GRADE 2
HELLO GRADE 2 STUDENTS!
This is the page where I will be posting activities for you to try!
Check back here on TUESDAY, MAY 12th!
JUNE 8-12: PENELOPE AND THE WOLF
The musicians at the Toronto Symphony Orchestra got together and made their own modern 2020 stay-at-home version of Peter and the Wolf, a symphony that composer Sergei Prokofiev wrote in 1936. The Toronto Symphony musicians changed the main character from Peter to Penelope.
The whole thing is very cool, because it tells a story and the featured instruments each represent a different character or animal in the story!!
Not only that, but each character and animal has their own little tune!!
Click on the video to see and hear what they put together! Listen carefully for the BIRD and the DUCK!
Questions for the week:
- What instrument did you like the best?
- A FLUTE plays the BIRD. Is the sound HIGH or LOW? You can listen again HERE: https://safeyoutube.net/w/R1cG
- The DUCK is played by the OBOE. It kind of sounds a little "quacky". Would you say the OBOE part was fast or slow? You can listen again HERE: https://safeyoutube.net/w/X2cG
- HOW would you describe the sound of the violin?
(here are some words you might choose from: SMOOTH, ROUGH, LOW, HIGH, LOUD, SOFT)
5. Below are some colouring sheets! You might have fun colouring them or looking at them!
worksheet-02-Duck.pdf01-The-Bird-worksheet.pdf
BONUS LISTENING!
If you liked the violin part, you can listen to this young violinist around your age playing Let it Go!
JUNE 1-5: TURNTABLES AND FROGS
When we see music written on a page using notes, it tells us a lot about how to play it. It tells us which pitches (notes) to play, it can tell us how loud or soft to play it, it can tell us how fast or slow, if we should play it so it sounds happy or sad, how long to hold each sound and MORE!
What do we do if we want FROG sounds? or SCRATCHING sounds? Well, we could make a GRAPHIC SCORE.
BUT...
Some music is not even written on a page, it is written by the composer or performer using a computer and something called a sequencer. This allows the composer to record the music instead of write it.
A lot of music is made using computers to write and record the music. Rap music is an example of music that is written using computers. There are so many sounds in the music that can't be written as notes. New music that is written on computers is called ELECTRONIC MUSIC.
RECORD SCRATCHING
One sound that can not be written as note is RECORD SCRATCHING, or SCRATCHING. It is a scratchy sound made by moving a vinyl record back and forth on a record player. It is played rhythmically over a steady beat. Click below on the example:
You can make a record scratching sound yourself! Find some blue jean fabric, or a plastic toy that has a rough surface. Move your finger nails over the fabric or plastic. Do you hear a scratchy sound like the one here in the example?
want to dance and hear record scratching in a song?
Go Noodle's BLAZER FRESH has this great song.
LISTEN for the record scratching!
DANCE along!
<---Click on the video
Want to hear more?
AFTER HOURS by a tribe called quest
There are many bands and performers that use record scratching in their music. Listen to this song called After Hours by the band "A Tribe Called Quest" and try to hear a few sounds that can not be written as notes.
<---Click on the video
LISTEN FOR:
- the record scratching in the song
- the FROGS in the song
QUESTIONS FOR THe WEEK of june 1-5:
- How did the first record scratching sound example make you feel?
- Did you hear the scratching in the Blazer Fresh song, Banana, Banana, Meatball?
- How did the song, Banana, Banana, Meatball make you feel?
- What other instruments or sounds did you hear in the song?
- If you wanted to use a shape to represent record scratching in a graphic score, what kind of shape would you use?
- Did you listen to the song, After Hours? Did you hear the frogs?
MAY 25-29: GRAPHIC SCORES
WHAT IS A GRAPHIC SCORE?
A graphic score is a piece of music composed using symbols or drawings to represent the sounds instead of traditional notes.
Because they don't usually use exact notes, it is up to the person who performs the music to try to INTERPRET (figure out) what the composer wanted the music to sound like.
They are usually very interesting to look at too. Many are considered works of art that compliment the music.
there are many types of graphic scores! check them out below!
some were written from a music recording
An artist tried to show the music using art!
this is a graphic score video!
This is an animated one that is supposed to sound like a thunderstorm. I am not sure how true it is that it was made by a 12 year-old, but I want to believe and it is still great!
BEFORE YOU MAKE YOURS, TRY TO FOLLOW ALONG TO MY PERFORMANCES!
This one was performed using toy instruments!
This one was performed using household items: 2 pens, a jar, a lid, and a baby bowl!
MAKE YOUR OWN GRAPHIC SCORE!
Here is my GRAPHIC SCORE.
I drew some of shapes and symbols and put them together in a way that made sense to me.
I figured out a way to make sounds that go with each drawing using simple household items, or toy or real musical instruments!
Below is the step by step guide!
STEP ONE:
On small squares of paper OR post-it notes, draw six (or more) SIMPLE shapes. Don't add too much detail, just make sure they are different!
THINK about what each shape or drawing would SOUND LIKE IF
- You sang it
- You played it on an instrument
- You played it on a drum
STEP TWO:
Arrange your six "sound" drawings on a piece of paper.
THINK about how you arrange them.
You can glue or tape or staple or find any way to attach them to the paper.
stuff around your kitchen!
Children's toys
STEP Three:
Find some items around your house and PLAY your composition!
You can even use your voice or your hand on a table!
STEP FOUR:
Respond to the following questions:
1. Do you think it is a good idea to write music using pictures and shapes?
2. Which graphic score did you like the best between "Artikulation" and "Thunderstorm"?
3. What instruments did you like the best between my performance? Household items OR toy instruments? Why?
4. If you made your own, what did you use to perform your graphic score composition?
5. IF POSSIBLE, take a picture of your graphic score and send it to me! kathrynhillary.thomson@tdsb.on.ca
And IF YOU CAN, record yourself playing! If you can't, that's OK! (you do not need to be in the video)
NEED SOME MORE GUIDANCE? I EXPLAIN ON VIDEO HERE:
MAY 19-22: soundscapes
A soundscape is a collection of sounds that make an environment or space. When you look outside you see buildings, streets. But when you listen outside you hear people, cars, and so many other sounds.
Even if you are in a space that is very quiet, if you listen closely you will hear many sounds. In your bedroom you might hear the heating vent - "sheoooooooh". You might hear your siblings. You might hear the radio or a tv in another room.
Activity:
- I would like you to close your eyes right where you are and listen to the sounds around you for 30 seconds. Then LIST all the sounds you heard!
- Watch the first video below from my OUTSIDE SOUNDS recording and when it is finished list the sounds you hear.
- Watch the next video below from my INSIDE SOUNDS recording.
- try to guess where the recording was made
- List the sounds you hear!
- Choose 3 favourite sounds.
- For all 3 sounds:
- Is it a SHORT sound or LONG?
- Is it LOUD or QUIET?
- Can you IMITATE the sound?
- For all 3 sounds:
OUTSIDE SOUNDS
INSIDE SOUNDS
MAY 11-15 - SAM STEELE NOR'WESTER SONG AND MARCH!
Hello Grade 2s!
I hope you enjoyed your weekend!
I created a few videos for you to watch. One of the videos is a few of my good friends singing the Sam Steele School Song. The other is me, Ms. Thomson, showing you how to learn the SONG and the LYRICS!
When we do our annual Trek Walk, we always have a PEP RALLY. A PEP RALLY is a special assembly when students gather to get excited and show support for an event coming up.
At the Sam Steele Pep Rally assembly we gather and learn about Sam Steele, talk about how fun Trek will be, see the prizes, and learn and sing the Sam Steele Song!
The Sam Steele Nor'wester Song is a type of MARCH. A MARCH is a piece of music with a strong marching BEAT. Marches are often written especially so that soldiers can march to them. Other marches may not be intended for marching, but they still have a strong, regular beat so that people could, if they wanted to, march to the music.
The singing part of the music is the RHYTHM. If you were to march to the song, you would move your feet to the BEAT!
Since we are having a new kind of Trek Walk this year, I think we should take the time to learn and sing the Sam Steele song, don't you?
To Do:
Now that you have had a chance to learn the song, try to answer this question:
- Why do you think this song might get students excited about school and Trek?
- How does the music make you feel?
- Try going to MUSICPLAY ONLINE and go to the game "Rhythm and Beat". Try the game and get some practice learning the difference between RHYTHM and BEAT!
- Remember, the beat is what you march to, the rhythm is what you would sing to in our song!
NOR’WESTERS SONG (THE SAM STEELE SCHOOL SONG)
We are the best,
We are from the Nor’west.
We are true, strong, and brave through and through.
We’ll always fight for the side that is right.
Sam Steele we will do that for you
Forward Nor’westers.
Keep charging Nor’westers,
Be proud of the red, gold and blue,
Stand right up and cheer out loud,
The school that is the best,
Charge and charge again
We’ll never give up till the end (no never)