MAPEL Bingo

I'ts our last week of school!  Here are two bingo ideas for this week~  See if you can get a black out!

Music Teachers miss you!

We created a video for the ECASD.  You get a sneak peek, the district will be sending this out to families soon!   Music teacher video  Miss making music with you!

Fun Google Doodle

There is a doodle that celebrates Oskar Fischinger's 117th Birthday.  He was a film maker who created wondering visuals connecting music and art.  Here's the link, I had fun playing with the doodle.  I bet Mrs. Janke would love it too!  Music and art connections happen all of the time.  Do you have any ideas of how music and art are connected?  Send me an email with your ideas!

Dance, Dance, Dance

Have you been moving to music at home?  Do you dance when you hear your favorite song?  Here are some moving ideas:  Play the freeze game, have a family member stop the music and you have to freeze in a statue shape!  When you make your statue experiment with the components below.

• Balance- which body parts are in contact with the floor?
• Facing- which direction is your body facing?  Is your head facing the same direction?
• Levels- which level of space are you exploring with your body?

Next try exploring balance, facing and levels when you are moving!  In this video, Someone You Loved, The Piano Guys have added dancers.  Watch as the dancers explore different levels, different facings, and balance.  It's so beautiful!  I hope you enjoy it.

  

Peter and the Wolf

Hi Lakeshore!  We study Peter and the Wolf by Sergei Prokofiev in first grade so many of you have acted out the story and learned about the instruments in the orchestra.  Here is a beautiful video of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra performing this popular story.  Enjoy Peter and the Wolf.

Dream Drum Girl

Hi Lakeshore!  Today's post is a book called Dream Drum Girl by Margarita Engle which is based on a real person,  Millo Castro Zaldarriaga, Cuba's first female drummer.  Listen to the story first, then listen to her group play in the video below.

Throw it Out the Window

We have another silly song for you today called:  Throw it Out the Window.  This song interrupts nursery rhymes.  After you learn the song (which won't take you long).  Have a family member say a nursery rhyme or chant and then interrupt them for hilarious results! 

Playing Together Popular Songs

Hi Lakeshore,
Do you know what the inside of a grand piano looks like?  Typically a pianist plays the keys.  Well in these videos, the musicians are playing more than the keys!  I love the group, The Piano Guys and I use their videos a lot in class with grade 3-5.  So some of you may have seen this video before.  I like it better than the original to be honest!  What Makes You Beautiful

This next group is a family of kids who are playing in the same manner as the piano guys!
.....and Dance with Me

Bantam of the Opera

Did you enjoy the book Bantam of the Opera?  The aria the rooster sang, La Donna e' mobile can be heard here in this video of Andrea Bocelli, a famous Italian tenor, singing this popular song at an outdoor concert.  La Donna e' mobile.

If you'd like to tour an opera house like the one mentioned in the book there are several famous opera houses you can tour online.  Vienna, the city of music, has an old beautiful State Opera House with rich history; many of the greatest classical musicians walked, rehearsed and performed their operas in this building.  You can push the arrows and take a self guided tour- you can even visit backstage and the roof.  During the opera season, which is during our school year, they put on a different opera every night!  I went to many operas in Vienna when I student taught in the city.  You can purchase a standing only ticket the day of the opera, you mark your place with a scarf and can pay under $10 to hear an opera!  It's a good deal.   Vienna Austria's Staatsoper link.

The Opera House in Sydney, Australia is known for its architecture.  Here is a tour of the building, it is on the water and an iconic building in Sydney.  All major cities have a performing arts venue and we have the Pablo Center for the Arts!  Have you been there yet?  Here's a link to the different rooms in the Pablo. 

The Pablo also sent out this list of musical performances:

Performance Art

• National Public Radio is compiling a broad list of performances for streamingorganized by date and genre. It's incredible to see so much variety!
• Opera fan? Now's the best time to learn more about this art form as the Metropolitan Opera is streaming its "most thrilling, thought-provoking, and uplifting" performances for FREE. Here are this week's performances.
• Best known for Phantom of the Opera, Jesus Christ Superstar and Cats, Andrew Lloyd Webber is streaming a musical every Friday, available here throughout the weekend. 

Fun Videos

Hi Lakeshore,
Today is my youngest son's birthday and I know several of you are celebrating at home during this time away and I can't give you a birthday stamp and sing you the birthday song.  So, I thought I'd post some fun videos for you to enjoy whenever you have your birthday!  Happy Birthday Jazz version.

I learned about this quartet through my friend Mrs. Mosher.  She sent me a link to MozART.  The quartet has three types of string instruments in it:  two violins, a viola and a cello.  They play all kinds of music and make me laugh.  This video shows the men in casts-  they are pretending to be injured, yet are still able to play.  MozART: Playing while "injured".

This video features the famous piece by Vivaldi called the Four Seasons.  They insert a whole bunch of other songs into the mix.  See if you can hear Summertime, La Bamba, Jingle Bells and White Christmas!  Click here.  I hope you enjoy this group.  The concert halls that they play in are beautiful too.  Have a great day!

Keyboard Resources

Hi Lakeshore Kids-

I know some of you have piano keyboards at home and like to play.  Here are some fun websites that have ways to practice and learn at home!

Creative Piano Academy offers some nice basic techniques for beginners:  Creative Piano Academy

This video shows you how to play the melody (tune) of a song.  This website has falling colors that show you where to place your fingers on the keys.  It helps if you place your iPad close to your keyboard.  5 Easy Songs to Play on the Keyboard

On this video from Pianote, you learn how to play harmony parts (open chords:  basically do and sol) on the keyboard.  If you want to play a harmony background while you sing a song, this is a video for you.  We play harmony parts in class when we play a heart beat or an ostinato (repeated rhythm pattern) on xylophones and ukuleles.

It's fun to apply what you are learning and play with others.  Here is an example of melody and harmony parts being performed together.  Fish and Chips and Vinegar.  The singing and recorder parts are playing the melody, the piano and ukulele are playing chords (harmony parts):  the piano is a heart beat and the ukulele is playing an ostinato strumming pattern.  We also sing in harmony, each of us on a different verse; can you hear it?

Good luck!   Mrs Gransee Paral

Garage Band

3rd, 4th and 5th grade students,
Did you know that there is an app called garage band on your iPad?  If it isn't already loaded onto your iPad, you can find it in self-service and load it onto your iPad.  It's a fun creative musical app that lets you create songs a ton of instruments like piano, violin, drums to name a few.  You can use the black keys on the piano keyboard and play s,l, drm sl d' songs on it or strum guitar chords to your favorite songs!  Check it out~. Miss You!  Mrs. Gransee Paral

You are My Sunshine

Hi Lakeshore Students,
The boys and I decided to sing and play a song for you today!  Try to get outside this morning, it's going to rain all afternoon, but don't fret- You are My Sunshine.  I miss you-  Mrs. Gransee Paral

Dance Party

Hi Lakeshore Students-
The weather outside today looks beautiful!  Have you had a dance party yet?  What are you waiting for?  Get outside, crank some tunes and dance!  If you have sidewalk chalk you can draw pathways to follow for dance moves... curvy lines, far apart lines so you can jump.  Dance with abandon!  Have fun and sing along.  I Like to Move it, Move it!  Miss you!  Mrs Gransee Paral

Classical Games for Kids

Hi Lakeshore students, are you looking for some fun games to play online?  Check out this website called Classics for Kids.  I think you'll have fun!  Miss you.  Mrs. Gransee Paral

MPR Music Lessons

Hi Families,
Minnesota Public Radio has put together some terrific lessons for children.  These are appropriate for all grade levels. Classical Music lessons for kids~ 

They also have storybooks paired up with classical music.  Pick a story that appeals to you.  MPR Classic Storytime.  Nancy Carlson is a Minnesota author and they use a lot of her drawings/books.  This morning I listened to A Cello Named Pablo.  If you loved Ada's Violin, I think you'll like this book too- it's from the perspective of the cello who tells about different acclaimed musicians playing him.  It's sweet and the music is gorgeous!

I miss you!  Let me know which stories and lessons you love.  Mrs. Gransee Paral

At Home Learning Ideas

Hi Lakeshore Families and Students,
Here are some ideas and links for you to do at home during our time away. I hope to update this page over our time apart so check back often. Remember to sing, play, dance, move and create!
● Sing and Create:
Arioso land- this is a magical singing place where only singing is understood- use puppets, sock puppets, toy figures and stuffed toys to sing conversations and create stories.
● Perform
Set up an audience and a performing space. Ask family members to be your audience or put your plush toys/dolls on chairs, a couch or your bed.
Enter from another room and sing, dance or play recorder. Make sure to bow when the number is over your audience can applaud! 
Use karaoke videos, the radio; sing-a-long videos work too! 
● Create your own instruments/props:
A brush makes a good microphone, pots and pans can be drums, or create your own- i.e. maracas from toilet paper tubes, paper and beads.  Here is a website with some great ideas!
Homemade Instruments

● Teach
Play school-- I am the music teacher! Lead your family/pets, toys with the drum as they enter the room, clap rhythm patterns for them to copy, use drm hand signs! Sing call and response songs.
● Listen
Explore new genres of music, listen to classical, jazz, rap, country, rock, music from other cultures. Youtube is your friend- look up live recordings of musicians.  Here is a website featuring classical music and activities for kids.  Classics For Kids

The Vienna State Opera House in Austria is live streaming free opera broadcasts!  I've been to this opera house when I lived in Austria and it is amazing!  Check it out Free opera concerts 
You can also take a virtual tour of the opera house- Panoramic tour
 The Metropolitan Opera also has operas you can watch.  I just checked and I'm listening to La Boheme by Puccini as I type.  Ahh beauty!

● Utilize technology
Create songs in garage band if you have a IPad.
Here are websites to check out.
Chrome Music Lab
Arts Alive
Groove Pizza
● Practice recorder 4th and 5th graders. 5th graders can send me songs on the canvas app too.
Recorder play-a-longs: I like the Virtual Musical Minds videos. VMM Youtube play alongs
Virtual Musical Minds website

3rd Graders are Improvising!

In the videos below you will hear 3rd graders playing in an ensemble based on the chant "A Wise Old Owl."  The students in the back row are reciting the chant while the students playing soprano xylophones (with the red mallets) are creating melodies to the rhythm of the as said chant.  Listen for students that are matching the rhythm of the chant and playing with alternating hands.  The musicians on alto xylophones (with blue mallets) are performing the steady beat and keeping the ensemble together.  They should be quietly keeping the tempo (no rushing or slowing down).  The glockenspiel players are adding the color part.  They play only a few times, but their additional gives the piece it's musical magic!  Incidentally, the students viewed and critiqued their performances (each child performed each part) and helped pick the choice you can click on below.  Enjoy!

Red Group  Yellow Group  Blue Group

March is Music in our Schools Month

To celebrate you are invited to our

K, 1st, 2nd & 3rd grade" informances"

Monday, March 16, Blue Group

Tuesday, March 17, Red Group

Wednesday, March 18, Yellow Group

On these dates, you are invited to the music room to watch a typical music lesson.  See your child participate in music making in a classroom setting.  Come check it out!

(More information, including music class times and class lists, will be coming home soon with your child.)

3rd Graders Work Together to Create Train Movement Pieces

The 3rd graders used movement to create a representation of a train ride.  The components of the ride include: pulling out of the station, going through a tunnel, traveling over a bridge, an emergency stop, going up and down hill(s) and pulling into the station.  Students worked in groups with the following guidelines:  they must use a formation (circle, line, staggered,etc), levels (high medium,low) facing (direction each person is looking) and connection (hands, elbows, waists etc).  Each group had the same tasks but the end results are all varied.  It's fun to see their creative thinking at work!
Blue Group   Yellow Group   Red Group