Grade 3

Week of June 15th, 2020

Hey Third Grade,

I've left you one more game to test your knowledge of Instrument families. I also recorded a Summer message for all of you. Please know that I am so proud of you for all you've done and the way you've handled the last few months. Have a safe and happy Summer!


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Week of June 8th, 2020

Hello Third Graders,

We have worked hard to learn about the families of instruments, so now let's have some fun and play a game to see how well you know them. Don't forget to think about what characteristics an instrument has that place it into each family. That will help you if you come across an instrument you're unsure of.


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Week of June 1st, 2020

Hello Third grade,

We've covered all four families of instruments now. Today, we're taking a look at some more String instruments - ones that don't play in the orchestra. I can only show you the instruments I have at home, but watch the video and I'll share some of my favorites with you. Please take a moment to think about the questions below:


  1. Which was your favorite string instrument, both from here and from the orchestra? Why?
  2. What are some ways electric and acoustic instruments sound different from each other?
  3. Why do you think these instruments aren't included in the orchestra?


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Week of May 26th, 2020

Hey everybody! We're on to the second and final family of Wind instruments. This family is called the Woodwind family and includes instruments like the flute, clarinet, and saxophone plus a lot more. In the video, I walk you through how some of these instruments work. Please take a moment to think about the questions below:


  1. What do we call the the buttons on the saxophone that we have to press the change the sound?
  2. What did we call the piece of wood that vibrates in the saxophone's mouthpiece?
  3. Did you hear any familiar songs? Which ones?


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Week of May 18th, 2020

Hey Third Grade! Today we're starting part one of Wind instruments. That means instruments that we have to blow into if we want them to make sound. The first family of Wind instruments is called Brass and includes instruments like the trumpet. Please watch the video I made for you and think about the questions below


  1. What are some of the other Brass instruments besides the trumpet?
  2. What do you have to do with your lips when you blow into a brass instrument?
  3. What do we call the piece we blow into? The part where the sound comes out? The buttons we press to change the sound?


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Week of May 11th, 2020

Hello Third Graders! Last week's instrument family was Strings. We learned how they use vibration to make sound and how the instruments in the family are alike. This week we are working on Percussion, a very different type of family. In Part One, I'll tell you about what make the Percussion family special and show you some instruments. In Part Two, we'll see how a drumset works. While you watch the videos, please keep the following questions in mind:


  1. How do Percussion instruments use vibration differently than String instruments?
  2. What are a few ways or tools you can use to play Percussion instruments?


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Week of May 4th, 2020

Hello Second graders, last week we started learning about orchestras and families of instruments. We began by learning a little bit about each family in the orchestra. This week, we're going to learn more about how the instruments in each family work - starting with Strings. Watch the video below where I walk you through what makes the String family unique and show you some of the different instruments that make it up, and keep in mind the things to understand from last week. How do they apply to String instruments?


  1. How do string instruments use sound to create vibration?
  2. How are string instruments similar to each other and what their job is in an orchestra?


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Week of April 27th, 2020

I hope everyone had a terrific vacation, and I hope you had a great time with all that blues learning. We will spend the next 5-6 weeks diving into instruments. We will mainly focus on the orchestra, but we'll look at some outside of the orchestra as well (think electric guitar!) The two most important things we'll be looking to understand are:

  1. How the different instruments use sound to create vibration.
  2. How instruments are grouped into families and what their job is in an orchestra.

Please watch the video below to get yourself familiar with how the orchestra is set up (this is new to us) and also review what the four families of instruments are. In the coming weeks, we will be looking at the families one at a time.

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Week of April 13th, 2020

Hello! We worked on blues form and scat singing last week. This week we'll do a bit of review and write our own blues song. You'll need a pencil, some paper, and a bit of creativity.


The Lazy Blues Lyrics

I can't see my students and it's driving me crazy

I can't see my students and it's driving me crazy

Wearing pajamas all day is making me lazy


Optional: Since we'll be starting a unit on Instruments after vacation, you can also check out a video I made for my fifth graders about how to make a string instrument at home if you'd like.

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Week of April 3rd, 2020

Hello 3rd grade! We've done some awesome work learning about the blues. In this video we're reviewing the 12 measure form that makes the blues work and learning a little bit more about improvisation (making it up as you go). I'm going to show you how to scat sing, that's making up a solo using your voice, and then have you try it out with me. Have fun and remember, it's okay to make a mistake. Just keep right on going.

Blues Improvisation Video

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Week of March 27th, 2020

Hey 3rd Graders! You've come a long way since learning to reads notes on the treble clef in grade 2. Practice your note identification skills with this game. Remember, Every Good Burger Deserves Fries for the lines, FACE for the spaces.

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Week of March 20th, 2020

For the last 2 months, you guys have been working so hard on Round Robin, and you are all so close to meeting our goal of completing the game in less than 5 minutes. To help us stay fresh and focused I'm leaving you some games that focus on Music Terms - fancy musical words that we use in class and in Round Robin.