Weekly Review 9/23 - 9/27

I hope that everyone enjoyed visiting Memorial for Open House!  For those of you who were not able to attend, I put together a little tour of the music room.  You can check it out by clicking on the photo below:

The first graders started to discuss some "musical opposites" - piano, meaning quiet, and forte, which is loud.  We practiced singing in both dynamics- it was a lot of fun!  More students were able to sing solos (or duets) during "Oh My," and we also aded instruments to our "Loose Tooth" chant from last week!  Students played the rhythm sticks, guiro, vibraslap, egg shakers, maraca, and wood block!  The students also experimented with a fun rap music app and we talked a lot about Johann Sebastian Bach!

In second grade this week, the students continued to practice their rhythm patterns and solfege.  They learned a hilarious song called "Alligator Pie," and we even sang in alligator voices!  Some of the second grade students sang the song "I'm a Nut," about a poor little acorn who gets stepped on.  At one point, we all sing "I'm a nut, ch ch."  Once we mastered the song, it was fun to play the "ch ch" part on the cabasa.  The cabasa is a wonderful hand percussion instrument with a unique sound.

The third grade students had a blast singing and performing "Four White Horses" in class- they did a fun clapping game and danced in a conga line!  They also began to talk about the composer Johann Sebastian Bach.  In addition, the students worked on their rhythms, and composed four-beat patterns.

The fourth graders are starting to learn some music for an important upcoming holiday- Veteran's Day.  They are going to be singing an Armed Forces Medley- a wonderful song which incorporates the music from the different branches of the military.  

The fifth grade students played a funny game to work on reading rhythms and melodies.  They got into two teams and one representative from each team had a fly swatter.   Rhythm and melody cards were scattered around the carpet, and I would choose one to read.  The person who found the correct card first (and swatted it with their swatter!) earned a point for their team.

In chorus this week, we worked on "All I Want for Christmas is You."  It is so much fun to sing, but can be a bit tricky! (Especially for the students singing the harmony part).  Next week will review what we rehearsed, along with the Grinch!

Thank you so much to the parents who stopped by the music room at Open House.  We really appreciate it!  Have a lovely weekend :)