Music Notes
Spring 2016
Music is in the air this spring as our students continue their musical learning. Kindergarten & First Grade students are preparing for their upcoming program Sing a Song of Aesop on Friday, May 27th. Second Grade students are working with partners to increase their music literacy. Third Grade students are working with partners to compose & perform melodies on xylophones. Fourth and Fifth Grade students are bringing books to life by composing movement and music with a variety of instruments and materials. Below are some highlights of our learning.
Kindergarten and First Grade Music Program
Our kindergarten and first grade students are working to perform their upcoming show "Sing a Song of Aesop" on Friday May 27th at 9:00am & 6:30pm. Our program will feature kindergarten & first grade students performing life lesson stories with singing, movement, and narrators. Our stories come from Aesop’s Fables: “The Tortoise & the Hare,” “The Grasshopper & the Ant,” “City Mouse & Country Mouse,” “The Lion & the Mouse,” and “The Boy Who Cried Wolf.” Students will identify the moral of each story during our show.
Second Graders Partner Up for Music Literacy
Above, second grade students work with partners to read and perform rhythms. Students can read quarter notes, paired eighth notes, quarter rests, and half notes. When a student performs a rhythm correctly, he/she can "blast off" a "rhythm rocket." These rhythms are also played with xylophones, drums, and other instruments to bring songs, stories, and poems to life.
Third Graders Compose & Perform Melodies
Above, third grade students work with partners to compose and perform melodies on treble staff sheets. Students had to sing the notes with solfege (do, re, mi), and letters before transferring to a xylophone to play. Partners took turns playing their composed melody.
Fourth & Fifth Grade Students Create Movement and Music to Bring Books to Life
Above, our fourth & fifth grade students are working to bring books to life with creative movement, narrations, and instrumental orchestrations. Groups are composing movement to dramatize pages of the books Mountain Dance (fifth grade), and Water Dance (fourth grade). Narrators are reading each page while we create sound effects and music using instruments such as recorder, ukulele, drums, xylophones, and more. Students are also playing in an ensemble using a connecting song to bring our book to life. This instruction has helped our students develop a deeper understanding of vocabulary in each book. Students have more in depth comprehension as they act out each page with movement and discover expressive elements of the book through performing music in our connecting song.
Drama Club & Chorus Performs "The Lion King"
Above, students in grades 2-5 perform "The Lion King." This was, by far, The Drama Club's most elaborate production with student-created costumes & props. Our chorus performed the African languages Zulu and Swahili. A big thanks to Ms. Agee, Ms. Clayter, Ms. McReynolds, and Ms. Albertson for their tremendous work in this show. Hats off to our wonderful performers!
Contact Mrs. Brown
Email: tbrown@k12albemarle.org
Website: mrsbrownmusic.weebly.com
Phone: 434-823-4800