Our Weekly Info: | This week, we will start by finishing up a VERY Special Composer of the Month unit! Instead of honoring Black History Month and salute all of the wonderful contributions African Americans have made to the world of music! Congratulations to: Violet (K), Lake (2), and Paloma (6) for being the FIRST students to become detectives and share some facts about African Americans in Music with us last week! Then, on Wednesday, we will begin another VERY Special Composer of the Month unit! Instead of honoring one composer for March, I'd like to open the floor to the students to help me celebrate Women's History Month and salute 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 :) 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: Mardi Gras (March 1), Read Across America Day Day (March 2) and St. Patrick's Day (February 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!
**Kindergarten is back to singing, dancing, and playing their way through music class! We'll continue using our "Hello Routine" songs and many of us can already sing along! We're working on rhythmic and melodic passages and echoing them when Mrs. Kamp goes first. So far, we've explored "do," "mi," "sol," and "la" in our singing echos and ta (quarter note), ti-ti (eighth note), shh (quarter rest), and alligator (sixteenth note) in our rhythms but we're adding more all the time! We're experimenting with different classroom instruments including: Rhythm Sticks, Shaker Eggs, Jingle Bells, Tambourines, and Drums and using them to echo short rhythmic patterns as well as to accompany ourselves while singing a variety of songs. We're also using our bodies to show different things we notice in songs...like the speed, volume level, or way the music is moving. We will continue our work with Pre-School Prodigies learning some special winter and Valentine's Day themed songs! We're finishing up our special "deep dive" into the many different styles of music which take their roots in African American traditions and cultures as we close out our celebration of Black History Month in the Music Room...and turning now to the many important contributions of Women in the World of Music as we celebrate March as Women's History Month! We'll be saluting all different female composers, musicians, song writers, and more this month! We'll also be celebrating Read Across America Day this week with a musical salute to Dr. Seuss!
**First Graders are back to working on rhythmic and melodic passages and echoing them when Mrs. Kamp goes first. We're diving back into building our musical vocabularies this month as we continue to explore all of the ways that music can be! Previously, we learned the music words for dynamic levels (volumes) including: piano (soft), mezzo (medium), and forte (loud.) We explored these dynamic changes with our bodies and through singing songs. We also experimented with crescendos and decrescendos (making the music get louder and softer). We also discussed how music can be choppy (staccato) or smooth (legate) and demonstrated the differences using our voices, instruments, and some super fun manipulatives! This week, we're going to continue exploring how songs can have multiple parts...including a verse (where the tune is the same, but the words change to tell the story) and a refrain (where the tune and the words are the same and keep coming back again and again). We'll be coloring to show our understanding of the two different parts as well as learning a special dance to go along with one of the songs!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 will continue our work with Pre-School Prodigies, learning some special Winter and Valentine's Day themed songs! We're finishing up our special "deep dive" into the many different styles of music which take their roots in African American traditions and cultures as we close out our celebration of Black History Month in the Music Room...and turning now to the many important contributions of Women in the World of Music as we celebrate March as Women's History Month! We'll be saluting all different female composers, musicians, song writers, and more this month! We'll also be celebrating Read Across America Day this week with a musical salute to Dr. Seuss!
**Second Graders will be expanding their repertoire of notes on the recorder this week as we step farther up the note ladder from B, A, and G and begin to work with BOTH HANDS so that we can play E! We're completing our Green Belts today as we take our GREEN BELT TEST in music Class! Then, we'll be adding eighth notes (ti-ti) to our recorder repertoire as we begin to learn "Acka Backa" and work towards earning our Purple Belts at the end of the month! Parents, you can find more information about the recorder program HERE along with some helpful links for at home practice :) We will continue our work with Pre-School Prodigies and learning some special Winter and Valentine's Day themed songs! We're finishing up our special "deep dive" into the many different styles of music which take their roots in African American traditions and cultures as we close out our celebration of Black History Month in the Music Room...and turning now to the many important contributions of Women in the World of Music as we celebrate March as Women's History Month! We'll be saluting all different female composers, musicians, song writers, and more this month! We'll also be celebrating Read Across America Day this week with a musical salute to Dr. Seuss!
**Third Graders are back to music class and continue to "put it all together" as we incorporate everything we've learned over the past few years into larger ensemble playing through Pre-School Prodigies!! We're beginning to masker reading the treble staff and sooo much more!!! We'll be continuing to explore how music can move including step, leap or skip, and stay the same motion. We'll also be working with reading notes on the treble staff and beginning to try reading the staff without the color coding system we have used in the past. We received our first "music workbooks" and will be going through all of the activities there including note copying, note writing, note searches, and composing activities as we work to grow our music reading fluency! We're finishing up our special "deep dive" into the many different styles of music which take their roots in African American traditions and cultures as we close out our celebration of Black History Month in the Music Room...and turning now to the many important contributions of Women in the World of Music as we celebrate March as Women's History Month! We'll be saluting all different female composers, musicians, song writers, and more this month! We'll also be celebrating Read Across America Day this week with a musical salute to Dr. Seuss!
Performance Music
Band Classes:
For more practice resources and ways to help your band student practice on their own, Click HERE
Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Grade Band are also continuing on a journey through the world of classical music this month! We will be listening to a series of short classical excerpts and then discussing them as a class. You can tune in and listen along with us here Some of the videos look blank on our website, but if you click the "Youtube" icon on the bottom of each video you will be re-directed to the correct place :)
** Fourth Graders will have Band Class each week on Wednesday and will have their instrumental lessons on Thursday each week.
PLEASE REMEMBER TO COMPLETE YOUR MANDATORY WEEKLY PRACTICE TRACKER GOOGLE FORM. Forms are located in your Music Google Classroom and are due EACH SUNDAY NIGHT (although you can submit whenever you are ready.) YOU ARE EXPECTED TO PRACTICE FOR A TOTAL OF 40 MINUTES PER WEEK and should aim to practice AT LEAST 3 Days a week. THESE FORMS AND THE MINUTES WE ARE TRACKING ARE PART OF YOUR GRADE!!
Fourth Graders will be continuing our work with the first FIVE notes on our instruments! isn't it AMAZING how many different songs we can learn using only 5 notes! We will be working towards mastering pages 9 through 11 of our Band Brilliance Method Book and will be reviewing pages 7 and 8!! Remember to focus on your rhythm and counting as we've added whole, half, quarter, and eighth notes and their corresponding rests at this point so the rhythms are getting much more interesting. If you need extra time working with rhythm you can always turn to the rhythm challenges on page 32-33 of the Band Brilliance Book.
We will also be continuing work on the Band Karate Challenge ORANGE BELT in our lessons this week. Try and complete the vocabulary and notation portions of your White Belt and Yellow Belt Sheets before your lesson :) Students who have already completed their Yellow Belts will be receiving their sheets to begin the Orange Belt level this week!!! Be sure to ask your child what that's all about! They're going to be excited to share!!
This week, we will be working towards mastering pages 8 and 9 of our Band Brilliance Method Book!
Students should also continue to work on their "repertoire" by reviewing everything we have already learned on pages 2 through 7 of our Band Brilliance Method Book. We will also be continuing our Band Karate Belt Challenge in our lessons this week.
** Fifth and Sixth Graders will have Band Class each week on Tuesday and will have their instrumental lessons on Tuesdays each week on a rotating schedule. This week, we're reviewing our skills from last year as well as continuing to work through some new Spring Concert repertoire! At this point, everyone should be getting familiar with: "Power Rock," "Take me Out to the Ballgame," "Silver Scepter," "Path of the Viking," and our Patriotic Songs (found in your Band Brilliance Method Book). We will also be beginning the Band Karate Challenge in our lessons this week. Be sure to ask your child what that's all about! They're going to be excited to share!!
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:
We're beginning to learn some NEW repertoire for our upcoming Spring Concert! I can't wait to start singing some new songs with all of you!!!
We've also started preparing some selections to share with you in at our monthly Wake Up Amagansett Presentations.
I also thought it might be fun to explore the singing and its 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:
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 back to using the REAL VIOLINS AGAIN and are hoping to continue doing so each week moving forward! We 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.
** Kindergarten Violin will be back to using the REAL VIOLINS again this week and are hoping to continue doing so each week moving forward! We 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 can play quite a few songs on the open strings including: The Monkey Song, The Ant Song, and GDG Stomp! 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 working between elements of the Suzuki style and a Finnish style called "Colourstrings" as we try to meet the learning styles of all of our students in violin class :)
** First Grade Violin is right back to working with Colourstrings and Suzuki and will spend this week's class practicing Colourstring activities and continuing to learn "Twinkle!" Be sure to ask your child about some of the song activities we've learned including: Up Like a Rocket, The Grand Old Duke of York, The Monkey Song, The Ant Song, and GDG STOMP!. 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 is right back to learning "Twinkle!" and all of its Suzuki variations! We're also starting to work on the "4 String Warm-Up" song so we can warm up like the big kids!! Be sure to ask your child about some of the song activities we've learned including: Up Like a Rocket, The Grand Old Duke of York, and The Monkey Song, The Ant Song, GDG STOMP, Elephants and Frogs, and The Kangaroo Song. 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're continuing to add 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 beginning our Strictly Strings Method Book pages, and so much more!
** Third Grade Violin DUE TO A SCHEDULING CHANGE FOR SOME STUDENTS, THIRD GRADERS will NOW need to BRING THEIR VIOLIN TO SCHOOL WITH THEM EVERY THURSDAY THIS YEAR. This week, we will continue learning how to add fingers to the strings and began learning "Twinkle!" and ALL of its Suzuki variations! We're hard at work mastering the "Four String Warm-Up" song as well as our G, D, and A Major scales so that we can play like the "big kids!" We're 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 of York, The Monkey Song, The Ant Song, and GDG Stomp! 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 is right back to working on "Twinkle!" and ALL of its variations (regular song, tikatika titi, jack rabbit eats carrots, sammy shh cat , and teeny tiny tikatika) This week, we're continuing to work inside our 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! Keep polishing up that "Four String Warm-Up" song as well as your G, D, and A Major scales as they will all be helpful when working on the new string orchestra repertoire we're beginning this week!
** Fifth Grade Violin is right back to continuing to work on some exciting string orchestra music last week that will bring them up to the level of the Middle School String players by the time they arrive at the Middle School!! We're also working on "Twinkle!" and ALL of its variations (regular song, tikatika titi, jack rabbit eats carrots, sammy shh cat , and teeny tiny tikatika) This week, we're continuing to work inside our 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! Keep polishing up that "Four String Warm-Up" song as well as your G, D, and A Major scales as they will all be helpful when working on the new string orchestra repertoire we're beginning this week!
** Sixth Grade Violin are coming to the music room at RECESS on WEDNESDAYS. This week we're continuing inside our Strictly Strings Method Book. We're also working on "Twinkle!" and ALL of its variations (regular song, tikatika titi, jack rabbit eats carrots, sammy shh cat , and teeny tiny tikatika). Keep polishing up that "Four String Warm-Up" song as well as your G, D, and A Major scales as they will all be helpful when working on the new string orchestra repertoire we're beginning this week! You can help us with some at home practice HERE.
Recess Drama Club
You all did a WONDERFUL job and we are soooo excited to begin rehearsals this week!
Parents: please help your young actor / actress to highlight their script so that they can easily follow along during rehearsals. Also, scripts should be kept IN CHILDREN'S BACKPACKS so that they will have their script for every rehearsal as we have VERY limited extra copies.
Stay tuned for more information right here each week :)
Mrs. Kamp :)