Grade 2 did a lesson on the folk song "Shoo Fly" this week. We discussed the ABA form of the piece and then learned a fun double circle dance.
DeLuca's Class
To finish the class we listened to the book "Jazz Fly 2" where a fly who speaks jazz (scat) travels through the jungle to get to his gig in the termite nest. Along the way he has to use his Spanish phrase book to talk to the animals of the jungle. Here is a little taste of the book.
3rd graders are working on the ukulele karate curriculum. Ukulele karate is a unit I created, based on Recorder Karate, where students work individually or with a partner to earn different colored belts for completing different songs. Students are able to work at their own pace. At the end of each class students are given the option to perform for their classmates.
Do Your Ears Hang Low- Peternell
Skip to My Lou- Hartley
Skip to My Lou- Hartley
Strum with My Thumb- Performed by a student in Hartley's Class
Bow Wow Wow Performed by a student in Peternell's Class
Ukulele Karate Belts- Students decorate a clothespin and move it over when they earn a belt.
Our set of classroom ukuleles! Soprano size Lanikai Lu-11
Grades K-2 are doing jazz lessons in April since April is National Jazz Appreciation Month.
1st graders are learning how to improvise a scat using different "nonsense" syllables. Improvising means you are making it up on the spot. Here are some students from Mrs. Ray's class improvising their scat for the class to echo:
The 1st graders played the glockenspiels this week while learning about the sound opposites up and down. First, students played the glockenspiel up and down along to the poem "Hickory Dickory Dock." They were able to change different parts of the poem for each time of day.
Ms. Scott's class
Next, students learned a song called "The Sun is Rising." They learned how to play up the scale, notes "C, D, E, F, G." After they learned the song they worked in small groups to practice and then perform the song for the class.
Kindergarteners are learning about "Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks" this week by composers Mussorgsky and Ravel.
Here is the link to the youtube video students watched for their first listen to the piece: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAtAvF2cepg
Students discussed what it would be like to be a chick inside an egg ready to hatch. How would they feel? What might they do to try to break free?
Then students learned the story about Charli the chick and how he and his friends broke out of their eggs and then hid inside them again to surprise their mama and papa when they got back from the lake.
Here are some classes performing the cute version of this piece from "Fun with Composers Volume 2." We added instruments to part A and scarves to part B.
Words=
PART A= "Let me out! Let me out! Icky sticky, icky sticky, I am feeling icky sticky!
Let me out! Let me out! Icky sticky, icky sticky, I am feeling icky sticky!
Peck, peck, peck, peck, peck, peck, peck, peck, PUSH! *Repeat*
PART B= Where is my mama, where is my papa? Where is my mama, my papa? Oh there!
Quickly, oh quickly, get back in the eggshell. Quickly, oh quickly, they'll love the surprise!"
3rd graders started learning the ukulele this week! They will play ukulele for the next month or so in music class, learning various different chords and many fun songs!
Here is Mrs. Wilson's class performing "Three Blind Mice" using the C chord:
3rd graders learned about Native American music this week since they will be doing a Native American unit soon in their classrooms.
Students learned a Hopi Basket Dance, which is a dance to celebrate the harvest used by the Navajo Native Americans.
Here is Ms. Lantz's class performing the Hopi Basket Dance with paper plates as their baskets.
Students also learned a song called Gitsigakomim, from the Blackfoot Nation. Gitsigakomim means "I love you" or "I honor you." And Na-a means mother. After learning the song students were able to substitute "Na-a" for the name of someone or something that they would like to honor.
