Rhythm: September (4 Lessons)

3rd graders are exploring beat and rhythm through singing, moving, and playing instruments. They read rhythms that include quarter notes, eighth notes, sixteenth notes, and quarter rests. They are learning how to transcribe melodies on a traditional 5-line treble clef staff. They are reading music independently and figuring out how to play the written music on percussion instruments. The 3rd graders are working as an ensemble to make a beautiful sound while they play the xylophones, metallophones, and glockenspiels.

Melody: September-Early November (6 Lessons)

3rd graders are exploring melody using soprano recorders. They will learn how to hold the instrument correctly, how to blow gently, and how to cover the correct holes to make a beautiful tone. They are starting with the pitches B, A, and G. The 3rd graders are learning how to read these pitches when they are written on a traditional five-line staff. Many of the songs the 3rd graders are playing during this unit are from the book, Recorder Express.

Recorders and books are available for purchase if you would like one. Simply sign into your account at myschoolbucks.com. From there, click on “School Store,” then “Browse All Items,” then “Recorder-Swigert.” You will have the option to choose a recorder alone (standard), recorder and book, or book alone.

Concert: November-Early February (8 Lessons)

Theme Immigration

The 3rd grade concert is on Thursday, February 1 at 6:40 pm. After the concert, the students will have one more day to reflect on their performance and celebrate their hard work.

Form: February-Early April (6 Lessons)

Third graders are exploring the blues. They will write simple blues lyrics and perform them in a 12 bar blues form. The 3rd graders will learn to listen for chord changes in recorded music. They will also get to improvise xylophone melodies over a blues chord progression. This unit is related closely to the IB theme: How We Express Ourselves.

Third graders are continuing their work with recorders. The focus is on making a beautiful tone and playing with accurate pitches. The students are now able to play and read many BAG songs out of our recorder book Recorder Express like “Hot Cross Buns.” The class will create a song in rondo form using voices and recorders.

Texture: Late March-Early May (4 Lessons)

3rd graders are building musical independence on their recorders. They will analyze the rhythms and pitches of simple melodies to play them independently. They will also continue to reinforce their sense of beat and community while exploring the layers of music by playing the song “One, Two, Three, Four, Five.” The piece has three interlocking parts. The students explore how they can change the timbre and texture of the piece by using different types of voices and percussion sounds.

Harmony: May (4 Lessons)

3rd graders are learning different ways to create harmony through singing. They will sing “One Bottle Pop,” a partner song with as many as three parts, “Make New Friends,” and simple round, and "Great Big House," another song that can be sung as a round. If the students master singing in rounds, they will move on to making harmony with vocal ostinato (short, repeated melody fragments).