1st Quarter

We are exploring vocal techniques using our head and chest voice along with do re mi sol la accompanied by hand signs.  We decode melodies using melodies created by a fellow classmate on bells.  We are exploring different ways to show beat using body percussion, and clapping games followed up with applying those movements to instruments. As we sing and move, students have started to develop musical independence on 2-part canons.  Some of our favorite songs are Reuben and Rachel,  You Can Count On Me,  and Children of the World.  Our clinical guest teachers have been teaching folk dances in the last few weeks.  The instruments played in class so far are our World Drumming instruments of high, medium, and low tubanos, bells, guiros, and shakers.  We watched a video presentation from the Musical Instrument Museum showing the instruments of the Andes along with exploring the music of Peru, Bolivia, and Argentina. We also watched a presentation of El Condor Pasa and discussed the instruments played.  We have been exploring the sounds and instruments in Mariachi music too.

Ms. Patterson's class are improvising on xylophones.

Ms. Carthen's class learning a folk dance.

Goals for 1st quarter:

• Students can keep a beat as a team.

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

• Students can identify and sing in their chest and head voice and go between the two.

• Students can decode a melody played by another student using do  mi sol la.

• Students performed with correct technique on tubanos, shekere, gonkogui, bells, rattles.

• Students learned and demonstrated how to care for our world drum instruments.

• Students can perform 2 parts on World drums.

• Students demonstrate a canon in 2 parts.

2nd Quarter

We are exploring vocal techniques using our head and chest voice along with do re mi sol la, ti, do accompanied by hand signs.   We are exploring different ways to show beat using body percussion, and clapping games followed up with applying those movements to instruments. 

Students enjoyed the many movement and game activities provided by our clinical students from ISU.  Students are continuing their work on musical independence singing  2 part canons.  They are reading traditional notation of quarter notes, quarter rests, 8th notes, and half notes along with learning the C chord on the ukulele.

The instruments played in class so far are our World Drumming instruments of high, medium, and low tubanos, bells, guiros, and shakers, xylophones, and ukuleles.

Students learned about the pipe organ through a presentation by The Berlin Philharmonic along with experimental ways to play the piano by watching The Banshee by Henry Cowell.  

We explored the genres of patriotic music, and holiday music from around the world. Some of our favorites are This Land is Our Land, The Star Spangled Banner, Reuben and Rachel, Over the River and Through the Woods, Jingle Bells, Frosty the Snowman, Children Go Where I Send Thee,  and Auld Lang Syne.

Goals for 2nd quarter:

• Students can keep a beat as a team.

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

• Students can identify and sing in their chest and head voice and go between the two.

• Students performed with correct technique on tubanos, shekere, gonkogui, bells, rattles, ukulele,  and xylophones.

• Students learned and demonstrated how to care for our classroom instruments.

• Students can perform  a song  playing the C chord while accompanying themselves on Ukulele.

• Students demonstrate a canon in 2 parts.

• Students demonstrate unison singing blending their voices  on songs from around the world.

3rd Quarter

Harmony has been the focus this quarter.  We explored the genres of Ragtime music and Scott Joplin, King of Ragtime. Students listened to The Entertainer and Maple Leaf Rag.

We then moved to 12 bar blues, studying Wynton Marsalis, Louis Armstrong, and Father of the Blues, WC Handy.  On ukuleles the students played the C, F, G7 harmonic progression of 12 bar blues in C.  

In collaboration with Ms. Patterson’s class,  marine creatures were the subject of the lyrics for 12 bar blues. Students were put into groups and they worked together to write lyrics for their creatures.  Once the lyrics were written in AAB format then revisions tooke place to fit the timing of the lyrics to Duke Ellington’s CJam Blues track.  Once they were happy with that,  they worked on creating a melody to our harmony.  We have been working on a performance of Ocean Blues featuring the entire class for several weeks and are looking forward to putting everything together with the technology. 

Ms. Carthan’s class collaborated on a different project featuring the book, Change Sings by Amanda Gorman.  We have discovered how to create a sound track using the instruments in our room and instruments that some students play outside of school.  The book speaks of change so our music accompaniment also changes every two pages.  Students have discovered that putting everything together takes a lot of time.  Narration, accompaniment, and technology are exciting to put together. 

Both classes explored the Irish Instruments of Bodhran, Uilleann Pipes, Penny Whistle, Low Whistle, and watched and listened to their unique sounds in Irish folk music.

• Students can keep a beat as a team.

• Students can sing do,re,mi ,fa, sol, la, ti, do with hand signs and match pitch.

• Students performed with correct technique on tubanos, shekere, gonkogui, bells, rattles, ukulele,  and xylophones.

• Students learned and demonstrated how to care for our classroom instruments.

• Students can perform a song playing the C, F, and G7 chords while accompanying themselves on Ukulele.

• Students demonstrate a canon in 2 parts to create harmony.

• Students experienced creating a song for a performance in collaboration with a classroom theme incorporating technology.

4th Quarter

Harmony continues to be the focus this quarter.   Students learned to sing partner songs: 2 different songs with common chords sung at the same time.  Students developed confidence and independence while working with their small group to stay together.  Students learned to write rhythms with traditional notation using quarter note and rest, half note note and rest, and 8th notes.  Music making continued with Ukulele with students learning to accompany themselves using C, F, and G7 chords.  The biggest challenge is going between these chords at the same time as their classmates.  To sing and play an instrument at the same time is a huge challenge for young students.  Students enjoyed exploring The Muffin Man, This Old Man, He's Got the Whole World, A Tisket a Tasket, Fish and Chips and Vinegar, Michael Finnegan, Skip to My Lou to name a few. You will see in the videos a final song that was voted on by students and prepared as a performance for families.

We also explored the music and instruments of Japan with the Koto, a string instrment and Shakuhachi a bamboo flute, Taiko drumming and Sakura ( Cherry Blossoms). We explored the music and instruments of Korea with Arirang ( Over the Hills),  Gayageum string instrument,  and Samgomu drum dance. .

In collaboration with Ms. Patterson’s class,  marine creatures were the subject of the lyrics for 12 bar blues. We continued working on this and were able to put everything together. Students were put into groups and they worked together to write lyrics for their creatures.  Once the lyrics were written in AAB format then revisions took place to fit the timing of the lyrics to Duke Ellington’s CJam Blues track. 

Ms. Carthan’s class collaborated on a different project featuring the book, Change Sings by Amanda Gorman.  We have discovered how to create a sound track using the instruments in our room and instruments that some students play outside of school.  Students have discovered that playing as an ensemble is fun and takes time to sound great.  

• Students can keep a beat as a team.

• Students can sing do,re,mi ,fa, sol, la, ti, do with hand signs and match pitch.

• Students performed with correct technique on tubanos, shekere, gonkogui, bells, rattles, ukulele,  and xylophones.

• Students learned and demonstrated how to care for our classroom instruments.

• Students can perform many songs playing the C, F, and G7 chords while accompanying themselves on Ukulele.

• Students demonstrate a Partner Songs in 2 parts to create harmony.

• Students appreciated the music from other cultures.

• Students experienced creating a song for a performance in collaboration with a classroom theme incorporating technology.