3rd Grade Ensemble Playing

The 3rd graders learned the chant A Wise Old Owl and then we set it to music.  The students in the back with the microphones are either creating a tune together or chanting the words of the poem.  The back row of instrumentalists are playing a steady beat to keep the group together (like the bass drum in a marching band).  The second row of instrumentalists (soprano xylophones with red mallets) are improvising a melody to go with the rhythm of the words.  Watch for students whose mallets are in sync with the microphone singing/chanting students.  Also, the improvisation should use a lot of neighboring tones, the students should look like they are playing with a plan, trying out new ideas, not just randomly hitting bars of the instrument.  The front row of instrumentalists (glockenspiels- metal bars) are playing the color part.  They are playing during the rests or pauses in the chant, the sound should ring and be precisely together with their neighbors to add a "shimmer."  The students rotated through all of four rows, so even though I only captured one on video, everyone got to play each part.  Fun!
  3rd Grade Blue Group    3rd Grade Yellow Group   3rd Grade Red Group (hat day)