Weekly Review 9/24-9/28

Thank you to the parents that we met with last night at Open House.  It was so nice to chat with you!

We all had a super time in music this week- and we officially got through the first month of school.  It has gone by so quickly!

First grade students finished the "Loose Tooth" song and played the triangle, drum, and rhythm sticks.  We also reviewed "Oh My" and played a game with the nursery rhyme "Jack Be Nimble."

The second graders extended their activity with the song "I'm a Nut" by adding instruments and composing new verses.  Below are some of the lyrics they came up with:

• I'm an acorn small and yellow, and I like to play the cello
• I'm an acorn small and blue, sitting in a tiny shoe
• I'm an acorn small and grey, hanging out with Tina Fey
• I'm an acorn small and green, lying in a tambourine

We reinforced steady beat with instruments, and discussed rhyming words.  In addition, we learned a cool song called "Alligator Pie."

In third grade, we sang "Four White Horses" and practiced the clapping game that goes along with it with groups of 4 friends.  It was tricky, but we had a lot of fun!

Fourth graders learned about musical form by singing a Call and Response song called "Chicka Hanka."  They improvised a rhythm stick accompaniment part to play along with the response.   In chorus they continued the new song "Candy Cane Christmas," and one group even made it to the last page of the song!   We had great behavior and focus in chorus this week.

The fifth grade students clapped, read, and spoke rhythms using:

• Whole Notes
• Half Notes
• Half Rests
• Quarter Notes
• Quarter Rests
• Eighth Notes
• Sixteenth Notes
• Ties

We put those skills to the test for our class vs. class fly swatting game.  In chorus the students continued to work on Hot Chocolate, and listened to a recording of the piece. 

Have a wonderful weekend!

Weekly Review 9/17- 9/21

Can you believe it's almost the end of September? Fall is just around the corner!

The first graders began their solos this weeks using "sol" and "mi." Ask your first grader to sign and sing those pitches to you!

They are continuing to learn the Memorial School Song. We were so impressed that many of our first graders have already memorized half of the song! They also made soup to the chant Chop Chop Chippity Chop, and learned a Loose Tooth and Oh My, No More Pie chant. 

Second grade students reviewed the patriotic song "America" (better known as "My Country 'Tis of Thee") and began to learn "This Land is Your Land."   We sang "Come and Follow Me" in a round and learned a cute little acorn song called, "I'm an Acorn." They will be composing their very own acorn song next week so stay tuned!

Each of the third graders became part of a cross stitch project as we continued "The Thread Follows the Needle" song and activity. They also began to learn a catchy, calypso style song from Trinidad called, "Four White Horses."  

Fourth graders continued to play the fun cup game.  They picked up the tempo this week and also played different variations of this game which included closing their eyes.  Feel free to learn and play with your fourth grader! 

The Fifth grade students reviewed rhythmic notations and began to play a fun rhythmic swatting game. 

Chorus

5th Grade- We learned the first few pages of "Food Glorious Food" and watched a clip of this song from the play, "Oliver." We also began a fun rhythmic song called, "Hot Chocolate."

4th Grade- We learned the first few pages of "Food Glorious Food" and watched a clip of this song from the play, "Oliver." We also began a fun swing song called, "It's a Candy Cane Kind of Christmas." Can you guess the theme of our Winter Concert now?

We hope your child is enjoying music!!

Weekly Review 9/10-9/14

This week in music, all students started their solo singing practice.  We heard some amazing voices- the boys and girls at Memorial sound wonderful!

The first graders learned some new music words: "so" and "mi."  They practiced singing them while performing the Curwen hand signs (all 7 signs we teach shown below)

They also chanted Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, Chop Chop Chippety Chop, reviewed the Welcome Back song, and started to learn the Memorial School Song.  It has been a busy week in grade one!

Second grade students finished up the Ickle Ockle song and game we started last week, and spent some time on patriotic music.  We sang "America" (better known as "My Country 'Tis of Thee") as a group and with soloists.  We also began a fun new song with body percussion called "Come and Follow Me!"

The third graders learned a song called "Two in a Boat" that has a fun circle game.  They also discussed sewing for the song, "The Thread Follows the Needle."  In the activity, the students become thread, a needle, and a knot, and they do cross stitches as they sing!

Fourth graders played a fun cup game.   We learned the steps very slowly, but will be picking up the tempo next week.  In addition, they had their first "official" chorus rehearsal! It included stretching, breathing exercises, and vocal warm-ups.  We also rehearsed one of our first chorus songs, and came up with a list of good rules for chorus days.  

Fifth grade students reviewed the cup game- they have not done it since last year!  It was fun to see if we could do it successfully with our eyes closed!  Chorus was fun too- we came up with a list of rules, warmed up our bodies and voices, and began to learn one of our concert songs. 

Lyrics to all songs and chants can be found in the side bar- click on the appropriate grade level to find them.  Have a great weekend!

Welcome Back!

We would like to warmly welcome any new friends to Memorial School. We hope you all had a wonderful summer!

We will use this site to communicate with you what your child has been learning in music class each week and important concert dates.

We were so excited to meet our new first graders this week! They learned a “Welcome Back” song and the rules of our music class to ensure that every child has a safe and fun environment to learn.

Our second graders did an excellent job in remembering our “Memorial School” song. Ask your child to sing it for you! We also learned a song and game called "Ickle Ockle."

Our third graders learned a fun way of remembering the names of their classmates as they sang “Hey Children Who’s In Town.” We also learned a rhythm stick routine to go along with the game!

We would like to welcome our new fourth graders to chorus! We have a talented crew! Fourth and fifth grade students learned some important breathing techniques to help them sing better.

The links below (also located on our sidebar) will bring you each grade's website. This is where we post lyrics to the songs we sing in class. Hopefully this will encourage your children to sing at home, and share what they learned with your family!

First Grade
Second Grade
Third Grade
Fourth Grade
Fifth Grade
Chorus Lyrics & Recordings (fourth and fifth grade)

We also believe that literacy and reading are important in the music room, so in addition to our word wall, we love reading music books to the students. The link below has a list of the books we have read so far. It gets updated each time we read a new one.

Books We Have Read in Class

Other fun links can be found in our sidebar, so we encourage you and your children to explore them! If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to call or email us.
Mrs. Niu: niu@bpsk12.org
Mrs. Rzasa: rzasa@bpsk12.org

Thank you for your help in making this a wonderful and musical year!

Sincerely,
Mrs. Niu
Mrs. Rzasa