Honor Choirs Help!

If you are looking for the mp3s of the practice files, there are found here. For the "Alleluia:" https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bx4C0_jU6iw1YXdoZmlERHYyc0U/view?usp=sharing For the "My Country 'Tis of Thee:" https://drive.google.com/open?id=0Bx4C0_jU6iw1LWNLZEhHMjByNFk

THE BIG CHILL PRACTICE FILES

Below is the link for the practice files for the 3rd grade Christmas musical, The Big Chill. I hope your kids have fun practicing for you! https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B2lKhqwiy_X2MXhrUEhDcE9FUkU&usp=sharing

Boomwhacker Symphonies

'Tis the season for composing! Putting together all of their tools they have (rhythm and note names) these classes were broken up into groups of two or three. They then composed their own short 4-measure symphony with Boomwhackers. Since all of the compositions were the same length, we played them altogether and this is what we ended up with!

 2nd Grade Boomwhacker Symphony:

<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6XaHXYlP7MuZ0t6SUkxcUdIOGM/edit?usp=sharing"></a>


3rd Grade Boomwhacker Symphony:

  6th Grade Boomwhacker Symphony: 5th Grade Boomwhacker Symphony:

"Alleluia" - Treble Honor Choir Audition Excerpt

Below is a link to a .pdf of the musical excerpt they will have to sing for their recorded audition in October. To download it, scroll down the page to where it says "Audition Excerpt." There is also a link to an audio file of me singing the Alleluia to help them. Have fun!


Audition Excerpt
http://kansaschoral.com/uploads/Alleluia_Audition.pdf


Audio Practice File
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0Bx4C0_jU6iw1NnVFV1FONzQ0Y28

Peter and the Wolf Compositions

Whew! It has been far too long since I've posted any new & exciting projects! Well, you're in luck! The 5th and 6th graders worked very hard to create their own stories. We have been studying Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf Symphony and in the music, it tells a story of the characters and what is happening to them.


5th Grade:

Group 1: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B6XaHXYlP7Mud2J6SnNfSkVTYTA/edit?usp=sharing

Group 2: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B6XaHXYlP7MuOHVnRUtqbVA4X3M/edit?usp=sharing

Group 3: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B6XaHXYlP7MuVl8tSGZiQ1g5NTg/edit?usp=sharing

Group 4: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B6XaHXYlP7MuMm5MWkdCUk9NZVU/edit?usp=sharing

Group 5: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B6XaHXYlP7MuYnJQQXhJODhhLUU/edit?usp=sharing

Group 6: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B6XaHXYlP7MuNGVYQ19ad2MzS0E/edit?usp=sharing


6th Grade:

Group 1: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B6XaHXYlP7MubXEwd1dNMzlHTjQ/edit?usp=sharing

Group 2: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B6XaHXYlP7MuRVNDcGlPUGpTaFU/edit?usp=sharing

Group 3: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B6XaHXYlP7MuU0FUcy1QOE1UTHc/edit?usp=sharing

Group 4: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B6XaHXYlP7MuMWxFWEZGLUszSDA/edit?usp=sharing

Group 5: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B6XaHXYlP7MuWTNtSDJMUlpqTzQ/edit?usp=sharing

Group 6: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B6XaHXYlP7MuSWdGTUV3YlJPLTA/edit?usp=sharing

Group 7: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B6XaHXYlP7MuMWh1R0Q2b0RrNE0/edit?usp=sharing

Group 8: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B6XaHXYlP7MuazBMb2JQNU5vT00/edit?usp=sharing

Kindergarten Animal Songs

Kindergartners have been exploring their voices and the range of them (high and low). They created songs about animals if they could sing like us humans.

Below is a link where you can listen to all the kids sing their songs about their animals. You can also see a picture of their animal they colored!

Oh Say Can You Hear Rubric

Below is the link to the grading rubric used for their National Anthem project.



https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B2lKhqwiy_X2bURoY2x0S1RGXzg

Rhythm Compositions

The second week of school, we composed rhythms and performed them in grades 3, 5 & 6. Here are their compositions by grade. You can listen & see what they're doing!

3rd Grade

5th Grade

Sept. 10 - Oct. 5

As we are going into our 4th week of school, I can't help but be thankful to the kids' parents whom I don't see everyday, but I see your hard work and love in your students. They make my job very easy to want to come to! Now I will wipe my sentimental tear from my eye and give you all 4 weeks in advance of lessons! Brace yourselves!


K - week 1 - learning solfege
      week 2 - learning dynamics & working together
      week 3 - learning a Spanish song & instrument names
      week 4 - if animals could sing, what would they sound like?

1 - week 1 - review solfege, melody & harmony
     week 2 - review treble clef & dynamics
     week 3 - singing unit of common songs, I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly,                       This Little Light of Mine, Pimpon
     week 4 - beginning of learning piano

2 - week 1 - review solfege, melody & harmony

     week 2 - review treble clef & dynamics
     week 3 - singing unit of common songs, I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly,                       This Little Light of Mine, Pimpon
     week 4 - beginning of learning piano

3 - week 1 - solfege & dynamics review
      week 2 - treble clef review with Boomwhackers
     week 3 - singing with melody & harmony, part songs
     week 4 - beginning of learning piano

5 - week 1 - National Anthem project
      week 2 - presenting National Anthem projects, solfege review
     week 3 - singing unit, pentatonic scale, sign language
     week 4 - beginning of learning piano

6 - week 1 - solfege review & adding rhythm to solfege
     week 2 - syncopation & harmony & melody
     week 3 - common songs from around the globe
     week 4 - beginning of learning piano

August 27-31st

Wow!

It's been so long since I posted, they changed the format of Blogger on me! Shame on me, I suppose! This week has been rhythm boot camp for all grades. We have been working on things we had down pat so well last year. It never ceases to amaze me how smart these kiddos are!

Next week, the students will be working on Phase Two of Boot Camp - solfege. While all other grades are working on improving previous knowledge, Kindergartners are learning how to trot, gallop, and walk to steady beats and getting especially good at using their eyes and ears in music class. Nothing excites me more than watching 27 kindergartners singing and dancing together!

Concert Time!

Good morning,


This year is quickly winding down! For most teachers, this is testing time; for Music teachers, this is the time of concerts, contests, and programs galore! Our concert is next Monday, April 23rd. Our theme is "It's All Fun & Games" and they're all things we've done in regular Music class. Hope to see you there!

Telling a Story Through Music

We have been talking about Peter and the Wolf, Prokofiev's brilliant orchestral piece where a story is told through the music. Each character is portrayed by a different set of instruments. We decided it would be cool if we could create our own stories through music, so they did! Here are the recordings of 6th grade's stories.

Group 1, Genna Celi Kyleana:
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B6XaHXYlP7MuN2NhNjA4N2YtN2ViYS00NDEzLTgxZGQtMTEzOWUyOTBkMzlk

Group 2, Steven Hannah Trevor AJ:
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B6XaHXYlP7MuMmZmNGZjZmUtMzFlZi00OTI5LWFkYTYtMDQxM2IyZWNiMjRh

Group 3, Bailey Trevor Brittney Donielle:
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B6XaHXYlP7MuYmE1ZGY0MzMtYjdhMi00YzlkLTgwZjEtOTM2YzgxNGE0ZmMw

Group 4 Zeke Kel Hannah Ravyn:
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B6XaHXYlP7MuZjZhZTM2ZmEtNWM4NC00N2M1LWI0ZDEtYjk5MzE5ZWI3MDky

Group 5, Kole Mason Amaya Megan:
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B6XaHXYlP7MuNDc2NDcwNzEtODJhYS00OTY2LWEyOTAtYjQ4YjFiYjYzOGRh

Group 6, Gavin Lily Aspen:
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B6XaHXYlP7MuMjY5ODk1YjEtNTcxMy00NmIzLWEyZjEtN2VkZTU2YTNhN2Jl

Group 7, Kelli Emily Jacob:
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B6XaHXYlP7MuYzEwNDk0ZWItYTU3ZC00MmYzLThlZGQtYmZjYzg1YzFlYzhh

Jan. 23-27

Yee-haw!



This week, we're going to be celebrating Kansas' 151st birthday in music class by talking about a large facet of music we know & love today - cowboy music!

Mon - what do you know about cowboys? Home on the Range
Tues - saddles & cattle trails
Wed - cowboy songs
Thurs - What's a listening map? Aaron Copland's Hoedown
Fri - WTD?, make your own listening map!

Who's This Dude?

He really did look like a cartoon!

Our Who's This Dude was a small man if you met him, but had a personality which was larger than life! Mr. Aaron Copland is one of the most prolific American composers we have ever known. Touching every genre of composition, he wrote for strings, brass, percussion, orchestra, ballets, musicals, and solo instrument and voice. With cowboy songs, we will be looking a lot at his ballet named "Rodeo," particularly the "Hoedown" movement. If you remember the "Beef: it's what's for dinner" commercials from the early 90s, this is the tune!

Jan. 16-20

Good morning & howdy-do!


Time to get back into the habit of blog posting! We have been doing some fun activities and learning lots of new things since we've been back from Winter Break. This week, we're going to dive into something quite ancient - the birth of music as we know it!


Mon - aural traditions, aural passing-on activity
Tues - Who wrote it down? practicing transcription
Wed - Early Instruments, small group projects
Thurs - the Western church & common music
Fri - Who's This Dude?, finish compositions in 5th & 6th grade

Oct. 31-Nov. 4

Happy Halloween! Do you know what All Saint's Day usually marks in any music classroom in any American classroom? Introduction to Christmas music! We'll be taking a one-day break by learning some music for Veterans' Day.

MON - Halloween Music-a-Thon
TUES - Veterans' Day music
WED - Christmas music listening
THURS - Christmas music choice
FRI - Christmas music choice

Oct. 24-28

K, 1
MON - add rhythm to animal names
TUES - Name Song
WED - Voices go up & down
THURS - Halloween songs

2
MON - instruments listening
TUES - rhythm vs. beat
WED - Review of rhythm & beat
THURS - Halloween songs

3
Halloween songs

5
MON - Review of beat & rhythm
TUES - Latin percussion listening
WED - Reading Rhythms
THURS - Halloween songs

6
MON - add instruments to Oh La Le
TUES - Codas, DS, steel drums
WED - pentatonic scale
THURS - halloween songs

Oct. 17-21

It's hard to believe how quickly this 9 weeks has flown by!

K, 1, 2

MON - My Thumbs Are Wiggling, instruments and shapes
TUES - Draw your own instruments, play with xylophones
WED - Skipping & galloping
THURS - Acting out The Old Gray Cat
FRI - Difference between beat & rhythm

3

Halloween songs all week for performance

5, 6

MON - Piano review
TUES - Beach ball treble clef note review
WED - Start on bass clef
THURS - Come up with their own acronym for lines & spaces
FRI - Grand staff review w/ BW's

Oct. 10-14

With this being a short week for me (I was gone Monday), it totally messed up my normal Monday schedule! Last week, we had SO much fun learning the piano in 3rd, 5th & 6th grades, we're working on them again this week. Nothing makes a piano player happier!

K, 1, 2
Tues - Review dynamics
Wed - Add dynamics to a poem or phrase
Thurs - Solfege tic-tac-toe
Fri - Poem & rhythm

3, 5, 6
All week - Piano playing

Oct. 3-7

Good morning! Although it's going to be hot outside this week (with very little rain forecasted again), we're going to be doing some COOL stuff in music! In fact, Students in 3rd, 5th & 6th grades will be learning how to play the piano! Through my cleaning this summer, I found about 80 cardboard pianos. Although they won't be able to hear the fruits of their labor until the end of the week, I think they'll enjoy being able to go home and say they know a few songs on the piano!

K, 1, 2

MON - Solfege reviews
TUES - Learning note names in correlation with the treble clef, quarter notes
WED - Beginning of dynamics - Forte
THURS - Piano
FRI - Combine 2 and add mf and mp

3, 5, 6

MON - Drawing treble clefs, review of treble clef notes, solfege review
TUES - Beginning to piano - white keys, black keys
WED - Doggie with the Big Black Ears
THURS - Asian Descent, Keyboard scavenger hunt
FRI - Keyboard scavenger hunt, add pitches to compositions