Weekly Review 12/14 - 12/18

This was a very busy week in music!  I first want to congratulate all Fourth and Fifth Graders for an amazing job at the Winter Concert this Wednesday!!

The first graders also had an exciting performance.  We have been teaching them what it means to be a part of the community, and how you can bring people together through song.  As a gift to the school, the students took part in a Winter Sing-A-Long during their music class on Thursday and Friday.  A big thank you to the older siblings who came down, as well as the parents who took time out of their day to join us!

The second graders finished watching The Nutcracker.  They really enjoyed watching the New York City Ballet dance along to music composed by Peter Illyich Tchaikovsky.  It's amazing to see the strength and coordination necessary to do ballet - the performers are truly athletes!

The third grade students reviewed verse and refrain form.  A popular wintertime song in verse and refrain form is Jingle Bells!   They learned this tune back in first grade, but this week they learned a dance to go along with it!  The Jingle Bells Mixer is a fun circle dance performed with partners.  They did an amazing job!  For their second music class, they had a great time with Music Mad Libs.  We will post their hilarious songs on the blog soon :)

After all of their hard work preparing for the Winter Concert, the fourth and fifth grade students deserved a break.   For their second music class this week, we watched a video of the performance for self-assessment purposes.  Next week, we will be taking them out to the playground to celebrate!

We hope you have a fantastic weekend!

Weekly Review (12/7-12/11)

It's been a busy week in music especially for our 4th and 5th graders. They have been working so hard to prepare for their Winter Concert. Just a reminder that the Winter Concert will be next Wednesday, December 16th at 7:00pm.

• Concert Attire:  

Morning - The students may wear regular school clothes in the daytime - but please no t-shirts with logos or words. During this time, students will be performing for the whole school.

Evening - Plain white tops, black bottoms, and black shoes.  Festive holiday accessories may also be worn, as long as they do not obstruct the view of another child on the risers.

• Call Time:

Please make sure that your child arrives to the school no later than 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 Art Room at 6:50pm.

We hope to see you all on Wednesday evening!

Our first grade students reviewed, " Jingle Bells" in sign language and played a fun game using jingle bell instruments. We are also preparing for our, "Winter Sing Along" next Thursday and Friday at 1:30pm.

Classes will perform on the following dates:

• Thursday, Dec. 17th- Mrs. Farrell and Mrs. Panagiotopoulos
• Friday, Dec. 18th- Mrs. Burnham and Mrs. Gearin

Parents are welcome to join us and sing along!  We have talked to the students about the wonderful tradition of caroling, and how it brings the community together in song.  They would really love to hear their loved ones singing with them!

**If you would like to dismiss your child after the assembly, please send a note to the office.

In second grade , we watched a video of "The Nutcracker." It was performed by the New York City Ballet.  The students now know that in a ballet, the story is conveyed through dance and movement instead of through spoken words.  The only voice you hear is the narrator, who occasionally speaks to give extra details about the story.

The third graders reviewed music notation on their IPAD and learned a fun song to help remember the name of the notes. Ask your child to sing the song for you!  Our recorder unit is coming up! Mrs. Rzasa and I sent home information about the recorder and the Lexington Symphony Field Trip. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions! Here are some pictures of two students playing, "Musical Twister."

Here are some pictures of our 5th graders dancing to the song, "Jingle Bells"

Have a wonderful weekend!

Weekly Review 11/30 - 12/4

Wow, we can't believe that it is December already!   Here's a brief overview of what we did in music this week:

The first graders finished their Turkey Tango game from last week.  It was so much fun to see which rhythm feather would be plucked from the Rhythm Turkey, and which dares would be given to us by the Dare Turkey!  They also learned about two important music words:  verse and refrain.  Then they sang "Jingle Bells" and identified which parts of the song are the verse, and what part is the refrain.  Some students also learned sign language to accompany some of the words of the song!

The second grade students learned about our new composer for December, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. He is a Russian composer who wrote The Nutcracker.   Then, they reviewed the March (a song from The Nutcracker that they danced to in first grade).  Each student listened carefully to the different themes in the song and moved like soldiers, puppets, and mice!  Then, they learned a brand new dance for the Trepak.  The students even danced with scarves!

The third graders have started their music notation unit to help prepare them for the recorder.  First, they learned about the staff, and then we added the treble clef, time signature, bar lines, double bar line (or repeat sign if desired), and labeled the measures.  The students did a wonderful job drawing the treble clef - it can be tricky! Here are some pictures:

The fourth and fifth grade students have been preparing for their December 16th Winter Concert.  We can't wait to see you there!