Grade 4
Week of June 15th, 2020
Hey Fourth 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 Fourth graders,
One last song. This one introduces us to the note High E, but more importantly shows us an important way to navigate song form.
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Week of June 1st, 2020
Hello Fourth grade,
I've got a new song for you today. It uses a brand new note called B flat. This is a note you'll need to know if you're going to join the concert band next year. The song is not one of the more difficult ones we've taken on, but the fingering for B flat is a little bit different than the other notes we know.
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Week of May 26th, 2020
Hey Fourth grade! As promised, we're taking a break from recorder this week to learn about the instrument family recorder belongs to. 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:
- What were some of the other instruments in the Woodwind family not listed above?
- What are some reasons this family might use the name "Woodwind"?
- On a brass instrument we press the valves to change pitch. What do we use to change pitch on Woodwind instruments?
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Week of May 18th, 2020
Hey Fourth grade! Today's song may sound familiar. It's called Morning, and it uses mostly review notes - High D, C, A, G, and F. We also review how to play in 3/4 time.
Next week, we'll take a break from recorder to learn a bit about how Woodwind instruments work.
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Week of May 11th, 2020
Hello Fourth graders! I'm only giving you one song today - Japanese Folk Song on page 19. It uses the Low D note we added last week, as well as few other low notes we've added since March. Take your time with it and have patience with yourself.
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Week of May 4th, 2020
Hello fourth graders, today we're learning a new song that uses low E and adding a new note, low D to the mix. Next week, we'll put low D into a song. Remember to put the air in softly for the lower notes.
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Week of April 27th, 2020
I hope everyone had a terrific vacation. I've a posted a special video that talks about why we do recorder, what your options are for fifth grade band, and also teaches a new note and a song to go with it. If you have any questions about fifth grade band, that I didn't cover here, please reach out - tmeehan@swanseaschools.org.
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Week of April 13th, 2020
Hello! We're continuing on with our work on F#, putting it into a real song today, but first we'll review an old in-class favorite.
Optional: Just for fun over 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 4th Graders! This week I'm walking you through an older one we haven't played in a while, Aura Lee on page 11, and also walking you through playing the note F#. If you still want the music for We Will Rock You it's still down at the bottom of the page. Have fun playing!
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Week of March 27th, 2020
Hey 4th grade! I'm sharing another video with you guys. You can keep up the good work on page 14, but I'm also sharing a song you can learn that I think you'll really enjoy. I've put the written music for it below.
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Week of March 20th, 2020
I've posted a video so that you can keep on working on those recorder skills. This includes a refresher on reading and playing G A B C D and also shows you F which is in some of the songs on p. 14. You can try Mary's Lamb Blues, Blues for Fun, and Brother John Blues. I've also included a note chart to help you with reading. If you don't have the book at home, you can view it online Here.
