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.

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

Arts Night 2019

What a fun event!  Arts Night 2019 was a terrific success.  We saw the first ever ukulele performances at Lakeshore Elementary.  4th and 5th grade students chose their special musical talent they wanted to feature.  Students picked recorder, ukulele, xylophones/glockenspiel, special effect instruments, dancing, or singing solos.  Many students did more than one!  The performance for the whole school went well and all children performed in 4th and 5th grade.  Thank you to the families who came for the evening event.  Videos of the evening performance are below.  A few of the recorder videos did not work unfortunately.  Sorry.  Click on the performance you'd like to hear.  Enjoy!
4th Grade
Cumberland Gap  Canoe Song   Sarasponda  My Goose  I Don't Care if the Rain Comes Down
5th Grade
The Star Spangled Banner  Bound for South Australia   Red are Strawberries  If You Dance
Little Birch Tree Twinkle Twinkle Little Star Star Wars  One Bottle of Pop

5th grade Arts Night 2016 Videos

The 5th graders learned the new melodic note ti this year and the following rounds are not in major keys and include a lot of the new note ti.  To listen to these beautiful melodies click on the links below.  Red are Strawberries  Marjorie  If You Dance

The next set of videos showcases 5th grade student recorder work.  The students worked in small groups or on their own to learn songs.  They earned a rubber band belt to display on their recorder for each song.  The students were asked to pick a song to play for arts night.  Here they are!
Bought me a Dog    Who's That Tapping at the Window   Ode to Joy  Star Wars Theme

The last two pieces on the program were The Little Birch Tree and Duke's Place.  The Little Birch Tree features recorder players.  In Duke's Place listen for the 12 bar blues accompaniment performed by the xylophone players and the piano (thank you Mr. Chopper) thesinging soloists and the recorder players improvising.  The Little Birch Tree  Duke's Place

2016 Arts Night a Success!

4th and 5th grade students performed for families during Arts Night in May.  They sang in harmony, improvised, played recorder and xylophones.  Click on the 5th and 4th grade page tab above to view video links.  Thank you to all of the students who were able to attend.  Enjoy!

4th and 5th Grade Arts Night

What a terrific night of art and music!  Thank you to all of the 4th and 5th graders who attended with their families.  I was proud of your singing and playing.  Kudos to you!  Here are some videos of your performances~ Enjoy!

4th grade sings My Goose and This Pretty Planet
4th Grade sings Cindy
4th Grade Recorder Pieces
4th Grade Jazz Part 1
4th Grade Jazz Part 2
5th Grade Sea Shanties
5th Grade Sea Shanty
5th Grade Rounds
5th Grade- Little Birch Tree
5th Grade- Duke's Place
5th Grade- To Stop the Train

University Musicians Visit 5th Grade Classes

5th grade students worked with two university students, Garret Aalfs and Trevor Kent.  Garret and Trevor improvised by "trading fours" to the 12 bar blues.  Students sang and improvised with their recorders and voices to the harmonic structure of the blues.  In a previous lesson they used their Ipads to learn the bass line of the 12 blue bars so were familiar with the form.  Thank you gentleman for sharing your expertise and playing with the 5th grade students!