Week of April 29th, 2012
We added a new note this week! Up until this point we have been working primarily on reading musical patterns of sol-mi. This week we added la. The students identified la and then worked on reading it on a 3 line music staff. We also review ABA form in the song Little Miss Muffet. Enjoy the work of 1G!
Week of April 16th, 2012
We continued our work with ABA form on the song Jack and Jill. The students also worked on reading melodic notation through icons. The students followed a melody as it went higher and lower. Enjoy!
Week of April 2nd, 2012
The first grade classes finished their work with Cock a Doodle Doo just before vacation. We worked on keeping a steady beat and identifying the form. We performed the song in an ABA pattern. You will hear the singing, speaking, singing pattern in this song.
Week of March 5, 2012
The first grade classes are continuing their work with sol-mi. We are singing the song "Tinker Tailor" and working on reading melodies on a two line music staff. We are also beginning the song "Cock-A-Doodle-Doo." We will be adding a dance and instruments to this song.
Week of February 13th, 2012
The students have been working on reading patterns with "sol-mi" and composed a piece as a class using those melodies! Each class created their own piece and then added an accompaniment. I hope you enjoy the work of each of our first grade classes.
Week of February 6th, 2012
The first grade classes have been working on reading and writing rhythm patterns. They have been using "stick notation" for quarter notes and 8th notes. They are also beginning to group the rhythms into patterns of 4. This will be applied to music reading as they get older.
This week we will be working with reading so-mi on a two line music staff. The students will also be composing their own melody to a poem. I hope to post a video of their work this week.
Week of January 9th, 2012
Welcome back! The second quarter is quickly coming to an end, so we will spend this week finishing our assessments. The students have been working on singing melodies alone. They are working on matching pitch and using a singing voice. They are doing a great job. The song that we have been working on lately is called Heigh Ho. Ask your child to teach it to you!
Week of December 19th, 2011
The first grade classes have been reviewing mallet technique on the instruments. We began by practicing on balloons. The balloons allowed us to bounce the mallets easily. Once the students were able to demonstrate good mallet technique on the balloons we added the Orff instruments. You will see the students with their arms in the air. To prepare to play we "make a mountain" between our elbows and the mallets in the air. Then we "ride the bike" down the mountain to maintain that position. Throughout all of this we worked on using our singing voices. Enjoy the work of 1B.
Week of November 21, 2011
The first grade classes have been working on their singing voices and keeping a steady beat. We are working on so-mi patterns and moving to the beat. We discussed a see saw and how it moves up and down and then moved like a see saw while singing. Enjoy the work of the 1st grade classes!
Week of October 31, 2011
The first grade classes have been working on high and low this week. We sang the song "HIckory Dickory Dock" with so-mi and demonstrated high and low on our bodies. We added glockenspiels and metallophones on the words "up" and "down." The students are learning that instruments move higher and lower just as our voices do. Enjoy the work of 1S!
Week of October 3, 2011
We are continuing our work with steady beat and singing alone. Over the past couple of weeks the students have worked on keeping a beat on the drum to the poem "Cobbler, Cobbler." This will be leading us into our work with rhythm that will begin next week.
We are also begining early music notation. The students have learned the poem "Red Ones, Green Ones." The students are following the beat and reading the words of the poem. They are then taking some of the words out, but keeping the beat. This is one of our first experiences with seeing a rest in music notation.
September 19th, 2011
This week has been a week of learning new songs and improvising movements with songs. We have been working on the song "See the Monkey in the Chair." The students have been singing the song and one child has been leading us in silly movements. The children are very creative! :)
We are also beginning the song "Who's That?" This will be a song we revisit many times in first and second grade. We will be using it to practice singing alone. Each child will have the opportunity to sing part of the song alone. I am always working to create a positive environment in the music room and by having students sing alone, they learn to encourage one another.
In the last video you saw the students walking to a steady beat and playing the steady beat on the drum. This week we wrote the steady beat. This is the basic stage of written notation, which we will be doing later in the year. Enjoy the work of 1S!
Week 2:
We worked on the song "Sally Go Round the Sun" in class this week. The students worked on moving through space by placing a drum on the floor and moving away from the drum during the first phrase of the song and going back to the drum on the second phrase. This is a good listening exercise as children begin to hear how music is structured. The students also experienced form, or pattern, as they played the steady beat on the drum in between the moving. Thanks to 1C for their great work this week!
Our year started out very well! The students had the an opportunity to sing their names by themselves in out "name game" song. It was great to hear such good singing voices! We also learned the song "Welcome Back to School." By our second day of music class, the students were able to add instruments to the song while keeping a steady beat. Stay tuned to this blog for videos of your child's work in music class!
I have included an outline of the curriculum so that you may have an idea of what your child is working on in music class.
Rhythm: steady beat, beat vs. rhythm, varying rhythm patterns, music organized into 2's, 3's and 4's
Melody: high, middle and low sounds, upward and downward melodic lines, head voice, solfege:Sol-mi-la patterns
Harmony, Tone Color and Texture: layers of melody and harmony, percussion instruments and their unique sounds
Form: same or different, AA and AB patterns
Expression: faster and slower, loud and soft, music can communicate mood
History and Culture: music as it relates to the world around us, audience behavior, performing responsibilities
Melody: high, middle and low sounds, upward and downward melodic lines, head voice, solfege:Sol-mi-la patterns
Harmony, Tone Color and Texture: layers of melody and harmony, percussion instruments and their unique sounds
Form: same or different, AA and AB patterns
Expression: faster and slower, loud and soft, music can communicate mood
History and Culture: music as it relates to the world around us, audience behavior, performing responsibilities
