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| Click HERE to dance along |
In October, Kindergarten students continued to explore
non-pitched percussion instruments through their farm unit, and then celebrated
with a barnyard dance to Aaron Copland’s Hoe
Down. There were ducks and horses
and cows and sheep moving everywhere! Then we used these instruments to sing
and play a song about the changing colors of autumn. By the end of our song, the wind had blown
through the room, and we were covered with green and yellow and purple
leaves!
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| The Singing Puppy |
Grade One students began the month with popcorn. Students performed the rhythm of our song by
“playing the way the words sound”. They also
began to learn about the form of music, which is the idea that music has
sections that are the repeated through a song, as well as sections that only
happen once. Three different teams with
different instruments represented the form by taking turns to play their own
special section. Students have also
begun to learn the beginnings of melodic notation by representing high and low
sounds through movement, puppetry, singing, notation and playing the
xylophone. It has been exciting to watch
each student become a composer, writing and performing their own unique music!
Grade Two students have finished telling the story of Liza
Briggs, a sleepy girl who forgets to feed her pigs one morning.
In addition to using notation to learn the
song, students used the West African djembe drum to play a repeating pattern to
accompany our voices.
Performing two
pieces of music at the same time requires intense listening, and it was
wonderful to hear how the singers and drummers worked cooperatively to fit
their music together like snug puzzle pieces! Students have also been deepening
their understanding of rhythms by reading notation as a group, writing and
performing their own pieces, and finally using a short rhythmic phrase to
improvise a melody on the xylophone.
Grade three students learned a version of the old campfire
classic
Don’t Throw Your Junk in My
Backyard.
This piece gave them the
opportunity not only to sing two complimentary songs at the same time, but to
also learn their first xylophone accompaniment with a changing harmonic
pattern.
Classes learned this piece so
very well that I was able to sit down at the piano and play along, changing the
dynamic from teacher and learner into competent musicians just sitting around
making music together!
The students have
also spent some time considering several famous pieces of music,
Also Sprack Zarathustra,
Fur Elise and the
Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks. (Click on the titles to listen to the music!)
They listened as musicians, determining the emotion or mood inspired by
the music, and what the composer did to make them feel that way.
Then they went a step further and visualized
an image prompted by this music.
Students were very keen to share their work with each other and they
immediately noticed a wide variety of responses.
How lucky we are to be a part of such a rich
and diverse learning community!
The holidays are just around the corner, and what better way to celebrate than through music! Families are invited to come and sing along with our students and staff during our two Caroling Assemblies on
Kindergarten students began the
month by retelling the story of the Gingerbread Man, using their voices,
instruments and movement to bring new life to this old tale. They also sang the story of Mr. Clickety
Cane, who transforms everyday grooming into a ridiculous game! Finally, students became papers and pencils
through the poem “Criss Cross”. Ask your
child to draw it on your back – you’ll be amazed by how clearly little fingers
can communicate!
Grade Three students were honored
with the responsibility of preparing and performing a piece of music for our
Remembrance Assembly this month. They
sang “A Song of Peace” by C. Cassils which celebrates the strength of our
diverse community and our commitment to peace in our world. I was very proud of the seriousness and
diligence with which they embraced their work.
It was a beautiful and powerful performance. On the lighter side, students deepened their
understanding of melodic notation and xylophone accompaniments with our Candy
Store Project. First, groups of students composed and sang their own melodies about their
favorite sugary treats. Then they gathered everyone’s musical confection
into a giant Candy Store, singing and playing a chorus between each groups’
performance. Delicious!
Royal Oak School is excited to offer our Grade Three students the opportunity to join our Winter Choir! We will meet over the lunch hour on Mondays and Wednesdays from November 26th to December 17th. 
Grade Two students have finished telling the story of Liza
Briggs, a sleepy girl who forgets to feed her pigs one morning. In addition to using notation to learn the
song, students used the West African djembe drum to play a repeating pattern to
accompany our voices. Performing two
pieces of music at the same time requires intense listening, and it was
wonderful to hear how the singers and drummers worked cooperatively to fit
their music together like snug puzzle pieces! Students have also been deepening
their understanding of rhythms by reading notation as a group, writing and
performing their own pieces, and finally using a short rhythmic phrase to
improvise a melody on the xylophone. 
The new school year is off to an exciting start with a whole
new cohort of kindergarten students! We
began our work together by visiting an imaginary farm. Of course, we’re always singing as we travel,
moving our bodies to show the meaning of the words, as well as keeping a steady
beat. So far, we have met some hens and
ducks who each have their own special songs – and instruments. Students have been working on playing rhythm
sticks and drums like a team to represent the rhythm of language. 
