This month all classes are preparing for a performance at the Grant Road Winter Carnival. I can't wait to post some videos after our performance on December 20th! We have been talking a lot about "nice" singing voices - when to be LOUD and when to be SOFT. This leads us into our study of dynamics in music - the volume of music! In Ms. Selimos' class, we listened to two different pieces of music - one was FORTE (loud) and the other was PIANO (soft). The students listened to the music and responded through drawing. Here are some examples of their work:
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During one of my Grade 1 music classes, we sang and danced to a fun song, “Going on a Bear Hunt”. A couple hours later during literacy time, the student in the picture above used play dough to write out the words to the song all from memory. The combination of fine motor skills, literacy knowledge and patience is incredible! Arts Education is so important for all children, because it gives each child a way to express their knowledge in different ways. On Tuesday, December 20, we will be participating in a Winter Carnival all the students and staff at Grant Road School. Preparation has started with my classes (Kindergarten - Grade 2), as we get to put on a mini-performance for families in the gym! Ms. Selimos' Grade 1/2 and Mrs. Pankewich's Grade 2 students have started learning a really fun rap song called, "SNIRT!". What happens when you mix snow and dirt together? You get snirt! A few students have been asking about a practice video to work on the song at home. Here it is: The Grade 1 classes have two songs about snowflakes. Here is a video of our "peaceful" snowflake song. We listened to the song and then moved around the room like snowflakes - softly, gently, twirling... One month until the performance! We can't wait to share our singing with you :) Over the last few weeks, two classes have been working on pieces for our Remembrance Day Ceremony. The ceremony at Grant Road is unique- we pre-record performances and prepare a PowerPoint slide show that each class watches at the same time in their classrooms. The service is led by two MCs who use the intercom to guide the entire school through the slide show.
Below, Mrs. Pankewich's Grade 2 class (left) is preparing to sing a bilingual version of 'O Canada'. We focused on proper singing technique and French pronunciation. Mrs. Rempel's Grade 1 class (right) worked hard to present a poem called, 'Little Poppy' and a song called 'Sing for Peace'. Mrs. Rempel and I collaborated on a Remembrance Day video, and we can't wait to share it with you next week! At the beginning of every class, we practice different routines like echo songs, a dance of the month and maintaining a steady beat. A new challenge in Grade 1 and 2 is keeping a steady beat while patting and clapping with a partner. There are many reasons hand clap exercises are great for young musicians. Coordination, self-control and practicing rhythm and beat. I recently read an article that perfectly describes why hand clap games are so awesome! Click here to read "20 Reasons I Love Hand Clap Games". Here are some photos of Mrs. Rempel's Grade 1 students mastering their hand clap skills: In Grade 2, we continued our quarter note and eighth note practice by reinforcing the difference between "ta" (quarter note) and "ti-ti" (eighth note pair). The added bonus is we get to have a literacy focus while practicing new rhythm notes!
This week in Mrs. Pankewich's Grade 2 class, we started our work on identifying quarter notes, eighth notes and quarter rests. The students tested their detective skills to find all the quarter notes in the picture and find a secret picture. Here are some happy students who found the secret happy face!
This week in Ms. Selimos' Grade 1/2 class, we listened to different musical selections and discussed different questions like:
-how does the music make you feel? -if the music was in a movie, what would the movie be about? -what colours or pictures do you "see" when you listen to the piece? Our selection this week was the Overture from "A Midsummer Night's Dream" by Felix Mendelssohn. A lot of students made connections with different places and movies. As an exercise, I asked the students to write and draw what about the music. Check out their ideas below! This week, the Grade 1/2 class learned how to recognize, write and perform quarter notes (ta), eighth notes (ti-ti) and quarter rests (rest). We practiced different rhythmic patterns as a class using our rhythm words like ta and ti-ti and also clapped the patterns. The students showed me what they learned by practicing how to write and recognize the notes!
I can: perform simple rhythmic patterns At the beginning of every class, we go through a series of warm up songs and routines. One of my favourite poems is called, "This is My Speaking Voice". It is an excellent opportunity for students to learn the difference between singing and spoken voices.
"This is my Speaking Voice" (from Music Play by Themes and Variations) This is my speaking voice. I use it every day. This is my whisper voice. It's quieter this way This week, students are experimenting with singing a response to a song. This can be nerve-wracking (singing alone in front of the entire class!), so to make it less frightening, I always sing along with the student. Some children ask to do it alone, and then eventually the other students want to try it by themselves as well! These experiences are helpful to develop a child's singing voice and musical ear. Next week, students will be introduced to "Melody the Elephant". I can't wait! I can use my singing voice! One of my goals each year is to see how quickly I can learn all the names of every student I teach. This year is no exception! We are having fun with different name games, chants and songs like the Cookie Jar Chant and the poem below:
(from Music Play by Themes & Variations) Listen as I play the beat Gee this drum sounds really neat! This is such a silly game, Sit down when you say your name. My name is _______, My name is _______, etc etc! I play a steady beat on the drum and each student says, "My name is ______", fitting into the drum beat. I was amazed how quickly all the students picked up and performed with confidence, all while maintaining a steady beat! I can keep a steady beat! |
Ms. ReadyArts Ed teacher for Kindergarten, Grade 1 and Grade 2 students at Grant Road School Archives
May 2017
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