Weekly Review 11/4 - 11/8

Thank you so much to the parents who attend our Veteran's Day celebration this morning!

This week, the first grade students practiced speaking and singing with high and low voices.  We explored pitch by chanting "5 Little Monkeys" (using a high voice for the Mama and a low voice for the doctor), then played the Splat Game.  During this game, the students sing with their whole vocal range!  They also learned "Bluebird, Bluebird," and we played a circle game to go along with it.  At the end, everyone sings "Oh, Johnny aren't you tired?" and our pitch drops lower!

The second graders spent this week working on their mallet technique.  Students from Ms. McLaughlin's class wanted to share the different steps with you!

• Step one: Hold the mallet by pinching between your pointer finger and thumb.  This is where you will hold the mallet- all of the pressure is right here!

• Step 2:  Gently curl the other fingers around the mallet, holding gently.  The thumb should be the only finger that slightly points towards the "ball" of the mallet- NEVER your pointer finger!

• To play, try to move the mallet up and down from your wrist (do not move your whole arm)- the mallet will strike the center of the bar, then bounce right back up for the best tone!

I asked the student what song they wanted to learn, and they chose "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star."  Below is a video of them practicing the first part of the song!

The third grade students learned a harvest song and sang about pumpkins, autumn breezes, and Thanksgiving!  Once they mastered the song, they were able to play an ostinato (accompaniment part) on the Orff instruments.  They reviewed mallet technique (just as the second graders did), and focused on playing with a steady beat and accurate rhythm.

The fourth grade students did an AMAZING job at the Veteran's Day assembly!  They sang the Armed Forces Medley with pride and spirit, concluding with the beautiful Star Spangled Banner.  

Congratulations, Fourth Graders!!

The fifth graders have been diligently rehearsing their chorus music for our upcoming concert (December 11th!).  They are also helping us come up with dance moves and special parts to make the music even more entertaining and enjoyable.  

We hope that everyone has a wonderful long weekend!