A Gallery of Activities in Music Class 2007 -2008

Homemade: Strings, Percussion, Winds

5th graders concluded the Dance Unit by performing all the dances learned this quarter: Heel and Toe, Goin' Down to Cairo, Shoo Fly (above left), and a new favorite, Sellenger's Round (above right.) Students performed social dances, and, while having fun, learned about taking turns, touching, eye contact, choosing and being a partner, self-control and learning to wait! Naturally this is in addition to singing and keeping a beat while performing a specific sequence of motions.

It's a busy time in Music classes! The 8th grade recently attended Steven Sondheim's masterpiece, Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street on stage.

Below, 1st graders learned "Willowbee" and 5th graders learned a rhythm game, the Cup Game.

Our 5th graders had a wonderful time watching the Alvin Ailey Dance Company at the Auditorium Theater on April 18. Dance is one of the 4 Fine Arts, a part of the curriculum in Music class.

2nd graders enjoyed our series of songs from Africa. We learned "Ise Oluwa" from Nigeria and "Che Che Koolay" from Ghana (1st graders also learn a song from Ghana, "Obwisanna.") "Che Che Koolay" is a call and response song, so while one group plays instruments, the second group sings and performs a movement, and the third group replies with the same gestures.

Below, on the left, singing the words Kaka she longa

and on the right, the last line-- Whoops alyelye!

5th Grade Songs

Both classes wrote an original song as a class. Be sure to have your 5th grader sing the words along with the mp3 file.

Mrs. Alfafara's Class: "Hamsters"

Mrs. Laciak's Class: "O Sweet Chicago"

Learning to keep the beat!

We used playground balls while listening to "The Ball" from Childhood Games by Georges Bizet.

"Happiness Runs" is a favorite among 4th graders! They learn 3 Ostinati (short patterns that repeat) on mallet instruments.

Nora's Song

Camillo's Song

Alison's Song

Katie's Song

6th graders wrote Pentatonic Songs! Each composition is based on only 5 tones.

Here are a few samples; all are MP3 files.

Casey's Song

Libby's Song

Each year, Kindergartners listen to selections from "The Carnival of the Animals" by Camille Saint-Saëns. This year our 8th grade cellist came to play "The Swan" for us and to answer questions about her cello!

Completed arrangement!

All the Rhythm groups performed their arrangements in class in October. Listen to this arrangement by the group at right.

Rhythm Audio (MP3)

Rhythm Arrangements

7th graders are putting the finishing touches on original rhythm compositions. After composing a short rhythm pattern, student groups put the patterns together and now are making arrangements to perform in class. Students are applying the skills they have learned to create original works of music. Composing and arranging music within specific guidelines is one of the 9 MENC Standards.

Grade 1

First graders learn many short songs with the musical syllables "sol" and "mi." One song is "Snail, Snail," which the children sing as they coil into a spiral, like a snail's shell. Part of the fun is getting out of the tight coil!

Grade 3

"Where, o where is pretty little Mary? Way down yonder in the Paw Paw Patch!" Third graders learn the song and then the game. The third verse has students 'peel off' and form a bridge so that the game continues with new students at the top. See photos of "Great Big House" below.

Grade 2

"Springtime Has Come" is a song from Japan. Students accompanied with Alto Xylophone, wind chimes, cymbal, Temple Blocks and Wood Block.

Grade 5

"Old Dan Tucker" is a folk song that was mentioned in "Little House on the Prairie," which Grade 5 is reading. They learned a reel dance in AB form.

Grade 7 learned to keep rhythm in 3's and reviewed notation both on paper and on computer with the game "Ma-co-way."

2006-2007

Mr. Anderson takes 3rd graders up to the Organ Loft to see "The King of Instruments" in Spring.
Look at all those Pipes!

Thanks a lot!

3rd graders have their first lessons in harmony by playing chords on tone bells. Major and minor chords have
different sounds.

4th graders enjoy a Spider Web Music Game, which reinforces note reading and other musical concepts.

Great Big House in New Orleans

In September, the 3rd grade learned a Kentucky folk dance
to the song "Paw Paw Patch" and a play-party game to the song "Great Big House". After walking in a circle for the first verse, students split into two concentric circles to begin weaving themselves together in the second. In the final verse, students circle again, but this time moving carefully, as the circle is much smaller!

Heel and Toe

5th graders begin a dance unit with an easy to learn circle dance. Sung to the tune of "Little Brown Jug," the directions are the words of the song!

Students will take a trip to see professional dance theater in March of 2008.

Tideo

The 3rd grade learned to write the complete song "Tideo" in real music notation, including correct note stem direction! Naturally we celebrated with the Texas play-party game for the song.

First graders (left) learn about Percussion instruments. Thanks to Auction 2006 and Fund-a-Need, we have many more instruments for students. The large gathering drum is a hit with all ages! 4-year-olds found that 6 can play at once.

Homemade Instruments

Spring, 2008

Aerophones are instruments that use air to make the sound. Many third graders used pens and other hollow tubes to make real homemade flutes and pan pipes. There are usually lots of bottles, tuned with water.

Listen to Eva's Trumpet and Clare's Panpipes (both are mp3's.)

Our Bottle Bands and panpipe players made terrific sounds. Several students could play 3-note songs on their instruments. Bravo!

Grade 1 makes Membranophones and Idiophones.

Membranophones are instruments with stretched tops. Many first graders use balloons to make real homemade drums. Idiophones are instruments that make the sound of what they are made of. Each year we have excellent examples, including this homemade castanet. The castanet was made with paint sticks and bottle caps. Below is a tambourine shaker made with washers.

The students compared their home-made instruments to real musical instruments, and played together as a group.

Chordophones are instruments with strings!
Our 2008 2nd graders made quite an assortment this year! Notice the bridges that keep the strings from touching the sound box.