Music Newsletter
Lowell Elementary
Welcome to the Lowell Music Program!
Musician of the Month for December - Leonard Bernstein
Piano/Keyboard
Students in all grades have been studying the piano in class. The piano makes a great vehicle to teach basic musicianship, theory, and note reading.
In Kindergarten and grade 1, we start by simply exploring the keyboard experimenting with high and low, loud and soft, steps and skips between notes, and chromatic vs. diatonic patterns. Then, we'll be using a simpler finger-number notation system to play familiar melodies, first just using the black key groups, and ultimately, the white keys.
In grades 2 and 3, we spent several weeks learning "middle-C position" which centers both hands at middle C allowing us to begin reading and playing a variety of simple, single-note diatonic melodies. Over the next few weeks, we will be reading basic notation and practicing some of these simple songs. The packet we use in class is linked below.
In our older grades (4-5), we've been working through the same "Middle-C packet" as mentioned for grades 2 and 3 above. As the students have a bit more background reading and playing, they're given more open workshop time in class to work on songs in the packet of their choosing that match their ability level. In January, I plan to have informal "recitals" in each class where students can perform the song they've practiced either privately for me, or for the whole class.
Black key melodies - finger notation (Kindergarten and Grade 1)
Middle C packet - standard notation (Grades 2-5)
White Key melodies - finger notation
4th and 5th Grade Winter Concert
The concert was a great success! Thank you to all who made it possible. Please take a look at some photos from the event.
The concert featured:
- 4th grade string orchestra
- 5th grade string orchestra
- 5th grade band
- 4th and 5th grade chorus
4th and 5th Grade Instruments
Macullen Byham (strings)
Maxwell Thew (winds, percussion)
Anthony Spano (winds, percussion)
Lowell Chorus
If your child is participating and you haven't yet officially signed them up, you can do so here.
So far in rehearsals we've been doing simple warmups using the major scale and three songs which can be found here:
Joshua Fit the Battle - traditional African American spiritual
Something to Believe In - Kesha
Ram Sam Sam - traditional Moroccan
Songs we're Singing
Ode to Joy - from Beethoven's Symphony #9, English translation
Mr. Sun - Raffi
If I Were a Tree - traditional
I Had a Little Rooster - traditional
Blackbird - The Beatles
Yellow Submarine - The Beatles
Kye Kye Cule - traditional, Ghana
My Aunt Came Back - traditional
Three Little Birds - Bob Marley
Down by the Bay - traditional
Skin and Bones - traditional
Pumpkin Bones - Quaver music
Round and Round the World is Turning - English folk song
A Ram Sam Sam - Moroccan folk song
Brown Bear, Brown Bear - singing game adapted from Eric Carle book