March Madness!

March is here! Spring Break is approaching!

BSLK: In March, the students will learn Kodaly hand sign "ti" and be singing a Major Scale using all Kodaly hand signs. Students will also learn the Eighth Note: 1/2 beat and be able to clap Quarter and Eighth Note beat rhythms that are written on the board. Students will also begin to work on Graduation music just by listening to it and becoming familiar with the music. Students will also sit on parachutes and echo the teachers rhythms on Sound Shapes. Students will then rotate around the parachute to play different Sound Shapes.

Some classes performed at the March PTO Meeting and did a fantastic job!

APS: In March, the students will continue to refine songs for "Fine Arts Night." Students will also be singing and dancing to "Arroostasha" which is a fun song about birds which resembles "The Tooty Ta." The students will talk about Camille Saint-Saens and learn that he wrote Carnival of the Animals. Students will listen to the bird piece of Carnival of the Animals and use ribbon streamers to fly like a bird to the music and swoop down and catch worms. Students will also work on different bird dances and songs to correlate with Youth Art Month.

Don't forget: 

FINE ARTS NIGHT

1st grade--April 15th

2nd grade---April 16th

CRAZY YEAR!!!

Wow! What a crazy year it's been already!

In February we had some snow days so I didn't get to see my APS students as much as I'd planned on, but we've still had a blast in music. In February at APS, we mainly worked on our music for Fine Arts Night. We have now learned all 5 songs for Fine Arts Night. We are now continuously singing through those songs and refining them to help make our program sound the best it can. We have also sang "Old MacDonald Had a Band." In this song, our students learn how instruments can sound like different animals. For example: castanets sound like horses clip clopping, bells sound like cows wearing bells, guiros sound like cats scratching, and egg shakers sound like rattle snakes ready to strike. Each child would receive a card with a different animal on it, then they would go get the instrument that sounds like their animal. We would then sing the song "Old MacDonald Had a Band" and the students would stand up and play their instrument when their animal was called. The students loved this. This was also a great lesson for listening skills.

At BSLK in February, we also played the "Old MacDonald Had a Band" song and played the instruments. We also learned about the Music Staff: 5 lines & 4 spaces Quarter Note: 1 beat. We have worked on clapping rhythms using just the Quarter Note. The students have done a great job with this. We also learned Kodaly hand sign "fa" and met Largo, the snail. The students also sang at Sweets & Songs at the end of January and did a fantastic job. Some classes performed in the February PTO meeting and did a fabulous job then as well.

Plato Quote

WELCOME BACK TO MUSIC

January:

At BSLK this month, the students will be meeting a new friend, Largo. Largo means slow. The students will be singing to Largo using their Kodaly hand signs so & mi. The students will also be performing a Solfege exercise using the Kodaly hand signs they have learned. The students will be learning what a choir is. A choir is a group of people that sing. The students will also be learning what a conductor is. The conductor is the person who leads the music. The students will be learning the 4 Rules of Singing in a Choir: 1. Stand up straight 2. Sing forte 3. Smile 4. Keep your eyes on the conductor. The students will be learning these things because the students will be singing in Sweets & Songs on January 19th. We will be learning how to act on stage and how to act in the audience. Students will also be playing the rhythm sticks and egg shakers this month. The students will learn about the music staff and that it has 5 lines and 4 spaces. The students will also be learning some other cool Jack Hartmann songs for the PTO program on Feb. 5th in honor of Jack Hartmann coming to our school also in February.

At APS this month, the students will be meeting a new friend, Largo. Largo means slow. The students will be singing to Largo using their Kodaly hand signs so & mi. The students will also be performing many new Solfege exercises using all of the Kodaly singing hands. The students will be working on their musical concepts by writing and drawing them on their dry erase boards. The students will also be learning about MLK and singing a tribute to him in the song "Rise Up: Tribute to MLK." Students will also be working on their songs for Fine Arts Night including "Blackbird" "Rockin' Robin" "Three Little Birds" and learning a new song called "I Believe I Can Fly." Students will also be playing their egg shakers to a cool song called, "Shake! (Your Egg Shakers.)

All students will be enhancing their listening skills and literacy skills by reading music books. This month the main book of focus is, "Waking Up Is Hard to Do."

Lots of stuff going on! It's going to be a crazy rest of the year, but WELCOME BACK TO MUSIC!

Music Affects Everyone

It's Christmas Time

At BSLK, the students are working on singing a Solfege exercise containing Kodaly hand signs: so, mi, la, do, and re. Students are also singing "The Winter Pokey" and singing and listening to Christmas books: The Little Drummer Boy, The 12 Days of Christmas, The Night Before Christmas, Santa Claus is Coming to Town. The students are also working with their Jingle Bell rhythm sheets and trying to stay on the beat by touching the bell. The next two weeks, the students will be playing the actual bells to "Jingle Bells."

At APS, the students are singing Solfege exercises containing all Kodaly hand signs. The students are also reviewing all musical concepts. The students are working on songs for Fine Arts Night: "Blackbird," "Rockin' Robin," and "Three Little Birds." The students are also using the Jingle Bell rhythm sheets and acknowledging the Repeat Sign. They understand that the repeat sign tells them to go back and do it again. The students are also reading and singing along to Christmas stories. The students are also playing the actual bells to "Jingle Bells"

We are ready for Christmas! :)

Plato Quote

I just had to share this...