Ms. York's class

Ms. Schumacher's class

• Students can keep a beat as a team.

• Students can sing do re mi fa sol la ti do with hand signs.

• Students can move between their chest and head voice.

• Students can take care of our  World Drums.  Those instruments are tubanos low-middle-high,  gonkogui, bell, shekere, rattle.

• Students can play the World Drums with correct technique. 

 We are working on vocal exploration using do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, ti, do with hand signs.  Our goal is to match pitch and to learn the relationship between the pitches.  We worked on singing in unison, by blending our sound with our neighbors, using our chest and head voices. We continued exploring music from around the world  using oral traditions on the low, medium, and high tubanos along with bells, shekeres, guiros, rattles, and xylophones.  We work together to really listen while layering up to five patterns at one time .  

We learned how a Pipe Organ works watching a presentation by the Berlin Philharmonic.  We explored additional ways to create sounds on an acoustic piano by watching The Banshee by Henry Cowell.  

We sang and accompanied the music from the Navaho Nation. In our Patriotic Unit, we learned the history of the Star Spangled Banner.  Favorite songs in that unit is The Star Spangled Banner and Fifty Nifty United States. We also explored music for different holidays from around the world.

Our newest instrument is our first wind instrument, the recorder.  Students are reading traditional notation on the treble clef staff along with note values of quarter notes, quarter rests, 8th notes, half notes, half rests, and whole notes. They have played Hot Cross Buns, Gently Sleep,  Merrily We Roll Along, Rain Rain Go Away,  and Dizzy's BAG.

• Students can sing in unison blending voices and matching pitch.

• Students can sing do re mi fa sol la ti do with hand signs.

• Students can move between their chest and head voice 

• Students can take care of all our instruments.

• Students can play the World Drums, xylophones, and recorders with correct technique. 

• Student's are exploring music from around the world.

• Students can identify quarter notes, quarter rests, half notes, half rests, 8th notes, and their time value.

• Students can read BAGED on the treble clef staff.

This quarter we have focused on harmony and how that fits in with melody.  Students created harmony with canons or rounds- two melodies that start at different times.  We also worked on triads or 3 note chords.  Students used the C, F, and G chords on the marimbas.  These chords were our accompaniment when we started writing 12 bar blues.  After reading about WC Handy, the Father of the Blues, students learned to play the chord structure of the blues.  We then dove into lyric writing in collaboration with their class on Unsung Heroes.  We called it Unsung Hero Blues. They had to write their blues in AAB form and when they were happy with content, moved into fitting in time with a blues backing track of Duke Ellington's CJam Blues.  Students then created a melody for their lyrics. This requires a lot of independence, revising, and confidence while working through the process of writing music. 

Students also learned about the elements of Ragtime Music and Scott Joplin, the King of Ragtime.  We listened to the Entertainer and Maple Leaf Rag along with Louis Armstrong.

We continue to study recorder by playing Dizzy’s Bag, Twinkle, and Old MacDonald and more.  Twinkle was our red belt checkoff in Recorder Karate. We also explored the Irish Instruments of Bodhran, Uilleann Pipes, Penny Whistle, Low Flute as we watched and listened to their unique sounds in Irish folk music.

• Students can sing in unison blending voices and matching pitch.

• Students can sing do re mi fa sol la ti do with hand signs.

• Students can sing their part independently in a canon or round.

• Students can take care of all our instruments.

• Students can play the World Drums, xylophones, and recorders with correct technique. 

• Students can identify ragtime and blues, and then tell you the elements of those styles.

• Students can identify the music symbols of quarter notes, quarter rests, half notes, half rests, 8th notes, whole notes and their time values, bar lines, double bar, measures, time signature, key signature, and sharp signs.

• Students can read BAGEDF# on the treble clef staff and know the fingerings on the recorder.

• Students can write lyrics in the format of 12 bar blues.

• Students can play the chords C, G, and F on marimbas.

Quarter 4

This quarter we have focused on singing partner songs.  Students sang three different but related songs at the same time creating a unique way to create harmony.  This took a lot of self confidence, independence, and working with a small group to stay together with the other groups.  We continued worked on triads or 3 note chords and singing to these chords. Students spent a lot of time on learning to read traditional notation so they could read any music put in front of them.  We finished off the year studying recorder and learning to play Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, Oh When the Saints, Amazing Grace, and Ode to Joy.  Students signed their name for the Karate Belt completed as they tested on the various songs.  They also worked on Take Time in Life with the world drums and movement.

Students learned about the five instrument families of Brass, Woodwinds, Strings, and Percussion, and Keyboards and the instruments that belonged in each family. They got to see modern day performers on each of the instruments.  It's been a great year to explore the many complexities, genres, and richness of the music world.

• Students can sing in unison blending voices and matching pitch.

• Students can sing do re mi fa sol la ti do with hand signs.

• Students can sing their part independently in a two or three part partner song.

• Students can take care of all our instruments.

• Students can play the World Drums, xylophones, and recorders with correct technique. 

• Students can read the pitches on the treble clef staff including ledger lines.

• Students can identify the music symbols of quarter notes, quarter rests, half notes, half rests, 8th notes, whole notes and their time values, bar lines, double bar, measures, time signature, key signature, and sharp signs.

• Students know the fingerings for High D, High C, BAGEDF# on the recorder.

• Students could perform on the recorder the songs:  Twinkle Twinkle, Old MacDonald, Oh When the Saints, Amazing Grace, and Ode to Joy.

• Students could identify instruments and instrument family.