Monkeys, Snow, Dinner Parties and Rhythms

Students in EDC had nothing but monkeys this week! We practiced our counting with puppets as we played the classic game Five Little Monkeys Swinging in a Tree. Then we traded our puppets for instruments, like the shaker eggs, jingle bells and a new instrument the “spoons” as we sang The Jungle Beat song.

Kindergarten students continued to add new elements to the story The Snowy Day. This week, we added some small xylophones to represent the idea of falling snow and some large xylophones to make the sound of sledding. Soon the story will be fancy enough to share with our families at the upcoming Celebration of Learning!

Grade One students are adding the finishing touches to their Celebration of Learning song, Come in My Friend.  This week we learned the final verse of our song and we discussed how to blend our voices together, especially as we begin singing louder. This important work was overshadowed, though, by our experience with the risers!  These stairs help us to sing and look our very best, but it is very important to use them safely.  I was so proud of our students as they figured out how we can use them as a team, caring for the safety and comfort of everyone in our group! 

Grade Two and Three students continued to practice their rhythmic notation this week.  Each small group of three or four students played a different phrase on a different instrument – all at the same time – and without any teacher support! All I did was sit and play the piano as our students read and played beautiful music. How wonderful to share this experience together, not as a teacher and students but rather as musicians playing together! 

   

Starting the year off with instruments!

Music makes learning so much fun!  This week, the students in our Early Development Center (EDC) found different parts of their body in our “Wiggle Song” and then practiced their colors and counting while singing “Five Little Fish” together. Then we finished our time together by playing our drums while walking, jumping and dancing!

Kindergarten students began the new year by exploring J.E. Keats’ book “The Snowy Day”, about a boy’s many adventures in the snow. As we read together, we heard many interesting sounds and decided to perform the sounds with our many percussion instruments. Guiros sound just like boots crunching in the cold snow, and the boom whackers were perfect for a snowball fight!

Ta         Ti Ti            Ta         Ta  

Grade One students continued to learn “Come in, my Friend”, a song that celebrates how our family’s culture is reflected through the food that we eat together. Students also learned their first two rhythm notes!  After performing the rhythm of text ( or “clapping the way the words sound”) students learned how to write a “ta” (one sound on a beat) and a “ti ti” (two sounds on a beat). From now on, we will be using the same symbols and language as all the other musicians!

Grade Two and students have been practicing these same rhythmic notes of “ta” and “ti ti” by reading short “phrases” and performing the music on percussion instruments.  Grade Two students have also begun work on their next project, in which they’ll create their own movement pattern to perform the beat of a song written by J. P. Sousa called Semper Fidelis. 

A Melody Chime

Grade Three students shared a magical moment this week when they played a new instrument for the first time – the Melody Chimes. Each chime plays just one note, so many musicians have to work together to perform a piece of music. So far, the students learned how to hold their chime safely and played a few different combinations of notes. It’s early in our learning, but already the air is shimmering with beautiful sounds!