Our Weekly Info: | We will finish up celebrating our first Composer of the Month of the 2023-2024 school year, Gustav Holst, this week as we listen to his music and learn facts about his life each class. You can see the facts that they learned about Mr. Holst on display on the home page of this website :) CONGRATULATIONS to students who added themselves to the Music Detectives roster this week by participating in this program and bringing in some very interesting facts about Mr. Holst! Joining our Music Detective Wall of Fame for September 2023 is Adeline (1). GREAT WORK!!!! I can't wait to see who else will join them next week! Check your child's go home folder for this month's composer fact sheet as well as the directions for how to become a "music detective" and have their work featured on the bulletin board outside the music classroom and on the Music Website! |
General Music:
**Kindergarten is busy exploring the world of music, learning our hello routines and songs, experimenting with the different classroom instruments. We have begun incorporating our Prodigies lessons with Mr. Rob and our Rhythm Band Curriculum into each class visit...making music a VERY Exciting place to be!
**First Graders First Graders are back to music class and will begin exploring the very many ways that music can be....loud / soft...fast / slow, etc. This week, we're starting our unit about dynamics...the volumes of music. We'll be learning some magic music words for loud (Forte) and soft (piano) and exploring how music can be these ways. We're having fun with songs, games, instruments, dancing, and some pretty cool surprises as we build our music vocabularies and learn to speak the language of music. We're expanding our knowledge this week and discussing how music can move from piano to forte (crescendo) and from forte to piano (decrescendo)...and playing some super fun games as we learn to understand these musical terms. We will also continue our work with the Prodigies program and out melody bells and boomwhackers which we began last year. I'm soo excited to see how we can grow as musicians this year!
**Second Graders are continuing learning the first song of the Recorder Karate Program..... "Hot Cross Buns" and will be taking their white belt tests at the beginning of this week's class! Parents, you can find more information about the recorder program HERE along with some helpful links for at home practice :)
**Third Graders did not have music class this week due to the Yom Kippur Holiday, but they will be back on track next week...singing, dancing, and playing their way through their first few music classes!
Performance Music
Band Classes:
If you're interested in learning more about our school's Instrumental Music Program, follow these links to the band's individual websites:
FOURTH GRADERS NEED THEIR BAND INSTRUMENTS FOR BAND CLASS AND INSTRUMENTAL LESSONS EACH THURSDAY.
FIFTH AND SIXTH GRADERS NEED THEIR BAND INSTRUMENTS FOR BAND CLASS AND INSTRUMENTAL LESSONS EACH TUESDAY.
PRACTICE TRACKERS:
Remember, practice trackers are a MANDATORY part of your music grade this year! Practice trackers can be found on your individual child's Music Google Classroom and are listed in the "Classwork" section each week. Trackers are due by midnight on Sunday nights, but you can hand it in any time that is convenient for your family :) Aim for 10 - 15 minutes per day for as many days as you can during the week....if you build musi cpracticing into your family schedule now ar the beginning of the year, it will be there for you all year..let's build those habits and, "put first things first."
Chorus Classes:
We're up and running and starting to prepare the songs we will perform in our big December Holiday Concert.
We've also started preparing some selections to share with you in November for Veteran's Day and Thanksgiving!
I also thought it might be fun to explore the singing and it's importance to people around the world as part of this year's Choral Program in grades 3 - 6. Each week, the children will be watching a SHORT youtube video of a different singer or singing group from somewhere in the world or somewhere in time. We'll be watching, listening, and then pairing and sharing with a partner to discuss our thoughts about the performance. Older students will also be keeping a "listening journal" to express a few short sentences about their throughs on the performance.
Interested in seeing where this exploration will lead us?? Check out the "action" as HERE as I'll be adding the video of the week each week :)
We can't wait!! If you want to learn more about what we're up to in Chorus class or you want to help your child practice the chorus music at home, you can do so by following the link below:
String Classes:
Parents and parent involvement is an essential part of a students success in music, particularly in the Suzuki style of teaching. Although we can't have parents attend each and every one of our class meetings, it will be very important for your child's success that they begin practicing at home and that they see you excited and enthusiastic about all of their violin playing.
Be sure to check your child's string class page often. I will be posting videos, handouts, songs, and other helpful materials there for each of our classes to help build this bridge from violin at school to violin at home!
As we begin our journey through learning to play the violin, I thought it might be fun to explore the violin (and other string instruments) "in action." Each week, the children will be watching a SHORT youtube video of a different string performer from somewhere in the world or somewhere in time. We'll be watching, listening, and then pairing and sharing with a partner to discuss our thoughts about the performance. Older students will also be keeping a "listening journal" to express a few short sentences about their throughs on the performance.
Interested in seeing where this exploration will lead us?? Check out the "action" as HERE as I'll be adding the video of the week each week :)
** Kindergarten Violin are learning how to hold our bows, balance our violins, and control our bodies so nothing falls down! We're also making "box violins" so we can use them int he classroom and have them at home to practice with. Be sure to ask your child about some of the song activities we've learned including: Up Like a Rocket, The Grand Old Duke o f York, and The Wheels on the Bus. We're also learning all of the parts of our violin......you can quiz us at home if you check the class violin page HERE.
** First Grade Violin reviewed how to hold our bows, balance our violins, and control our bodies so nothing falls down! Be sure to ask your child about some of the song activities we've learned including: Up Like a Rocket, The Grand Old Duke o f York, and The Wheels on the Bus. We're also learning all of the parts of our violin......you can quiz us at home if you check the class violin page HERE
** Second Grade Violin will need to BRING THEIR VIOLIN TO SCHOOL WITH THEM EVERY TUESDAY THIS YEAR. This week, we will continue to review how to hold our bows, balance our violins, and control our bodies so nothing falls down! Be sure to ask your child about some of the song activities we've learned including: Up Like a Rocket, The Grand Old Duke o f York, and The Wheels on the Bus. We're also learning all of the parts of our violin......you can quiz us at home if you check the class violin page HERE And get ready...next week, we'll be back to adding our fingers to the strings to expand our repertoire of notes, starting combining note reading on the treble staff with playing the violin, introducing the fun of Violin Karate, and so much more!
** Third Grade Violin has begun!!! Third Graders will will need to BRING THEIR VIOLIN TO SCHOOL WITH THEM EVERY WEDNESDAY THIS YEAR. Last week, we reviewed how to hold our bows, balance our violins, and control our bodies so nothing falls down! We're also reviewing all of the parts of our violin and the names of the open strings. We refreshed all of our songs from last year including: Up Like a Rocket, The Grand Old Duke o f York, The Monkey Song, The Ant Song, GDG Stomp! and The Wheels on the Bus. And then got our fingers moving by playing Elephants and Frogs and The Kangaroo Song. This week we're also taking our first peek inside our brand new Strictly Strings Method Book. You can help us with some at home practice HERE
** Fourth Grade Violin will will need to BRING THEIR VIOLIN TO SCHOOL WITH THEM EVERY MONDAY THIS YEAR. This week, we'll reviewed how to hold our bows, balance our violins, and control our bodies so nothing falls down! We're also reviewing all of the parts of our violin and the names of the open strings. We refreshed all of our songs from last year including: Up Like a Rocket, The Grand Old Duke o f York, The Monkey Song, The Ant Song, GDG Stomp! and The Wheels on the Bus. And then got our fingers moving by playing Elephants and Frogs and The Kangaroo Song. This week we're also taking our first peek inside our brand new Strictly Strings Method Book. You can help us with some at home practice HERE And get ready...next week, we'll be back to adding our fingers to the strings to expand our repertoire of notes, starting combining note reading on the treble staff with playing the violin, reviewing the fun of Violin Karate, and so much more!
** Fifth Grade Violin will will need to BRING THEIR VIOLIN TO SCHOOL WITH THEM EVERY THURSDAY THIS YEAR. Last week, we reviewed how to hold our bows, balance our violins, and control our bodies so nothing falls down! We're also reviewing all of the parts of our violin and the names of the open strings. We refreshed all of our songs from last year including: Up Like a Rocket, The Grand Old Duke o f York, The Monkey Song, The Ant Song, GDG Stomp! and The Wheels on the Bus. And then got our fingers moving by playing Elephants and Frogs and The Kangaroo Song. This week we're also taking our first peek inside our brand new Strictly Strings Method Book. You can help us with some at home practice HERE And get ready...next week, we'll be back to adding our fingers to the strings to expand our repertoire of notes, starting combining note reading on the treble staff with playing the violin, reviewing the fun of Violin Karate, and so much more!
** Sixth Grade Violin will will need to BRING THEIR VIOLIN TO SCHOOL WITH THEM EVERY WEDNESDAY THIS YEAR. Last week, we reviewed how to hold our bows, balance our violins, and control our bodies so nothing falls down! We're also reviewing all of the parts of our violin and the names of the open strings. We refreshed all of our songs from last year including: Up Like a Rocket, The Grand Old Duke o f York, The Monkey Song, The Ant Song, GDG Stomp! and The Wheels on the Bus. And then got our fingers moving by playing Elephants and Frogs and The Kangaroo Song. This week we're also taking our first peek inside our brand new Strictly Strings Method Book. You can help us with some at home practice HERE And get ready...next week, we'll be back to adding our fingers to the strings to expand our repertoire of notes, starting combining note reading on the treble staff with playing the violin, reviewing the fun of Violin Karate, and so much more!
Stay tuned for more information right here each week :)
Mrs. Kamp :)