Mrs. Sumner's Music Class
Hello students and families!
Welcome to the Music class website! I will be adding music activities to this site, some are videos of activities we have already mastered and others are just for fun! Check the website on days that we are not making music together at school to practice, or try a new music activity. Please email me with questions or just to say hi! -Mrs. Sumner sumneh@portlandschools.org
Spring, 2021
Here is a short echo song from the Polynesian Islands. Polynesia is a region in Oceania made up of lots of islands.
"Tongo" is a traditional canoeing song, where the rowers sing back and forth to each other. Singing helps to help keep everyone rowing in rhythm or at the same speed or to pass the time while they complete their work on the water. In many countries, music is used to pass the time while working, making the work or job more fun. The word Tongo means ‘mangrove’ which is a special kind of tree that grows in salty or swampy water.
January 25th, 2021
What we're listening to:
"Winter" from the Four Seasons by Vivaldi
"Fanfare for the Common Man" by A. Copland
What we're reading:
Musical Styles: Cat Opera
How many different styles of music can you think of? (Jazz, Pop, Classical). Today we're going to listen to a style of music called "opera." There are two singers in this opera. How does the blue cat know when to sing? How about the yellow cat? Try using some of your stuffed animals to do the opera by yourself! Could you perform this for someone?
Ted Ed Talk on Opera
Learn a few more facts about the musical style called Opera!
January 4th, 2021
Note Artists
I love any opportunity to combine art and music, so we are going to be note artists and create (sculpt) different rhythms! Follow along and create your own rhythms. Take a gallery walk and see some of our 2nd and 3rd grade note art!
November 9th, 2020
Rhythm Reading
2nd grade students are learning about eighth note, quarter note, and quarter rest rhythms. Try this rhythm workout to practice reading and playing different rhythm patterns
November 2nd, 2020
"I met a little frog"
1st grade students learned a song called I Met a little Frog. This short song helps us practice playing a rhythm on an instrument- independently of what our voices are singing. We played the 'hop' rhythms with plastic frogs, wooden frog guiros, and hand drums!
"Spider on the Floor"
First graders learned a song with lots of fun silly rhymes this week. See if you can remember the rhymes that go with floor, toes, knee, thigh, and many others in this fun song about a spider. Students brought home a tiny spider to practice and sing this for their families! Use the video to review the words at home.
Spider on Floor lyrics PDF.pdfWhat we're moving to:
Rhythm Compositions
Rhythm is one of the core elements of music. 2nd grade has been studying rhythm patterns. Try writing your own rhythm. Listen and check your learning, then see if you can play it. There are many levels to choose from; how many levels can you achieve? Good luck!
September 28th, 2020
"Pitter Patter" (Rainstick!)
Kindergarten classes learned a song about the rain and played our rainstick instruments. Frog in the Meadow. It is a short song to practice steady beat. You can practice your singing voice at home since we are not singing at school right now. Use the video to review the words at home.
"Charlie Over the Ocean
Kindergarten learned words to the song Charlie over the ocean and played a fun percussion instrument called Boom whackers. Use the video to review the words and melody and echo part at home.
"John the Rabbit"
1st grade has been reviewing the song John the Rabbit. We added an instrument for the echo part. Use the video to review the words and melody and echo the singing at home.
"Frog in the Meadow"
Kindergarten classes learned a song called Frog in the Meadow. It is a short song to practice steady beat and using our singing voice! Since we are not singing very often at school right now, use the video to try singing at home.
Song tale: "Over in the Meadow"
It's Monday and here is a new song tale. "Over in the Meadow" is a popular song with lots of great rhymes. There are many versions of this song. Enjoy the fun rhymes in each verse!
Songtale: "Everyone Asked About You"
Nora's friends want her to come out and play but she will not come out of her room because she is feeling blue! Then her friend has an idea. He tells her that everyone (even the butterflies, the man in the moon, and fish in the ocean) ask about her. Do you think she'll come out? Listen and see! One of my students favorite stories and sung by Bob McGrath. The music composed to tell the story is so fun and catchy! Enjoy!
"Viva La Musica"
A special song from the Portland Public School music teachers, performing the traditional tune, Viva la Musica (Long live music).
Bee Rhythms
Keep the beat with the bee! Every time bee lands on the flower add a clap or snap or stomp or a beat. Have any instruments in your house? Use that to make a sound. We found things in our kitchen to turn into instruments to play along!
"Spring" by Vivaldi: a listening lesson
Do you like flowers in the springtime? Like drawing while listening to music? Then this video is for you! Learn more about "Spring" from the Four Seasons by Vivaldi and draw some spring birds with our Art teacher Ms. O'Connor!
Musical Style: Hip Hop
Try your hand at being a DJ with some Hip Hop music today with this digital turn table put out by Google. Scroll through some hip hop records, control the fader, change the speed and have fun mixing some beats!
Keep sending me those videos and pictures to my e-mail! Hearing from you brings so much joy to my day! Warmly, Mrs. Sumner, sumneh@portlandschools.org
Song for a Sunny Day!
Here's a song for a sunny day. This is a popular folk song that many of you know but I sing it a little bit differently than the original. Do you have any favorite songs for a sunny day?
Musical Workout 1: Steady Beat, Airplanes and Goats!
Welcome back! This weeks' video has some music warm-ups like we used to do in the music classroom and a new song with movements. Try your best and have fun! Mrs. Sumner
Echo Song: Bill Grogan's Goat
Enjoy the silly yet unfortunate song tale of Bill Grogan and his goat. We feature a very fun and silly instrument in this song called a kazoo. If you have a kazoo grab it and play along with us at the end of the song!
Music for Spring
Here are a few classical pieces written about Spring. Pick one to listen to and try to answer the questions correctly!
April Music Calendar
Here are some simple ways to keep making music without technology!
April Music Challenge.pdf
Be Happy
The cloudy weather is making me a little lazy today and I needed some music to perk me up to get work done. Do you ever have days when things feel a little harder to accomplish? I organized some of my instruments for inspiration but what I needed was to just listen to some upbeat music today. I listen to so many different kinds of music; I listen to classical music for relaxing, acoustic guitar music for reading, oldies music for gardening, hip-hop for cooking and many others. I played some of these songs to get moving and dancing. What do you like to listen to?
Music Bingo
While we are away from each other, here are some music activities that you can do with your family! Keep track of which ones you do and see if you can get a BINGO!
Music in Our Schools Month Bingo (1).docxStay Healthy-stay musical!
Good morning! We're glad you are here today. We've been trying to stay healthy by eating lots fruits and vegetables. Here is a song to learn while eating those fresh fruits!
Sing and Move
Here are some of our favorite songs we sing and move to in Kindergarten and 1st grade music class. Enjoy the music!
1. This is My Trunk: sing and add the tree movements
2. Bears and Chairs: sing and add all the movements
3. Everyone Asked about you: do you remember how the book ends?
4. Highway No. 1: Get ready to drive, hop, skip and wiggle!
5. Owl Song: sing and practice the owl movements
6. Fanga Alafia: sing in two different languages!
7. Seven Jumps: do you remember all the 7 movements? Practice your balancing at the end!
8. Silly Dance: Cut loose and get silly!
Listening and responding: "Finale" from William Tell Overture by Rossini
2nd and 3rd grade students might remember this from our music classes! Practice clapping the rhythm that goes with the melody, then pick 5 different moves to go with each symbol. Can you stomp only on the red circles but clap the yellow x's...and then snap the blue squares and pat the gray x's...what will you do to show the beat on the green symbols? What other beat ideas can you come up with? If you get it, email me a video! Good luck!
Who was Rossini?
Rossini was one of the most famous Italian composers in his time. Read more about the "finale" from his opera William Tell and the legend that inspired the Opera!
Rossini.pdfInstruments of the Orchestra
Students at OAES have been exploring the sounds of the instruments of the Orchestra. We've been working our way through the woodwinds, Brass, Percussion and Strings families. Do you remember which colors we used to fill in our coloring sheet? Here is another page for you to complete at home; ask your parents to put on some classical music while you color!
Scanned Image _20200316_090513.pdfInstruments of the Orchestra: Listening
Listen to the sounds of each instrument in the Orchestra. Musicians of the Dallas Symphony (DSO) demonstrate strings, brass, woodwinds and percussion instruments!
Composing Music
This is a website with many different music activities for you to explore. Arranging and creating different patterns of sounds and silences is called "composing" Have fun composing!
Rhythm Reading
Here is a set of rhythm flashcards. Practice these on your own by saying the rhythm words (ta, rest, ti-ti, ti-ki-ti-ki, ta-a) and clapping the rhythm. You have practiced this activity in the music classroom!
Flash Cards-rhythm.pptRhythm Flashcards