Kindergarten and 1st Graders Sing Solos

Kindergarten and 1st grade students have been working on finding and using their singing voices, some are even matching pitch!  We sing independently a lot in class.  Research shows that when students sing by themselves they can hear themselves and make adjustments.  They also are gaining confidence as we work on performance skills.  A few of the classes you hear have also mastered appropriate audience behaviors and are very good listeners to the singers.  It is very typical at this age for students to use singing voices sporadically as they figure out the type of singing voice we're working toward in class.  Please congratulate your child for singing a solo and if they are not featured on the tape they were absent that day- sorry!   Kindergarten students are singing the echo song Oh My, No More Pie and the 1st graders are singing Purple Light.  Enjoy!
 K Red Group   K Blue Group   K Yellow Group
1st grade Red Group  1st Grade Blue Group  1st Grade Yellow Group

4th & 5th Arts Night

We had a superb turn out for our Arts Night Performances!  4th and 5th graders sang, played recorder and other instruments to share their musical learning for this year~  Click on the links below to enjoy some of the pieces performed at the event.  5th Grade: Red are Strawberries   5th Grade: Marjorie  5th Grade: Bound for South Australia   5th Grade Recorder Pieces  5th Grade: The Little Birch Tree  5th Grade: Out in the Garden  4th grade: Cumberland Gap  4th Grade: Rounds  4th Grade: My Paddle  Ensemble Improv Piece: Red group  Ensemble Improv Piece: Blue group  Ensemble Improv Piece: Yellow group

1st Grade acts out Peter and the Wolf

First grade students have been studying Peter and the Wolf by Sergei Prokofiev.  We acted it out in class.  Here are some photos for you to enjoy!

Sarasponda

The 4th graders are working on a piece called Sarasponda that has a stick accompaniment.  The red group did an amazing job the first day we tried it with actual sticks (not just the hand clap patterns) so we videotaped them.  Some of the students can even sing while doing the stick patterns; impressive. Enjoy!   Red Group

Kindergarten Students Sing Solos!

Kindergarten students are discovering and experimenting with their voices.  They are using speaking, whispering, calling and singing voices.  In this echo song, students are asked to use their singing voices as they echo me.  As you listen, you will hear many types of voices used including singing voices that are matching pitch!  As the students' confidence and understanding grows, their singing will too.  Enjoy~
Yellow group  Blue group 1   Blue group 2  Blue group 3  Red group

1st Graders Sing Solos

1st grade musicians are working on using their singing voices in a performance setting (singing solos in front of the class).  Some students are successfully matching pitch too!  Listen to them sing the echo singing game, Charlie Over the Ocean.
Blue Group  Yellow Group  Red Group

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