Music Notes from Mrs. Kelly

All of the students are learning many things in music class. Everyone in the school is learning how to use their best singing voices. We use breathing and physical exercises along with vocal exercises. We have used a “Hoberman sphere” in fifth and sixth grade to practice breathing. A poster of The Scream by Edvard Munch is helpful for making a perfect mouth shape for singing.

Kindergarten and First Grade are having fun learning circle singing games. First Grade is also using their voices to demonstrate loud and soft or fast and slow sounds in poems and songs.

Second Grade will be learning a lot of holiday and winter songs. We also saw our first repeat sign in the music book. The repeat sign will be used in our first listening lesson, Haydn’s “Surprise Symphony”, which we will be notating using quarter notes and eighth notes written on note cards.

Third Grade is continuing to learn how to read music on the staff using the names of the lines and spaces of the treble clef. They we also preparing for their first concert, which is very exciting! We are learning songs that range all the way from winter to spring. Don’t miss it on February 7, 2017 at 7:00PM!

Fourth Grade is working on so many things! We are learning about the composer, J.S. Bach (who played the harpsichord, pipe organ and violin. He could also repair keyboard instruments!) We will continue with different types of repeat signs and also playing recorders.

Fifth Grade will be watching excerpts from the ballet, Nutcracker, by Tchaikovsky. We will be learning a stick drill to “The March of the Children” from the ballet. We are beginning to sing partner songs. Hopefully, they will be able to sing against each other and not be confused!

Sixth Grade will be working on their sixteenth note chant (rap) project and perform it for their class in December. We will begin a unit on Handel, opera and oratorio. Handel is the composer who is famous for writing “Hallelujah Chorus” from Messiah. We will also be learning about different voice parts from soprano to bass.

G.F. Handel