Weekly Review 3/19-3/23

We finally made it to a full week of school! Here is what we accomplished in music this week.....

First grade students performed "Peter and the Wolf." Students acted out the 7 different characters while other students performed their four beat pattern. We performed by class. Enjoy!




The second grade students celebrated St. Patrick's Day by making up their own folk dances to accompany the Irish Washerwoman song.   Due to the snow days, we will be performing them next Tuesday and Wednesday. We began to rehearse patriotic music for the Memorial Day Assembly, which will be on May 25th. We learned, "You're a Grand Old Flag." 

The third graders have been doing an amazing job on their recorders and in the recorder centers!  Many of them have started the green belt (Lucy Locket), so we are now working on low E.  We also played a fun, interactive game called, "Staff Wars." It practices note reading in a fun way!

Just as a reminder, if you need extra help or would like to get tested on your next belt song, Mrs. Niu will be available on Tuesdays from 8;10am-8:30am and Mrs. Rzasa will be available on Fridays from 8:10am-8:30am.

Our fourth grade students completed and performed their ABA compositions. Here are their compositions by classes: ABA Compositions

Our fifth grade students completed and performed their RONDO form compositions. Here are their performances by classes: RONDO form compositions.

** Due to MCAS schedule conflicts, our 4th and 5th Grade Spring Concert is now on Wednesday, May 2nd.

In chorus, we worked on Cumbia Del Sol and the Yellow Submarine.

We hope you have a wonderful weekend!

ABA Form

The fourth grade students have been working on compositions in ABA Form.   In ABA form, the beginning and end of the composition are the same, and it the B theme is different.  "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" is an example of a popular tune in ABA form.

The compositions must:

• be in ABA Form
• have 4 measures in each section
• have a 4/4 time signature
• use half notes, quarter notes, eighth notes, and quarter rests

The students then selected hand percussion instruments for their performances.  Please check out some of their videos!

Rondo Form Compostions

Our 5th grade students have been working on a RONDO Form composition (ABACABA) with their partners for the past few weeks. Each section was two measures long and contained four beats. Students used either quarter notes (du), half notes (d^u), eight notes (du-de) or a quarter rest. After students composed their composition on staff papers,  they performed their composition using percussion instruments.

We hope you enjoy their creativity!

Here is Mrs. Burn's class:

Weekly Review 3/12 - 3/16

This week, the first grade students worked on their Peter and the Wolf compositions. The students were in groups of 2-3, and each group picked a different character from Peter and the Wolf (Peter, Grandpa, Bird, Cat, Duck, Wolf, and Hunters). Then, they composed a four beat rhythm using quarter notes, eighth notes, and quarter rests. Each group picked a percussion instrument as well to play the theme for their character. Next week, we will act out the story!

Here is a photo of some first graders learning about rhythms. Each paper represents a beat. One child on a beat is a du (quarter note), and two students together form a du-de (eighth note pair). If a beat is empty, it's a rest!

In second grade, students tested their abilities to recognize and reinforce the sounds of instruments by playing Instrument Bingo.  Students were given bingo cards with different instruments from the woodwind, brass, percussion and string families.  When a recording of an instrument was played,  they had to identify the instrument and see if it was on their card. If it was, it got marked with a button. Once the students had 5 buttons in a row on their card, they had BINGO and won a musical prize!

The second graders also learned a folk dance to accompany a song called the Irish Washerwoman. We discussed the fact that the song and dance have 8 beat phrases. Once they mastered the dance, they got into small groups and made up their own dances for the song!

The third graders have been continuing their recorder unit, and have even earned some Recorder Karate belts! One class each week is their centers day, which includes the following centers:

• Staff Game
• Composer Corner
• Book Nook
• Music Card Games
• Practice
• Testing

At the testing center, the students get to work one on one with the teacher to practice or test for their next belt song. Once they pass a song they get a belt (colored band) to add to their recorder, AND they sign the poster on the bulletin board in the hallway!  During their other class, the students learn new notes, and reinforce their notation/reading skills. Please encourage your child to practice at home!

The fourth and fifth graders have been composing in different musical forms. The fourth graders have ABA form, and the fifth have Rondo Form. They will be performing their compositions next week!

In chorus, the students have been focusing on Cumbia del Sol and What a Wonderful World. We hope you come see their performance this May! :)