The kindergarten classes had their first experience at the Orff instruments last week! The Orff instruments are a great addition to the work that they have been doing on their singing voices throughout the year. We worked on singing the song and playing with a steady beat.
You may be wondering what Orff is and what the students are working on with the instruments. Orff is a method of teaching music developed by Carl Orff, a german composer. He believed that children should experience music through exploration and movement. The instruments that the children play are beautiful sounding and made just for them. In this piece the students were able to explore the instrument and play any notes that they wanted to, as long as they were keeping a steady beat. We'll be adding more next week!
Week of April 23rd, 2012
The Kindergarten classes worked on adding instruments to a poem. We read the poem "Splish, Splash" as a class and added body percussion on certain words. Once we were able to speak the poem as a class and add the body percussion, we added unpitched percussion instruments. It was a great chance for the students to work on literacy and performing as an ensemble.
Week of April 2nd, 2012
The kindergarten classes have continued their work with singing and beat. We worked on the question and answer pattern in music on the song Quaker, Quaker. You will see the students on the outside of the circle singing first and the students on the inside singing after them. They did a great job on the dance as well!
In the second video clip you will see our first experience with reading music. The students listened to the story of the tortoise and the hare and acted out the "walk" and "jogging" in the story. We then read patterns with walk and jogging. This will lead to reading quarter notes and eighth notes. Enjoy!
Week of March 5, 2012
The Kindergarten students are working on rests in music this week! We have been singing Naughty Kitty Cat and Pease Porridge Hot for the lasts few weeks. This week we are finding the silent beats in the song. We will also be working on playing rhythm sticks on the beats with words and we will be trying not to play on the rests. See if your child will sing one of our songs for you.
Week of January 29th, 2012
The kindergarten classes have been working on high and low in music. Last week we sang the song "Snow is Falling Down" and then we moved like snowflakes as they fall to the ground. The students listened to the metallophone and moved lower as the melody moved lower.
Week of January 23rd, 2012
The kindergarten classes continue to work on singing alone in music class. The students are learning how to match pitch and use a singing voice. This song uses two pitches, sol-mi. These are the pitches that you hear children use all the time. It is the sing-songy tune that children use naturally when they play. We will work with these to develop the singing voice.
Week of January 9, 2012
Welcome back! As the second quarter comes to an end, we are continuing our work with steady beat and melody. The students will be working on playing the woodblocks and identifying that music can move higher and lower. They will learn how to play the woodblock with a good sound while playing the rhythm to a song.
The students will also be improvising a short response to a singing question this week as well! They will be answering a question about what they did on vacation while using a singing voice. This is not an easy task in Kindergarten, but they enjoy sharing something they enjoyed over vacation.
Week of November 21, 2011
Our kindergarten classes continue to work on steady beat and singing. Last week we worked on the song Grizzly Bear. We added a game to it and tried to keep a steady beat as we walked around the circle. The students also explored their loud and soft voice! Enjoy the work of KP!
Week of October 17th
The students have continued to work on singing alone. I hope you enjoy the work of KP. They were so excited to sing by themselves.
Week of October 3, 2011
The students have begun singing parts of our songs alone over the last couple of weeks! One of the main goals in early childhood music is to help give children confidence in their own singing voice. I try to create a supportive environment so that the students are comfortable singing in front of their peers and in front of me.
We started the song "I Have a Little Pumpkin" this week and many of the students wanted to sing part of it alone. They are sounding great!
I hope your child is sharing some of the songs and poems that we have been working on in music class. We are developing a large repertoire of songs!
September 19, 2011
We have been working on the poem Hickory Dickory Dock this week. The students have been speaking the poem and following pictures of clocks to see the steady beat. This week we added two parts! Half of the class spoke "tick tock" while the other half of the class spoke the poem. That is not an easy task, but they did a nice job. This is the beginning stage of music reading.
We also sang the song "Listen to the Hens." The students added tambourines on some of the words of the song. They did a nice job creating a good sound on the instruments. Enjoy this short video of KW.
Here is a video of KD performing Hickory Dickory Dock. You will hear them speaking in two parts. One part is keeping the beat and the other is speaking the poem.
Week 2:
We had a great first week of Kindergarten. The students learned several new songs, including our welcome song, "Welcome Boys and Girls." We will be reviewing that song again this week, but we will be changing the words. We will be working on farm animals as we sing the song.
Much of our work in Kindergarten builds the foundation for music throughout elementary school. We will be spending much of our time building a repertoire of songs. Just like a child speaks before he reads, children must have many experiences making music before they begin to read and understand it.
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, long and short sounds, varying rhythm patterns
Melody: high and low, upward and downward melodic line, solfege:Sol-mi patterns
Harmony, Tone Color and Texture: speaking, singing, whispering, calling
Form: same or different, question and answer
Expression: fast and slow, loud and soft, varying moods
History and Culture: music as it relates to the world around us, audience behavior, performing responsibilities
Welcome to Kindergarten! I look forward to meeting each of you. Music classes meet twice a week for twenty-five minutes. We will spending a lot of time working on our singing voices and learning how to keep a steady beat. Students will be dancing and singing by themselves in the first few weeks of school.
Melody: high and low, upward and downward melodic line, solfege:Sol-mi patterns
Harmony, Tone Color and Texture: speaking, singing, whispering, calling
Form: same or different, question and answer
Expression: fast and slow, loud and soft, varying moods
History and Culture: music as it relates to the world around us, audience behavior, performing responsibilities
Welcome to Kindergarten! I look forward to meeting each of you. Music classes meet twice a week for twenty-five minutes. We will spending a lot of time working on our singing voices and learning how to keep a steady beat. Students will be dancing and singing by themselves in the first few weeks of school.
