall is the video called THE RHYTHM CAFE, which can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCf5RXBLuAE&list=PLXr6HoWNeIxNyRhw7WUOiVSxn3OH_ycgJ&feature=share&index=7

December 2013

The Boomwhackers arrived and all of the students have been learning to create ensembles and play songs with these cool & colorful new instruments.

November 2013

The 4th grade music classes will continue their study of Recorder this year! 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. 4th and 5th Grade students will be playing music from Recorder Karate, a highly motivational method for young players. They will also be earning their karate ‘belts’ (colored strings that will be tied to the bottom of their recorder) as they progress in their playing.

If your child has a recorder from last year, 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.

If your child misplaced his/her recorder or is new to Royle this year and doesn’t have a recorder, please let me know so I can order one. The price will be $8.00 if ordered through the school. Please click on the link at the bottom for a copy of the RECORDER LETTER that was sent home.

Please also send in a 1-inch 3-ring binder with 20 plastic sleeves (sheet protectors) to hold the music. This will become your child’s recorder and composition portfolio as they progress through 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

CLICK HERE FOR A COPY OF THE LETTER THAT WAS SENT HOME:

RecorderLetter2013

June 2016:

Two 4th graders stopped by a Kindergarten music class to share a couple of pieces on the recorder! Thanks so much, 4th graders! We really enjoyed your playing! <iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/snAw6_yW_28" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>

January 2016:

Here are some 4th grade students working with the BEAT BLOCKS that Ms. Theisen created. These are just MegaBlocks with music notes drawn on the sides. We can use them to create original rhythms, or we can use them for rhythmic dictation. After the students have created a rhythm, they can create a long rhythm 'train' and have the others in the class speak the rhythm that they see. Here are a few video clips from class:

The fourth graders are off to a great start in music class this fall. Here is a short clip of a small group of fourth graders from 4-T singing the song, "Parlez-vous francais?" while playing a cup game. This requires cooperation, ensemble and team work, sense of timing, and much more! It's also a lot of fun.

We are also working on UKULELE right now! We are excited to be using a new program called FUN MUSIC FOR BEGINNERS: <a href="http://www.funmusicforbeginners.com">http://www.funmusicforbeginners.com</a>. The color-coded chords give the students a quick start to playing the C, F and G7 chords. We will also continue to play xylophones, drums, recorders, and all of our other instruments!

Here is a 4th Grade class working on the C and F Chords with the FUN MUSIC FOR BEGINNERS ukulele program :) We are having a blast!

Here is a video of 4-K playing HEAD, SHOULDERS, KNEES and TOES with the FunMusicForBeginners ukulele program.

January 2016.

<hr />

2014-2015:</strong>

The fourth grade will be presenting a musical called WHY MOSQUITOES BUZZ IN PEOPLE'S EARS on Friday, June 12 at 8:45am in the COMMON ROOM. This show is an African folktale and will feature acting, singing, dancing, recorders, Orff instruments (xylophones, metallophones, glockenspiels), drumming, guitar, piano, and much more. This musical combines so many of the aspects of what we learn in music class every week!

<hr />

2013-2014:

<strong>THURSDAY, June 5, 2014 - 1:40 PM.</strong> Ms. Tiani's 4th Grade invites their PARENTS to join us for an in-class music 'share' in the MUSIC PORTABLE. We will be singing, playing recorders, and performing on the Orff Instruments (xylophones/metallophones/etc). 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/2012/09/4Tmusicshare-1a2pem5.pdf">4Tmusicshare</a> <a href="http://blogs.darienps.org/ktheisen/files/2012/09/4Mmusicshare-1dxxwkv.pdf">

</a>

<strong style="line-height: 1.5em;"><strong>FRIDAY, JUNE 6, 2014</strong> - 12:50 PM.</strong><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> Mr. McCully's 4th Grade invites their PARENTS to join us for an in-class music 'share' in the MUSIC PORTABLE. We will be singing, playing recorders, and performing on the Orff Instruments (xylophones/metallophones/etc). 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: </span><a style="line-height: 1.5em;" href="http://blogs.darienps.org/ktheisen/files/2012/09/4Mmusicshare-1dxxwkv.pdf">4Mmusicshare </a>

4-M VIDEO: <a href="http://youtu.be/xYHEOLmoC5g" target="_blank">http://youtu.be/xYHEOLmoC5g</a>

<strong> MONDAY, JUNE 9, 2014 - 8:50 AM .</strong> Mr. Betts' 4th Grade invites their PARENTS to join us for an in-class music 'share' in the MUSIC PORTABLE. We will be singing, playing recorders, and performing on the Orff Instruments (xylophones/metallophones/etc). 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/2012/09/4Bmusicshare-11lquva.pdf">4Bmusicshare</a>

<strong>April 2014:</strong>

Following Spring Break, we are back to work on RECORDER KARATE, with students reviewing their white, yellow and orange belts and beginning to move on to the more advanced belts! We spend some time in each class playing along with the SmartMusic program, which is a really wonderful tool for the classroom!

<strong>February 2014 </strong>

The fourth grade music classes have an exciting month ahead in music class! We have played the boomwhackers and xylophones for the tunes <em>WHOOPS!</em> and <em>Three Little Monkeys</em>. We will soon be working on If <em>I Were a Rich Man</em> from <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Fiddler on the Roof.</span> We will be singing it, and then accompanying our singing by playing the boomwhackers and xylophones.

To capture a bit of Olympic spirit, we have also sung <em>One Moment in Time</em>, which was made famous at the 1988 Olympics. Another Olympic piece from our Music K-8 curriculum is <em>The Games are Coming</em>. Many of the classes have also sung this pop-style piece!

As we continue to focus on playing the recorders and earning our 'karate' belts in recorder, we also focus on playing Question and Answer phrases, improvising and composition! The students spent some time the first week of the month writing treble clefs, barlines, double barlines, and the song <em>Hot Cross Buns</em> on the dry-erase lap boards. As we continue through the spring, this will morph into original composition, with the recorder and xylophone as a composition tool. One of our new Recorder pieces from the Game Plan curriculum is Lullaby. This will take the kids out of their 'G-A-B comfort zone' and get them to play a low D and E, as well. Miss Tiani's class performed this piece in class on February 7 and did a GREAT job with it!!!!

January 2014

The fourth grade music classes have been studying 'form' in music and have learned to recognize pieces in AB and ABA form. They are singing 'canons,' as well, including the song "Welcome All." (A canon is a piece of music that uses one melody, but has the performers starting at different times, creating a song with melody on top of melody, with staggered starting times. <em>Frere</em> <em>Jacques</em> is another example of a 'round' or 'canon.') Some of our current repertoire includes: <em>River, Don't Count Your Chickens, Great Day </em>(Traditional Spiritual)<em>, Music, Music </em>

We are also playing the recorders and will be working on solos and ensembles in the coming weeks! The 4th graders are very excited to be playing for their recorder 'belts' as part of the 'Recorder Karate' program. Mr McCully's class began playing for their white belts on January 14th. It was quite the exciting moment! (Our 'belts' are "fuzzy sticks" in all of the 'belt' colors. We wrap them around the end of each recorder. By the end of the year, those recorders will be VERY colorful!)

We continue our work on rhythm patterns. The students have become excellent sight-readers of patterns built from 16th notes, 8th notes, quarter notes, half notes and whole notes, as well as rests. Sometimes we add words to the rhythms instead of the "ti-ri-ti-ri" language. e.g. Instead of "ti-ri-ti," we might say "applesauce." An old favorite from last fall is the video called THE RHYTHM CAFE, which can be found here: <a title="RHYTHM CAFE video" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCf5RXBLuAE&list=PLXr6HoWNeIxNyRhw7WUOiVSxn3OH_ycgJ&feature=share&index=7" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCf5RXBLuAE&list=PLXr6HoWNeIxNyRhw7WUOiVSxn3OH_ycgJ&feature=share&index=7</a>

<strong>December 2013 </strong>

The Boomwhackers arrived and all of the students have been learning to create ensembles and play songs with these cool & colorful new instruments.

<strong>November 2013 </strong>

The 4th grade music classes will continue their study of Recorder this year! 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. 4th and 5th Grade students will be playing music from Recorder Karate, a highly motivational method for young players. They will also be earning their karate ‘belts’ (colored strings that will be tied to the bottom of their recorder) as they progress in their playing.

If your child has a recorder from last year, 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.

If your child misplaced his/her recorder or is new to Royle this year and doesn’t have a recorder, please let me know so I can order one. The price will be $8.00 if ordered through the school. Please click on the link at the bottom for a copy of the RECORDER LETTER that was sent home.

Please also send in a 1-inch 3-ring binder with 20 plastic sleeves (sheet protectors) to hold the music. This will become your child’s recorder and composition portfolio as they progress through 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

CLICK HERE FOR A COPY OF THE LETTER THAT WAS SENT HOME:

<a href="http://blogs.darienps.org/ktheisen/files/2013/10/RecorderLetter2013-1q2flav.pdf">RecorderLetter2013</a>