Catching up....

Hi all,

I took January off from posting- it's the one task at the end of the week that sometimes gets swallowed up by many other responsibilities.

This week in....

Kindergarten- we learned poems and songs related to coins! We made music with rhythms of coins (penny, nickel, quarter, dime) and learned a fun game where coins are delivered secretly to students and they get to stand up and sing a solo!

1st grade- we have begun our FOOD unit! Poems, songs, movement activities, and games related to food are on the agenda for the next few weeks. :) We learned a song called "Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner" where students get to sing their favorite food. We also did a fun song/game called "The Kangaroo", where the kangaroo fills up his/her pouch with lots of different foods. Students also got to play glockenspiels as part of this game.

2nd grade- we are continuing our Kings and Queens unit which began a couple of weeks ago. Students are learning a folk dance called "King and Queens" where they must bow, do some fancy turns, and sashay with a partner. We have also enjoyed the poems "Old King Cole" and "Queen, Queen Caroline." We even discovered that we could say these poems at the same time using the same steady beat if we split into 2 groups!

3rd grade- we are working hard to learn to play "Rocky Mountain" on xylophones. It's a difficult part, but the kids have come a long way. We have just 1 month to go before our performance on Thursday, March 5th! I don't want to say too much more, because you will just have to see at the concert!

4th grade- we have recently been learning about the famous musician Ray Charles and his life and music. We are also learning a new song on recorders, "It's Raining." We will also be hitting the ground running to prepare for our spring concert, which is on Thursday, April 23rd. We will be sharing several pieces from the jazz and blues genres to highlight the work we have done this year.

5th grade- students composed complementary rhythms with a partner. This is where each partner plays a different rhythm and they fill in the spaces of the other person's rests that are in their rhythm. Students then transferred their rhythms onto instruments. We have had a great time jamming and playing great African beats, songs, and drum circle pieces.

Check back soon for more updates!