Our Weekly Info: | This week, we will continue a VERY Special Composer of the Month unit! Instead of honoring a single composer, we will be celebrating Women's History Month and saluting all of the wonderful contributions women have made to the world of music! For March, students may choose ANY Female composer or musician to compete their Composer of the Month Project! Student work will be displayed don the music website and on a bulletin board outside of the music room :) Congratulations to Ethan (3), Grace (3), and Angelia (4) on their work as Music Detectives this month!!! Who else will be joining them???? 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 Music Website! |
General Music:
This month, students will continue their journey through the world of music...highlighting special seasonal events including a celebration of Women's History Month to honor women and their contribution to the world of music, and celebrations for: St. Patrick's Day (March 17)!! WOW this is going to be a BUSY month in the Music Room!!
There will be lots of new songs, dances, musical facts, and more being explored in each area of the General Music Program, so be sure to check HERE to find out specific March! All of the Monthly Music Curriculum Guides for all of our grade levels and performance areas have been posted as of the end of last week. Be sure to check in and see what fun and exciting musical learning your child will be participating in in March!
**Pre-K 3 and 4 are continuing our journey through the music world by singing, dancing, and playing instruments in every class! I can't wait to share all of the fun with all of you! In Pre-K 4, we've even begun our work with Prodigies melody bells! Right now, we're learning all about the note of C and it's corresponding solfege sound, do! We're also branching out to include the other letters of the music alphabet: D, E, F, G, A, and B! We'll be working our way through the entire music alphabet singing, signing, playing the melody bells and boomwhackers, and even reading colored treble clef notation on the Smart Board! Mr. Rob and the prodigies program are also teaching up about rhythm as we incorporate his, "Sweet Beets" songs and activities into our classes as well! Pre-K 3 will begin using this curriculum later in the school year... right now, we're focusing on connecting with our friends and our music in a more "screen free" way. You can learn a bit more about Mr. Rob and his program HERE. It's going to be a wonderful year to explore!!! We'll also be celebrating St. Patrick's Day (March 17th) and learning all about Irish music and culture! Then, on March 21st, we'll celebrate the arrival of SPRING!!!!
**Kindergarten continues exploring the world of music, learning our hello routines and songs, experimenting with the different classroom instruments. Right now, we're learning all about the note of C and it's corresponding solfege sound, do! We're also branching out to include the other letters of the music alphabet: D, E, F, G, A, and B! We'll be working our way through the entire music alphabet singing, signing, playing the melody bells and boomwhackers, and even reading colored treble clef notation on the Smart Board! Mr. Rob and the prodigies program are also teaching up about rhythm as we incorporate his, "Sweet Beets" songs and activities into our classes as well!...making music a VERY Exciting place to be! We'll also be celebrating St. Patrick's Day (March 17th) and learning all about Irish music and culture! Then, on March 21st, we'll celebrate the arrival of SPRING!!!!
**First Graders continue exploring the very many ways that music can be! We're expanding our knowledge this week ...and continuing our work with the Prodigies program and out melody bells and boomwhackers which we began last year. We're working on reading the notes and rhythms inside of the songs we play and are using the instruments every class! We'll also be celebrating St. Patrick's Day (March 17th) and learning all about Irish music and culture! Then, on March 21st, we'll celebrate the arrival of SPRING!!!!
**Second Graders are beginning their dive into the fifth level of Recorder Karate We've earned our White, Yellow, Orange, Green, and Purple belts, and, this week, we will begin to work with TWO more new notes!! We're adding High C and High D to our repertoire as we prepare to learn our BLUE BELT song, "Lightly Row." I can't believe how far the students have come since September!!! So...make sure you're practicing and ready :) Parents, you can find more information about the recorder program HERE along with some helpful links for at home practice :) We're combining our love for recorder and our interest in African American musical traditions to learn a bit about the Blues and even writing our VERY OWN SONG....The Second Grade Recorder Blues (2024 edition)! We'll also be celebrating St. Patrick's Day (March 17th) and learning all about Irish music and culture! Then, on March 21st, we'll celebrate the arrival of SPRING!!!!
**Third Graders are right back to singing, dancing, and playing their way through their first few music classes! Watch as we continue "putting it all together" as we incorporate everything we've learned over the past few years into larger ensemble playing through Pre-School Prodigies!! We've been assigned our first moth's instrument for instrument rotation and were able to play through sooo many songs! Students are excited to take monthly turns on: Percussion, Recorder, Orff Xylophones, and Desk Bells! Mr. Rob and our Prodigies friends have even introduced us to some special Holiday Songs that we can now play on the desk bells and boomwhackers!! We're beginning to masker reading the treble staff and sooo much more!!! We'll also be celebrating St. Patrick's Day (March 17th) and learning all about Irish music and culture! Then, on March 21st, we'll celebrate the arrival of SPRING!!!! And...stay tuned...we're about to start shifting towards thinking about next year and choosing our instruments by taking a journey through the magical land of instruments with Carnegie Hall's Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra!
Performance Music
Band Classes:
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:
If you're interested in learning more about our school's Instrumental Music Program, follow these links to the band's individual websites:
Chorus Classes:
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 :)
** Pre-K 4 Violin is continuing 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.
** Kindergarten Violin is right back to learning 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. We're also beginning to use the Colorstrings method in conjunction with our Suzuki method studies this week. Be sure to ask your child what the new "violin colors" are and what they mean...they are excited to share their new knowledge with you! We're becoming masters of "The Monkey Song," "The Ant Song," and "G-D-G STOMP!"
** First Grade Violin is moving QUICKLY through their violin repertoire! 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. We've mastered "The Monkey Song," "The Ant Song," and "G-D-G STOMP!" And now we're working HARD at adding our fingers to the E string to create new pitches and learn, "The Elephant Song" and "The Kangaroo Song." We've added stickers to our fingerboards to help us know which note we're playing AND where our fingers should go! We've also started working with reading the notes of the staff as we journey into our "String Street" method books! Hard work can be soooo much fun and is soooooooo rewarding as we can really begin to see our progress!
** Second Grade Violin will will need to BRING THEIR VIOLIN TO SCHOOL WITH THEM EVERY TUESDAY THIS YEAR. The students are excited and are moving forward and expand our musical learning and violin playin! We're adding our fingers to the strings to expand our repertoire of notes, starting combining note reading on the treble staff with playing the violin, continuing to work through the String Street method book, and also starting our journey through the fun of Violin Karate, and so much more! You can learn more about what we're doing in violin class if you check the class violin page HERE.
** Third Grade Violin will will need to BRING THEIR VIOLIN TO SCHOOL WITH THEM EVERY MONDAY THIS YEAR. We're right back to moving forward and expanding our musical learning and violin playin! We're adding our fingers to the strings to expand our repertoire of notes, starting combining note reading on the treble staff with playing the violin, continuing to work through the String Street method book, and also starting our journey through the fun of Violin Karate, and so much more! You can learn more about what we're doing in violin class if you check the class violin page HERE.
** Fourth Grade Violin will will need to BRING THEIR VIOLIN TO SCHOOL WITH THEM EVERY MONDAY THIS YEAR. We're right back to moving forward and expanding our musical learning and violin playin!We're adding our fingers to the strings to expand our repertoire of notes, starting combining note reading on the treble staff with playing the violin, continuing to work through the String Street method book, and also starting our journey through the fun of Violin Karate, and so much more! You can learn more about what we're doing in violin class.
** Fifth Grade Violin will will need to BRING THEIR VIOLIN TO SCHOOL WITH THEM EVERY THURSDAY THIS YEAR. Now that we've reviewed all of the skills we learned in the past two years of violin class, we're ready to move forward and expand our musical learning and violin playin! We're branching out of the method book and beginning to work with some REAL string orchestra repertoire! You can learn more about what we're doing in violin class if you check the class violin page HERE.
** Sixth Grade Violin will will need to BRING THEIR VIOLIN TO SCHOOL WITH THEM EVERY WEDNESDAY THIS YEAR. Now that we've reviewed all of the skills we learned in the past two years of violin class, we're ready to move forward and expand our musical learning and violin playin! We're branching out of the method book and beginning to work with some REAL string orchestra repertoire! You can learn more about what we're doing in violin class if you check the class violin page HERE.
Mrs. Kamp :)