Sadly, this was our last week playing the violins before they rotate to another school. Don't worry, they will be back next year!
Our first grade students played four beat patterns on the open strings. Then each student got a chance to perform, "Mississippi Hot Dog" on any open violin string. The rest of the students had to play back that song. It was so much fun to see how creative our first grade students were. We are so proud at how much they learned in just their first year of playing the violin! Next week, we will continue to play the rest of the percussion instruments! Stay tuned!
Second grade students ended their violin unit by playing an ostinato along to Taylor Swift's "Shake it Off." This song has been one of their favorites this year so Mrs. Rzasa and I thought it would be fun to learn the ostinato. The had fun singing the song and performing the ostinato. We also learned a body percussion part to the fossil movement in the, "Carnival of the Animals."
In third grade, students spent time on a fun interactive game called, "JoyTunes" where students can master the recorder. Joy Tunes (http://www.joytunes.com/). This site is a great way for students to practice through recorder games. To play, you need a computer with a microphone (most laptops have built-in mics). You can also download the free app if you have an iPad (http://itunes.apple.com/app/recorder-master/id492065346).
You will need to make an account so the student's progress will be saved. Here's how to do it:
Go to joytunes.com, and click "Play for Free"
Next, make a username, password, and type in your email address:
Click "CONNECT" to allow the site to access your microphone:
Now you're ready to play! Have fun :)
We also learned our first song using our IPADS,for our June 10th concert .
Thank you to all of our fourth and fifth grade students who tried out for solo and dance parts! Please don't feel bad if you did not get chosen! There were so many talented singers and dancers that Mrs. Rzasa and I wished we could have taken everyone! We will be having rehearsals right after spring break. Please make sure you have your songs memorized! We can't believe the concert is just a few weeks away! Parents should have received a letter reminding the date of the concert and the dress attire. Incase you have not received the letter yet, here it is:
Dear Parents,
The choral department at Memorial presents, “America the Beautiful” on:
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
7:00 p.m.
Your child has been working very hard towards this concert and we hope you and your family can be there to support them. Feel free to email or call us if you have any questions.
- Concert Attire:
Morning - The students may wear regular school clothes in the daytime - but please no t-shirts with logos or words.
Evening - Red, white, and/or blue tops to go along with our theme of “America the Beautiful.” Students must also wear black bottoms, and black shoes.
- Call Time:
Please make sure that your child arrives to the school at 6:40 p.m. Band students will report to the music room, string students will report to the lesson room, and chorus students who do not play an instrument will report to the gym.
- Please note: All 4th and 5th graders must attend the Spring Concert. The students have been working so hard to prepare for this performance, and we need all of their wonderful voices in our ensemble! Please contact us if you have any questions.
* We look forward to seeing you there! *
Sincerely,
Mr. Napierkowski, Mrs. Niu, and Mrs. Rzasa
Lastly, we hope you all have a fun and relaxing spring break! Good luck to our second grade teacher, Ms. McLaughlin, who will be running the Boston Marathon on Monday!
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