Week Two in Review (Sept. 12 - Sept. 16)

Greetings from the music room! We had a very busy week continuing to establish procedures and reviewing content from previous grade levels. It was wonderful to see all of the second grade students this week and I am looking forward to exploring new songs and skills with all students in week three!

Kindergarten students reviewed the song Hey, Hey, Look at Me and continued to explore more ways to move their body to the steady beat. Students explored the upper register of their voices by imitating the sound of a train whistle. Students learned the chant Engine, Engine, Number Nine and practiced moving their arms like train wheels to the steady beat. Students also explored the highs and lows of their voice by mimicking the sound of a slide whistle. Students were asked to move their voices and their bodies down when the sound of the whistle went down, and up when the sound of the whistle went up. Students learned two more songs for practicing steady beat: Johnny Works with One Hammer and Cobbler, Cobbler. Students used their fists as pretend hammers to build a portal while singing Johnny Works with One Hammer and used their fists as pretend hammers to fix their shoes with Cobbler, Cobbler.

First grade students reviewed the song Hey, Hey, Look at Me and practiced singing and moving slowly and quickly. The words fast and slow were written on the board and the students had to respond appropriately when one word was selected. Students enjoyed trying to clap in slow motion! Students reviewed the chant Two Little Apples and learned a series of movements to accompany this rhyme. After learning the chant's words and movements, students were asked to perform the chant three times. The first time students spoke and moved, the second time students thought the words and moved, and the third time students spoke and moved. This allowed the students to practice inner hearing (hearing a song in their head) and served to prepare them for musical form (same-different-same). Students also reviewed how to play high and low sounds on the xylophone. First, students responded to the sound of a xylophone going up or down by moving their bodies up and down. Next, students played the sound of a mouse going up and down a clock (Hickory Dickory Dock) on the xylophone.

Second grade students were welcomed into the classroom with a new song entitled Welcome, Welcome, Everybody. Students then introduced themselves to the class through a name game called Here We Are Together. In this game, students were challenged to name all of their classmates while keeping a steady beat. Students reviewed melodic notes sol, mi, and la by singing and playing the game to Snail, Snail. Students also began learning a new song containing sol, mi, and la entitled No Robbers. This song introduces students to a new sol mi la pattern and contains a fun cops and robbers chase game. Students also reviewed clapping and reading quarter notes, quarter rests, and eighth notes. Lastly, students began learning a new song entitled El Capitan. This Spanish song allows students the opportunity to take turns being the leader of a steady beat game. 
  
Third grade students continued to review melodic notes do re mi sol and la this week. Students were asked to decode the solfege for the last two phrases of the song Rocky Mountain. As students had some difficulty with this activity, next week we will sharpen our focus to reviewing melodic notes mi re and do. In order to prepare students for the following week's work on mi re and do, students began learning a new song entitled Frog in the Meadow. This song includes only the melodic notes mi re and do and contains a fun race game. Students also continued to learn the dance to their new song Tideo. This dance contains two concentric circles in which students begin by working with one partner and then switch to many different partners. 

Fourth grade students reviewed the Philippino game Sagidi, Sapopo and attempted to perform a 3-part body percussion canon. It took a few attempts, but many students were successfully able to perform the third part of the canon. During a three-part canon, Mrs. Aaronson leads part one, one group of students copies Mrs. Aaronson four beats later, and a second group of students copies Mrs. Aaronson eight beats later! This is quite the challenge for the second group! Students also continued to review the song Great Big House in New Orleans by reading its rhythm of eighth notes, quarter notes, and half notes. Students played instruments on specific rhythms: rhythm sticks on eighth notes, drums on quarter notes, and tambourines on half notes. Students also began learning a song from Cameroon, Africa entitled Dikole. This song includes a fun passing game and will later be used to review melodic notes low sol and low la.

Fifth grade students reviewed the song Guten Morgen and attempted to sing 2-,3-, and 4-part rounds.The challenge when singing a round of two or more parts is for students to sing with their best voice and not simply shout to cover up the other parts. After students had tried singing a 4-part round, Mrs. Aaronson asked the students if they had any of their own ideas for singing the round. One class suggested an 8-part round and another class suggested a 32-part round! In order to get 32-parts each student needed to sing the song on their own part. Students also reviewed the name game King of the Castle. Each class greatly improved their ability to play this game since last week. Students were able to make name chains seven to ten students long! (Last week students struggled to make name chains three students long). Lastly, students reviewed fourth grade rhythms through a game called Post Office. In this game, students worked in pairs and were given an envelope containing eight cards with different rhythmic patterns. Students spread all of their cards on the floor and as Mrs. Aaronson played a rhythm on the recorder, students had to identify the correct card and place it into the envelope. The game concluded when students had only one card left. The goal was to have that card match the only rhythm that had not yet been played by Mrs. Aaronson. Students were very successful in this review game! Next week students will begin learning songs that will prepare them to learn fifth grade rhythms.

Mrs. Ellis's students reviewed the song Hey, Hey Look at Me and explored more ways to move their bodies to the steady beat. Students explored their voices by making high and low buzzing sounds, by imitating a slide whistle, by mimicking a train whistle, and by following paths drawn on the board. Students practiced moving their bodies to the steady beat while listening to a recording of the first movement of Johann Sebastian Bach's Brandeburg Concerto No. 2 in F Major. Students also explored the steady beat through songs Johnny Works with One Hammer, Cobbler, Cobbler, That's a Mighty Pretty Motion, and Snail, Snail. Lastly students were introduced to the song Over in the Meadow through a picture book illustrated by Ezra Jack Keats.

Mrs. Ross's students continued to prepare to learn quarter notes and eighth notes this week. Students enjoyed playing a Move and Freeze game in which students were to explore the music classroom and freeze when they heard the pattern 'short-short long.' Students were challenged to freeze into interesting shapes and they certainly rose to the challenge! Students continued to learn the mi re do song Closet Key and its game. Students were also introduced to mallet exercises this week. Each student received a pair of mallets and was challenged to play very gently on his/her knees. Students were also challenged to move their hands/fingers up and down the mallet like spiders. This exercise builds fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. Students then learned the song Rocky Mountain and enjoyed using their mallets to play a chime at the end of each phrase (each phrase ends in a half note). Students were then challenged to find the half notes in the song Frere Jacques and play their chime at the correct time.

Mrs. Muller's students continued to review the song Great Big House in New Orleans by reading its rhythm of eighth notes, quarter notes, and half notes. Students played instruments on specific rhythms: rhythm sticks on eighth notes, drums on quarter notes, and tambourines on half notes. Students were introduced to mallet exercises this week. Each student received a pair of mallets and was challenged to play very gently on his/her knees. Students were also challenged to move their hands/fingers up and down the mallet like spiders. This exercise builds fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. Students also learned the song Rocky Mountain and enjoyed using their mallets to play a chime at the end of each phrase (each phrase ends in a half note).