Celebrate in style, Mozart!
Friday, January 27, 2012
Happy Birthday, Mozart!
Our Composer of the Month, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, was born today (January 27th) in 1756. Today in music class, Ms. Gearin and Mrs. Burnam's classes recorded a song to wish him a Happy Birthday:
Happy Birthday Mozart!
Friday, January 20, 2012
Our trip to the Symphony!
On Wednesday, the third grade classes were lucky enough to attend the Lexington Symphony Orchestra's program, Orchestrating Kids Through the Classics. We learned about music dating back to medieval times, through the renaissance, baroque, classical, and romantic periods- we even heard some more contemporary music at the end of the concert!
Below are videos of the pieces we heard- although they are not the actual performances from yesterday's field trip :)
Plainsong Chant
Recorder Consort
Bach - Overture No. 3 in D Major
Haydn - Symphony 94, 2nd movement ("Surprise Symphony")
Mozart - Violin Concerto no 5 in A
Beethoven - Symphony No 5, 1st Movement
Tchaikovsky - Symphony No 4, 3rd Movement
Tchaikovsky - Symphony No 4, 4th Movement
Stravinsky - Rite of Spring
John Williams - Star Wars Theme (you can see the orchestra about one minute into the video)
Below are videos of the pieces we heard- although they are not the actual performances from yesterday's field trip :)
Plainsong Chant
Recorder Consort
Bach - Overture No. 3 in D Major
Haydn - Symphony 94, 2nd movement ("Surprise Symphony")
Mozart - Violin Concerto no 5 in A
Beethoven - Symphony No 5, 1st Movement
Tchaikovsky - Symphony No 4, 3rd Movement
Tchaikovsky - Symphony No 4, 4th Movement
Stravinsky - Rite of Spring
John Williams - Star Wars Theme (you can see the orchestra about one minute into the video)
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
3rd Grade Lexington Symphony Field Trip
Wow...this sure is an exciting time of year for the third grade students! They will be attending a field trip (on January 18) to Carey Hall in Lexington, MA to see the Lexington Symphony Orchestra perform a concert geared towards 3rd and 4th grade students.
You can read about the program, Orchestrating Kids Through the Classics, at their website, HERE.
Below is a copy of the permission slip that was sent home with your students last week.
Child’s Name______________________________________________________
Classroom Teacher ________________________________________________
________________________________________________________ ____________
Parent or Guardian Signature Date
Telephone Number where parents can be reached during this time period “just in case.”
__________________________________________________
___ I would like to be a chaperone
(Chaperones will be selected via lottery)
You can read about the program, Orchestrating Kids Through the Classics, at their website, HERE.
Below is a copy of the permission slip that was sent home with your students last week.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
January 4, 2012
Dear
Parents/Guardians:
Yesterday, through a grant from the Burlington Education Foundation, four talented musicians from the Lexington Symphony came to visit our third grade students. They each brought their instrument and introduced the sounds of an orchestra in an engaging way. The students were enthusiastic to see this application of what they have been learning in our music classroom.
The third grade students have been studying instruments, instrument families, composers, and musical time periods in order to prepare them to learn an instrument in fourth grade. Our goal is to help third grade students appreciate orchestral music, to encourage them to learn an instrument when they enter fourth grade, and to broaden their love for music.
On Wednesday, January 18th, the third grade students will have the opportunity to watch the Lexington Symphony perform at Carey Hall in Lexington. The one hour performance will begin at 9:30am. Students will be back before lunch. The PTO has graciously covered the bus fee, so there will be no cost for your child to attend the trip.
Please return the bottom portion of this permission slip by Wednesday, January 11. Thank you, and please feel free to contact Mrs. Niu (niu@bpsk12.org) or Mrs. Rzasa (rzasa@bpsk12.org) if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Niu Mrs. Rzasa
*Please sign and return the bottom portion only to your child’s classroom teacher
Yesterday, through a grant from the Burlington Education Foundation, four talented musicians from the Lexington Symphony came to visit our third grade students. They each brought their instrument and introduced the sounds of an orchestra in an engaging way. The students were enthusiastic to see this application of what they have been learning in our music classroom.
The third grade students have been studying instruments, instrument families, composers, and musical time periods in order to prepare them to learn an instrument in fourth grade. Our goal is to help third grade students appreciate orchestral music, to encourage them to learn an instrument when they enter fourth grade, and to broaden their love for music.
On Wednesday, January 18th, the third grade students will have the opportunity to watch the Lexington Symphony perform at Carey Hall in Lexington. The one hour performance will begin at 9:30am. Students will be back before lunch. The PTO has graciously covered the bus fee, so there will be no cost for your child to attend the trip.
Please return the bottom portion of this permission slip by Wednesday, January 11. Thank you, and please feel free to contact Mrs. Niu (niu@bpsk12.org) or Mrs. Rzasa (rzasa@bpsk12.org) if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Niu Mrs. Rzasa
*Please sign and return the bottom portion only to your child’s classroom teacher
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My
child may attend the music field trip to Carey Hall in Lexington MA, on
Wednesday,
January 18, 2012.
Child’s Name______________________________________________________
Classroom Teacher ________________________________________________
________________________________________________________ ____________
Parent or Guardian Signature Date
Telephone Number where parents can be reached during this time period “just in case.”
__________________________________________________
___ I would like to be a chaperone
(Chaperones will be selected via lottery)
Third Grade Recorders
We are so excited to be starting the recorder unit with the Third Grade Students! Here is a copy of the permission slip that went home with your students last week:
We are excited to inform you that your third grade child will be learning to play the recorder in music as part of Burlington’s music curriculum.
We are suggesting that each child purchases his/her own personal recorder through the school so that all the instruments will be alike and equally in tune. We will be ordering Yamaha recorders that comes with a storage case and a fingering chart. The recorders are $6.00 each. To help us place the order, please return the detachable form to your child’s classroom teacher by Friday, Jan. 13th. along with $6.00 cash.
Thank you for your continued support in your child’s musical endeavors! Feel free to contact Mrs. Niu (niu@bpsk12.org) or Mrs. Rzasa (rzasa@bpsk12.org) if you have any questions!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Niu Mrs. Rzasa
* Please sign and return the bottom portion only to your child’s classroom teacher
Child’s Name______________________________________
Classroom Teacher________________________________
_________________________________________________ _________________
Parent or Guardian Signature Date
---------------------------------------------------------
January 4, 2012
Dear
Parents and Guardians: We are excited to inform you that your third grade child will be learning to play the recorder in music as part of Burlington’s music curriculum.
We are suggesting that each child purchases his/her own personal recorder through the school so that all the instruments will be alike and equally in tune. We will be ordering Yamaha recorders that comes with a storage case and a fingering chart. The recorders are $6.00 each. To help us place the order, please return the detachable form to your child’s classroom teacher by Friday, Jan. 13th. along with $6.00 cash.
We
encourage students to bring the recorders home to practice, but it is required
that the recorder be in music class each week. If your child chooses to bring
the recorder home, it is hi/her responsibility to bring it back in for music
class. If students do not bring their recorders to class, it will count as an
unprepared for the day and will affect their report card grade. We will be
providing a folder to keep their recorder music in.
Learning
the recorder involves more than playing songs. It involves music reading,
creativity, discipline and working as a group. Students will be able to play
independently and with their classmates. At-home practice is a great way to
reinforce the lessons taught in music class. It is often helpful for someone at
home to occasionally listen to the songs we have been working on, to encourage
effort, track progress and correct mistakes.
Thank you for your continued support in your child’s musical endeavors! Feel free to contact Mrs. Niu (niu@bpsk12.org) or Mrs. Rzasa (rzasa@bpsk12.org) if you have any questions!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Niu Mrs. Rzasa
* Please sign and return the bottom portion only to your child’s classroom teacher
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Child’s Name______________________________________
Classroom Teacher________________________________
_________________________________________________ _________________
Parent or Guardian Signature Date
Violins
Below is some information about our violin unit:
- Burlington has a set of violins that travel to each elementary school over the course of the year. (This is separate from the third grade instrumental violin program)
- Mrs. Niu and I (Mrs. Rzasa) will be combining our music classes during this time so that all students can learn together! Violin and viola are my main instruments which I studied in college, so I am extremely excited about this unit!
- Many students have asked if they could take the instruments home- since they are being shared by all students, sadly this is not possible! They will be used in class on music days only.
- All Students will be learning rest position, playing position, and pizzicato.
- Older students will start to learn how to use the bow
- This unit is meant to be an introduction to the instrument, and to give students exposure to the string family. We will be teaching them every year to students in grades 1, 2, 4, and 5!
rzasa@bpsk12.org