Weekly Review 11/10 - 11/14

It was another short week!  We hope you had a great long weekend.  Here's what the students did in music:

The first graders practiced singing with high and low voices. We explored pitch by playing 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 grade students have been working on their mallet technique.  Mrs. Niu and I are picky when it comes to technique, but proper form is important for creating the best sound on the xylophones, metallophones, and glockenspiels!  They played scales and other patterns, and worked on alternating their mallets.  It was so much fun!

The third graders learned a harvest song and sang about pumpkins, autumn breezes, and Thanksgiving! Once they mastered the song ("Pumpkins are Ripe"), 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.

Fourth grade students spent some time discussing Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.  See if your child can answer the following question:

• Where was Mozart born?
• At what age did he start learning music?
• What is one of Mozart's most famous operas?
• Mozart was alive during which period in music history? (Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, or Romantic?)

Fifth graders have been learning some interesting facts about Mozart too!  They even watched a funny video depicting Mozart's rivalry with another composer of the time, Salieri.  

In chorus this week, the 4th and 5th grade students had the opportunity to run through some of the first songs they learned for the Winter concert.   We still have things to clean up, but it feels good to know that we are on our way to being prepared for that performance!

*note:

The chorus lyrics are on the blog (click that link, or "Chorus Lyrics and Recordings" on the side bar).   4th and 5th graders - PLEASE practice at home so you can memorize the music.  We will be singing without our iPads when we get back from Thanksgiving break!  Also, don't forget to bring in your flashlights :)

Have a lovely weekend!