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.