Week Twenty Six in Review (Mar. 14 - Mar. 18)

Greetings from the music room! What an exciting week of singing, moving, and playing instruments! In addition to the usual music classes, all K-4 students were invited to watch Loon Lake's fifth graders perform Annie Kids on Thursday, March 17th. Below are a few snapshots from the Loon Lake daytime performances of Annie Kids.

The Finale: The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow

Miss Hannigan caught Annie trying to run away from the orphanage.

It's the Hard-Knock Life for Us!

Miss Hannigan, Rooster Hannigan, and Lily St. Regis discuss their bad luck.

One more snapshot from the finale.

Here are some of the week's other highlights:

Kindergarten enjoyed playing xylophones during the chant The Ship. As this chant talks about the waves going up and down on the ocean, the students were led to discover that they can make up and down sounds on the glockenspiel. Students discovered that the big bars make low sounds while the little bars make high sounds. Students also continued to practice keeping a steady beat during the song Wishy Washy Wee. Students alternated patting their knees and clapping their hands as two students linked arms and swung in the middle of the circle. Students also learned a 'wishy washy' step to make sure that they all have sea legs! Lastly, more students were given the opportunity to sing a solo in order to uncover the mystery during the song Who Took a Piece of My Pumpkin Pie.

First grade students were formally introduced to melodic note la this week! After discovering the placement of la on the music staff, students echoed a variety of sol mi and la patterns. Students also played a game called poison pattern in which they had to listen closely to all patterns in order to not accidentally sing the 'poison' one. Additionally, students learned a new la song, A Tisket A Tasket. This song will be used to help students practice their new note. Students also practiced many quarter note, quarter rest, and eighth note rhythms this week. Students were given five rhythms and had to determine which one was clapped or played on the recorder by the teacher. 

Second grade focused heavily on melodic notes la and do as well as the rhythm half note this week. Students used dry erase markers and white boards to write a variety of sol mi and la patterns. While I was expecting the students to be successful with this activity, I was not prepared for the ease with which they wrote the patterns! Students also discovered the location of a new low note (do) in the song No One in the House but Dinah and learned another song which contains this new low note, Donald Duck. Students learned to sing Are You Sleeping  in french (Frere Jacques). After learning this song, students were asked to clap the rhythm and indicate the location of any half notes by dragging their fingers down their forearm. Students also began learning another song which contains half notes entitled Who's That Tapping at the Window.
 

This student is off to a good start! He has correctly written the melodic pattern.

This student has correctly written and labeled the pattern!

This student is adding note stems to the sol mi la pattern.

This student has correctly located a new low note!

Third grade students enjoyed playing a rhythm game to a song called Black Snake. This do re mi sol la song allowed students to practice reading quarter notes, quarter rests, half notes, half rests, and eighth notes. As students sang the song, a black snake made of yarn was passed around the circle. The student with the black snake at the end of the song could choose from six different rhythms in order to earn points for their team. Students also explored the upper range of their voices by participating in the wave. Students raised and lowered their arms as if at a sporting event and added an upward glissando to this motion. Lastly, students played a mi re do low la pattern on the xylophones while singing the song Captain, Don't Side Track Your Train.

Fourth grade students enjoyed a recorder day on Tuesday. Students learned the first section (the A section) for the song Hop, Skip, Jump. This song allowed students to review the notes B, A, and G while playing along with upbeat rock-and-roll style music. Students were also given the opportunity to achieve a new recorder karate belt level on this day. On Wednesday, students reviewed the characteristics of the percussion family and were given live demonstrations of a wide variety of percussion instruments including a miniature steel drum and a spring drum. Lastly, students watched a brief video showing how the hammers inside a piano hit  the instrument's strings making it a percussion instrument.

Fifth grade students rehearsed in the gym on Monday and Tuesday in preparation for Annie Kids. On Thursday, the students performed twice during the school day. They performed for K-2 in the morning and for 3-4 in the afternoon. Fifth grade students also participated in one evening dress rehearsal and two evening performances. One performance was on Thursday, March 17th and the other was on Friday, March 18th. I could not be more proud of the hard work and dedication that the fifth graders put into this production! Congratulations to all fifth grade students on a job very well done!