Music at Home April 24

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 "Popcorn Song", performed by the Swedish Chef!

Click HERE to listen to the
Popcorn Song.

     Enjoy some music from the kitchen! 
         This famous chef uses pots and spoons and glasses to play along with this song.

     After you've watched the video once, 
          look for things around your house that make an interesting sound.

     Then play the video again, and play along with your "found-sound" instruments!  

Move  to the "Continental Drift" with Sid the Sloth!

Click HERE to learn the
"Continental Drift".

     Follow along with Sid as he teaches you a few dance moves.

          Then repeat these moves over and over with friends from around the world.

               Once you are an expert, teach your whole family and have a dance party!
 

Make a Musical Picture with the Spectrogram!

Click HERE to experiment with
the Spectrogram.

     A spectrogram is a picture of sound. It shows the frequencies that make up sound 
     (from low to high) and how they change over time (from left to right). 

    Explore this site to "see" the sounds of drums, birds and instruments.

    Then, use the mic to "see" your own sounds. What does it look like when you
         - whistle or sing
               - clap or rub your hands
                    - tap two spoons together
                         - make your dog bark!

Music at Home April 20

Hello Royal Oak students! Good to see you here again!

Here are a few more musical activities for you to play around with this week. Just click on the link under the 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  I am the Earth to Celebrate Earth Day!

Click HERE to sing along with
"I am the Earth"!

     With everything that is happening in our families, our communities and our world, 
          it is important to be thankful for the wonderful world around us.

     April 22 is Earth Day, and I invite you to sing along with this beautiful song 
          about our important relationship with our planet and with each other!
          

Move  with DancePla3y's Spiderman Song!

Click HERE to learn the
Spiderman Dance!

      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 Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood!

Click HERE to make your
own music!     

     Did you know that music has feelings?  
          Music can be happy or sad or even angry.

     On this site, you'll find that Daniel Tiger's music changes to show his different emotions.

          Try changing his feeling. (in the upper right corner)

               Try changing his music. (upper center) 

                    Try adding your own music by clicking on the flowers and the instruments. 
          

Music at Home - April 13

Hello Royal Oak students!  I hope you all enjoyed a happy long weekend with your families!

Here are a few more musical activities for you to play around with this week. Just click on the link under the 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 story of Peter and the Wolf, with music by S. Prokofiev. 

Click HERE to listen to
the story.

Click HERE to watch
the instruments play.

     Watch this story of about a boy's adventure with his friends. 
     You will hear different instruments play a special sound for each character. 
          Then listen to the story again to see the instruments making the music!

Move  with Jack Grunski's Good Morning Sunshine!  

Click HERE to move with the music.

      Let this cheerful song inspire you to get your body moving!
           It starts off with a simple pattern, and then adds a new action for every verse.

Make Music with a new challenge in the Google Music Lab! 

Click HERE to experiment with Chrome Music Lab

     Design your own Tongue Twister!

     A Tongue Twister is a short sentence that only uses words
          that start with the same letter or sound.
    They are difficult to say, especially if you try to say it quickly three times in a row!

     Try to speak these examples:

          She sells seashells by the seashore.

          Four fine fresh fish for you.
          Tom threw Tim three thumbtacks.

     Write your own Tongue Twister:

          1. Choose one letter or sound for your Tongue Twister.

          2. Write your sentence using only words that start with that sound.

          3. Keep it short.

    Now, write a melody for your Tongue Twister in Google Music Lab.  
          Write one note for each word, and try singing your words along with your melody. 

Music at Home - April 6

Hello Royal Oak students!  Nice 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 the 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 In the Hall of the Mountain King by Edward Grieg!

Click HERE to listen to the story of Peer Gynt.

Click HERE to watch the instruments
play the music.

           






     First, watch the story and keep the beat while listening to the music. 
            The music tells the end of the story.  
                 Explain what you think happens to Peer with words or pictures.
                 If you'd like, take a picture of your work and send it to me at ormann@cbe.ab.ca!

       Second, watch the instruments play the music.        
            How many times do they repeat the same music?
            How does the music change?
                 How fast is it?
                 How loud is it?
                 How does the music make you feel?

Move  with DJ Casper in the Cha Cha Slide!

Click HERE to dance along with the Cha Cha Slide.

     In this dance, you repeat the same sequence of moves again and again.

          Every time you start again, you turn and face another wall.

     It’s a challenging video, but keep working on it!

Every time you practice you’ll master more and more of the moves.

     Don’t forget to get funky now!

Make Music  with a new challenge in the Google Music Lab!

Click HERE to open the Music Lab

     Click on the link above to open the song 

          Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star in the Google Music Lab.

     Try adding notes above the melody.

          Find notes that sound good,

               notes that sound great, and

                    notes that sound terrible!

     Try adding notes below the melody, or even some notes above and some notes below.

      I would love to see what you come up with!  
           Save your favorite composition and send it to your family or friends 
                 or to ME at ormann@cbe.ab.ca!

Music At Home - March 30

Schools may be closed, but our music plays on!  

While I may not be able to sing and dance alongside our students these days, I wanted to share a few activities each week to help bring the joy of music into your own home. I hope it gives you and your family a chance to move around, get creative and make a little noise!  

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

Try one, or try them all - just remember to HAVE FUN!

Listen  to this imaginary percussion instrument!

Click HERE to listen to the Imaginary Percussion Instrument

            Watch the balls. How does the sound change when the ball hits:

-different sizes?

-different materials?

Move  with Megan Trainer’s song, Better When I’m Dancing!

Click HERE to dance along!

          Pick one of the dance moves from the video to copy, 

            or make up your own move by:  

 -making different shapes as you move (circles or wavy lines)

            -changing how big you are (small, tall, wide, low)

            -using different body parts (arms, feet, fingers, hips

Make Music  with Chrome Music Lab!

Click HERE to experiment with Chrome Music Lab

             Experiment with the different sounds to make a musical pattern, or

              try to play Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star or another song that you know.

Grade Two and Three Celebration of Learning!

Our students in Grades Two and Three have been working hard to prepare for their upcoming Celebration of Learning on March 5th!  In addition to sharing special projects in their homerooms, each grade group will also share their learning in the music program.

Grade Two classes have been learning about the Arctic, Environmental Science and the role of water in a healthy and productive world. As a reflection on this important work, students will present a piece of music called, "Earth! We're In It Together!"  Click on the image below to sing along with the song!

Click HERE to sing along with "Earth!"

In response to their inquiry work in their homerooms, the Grade Three classes will be retelling the true story of Isatou Ceesay and the Recycling Women of Gambia. Some students have created ways of representing elements of the story with patterns on the xylophones, while others have been learning how to accompany the final song with melody chimes.  Click on the image below to sing along with the song, "Working Together"!

Click HERE to sing along with "Working Together".

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!