Weekly Review 10/15 - 10/18

Happy Friday!

This week, the first graders continued the spooky song, "The Bats are All Asleep."  We reviewed what a crescendo is, as well as the decrescendo.  We also started a new Halloween song called "Thump, Thump, Thump!"  It includes a story (that the students helped me to create), as well as a very dramatic crescendo.  Once the song was mastered, we added a drum, triangle, and maraca.  It was fun to take turns playing!

The second grade students continued to work on tonality, identifying major patterns and minor patterns.  We completed our "Witches' Stew" activity (complete with instrumental sound effects), sang a different song called "Witches' Brew" (funny that they have such similar names!), and even composed new lyrics!  The students also enjoyed a game and song called "A Funny Little Lady" about...you guessed it...a witch!

The third grade students completed the "9 Lives" song and played a xylophone ostinato to go along with it.  They learned a new song and game called "Pass the Broomstick," which is also in a minor tonality.  The third graders in Ms. Johnson's class wanted to share the game with you- please check it out below:



The fourth grade students worked on their Veteran's Day music- they now know the tunes for the US Army, Navy, Marines, and the Coast Guard- only one more (Air Force) to go!   If your child would like to practice at home, they can find the lyrics HERE.

The fifth graders learned a spooky song called "Halloween Night."  They read along with the musical score, and identified the different pitches on the staff for the instrumental accompaniment. We reviewed the notation first, then some students played along while the rest sang.  We will complete this activity next week!

The chorus students continued to rehearse "All I Want for Christmas is You," "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year," and "Grinch."  Each grade level has one more song that we will hopefully get to start next week!  They are working hard to prepare for our Winter Concert (which will be on December 11th at 7:00pm)

Have a lovely weekend!