Music News
April 2024
Happy Spring! I hope you and your family enjoyed some extra time together over Spring Break! All K-5 students had the opportunity to listen, describe, and discuss our next movement in Gustav Holst's The Planets suite. This movement is titled "Uranus, the Magician". Students were asked to imagine and document what images or scenes this music reminds them of. I heard some great descriptions, such as the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, cartoon animals chasing each other in a field, a creepy circus clown, and more! I've linked the recording below - ask your child what they think this music sounds like!
Kindergarten
Our kindergartners are starting to prepare for our spring concert, "Seasons of Fun!" We will be singing lots of songs about the different weather we experience in Wisconsin year-round. Spring, Summer, Winter, and Fall - we can find reasons to love them all! 🙂 Please mark your calendars for Thursday, May 9th at 6:00 PM, and be on the lookout for more information to be sent home later this month!
1st Grade
First graders will be exploring lots of songs about spring this month, and we will be singing, moving, and playing instruments with songs such as "Spring is Coming", "Mister Rabbit", and Vivaldi's violin concerto, "Spring", from "The Four Seasons". We will also continue to explore and create our own songs and melodies with the notes so, mi, and la.
2nd Grade
Our second graders did a fantastic job at their concert in March! I've included a link to the recorded performance below, which you are welcome to share with any family members or friends who were unable to attend in person. Throughout April, we will be exploring many different songs that have a 3/4 time signature, such as "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" and the "Alpine Song" - ask your student to share these songs with you at home!
3rd Grade
Our third graders also did an exceptional job at their concert! I was so impressed with how all of these students stepped up to the challenge of singing multiple songs in 2-part harmony, as well as adding instruments, dancing, and scarves - great job! I have linked the recorded performance below. In April, we will continue to explore different forms and textures in music, including rondo form and singing in rounds. Students will also be introduced to reading notes on the staff with letter names.
4th Grade
Our fourth graders have been doing a GREAT job on their recorders! We started out with three notes (BAG), and now we've worked our way up to seven different notes! Ask your student about our "Recorder Karate" program and which songs they have played to earn their different belts - all students have earned white, yellow, orange, green, and even purple! We are currently starting to work on our final recorder project, in which students will be composing and performing their own original recorder song.
5th Grade
Our fifth graders had a lot of fun improvising on bells during our jazz unit, and we spent the last couple weeks in March on a movie music unit! We learned about John Williams and listened to some of his most iconic music, including "Star Wars", "Jurassic Park", "Home Alone", "Harry Potter", and "Jaws". Students then worked in small groups to compose and perform a short composition to accompany a silent cartoon. I was so impressed with the ideas that students came up with, and we all enjoyed comparing our ideas to the actual music in the video!
In April and May, our 5th grade music schedule will change slightly to accommodate one choir rehearsal per week with ALL students together! This is a great opportunity for students to practice singing together several times before our May concert, and it allows students to see and hear what choir is like as they get ready for 6th grade and beyond. Please be sure to mark your calendars for Thursday, May 9th at 7:00 PM for our joint 5th Grade Band/Choir Concert.
5th Grade Band News
Band students are working hard on our concert songs! Please encourage your student to practice the following songs at home until they can play them accurately and FLUENTLY, without stopping:
#23 - Merrily We Roll Along
#24 - Lightly Row (students should be able to play BOTH the A and B parts)
#27 - Song of the Fjords
#34 - Farm Out
#60 - Star Search
#72 - The Little Fish
As I've told all of my students, at this point in the school year, our lessons and rehearsals should be focused on performing these songs together and layering the different parts with proper balance and precision. We cannot get to that musical level if students are still struggling to read their notes and rhythms!
Students are also very excited to play a new full band piece, "Shark Attack!" Ask your student to demonstrate how we plan to speed up and crescendo throughout this song. The changes in tempo and dynamics really add to the thrilling and ominous feeling of the song!
As a reminder, be on the lookout for an email from Mr. Petersen regarding summer band lessons! These are offered during normal summer school hours and will be pullout lessons once per week, similar to the lessons that students attend with me during the school year. This means that students can still sign up for a full summer school schedule AND have the opportunity to play their instrument once per week with an instructor! More information will be sent home this month!
Upcoming Music Department Events
May 9th
Kindergarten & 5th Grade Concert
May 13th
DHS Band/Choir Concert
May 22nd
6th-8th Grade Band/Choir Concert
Contact Me!
K-5 Music Teacher
Email: meyera@deerfield.k12.wi.us
Website: http://www.deerfield.k12.wi.us/faculty/meyera
Phone: 608-764-5442