Kindergarten started getting ready for their first performance! The Kindergarten concert will happen on April 25th. The songs are all about spring! We have been having a great time singing and dancing to our songs "Mr. Sun", "Rain Rain Go Away", "Follow the Rainbow", "Los Pollitos Dicen Pio Pio", "The Bunny Boogie", and "School is Coming to an End".

First grade started getting ready for their concert on April 25th! This year, the first graders are putting on a mini-musical called Pajama Party! The show is all about bedtime and getting ready. The kids have loved learning the songs and all the dance moves that go along with it. They are especially excited to wear their pajamas on stage!

Second Grade did an AMAZING job at their concert in February! Their Journey to Outer Space program was so much fun and they were all so proud of themselves. After our concert ended, we started learning about the Baroque Period. The Baroque Period (1600-1750) was a time where everything was fancy! We learned about ways composers made their music sound fancier. We also have been listening to the Four Seasons by Vivaldi.

Third Grade had so much fun with their Prime Time Nursery Rhymes concert! I gave them a challenge with more moving pieces than they have had in the past, and they DELIVERED! They loved their program and did an excellent job with it. After the concert ended, we started learning about the Classical Period. The Classical Period (1750-1820) was all about simplicity, balance, and catchy music. We have learned about composers like Beethoven and Mozart and we have talked about how musicians organize their music into phrases and sections. 

Fourth Grade has been working hard to learn about the Romantic Period. The Romantic Period (1820-1910) was a period where there was a heavy emphasis on drama, emotions, and passion. Music was used to tell a story! Students have had fun listening to pieces and trying to figure out what was going on in the music. 

Currently, the Fourth Graders are working in groups to write their own Opera scenes to celebrate the Romantic Period. Students are coming up with their own characters, stories, and motifs (music that is used to represent something or someone) and they will perform their scenes in class!

Fifth Grade wrapped up their songwriting projects either by recording a video or doing an in-class performance. I loved getting to see everyone's creative ideas come to life! It's amazing to see how even though everyone has access to the same technology in the music room, they all use it in different ways to make their own unique music. 

Recently, we started our Ukulele unit. Students are provided with in-class ukuleles so they can learn how to play! Half of our time is spent learning C, Am, F, and G chords as a class and playing songs together, and the other half is spent with an independent study where students choose music that interests them to learn. I provide them with the resources to learn it, but the goal is for the students to teach themselves!

Kindergarten spent a lot of time exploring music that celebrated different times of the season. Some of our favorite songs were Pumpkin Bones in October, Albequerque Turkey in November, and exploring the Nutcracker through dance and movement. Students were also introduced to various classroom instruments such as rhythm sticks, bells, and boomwhackers. We also used movement tools such as scarves and parachutes.

First grade started learning their first solfege syllables: Sol and Mi. Solfege is a system used to help kids understand and internalize the relationship between different pitches. One of their favorite games to play is "poison pattern", where they have to listen for the mystery pattern and stay silent when the mystery pattern is sung. 

Second Grade started preparing for their February program: Journey to Outer Space! Second graders are learning 6 songs that they will be performing for their parents and friends on February 8th. Within this show, they are learning good performer habits, having opportunities for small group and solo work, and working on applying feedback to have a polished, ready performance. They are so excited!

Third Grade started preparing for their concert, Prime Time Nursery Rhymes. I challenged the third graders with a mini play this year because this is a group of kids that LOVES to perform. In addition to learning 5 songs, there are small group dances happening, lots of speaking parts, and a fun amount of props! The third grade students are so excited to bring this performance to life on February 8th.

Fourth Grade had an amazing concert during 2nd Quarter! All of their hard work to learn their music paid off in one of the best concerts we've had since I started teaching here. 

We also reviewed our music literacy skills and spent time leading up to winter break learning how to play a multi-part xylophone piece. Everyone in the class had a job to do, a part to learn, and it was so fun to put everything together to see if they could figure out the song.

Fifth Grade also had an amazing concert! It was such a bittersweet moment to see them up on stage. Watching the students grow from K to 5 has been a fantastic opportunity and this concert was the culmination of all of their hard work. I'm so proud to know and teach these kids!

The rest of 2nd quarter was spent continuing the songwriting project. Each student (or group of students) has to create a backing track, write original lyrics, and perform their original song either live for the class or in a recorded video. 

Kindergarten music has been a lot of fun! Students have been learning echo songs, simple melodies, and fun songs that help us keep the beat. Our main focus has been being able to keep a steady beat, being able to repeat a short singing melody, and being able to create our own "songs" using something we like to call "baba language". These skills are the building blocks for music learning, and will help them all the way through 5th grade! Some of our favorite songs have been "No More Pie", "Had a Little Rooster", and playing the drum with "Listen Listen".

First Grade music has been reviewing the basic building blocks for music learning. Our activities have focused on keeping a steady beat, independent singing/small group singing, and improvising our own ideas. We have started to use simple non-pitched percussion instruments such as egg shakers, hand drums, and rhythm sticks to add to our songs. Some of our favorite songs this quarter have been "In the Woods", "Lazy Bones", "William Had Seven Sons" and "There Was and Old Woman who had a Pig".

Second Grade is enjoying their time in the Manning Music room so far! We have put a lot of focus on beat. Students in second grade are learning about the difference between strong and weak beats, and how beats are organized into groups in music. We have been playing a lot of games and doing movement activities to learn about "Marching Music" (songs in 2), "Swaying Music" (songs in 3), and "Walking Music" (songs in 4). 

Third Grade is taking a big step in music learning this year: starting to read notes on the staff! A big focus of 3rd grade music is being able to recognize, read, and play music with standard notation. We have learned about the musical alphabet (ABCDEFG), and now we're working to figure out where all of the notes go on the staff. It takes a lot of practice, but it becomes easier the more you do it!

Third Grade has also started learning how to sing in parts, starting with Rounds. Two of our favorite rounds have been "Robot Round" and "Ghost of John".

Fourth Grade has been working so hard on learning their music for the concert. I challenged them with some more complicated songs this year, and they are stepping up to the plate! They also have more songs than they are used to, which adds an extra layer to the challenge.  We can't wait for you to hear them at the concert!

When we aren't practicing our songs, we have been learning about different elements of music reading such as intervals (the distance between two notes), melodic direction (notes going up or down), and reviewing note names. Our goal is to become expert music readers by the end of the year!

Fifth Grade has also been working very hard on preparing music for their concert. I have challenged them with more music, but also more creative opportunities. 5th Grade students had the opportunity to choose a song to learn as a grade (without Mrs. Maris having too much input!) and design the covers for the program. It's going to be a great show!

In addition to practicing for the concert, 5th Grade students have started a big project: writing their own song! Students are working in groups, pairs, or by themselves to create a backing track for their original song. After the backing tracks are done, they will write lyrics and then perform their songs either live for their classmates, or record them for me.