Music at Home June 19

First, I want to say how great it has been to connect with you all over the last few months. I've missed seeing your faces every day, but I've really enjoyed the emails, comments, and the musical moments you've shared with me!

This is the last post for our school year, but I hope you keep the music going all summer!  
     Sing along with your favorite songs,
          Make some new instruments, 
               and of course,
                    Keep that body moving!

Happy summer to you all!
Ms. Mann

Listen  to a Beat Boxer perform the Mario Theme Song!

Click HERE to listen to the
Mario Theme Song

     The flute is one of the most challenging instruments to play, 
          but this musician has learned how to Beat Box and play the flute at the same time!

Move  to the Bikers Shuffle!

Click HERE to learn the
Biker Shuffle!

     Click on the link to learn how to move to the "Bikers Shuffle" 
          by the American rapper Big Mucci!

Make Music with a Home Made Drum and Kazoo!  

Click HERE to learn how to make
your own drum! 

Click HERE to learn how to make
your own Kazoo!

     





     A Kazoo is a special kind of instrument that changes your own voice 
     into a strange and wonderful sound. And it sounds great with a drum!

     Ask your family for permission, then watch these videos to learn how to make 
     your own drum and kazoo at home.

     After the paint and glue have dried, experiment with all the wild and wacky sounds 
     you can make, and then get ready to jam out with your favorite song!

Music at Home June 12

Hello Royal Oak students! Good to see you again!

Here are a few more musical activities for you to play around with this week. Just click on the link under each picture to get started.

Remember, none of these activities are required.  But if you are looking for some other things to do with your family during this time, here are some musical ideas.

Listen  to the instruments of the Orchestra!

Click HERE to play the game

     Click on the link above to find the app "Instruments of the Orchestra".  
          As you move through the pages, your will hear each instrument play it's own 
               special sound and learn about how the instruments work together in families.

     Then, test your memory by playing the "Instrument Matching Game". 
          If you match enough sounds to the correct instruments, 
               you can transform the frog into a prince!

     Thanks again for the generosity of MusicPlay Online!

Move  like a piece of fruit ?!?

Click HERE to
"Go Bananas"!

     Fruits and vegetables aren't just tasty snacks!  
          Watch this video to learn how to move like these delicious foods, and then
               GO BANANAS!

Click HERE to here what these
shapes and lines might
sound like.

Make Music with art like Kadinsky!

This is a painting by Kadinsky

   





     About 100 years ago, Wassily Kadinsky started to explore a new kind of painting.  

     Instead of trying to re-create flowers or pictures of people, he painted shapes and lines 
     that looked beautiful and interesting. Soon, people called this kind of art 
     "Abstract Art".

     Now, you can go one step farther!  Open this app to draw lines and shapes, and 
     then press the play button to hear what your abstract art sounds like as music!

Music at Home June 5

Hello Royal Oak students! I hope you've been enjoying this lovely spring weather!

Here are a few more musical activities for you to play around with this week. Just click on the link under each picture to get started.

Remember, none of these activities are required.  But if you are looking for some other things to do with your family during this time, here are some musical ideas.

Listen  to "Something Wild" from the movie "Pete's Dragon"

Click HERE to listen to the music.

     If you've been following my blog, you've notice that we've been exploring music made by
     Stringed Instruments.  But did you know that the piano has strings as well?

     The strings of a piano are tucked away inside.  When you press a note on the keyboard, 
     a tiny hammer hits the strings inside and they vibrate to make sound.

     As you watch Lindsey Stirling and Andrew McMahon play this music,
     watch for a close up of the piano.
              If you look carefully, you can see the strings and hammers do their work!

Move  to the "Dinosaur Stomp" with Koo Koo Kanga Roo

Click HERE to do the
Dinosaur Stomp

Click HERE to listen to the story of
the "Drumheller Dinosaur Dance"

     

     You might think that the dinosaurs were fierce and dangerous creatures.  
     But did you know they also love to dance?  

          Click on the link to the left to enjoy a read-aloud of the book, 
          "Drumheller Dinosaur Dance".

               Then click on the link to the right to dance along with these ancient monsters!

Make Music with a  Sound Sandwich!

Click HERE to make your own
Sound Sandwich!

     Many of our students have visited Calgary's famous National Music Center, 
     and now they can come and visit you!

     Join Evan as he shows you how to build the famous "Sound Sandwich" and teaches you
     how to play this surprising instrument.  All you need is:

          2 craft sticks

          one wide elastic

          two skinny elastics
          one straw

          a pair of scissors

Music at Home May 29

Hello Royal Oak students! Ready to make some more music?

Here are a few more musical activities for you to play around with this week. Just click on the link under each picture to get started.

Remember, none of these activities are required.  But if you are looking for some other things to do with your family during this time, here are some musical ideas.

Listen  to Imaginary Strings!

Click HERE to listen to an
imaginary stringed instrument.

Click HERE to watch Lindsey Stirling
play with her shadow!

     Many instruments have strings, like the guitar, the violin, the erhu and the oud. 
     
          When a musician plucks or rubs the strings, their music can sound magical!

               But these two videos go even further, and tell a story that will take your imagination
                    on a journey far from the everyday world.



Move  to the Circus Song!

Click HERE to dance along with
the Circus Song.

     In 1897, Julius Fucik wrote a famous piece of music called "The Entry of the 
          Gladiators". Today, many people know this music as the Circus Song.

     Grab two tea towels or winter scarves and join the circus with me, dancing with this
     fast and exciting music!

Make Music  with a Straw Flute!

Click HERE to learn how to
make your own Straw Flute!

     Can you find eight straws, some glue or tape and a pair of scissors?  If you can, 
          you can make your own Straw Flute!

     This is a version of the "Pan Flute" which is an ancient instrument from Greece. 
          But there are many other similar instruments found all over the world, such as 
               THIS ONE from Ecuador.

     So gather your materials, build your flute and enjoy creating your own special sounds!

Music at Home May 21

Hello Royal Oak students! 

Here are a few more musical activities for you to play around with this week. Just click on the link under each picture to get started.

Remember, none of these activities are required.  But if you are looking for some other things to do with your family during this time, here are some musical ideas.

Listen  to Lindsey Stirling and the Piano Guys play "Mission Impossible"!

Click HERE to watch the
secret mission!

     Click on the link above to watch the story of two secret agents 
          and their mission to steal the music from an evil villain!  

               But there's a twist!
                    These secret agents are musicians,
                         playing an electric violin and an electric cello!



Move  to the "Thunder" by the Imagination Dragons!

Click HERE to dance with the
"Thunder"!

      Our students have all had the opportunity to work with DancePl3y at school, 

            and now you can enjoy the same energy and enthusiasm on-line!

      Remember the three rules of PL3Y:

               Be positive!

                    Be fun!

                         Be yourself!

Make Music with a Water Xylophone!

Click HERE for instructions on how to
make a water xylophone!

     All of our xylophones are stored away at school these days, but you can make 
          your own xylophone with some glasses, water and a spoon!

     Ask your family for permission, and then watch this video to learn how to make this
          cool instrument.

     If you want make your xylophone sound the same as the ones at school, compare each 
         glass to a note on the musical scale in the Google Music Lab.  

     If your glass sounds different from the note you want, just add some water 
          or take some water out to make it sound higher or lower.

Music at Home May 15

Hello Royal Oak students! Good to see you again!

Here are a few more musical activities for you to play around with this week. Just click on the link under each picture to get started.

Remember, none of these activities are required.  But if you are looking for some other things to do with your family during this time, here are some musical ideas.

Listen  to a VEGETABLE ! ? !

Click HERE to hear the
instruments made of ICE.

Click HERE to listen to an
instrument made of stone.

Click HERE to listen to
instruments made of vegetables.

     If you've been following my blog recently, you know that you can use almost anything 

     around your home as a simple instrument. 

     These musicians have gone one step further; they have built complex instruments out of
     ice, stone and vegetables.  

     Click on the links above to learn about the special challenges and unique sounds of 

     these unusual instruments!

Move  to the music of "Seven Jumps"!

Click HERE to learn the moves, and
Click HERE to join the dance.

     Click on the links above to learn a dance to the old song, "Seven Jumps".
         WARNING: It starts off pretty easy, but gets a bit silly at the end!

 

Make Music  on a Musical Staff!

Click HERE to begin
your composition

     As part of our Music Program of Studies, students learn to read, write and perform 
     melodic notation by singing, moving and playing instruments.

     Most people do not have a xylophone, but thanks to the generosity of Music Play On-
     Line, you can play around with these musical symbols in your own home.

     The symbols may look a little different from those we've used in class, but the So's and 
     Mi's are still there, just waiting for you to compose your own melodies!

     Start with Level One, and then watch the possibilities unfold before you as you move
     through the app!

Music at Home May 8

Hello Royal Oak students! I hope you've been enjoying this beautiful weather!

Here are a few more musical activities for you to play around with this week. Just click on the link under each picture to get started.

Remember, none of these activities are required.  But if you are looking for some other things to do with your family during this time, here are some musical ideas.

Listen  to the Sounds of Nature!

Click HERE to print the
"Listening Scavenger Hunt"

     People can make beautiful music with their voices and instruments,
     but there are some wonderful sounds to enjoy in Nature, too!

     Bring this Listening Scavenger Hunt outside, and circle all of the sounds you hear.
     Do you hear any other sounds?  Add them to your chart, too!

     After you have been outside and heard all you can,
     come back in and talk about what you heard.
          Were some sounds harder to find than others?
               Which sounds were quiet, and which sounds were loud?
                    Did you hear something you have never heard before?
  

Move  to La Bamba!

Click HERE to dance along with
"La Bamba"

     Originally a folk song from Mexico, Richie Valens made "La Bamba" famous in 1958,

      and the world has been singing and moving along every since!

          Click on the link above to learn one way to move to this music,

          and then make up your own moves to create a new dance!

       

Make Music  with the Voice Spinner! 

Click HERE to open the
Voice Spinner

     Have you ever tried to speak backwards?  
     For example, if you speak the word "POTS" backwards, it sounds like "SPOT".

          The Voice Spinner allows you to record sounds, and then play them backwards
          and forwards, slowly and quickly.

              Try recording your name or part of your favorite song, 
              and then listen to what happens when you "spin" the sound around!

Music at Home May 1

Hello Royal Oak students! 

Here are a few more musical activities for you to play around with this week. Just click on the link under each picture to get started.

Remember, none of these activities are required.  But if you are looking for some other things to do with your family during this time, here are some musical ideas.

Listen  to the "Percussion Band" by Jack Grunsky!

Click HERE to play along with the
"Percussion Band".

     Last week you saw the Swedish Chef use things around his home to make music. 
          Jack Grunsky is a real person who does the same thing in real life! 

     Ask the permission of an adult, then make or find instruments that you want to play.
          Use the chart below, or explore your own ideas.
          
     Then play along with the "Percussion Band" by clicking the link above!

Instrument	Description	Possible Materials
Shaker	A container filled with small objects	You can fill a:     - toilet paper tube, balloon,       Tupperware, shoe box Fill with:     - Lego, dried rice or beans,         rocks, pine cones, paper clips
Scraper	A bumpy surface scraped with a stick	You can scrape a:     -tile floor, bottom of a shoe,      window blinds (carefully!),       colander, comb
"Tambourine"	Metal objects that strike each other	You can tap or shake:     -spoons, keys, metal toys
Drum	A hollow or empty container	You can use a:     -bowl or pot, the seat of a chair,      a box, empty pop or juice bottle

Move  with the Royal March of the Lion!

Click HERE to move
with the music.

Click HERE to watch the
musicians play.

     

     More than 100 years ago, Camille Saint-Saens wrote a musical joke for his friends,
          called the Carnival of the Animals.  Each song in the collection describes 
          the special thing about a different creature.

     In the first video, I'll show you four moves that work together 
          to tell the story of a lion hunting for its prey.

     Then click on the second video to watch the musicians play their instruments.  
          That is, until they are interrupted by a real lion!

Make Music with Boomwhackers! 

Click HERE to experiment with the
Boomwhackers.

         Students have played with Boomwhackers in the classroom, 
              and now you can play with your very own set at home!

         Each Boomwhacker is a different length and plays a different pitch.

          Experiment with the different sounds to make a musical pattern, or
               try to play Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star or another song that you know.