Grade 3

Welcome Third Grade!

Here you will find access to your weekly classwork.

FIRST QUARTER

By the end of this quarter you will have:

-Learned to name all twelve pitches

-Played through the chromatic scale

-Discovered how the meter of a piece is expressed in each measure of music

-Identified and played musical phrases

-Recognized the form of a variety of songs

All the possible pitches

All the possible pitches: Sharps and flats

Objective:

-To be able name the pitches that land between the notes of the Do major scale

How many notes?

> Quick Quiz: How many different notes are there in all? ____________

Did you know that a piano has eighty-eight keys? Each one gives a different pitch, but as you know the notes follow a pattern and repeat. If we name the white keys of a piano, we get Do, Re, Mi, Fa, So, La, Ti. That gives us a total of seven notes before we come again to a Do. But wait a minute! Is that all the notes we have??

Take a look at the piano to the right. Did you notice that when we counted we skipped all the black keys? Between one Do and the next there is one group of two black keys and one group of three black keys. That's a total of five black keys between one Do and the next. Add the seven white keys and we get a total of twelve notes in all!

Some Useful Names

No, that enormous symbol you see to your left is not called a hashtag, nor is it used for playing tic tac toe! In music, this is called a sharp, and it is used to name the black keys. You can think of "sharp" as meaning "one note to the right."

......So...... the black key right after Do can be called ___ ??? That's right, "Do sharp." You can wright it like this: Do#.

Notice that while we name the note Do#, when on the staff the sharp sign is written before the note.

The symbol you see to the right is called a flat. If a sharp means "one to the right," what do you think "flat" means?

Yes, you're right. It would be "one to the left."

All the possible pitches: The chromatic scale

Objective:

-To recognize what the chromatic scale sounds like

-To play the chromatic scale on a piano with either hand, ascending or descending

All 12 notes together make up the chromatic scale. It can be written with sharps or flats.

ON THE PIANO

What is the most efficient way to play this scale?

As it turns out, chromatic scale fingering on the piano is quite easy to remember. It doesn't matter if you are playing with your right hand or left, if you are ascending or descending, the fingering is always the same!

Fingering rules:

In general, finger one (thumb) plays the white keys.
When there are two white keys together, finger one always plays the first, finger two (index finger) always plays the second.
Finger three (middle finger) always plays the black keys.

Give it a try!

If you have access to a piano, begin to play the chromatic scale now! Play it with your right hand, with your left, ascending, descending... Can you play with both hands together?

Don't have a piano? You can still practice the fingering. Just print out this piano (or even draw a piano if you want!) :

2-octave-keyboard.pdf

Create, Create, Create!

-Rhythm exercise: Students will create rhythms that they can repeat and teach to the rest of the class with original body percussion.

-Play Your Weekend: Each student will think of a sentence that tells one thing they did over the weekend. Students will set their sentence to a beat, and rhythmically share with the class.

SOME FUN WON'T HURT!

YOU CAN FOLLOW THIS SONG WITH BODY RHYTHM PERCUSSION!
Watch this Pentatonix Video. Wow right???
Think of a another song you like. Can you create your own body rhythm to accompany that song?*
How do you feel after playing music with your body?
Why do you think people make music with their bodies?

*CREATIVITY

If you would prefer, instead of using a known song for your body rhythm, use a melody of your own.

A Welcoming Activity

Play the note "so" and then the note "mi." If you do not have an instrument, you may listen to the first two notes of Rain, Rain HERE.
Try humming them to yourself.
Now think of an experience you had over summer vacation.
Sing your experience to someone else using only the notes "so" and "mi." Be creative!

Folk music and dynamics!

Objective:

To apply creativity in rhythm

To express personal experience through music

-Dynamics activity: Students will learn pp, p, and f, and apply them to a singing game.
-Singing: Class will sing folk songs using a variety of dynamics.
-Ensemble warm-up: Reading and playing rhythm patterns using mallets or unpitched percussion instruments
-Ensemble practice: Do – Mi, following warm-up exercises, on pianos and xylophones, class will echo notes sung by the instructor. They will then practice playing these notes following written notation.
-Rhythm awareness: Marching patterns

FOLK MUSIC!

I love folk music!

Folk music is a type/style/genre of music.

It might sound a bit old to your young ears,

BUT

did you know that many of the songs we currently listen to are based on these old tunes?

Check it out!

And use DYNAMICS while singing!

Mozart and instrument families

Objective:

To apply creativity in rhythm

To express personal experience through music

MOZART & INSTRUMENTS FAMILIES

-Mozart: Horn Concerto no. 1
-Instrument family review: Brass, french horn
-Vocals: Full C major scale
-Song: Alouette
-Instrument exercises (piano and xylophone): Playing a full scale (fingering)
-Ensemble warm-up: Reading and playing rhythm patterns

THIS IS A HORN!

Do you think you would be able to play this instrument? What do you think it's necessary to able to play it?

What's the sound like? Do you like it? What's this master piece about? Does it tell a story or different feelings to you?

BRASS FAMILY - which one is your favorite?

Mozart and playing pianos!

Objective:

To apply creativity in rhythm

To express personal experience through music

MOZART & PLAYING PIANOS!

-Body percussion: class will create unique percussion for eighth through sixteenth notes, as well as for quarter through whole rests
-So-Mi sharing
-Review Mozart biography
-Brass family: Tuba: listen again to Mozart’s horn concerto, then Vaughan Williams’ Concerto in F minor for Bass Tuba
-Instrument exercises (piano and xylophone): five-finger, arpeggios, full scale
-Instruments: Eine Kleine Nachtmusik

Did this song / masterpiece sound familiar?

Do you like it? What does it make you think of?

mozart-printit-biography.pdf

eine-kleine-nachtmusik-flute-solo

Brass: The French Horn

Objective:

To apply creativity in rhythm

To express personal experience through music

FOLLOW A MUSIC SHEET CONCERTO Nº4, MOZART

-Rhythm challenge
-Review: What makes the brass family the brass family?
-Meditation: Mozart's Horn Concerto no. 4, 3rd movement (french horn), Vaughan Williams’ Concerto in F minor (tuba)
-Vocals: Full C major scale warm-up
-Solfège: final 9 measures of Mozart's Horn Concerto no. 4, 3rd movement
-Instruments: C-G, arpeggios, C major scale, C major scale - two octaves
-Ensemble: Horn Concerto no. 4, 3rd movement (xylophone ensemble – ending only)

HEY KIDS!

Check out this video! It's really cool and interesting. After watching this at home or in class could you answer the following questions:

What makes the brass family the brass family? Why is the air so important for them?

"By mastering the power of natural resonance in a flexible and controllable way brass instruments are great examples of the fusion of human creativity with the physics of our world"

Which one is your favorite? why?

Here's a video to chose the right instrument for you!!!

Horn Concerto No. 4 in E-Flat Major, K. 495: 3. Rondo (Allegro vivace)Horn Concerto No. 4 in E-Flat Major, K. 495: 3. Rondo (Allegro vivace), a song by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, David Jolley, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra on Spotify

MEDITATION

LISTENING

At home or in class we are listening to this beautiful master piece.

REMEMBER, BEFORE LISTENING A MASTER PIECE

. SIT AND QUIET YOUR BODY

. CLOSE YOUR EYES

.OPEN YOUR HEART

.LISTEN

WHERE THERE'S MUSIC THERE'S BEAUTY

Extra rhythm and pitch practice

Objective:

To apply creativity in rhythm

To express personal experience through music

Instructional Sequence
-8th and 16th note rhythm combinations: Each student will select an object with a unique timbre. Students will use their instruments to play out selected rhythms first in sequence before playing in unison.
-Instruments: C-G, arpeggios, C major scale, C major scale - two octaves
-Staff review game
-So mi la do sight reading
-Piano/Xylophone: Bach: Musette
-French horn pitch range: Viva la vida

-8th and 16th note rhythm combinations: Each student will select an object with a unique timbre.
Students will use their instruments to play out selected rhythms

Here's a beautiful song originally from Africa.

Our friends mi, la and sol are here. Have fun playing them on the keyborads/pianos.

If you are in class you can play this song with solos, response, and all together ensemble.

If you are at home, practice so you can better and play with your friends once you come back!

This is a beautiful Master Piece by BACH a composer you might know something about it.

Do you like it?

Very often simple melodies are really beautiful.

Practice with the tutorial on the left this melody.

Remember you can always ask for only support.

Enjoy : )

musette-easy.pdf

Brass: The trumpet

Objective:

-To identify the trumpet in an orchestral setting

-To compare the trumpet's pitch range relative to other brass instruments

We have already looked at the tuba and the french horn.

Listen to a few minutes of this trumpet concerto by Franz Joseph Haydn.

> Continue to listen for a few more minutes, but this time do not watch the video. Can you identify when the trumpet is playing and when it is not?

> Compare the trumpet to the other brass family instruments you know. What differences might you hear in pitch or timbre?

Listen to these two trumpet solos

Could you tell someone the differences between them?

There's no right answer.

How do you feel about them ?

November - December

Objective:

-To strengthen understanding of previously learned material

-To prepare a song for performance

Christmastime!

An important skill is to be able to take something you have done or created and improve upon it, which is what you will be puting into practice as you learn your Christmas song...

Time to warm up!

Don't forget to warm up your voice before practicing! Try at least 3 of these exercises:

Mmm
Super Duper Double Bubble Gum (1:27)
Mary Had a Little Lamb... (2:45)
Zoo (3:57)
Louie (5:05)
Gum (6:01)
Bu (6:52)
Door hinge exercise (7:46)

Concert time!

Now that you have warmed up your voice, try singing with your concert selections:

Caroling Caroling

Sleigh Ride

Week 17, January 10 - 14

Objective: To become familiarized with 3/4 timing

We are now going to shift our focus from specific instruments to being able to recognize and play different rhythmic groupings.

In third grade you are now learning fractions, and you know that in music we have been dividing up measures into fours. We call this 4/4 timing because we have 4 quarters, or four quarter notes 1/4 + 1/4 + 1/4 + 1/4 = 4/4. Now we are going to look at 3/4 timing. Since you know fractions, you can see that this time signature has a total of 3 quarters per measure: 1/4 + 1/4 + 1/4 = 3/4.

Do you notice the time signature in the music below? You now know that the 3/4 tells you that each measure will last the time of three quarter notes just like you see in measure 1.

Happy Birthday_L1_piano.pdf

Try counting 1, 2, 3 while you clap out the right-hand rhythm of Happy Birthday. If you are not sure how to start, these videos will help:

Piano:

If you have already clapped out the rhythm to the song and have a piano nearby, you can now try playing the melody to Happy Birthday.

Week 18, January 17 - 21

Objective:

To hear the difference between 3/4 and 4/4 timing.

To become familiar with Russian composer Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

When composers write music, one of the creative tools that they can use to make their music sound different is meter. Meter is changed when notes are grouped differently. This difference is marked by changing how many beats are between one strong accent and the next, and is written down as a time signature. Before we listen to different meters, let's learn about a new composer.

Read this brief biography on Russian composer Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky:

Tchaikovsky_biography.pdf

Can you tell....

How old was Tchaikovsky when he could "read music as well as his teacher"?
What composers did he like to listen to?
What sad event in his life moved him to focus more on writing music?
What is the name of the famous Christmas ballet that he wrote?

Piano Concerto No. 1

3/4 timing

Marche

4/4 timing

Feel the Beat!

Below are two pieces of music that Tchaikovsky wrote. The meter is different for the two pieces. Listen to the first few minutes of each one, and try to follow the meter by accenting the first beat. For 3/4 timing, try this pattern: Stomp - clap - clap, Stomp - clap - clap.... For 4/4 timing add in one more clap: Stomp - clap - clap - clap, Stomp - clap - clap - clap....

Sing it!

If you look at the Happy Birthday sheet music from last week, you can see the 3/4 time signature. Instead of clapping out the rhythm, this time try to keep the beat while singing using the same pattern you used with Tchaikovsky's music:

Happy birth - day - to you - [clap] ! - Happy birth - day - to ...

Week 19, January 24 - 28

Objective:

To feel meter by accenting the downbeat

Downbeat

What is the downbeat? The downbeat is the first beat in every measure. It is called this because on the first beat the conductor of an orchestra or choir makes a big stroke down with his or her hand.

Downbeat in 3/4

Find a tennis ball or another ball that bounces well.
Sit across from someone else at home so that you can roll the ball back and forth between yourselves.*
Click on the video to the left to listen to Wiegenlied ("Cradle Song") by Johannes Brahms.
As you feel the beat, begin to roll the ball to each other so that you are taking turns rolling it from one downbeat to the next.

Challenge: Listen to the song again. Try to bounce the tennis ball on the downbeat, catch it on the second beat, and pass it back to the hand you bounced it with on the third beat. You can also do this with a partner. On the third beat, instead of passing the ball to your other hand, just pass it to your partner!

Brahms' Lullaby.pdf

If you have a piano nearby, you can use the music above to play Brahms' lullaby yourself. Try singing the song as well. As you play or sing, try to feel the three beats of the song. Although there are some changes in the lyrics and tempo, you can also listen to a sung version of the song HERE.

Week 20, January 31 - February 4

Objective:

To understand characteristics of the woodwind family

To recognize the flute inside of a musical composition

THE WOODWIND FAMILY!

The Woodwind Family. The instruments in this family all used to be made of wood, which gives them their name. Today, they are made of wood, metal, plastic or some combination. They are all basically narrow cylinders or pipes, with holes, an opening at the bottom end and a mouthpiece at the top.

Powerpoint Woodwind Family M. Sziksai.ppt

Check out this great PPT about the Woodwind Family

Could you tell which are the characteristics of the Woodwind family?

Which one is your favorite?

Two woodwind instruments, two different music styles

Watch these two videos. Which one you like the most? Why?

My favorite Woodwind is the Clarinet, I love it. It reminds me of old movies and jazz soundtrack. I think it's sweet and soft. What do you think?

February 8 - 12

Objective:

To understand characteristics of the woodwind family

To recognize the clarinet inside of a musical composition

To be introduced to composer George Gershwin

We have been listening to the woodwind family, especially the flute, including Debussy's Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune, as well as a sample of flute beatboxing. Now we are going to feature another woodwind, the clarinet.

Listen to the first minute of George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue.

George Gershwin was an American composer who lived at the beginning of the twentieth century. His piece Rhapsody in Blue was written in 1924, and is said to sound like his home city of New York City. We remember that music is often used to tell a story or to create a picture in our minds.

Listen again to Rhapsody in Blue , and imagine a busy city. What parts of a city come to your mind? What is happening in the city? What do you think the clarinet played at the beginning sounds like? A screeching train? An emergency siren?

April 13 - 17

Objective:

To reinforce reading notes on the staff

We have been working with grouping rhythms into measures or 3 (3/4 timing) or 4 (4/4 timing) on the staff. This week we will combine rhythms with pitch. When we write music on the staff, each line and space represent a different pitch.

Sing the pitches!

Try singing the scale of Do, ascending (up) and descending (down). Sing the names of the notes as you sing:

" Do - Re - Mi - Fa - So - La - Ti - Do - Ti - La - So - Fa - Mi - Re - Do "

If you would like to make sure that you are starting on Do, you may click on the image to the right. Once at the virtual piano, you can play a middle C (Do). Then follow the staff below as you sing.

For more of a workout, try singing the scale ascending and descending three times in a row!

Piano Virtual | Teclado Online con Canciones y Auto-acompañamientoEl Piano Virtual A-23 the Recursive Arts es un teclado musical ultra-realista con auto-acompañamiento de canciones populares

Let's read!

For instructions on the next activity, watch the video below.

Tideo.mp4

Tideo.pdf

April 20 - 24

Objective:

To read Mi, Re, and Do, and to use these notes to create an original composition.

This week you will take what you have learned about meter and time signatures, in order to arrange a melody that you can read yourself.

Before you begin though, take a moment to make sure you feel comfortable clapping out the rhythms to the right. Practice them evenly without stopping.

> How many beats does each line last?

Composers

If you want others to remember your music, you need to write it down. Just as you learn use letters to write words, and then in turn organize your words into sentences, to write music, you also need to know the symbols and how to read and write them

Quick check!

How many lines does the staff have?
Can you draw a treble cleff?
Where do you write the time signature?
Can you divide your music into even measures?

Using the staff paper below, or any another piece of paper, you are going to compose your own melody or short song of four measures or more.

Instructions:

Only use do, re, and mi in your song.
Be creative with your rhythm. Don't just use quarter notes!
You may either just sing the words "do" "re" and "mi", or you may write lyrics to your song.
Double check to be sure you can demonstrate the rhythm and the melody of your song.

Staff paper.pdf

April 27 - 30

Objective:

To be able to match words or lyrics with an original melody.

Last week you began working to create your own melody. This week you will turn you melody into a song!

Which came first?

Did you know that songs are not always written in the same way? Sometimes a musician will write a melody first, and then later on the lyrics (the words of the song) will be added. Other times the lyrics to a song may be written before any melody has been thought of. Either way works!

Steps to creating your lyrics

If you already have a melody to work with, try these steps to help you think of what to say:

1: Think of what you want to write about, or whom you want to write to.

2: Make a list of words that describe what or whom you are singing about.

3. Turn one or more of these words into a sentence.

4. Try singing your sentence with the melody.

*Sometimes you may not like how your words match up with the melody. That's ok! Good writers go back over their work to make improvements.

For next week:

Mother's Day is just around the corner, and one way that you can show your appreciation for you mother is by writing her a song!

May 4 - 8

Objective:

To learn to refine a music composition

Improving your songwriting

If you were asked, "How can I make my song better?" what would you answer?

In order to improve a song, there are a few things that are important to have in mind:

First of all, you must be open to new ideas. Listen to your song and ask yourself, "Do I like what I hear?" Even if the answer to this is yes, you can still ask yourself, "Could I make it better?" Stop to think if a slight change in your rhythm or melody could create a sound that you enjoy even more.
Next, make sure your composition fits its purpose. What are you writing your song for? What is it about? Do long or short notes best express what I am feeling? Loud or soft?
Finally, keep on looking to improve until you are satisfied. It is perfectly ok to make improvements more than once!

Refining your work

The process of getting rid of what you don't want so that you are only left with what you want is called refining. For this week you will continue the refining process with your music compositions. Go for it!

May 11 - 14

Objective:

To practice and internalize some common tempos, and to be able to write a tempo marking into a composition

The right tempo

Keeping a steady beat is important for all music. But if a composer is writing music, how can he or she tell other people how fast of a beat should be played? If the composer were right there in the room, it would be possible to just say, "speed up" or "slow down". But written music has its own set of words that help others to know at what speed to play.

Let's learn some Italian!

A set of Italian words is used in music to tell musicians how fast or slow to play. Some of these words correspond to everyday motions or feelings. Here are some common tempo markings:

Largo = slow (broadly)

Adagio = slow (leisurely)

Andante = walking

Moderato = moderate (not too fast or slow)

Allegro = cheerful (quick and lively)

Presto = fast

There is a slight difficulty with these markings. The way one person thinks of walking pace might be a bit different from another person's walking pace.

The tempo markings we use correspond approximately to the following beats per minute (bpm) on the metronome:

Largo = slow (broadly) 50 bpm

Adagio = slow (leisurely) 70 bpm

Andante = walking 90 bpm

Moderato = moderate (not too fast or slow) 115 bpm

Allegro = cheerful (quick and lively) 145 bpm

Presto = fast 185 bpm

Using a metronome

Since words are open to interpretation, if songwriters want to give an exact tempo, they can use a metronome.

Click on the image to go to an online metronome.

What tempo is your song?

Think about the tempo you would like your song to move at. Now let others know the speed your song moves at by writing it into your composition!

May 18 - 22

Objective:

To connect the idea of dynamics we recognize when listening with dynamic markings in written music

When you listen to music, you may notice that at different times it grows in volume, and at other times it becomes much softer. The volume, or the loudness or softness, of a piece in music is called dynamics.

You already recognize many of the dynamic markings that tell us how loud or soft to play. Look at the chart below. Can you tell which names go with which markings? Here is a list of the names: pianississimo, pianissimo, piano, mezzo piano, mezzo forte, forte, fortissimo, fortississimo.

Your voice's dynamics

A good way for us to remember what dynamic we want to use in our music, is to think or our speaking voices.

Look through the musical score to Tchaikovsky's Barcarolle to spot the dynamic markings. Imagine how the piece might move louder or softer with each marking.

Tchaikovsky_The Seasons Op. 37a_June_Barcarolle.pdf

Now listen to the piece:

> A barcarolle was a folk song sung by Venetian gondoliers. As a musical genre, this style of music was used by a number of composers.

june: Barcarolle

From Tchaikovsky's The Seasons

Follow along:

Look again at the dynamic markings at the end of Barcarolle. Now listen again to the end the piece to compare. Do the markings and the dynamics you hear match?

June 7 - 11

Objective:

To explain the class' final project, and to answer all related questions

Cumulative review

June 14 - 18

Week open for exam and final composition

Exam and final project to be completed

To take your Grade 3 assessment click HERE.

Below is the rubric you will use for your composition in class:

G3 composition project rubric.pdf

Exam review and song sharing

have a great summer!

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