Fifth Grade Songs 

Music and PE Collaborative Dance Unit! 

In November, we met in the gym for both PE and Music classes, and learned dances from different cultures, as well as New England Folk dances and party dances. Here are the dance-along videos we learned; kids are welcome to keep practicing at home! 

Folk Song Unit

5th graders learned about folk songs: songs that are passed down in a culture through generations. We sang and listened to three songs tied to the African American struggle for freedom and civil rights. While singing, we focused on techniques to achieve a strong singing voice, and added dynamics. 

"Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" is said to be Harriet Tubman's favorite song, and was sometimes used as code in the Underground Railroad.

 "Follow the Drinking Gourd" was a map encoded in a song that helped slaves escape to the Free North 

"Hold on Just a Little While Longer" is a song by Cleophus Robinson, Jr. that speaks of resilience and hope. 

Parodies 

Our UNH Student Intern, Ms. Frye, taught 5th graders about parodies: songs that imitate an original song. Each 5th Grade class wrote their own parody of Miley Cyrus's "Party in the USA." 

5th Grade Soundscape Project! 

This is the result of our collaborative project with Art, P.E., and Library around National Parks. Students chose a National Park to research and write a poem about in Library class, then paint a landscape in Art class. In the music room, we are learning how to create soundscapes representative of the National Parks we chose. In preparation to create a soundscape, students discussed instrument timbre, improvisation techniques, the importance of “do,” balancing sound in whole-class improvisation, and musical questions and answers. After polishing our soundscapes, we recorded multiple versions, evaluated them, and picked the best one in each class!