Music News
February 2013
Think Spring!
Kindergarten: Our kindergartners have been having so much fun in the music room this month! We learned a great song about the 100th Day of School called "One-Zero-Zero!" Ask your child to share this song with you - it has become one of our favorites! We also sang a wide variety of Valentine's Day songs, including a question-and-answer song, a song which used xylophones, and even a Valentine Dance that we were able to do with different partners! As March approaches, we have started to sing many songs about farm animals, including "The Little Red Hen". We will continue to sing many songs about animals as we get ready for our Fine Arts Month theme: "WILD About Animals!"
1st Grade: Our 1st graders have been working very hard on our concert songs this month! Our concert theme this year is "Songs of Love and Friendship", and we have been singing a wide variety of songs that incorporate movements and sign language! If your child has volunteered to have a speaking part, a practice sheet will be sent home this week with your child's individual line. Please help your students practice and memorize their lines at home! The 1st grade evening performance will be on Thursday, March 21st at 6:30 PM. Please have your child report to his or her 1st grade classroom no later than 6:20 PM on the night of the performance! We look forward to seeing you there and sharing our music with you!
2nd Grade: Our 2nd graders also sang a wide variety of Valentine's Day songs in the music room this month. We even learned a new game song, "When You Send a Valentine!" We also read about the Chinese New Year and sang a "Lantern Song" in class. As February wraps up, we have been singing a lot of songs that have three-beat patterns. Most of the songs that we have sung throughout the rest of the school year have even patterns of two or four beats, but we have been singing some very silly songs that have an uneven feel to them - ask your child about one of their favorite songs, "An Austrian Went Yodeling!"
3rd Grade: Our 3rd graders have continued to work on their solfege singing skills with do, re, mi, so and la! They can now sight-read patterns and songs that use all of these notes! We also tested our listening skills this month with a fun game called "Melody Freeze" - ask your child about how we played it in class! In addition to using solfege, we started to learn the letter names for notes in the treble clef. Ask your child how to read line notes and space notes! We will continue working on our note-reading skills in March and begin to use these skills to play different instruments!
4th Grade: Our 4th graders have continued to prepare for our upcoming concert this month! We are excited to share with you a variety of songs about the four seasons at our concert on Thursday, March 21st. Many students have volunteered to have a speaking part - if your child has been assigned to have a speaking part or extra role in the concert, please help them practice at home so that they feel comfortable on stage. Our concert will begin at 7:30 PM; please bring your student to the elementary school between 7:15 and 7:20 PM. I would encourage families to wait until this time to allow the 1st grade families to exit the gymnasium and parking lot and therefore clear space for you! Thank you!
5th Grade: Our 5th graders have been exploring a lot of music theory concepts in music class this month. We talked about the difference between half steps and whole steps as they relate to a piano keyboard and bell sets. We discovered that the order of half and whole steps can create a major or minor scale, which can change the way a song sounds and feels to us. Finally, we used a new instrument called Boomwhackers to explore scales and chords! If you're not quite sure what a "Boomwhacker" is, ask your child to describe what it is and how to play it! We've had a lot of fun playing together in class!
1st/4th Grade Concert!
1st Grade Concert - 6:30-7:00 PM
4th Grade Concert - 7:30-8:00 PM
Thursday, Mar 21, 2013, 06:30 PM
DES Gymnasium, Deerfield Elementary School, 340 West Quarry Street, Deerfield, WI
5th Grade Band News
- Wow! We've had our first few band rehearsals, and the students are sounding great! It's amazing how far they've come since the beginning of the year!
- Encourage your child to KEEP PRACTICING at home! Those students who are farthest along in their books are those who have established a daily practice routine and are sticking with it. Playing an instrument is just like learning how to say your math facts or dribble a basketball - the more you practice, the easier it becomes!
- If your child is running low on reeds, valve oil, or any other supplies, I would encourage you to order supplies through Ward-Brodt's website! Ordering online is simple at www.ward-brodt.com. You can pay for your product via debit or credit card online, and then have your materials delivered directly to our school. You are, of course, welcome to visit their store on Todd Drive as well, but we are excited to offer this convenience to our families!
- Summer school registration is approaching! Mr. Petersen teaches summer band lessons and will be happy to schedule your child for a private, 15-minute lesson per week. Students can take lessons during one session or both, regardless of whether they are registered for regular summer school classes or not! While summer lessons are not required, I would highly encourage students to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity!
Upcoming Music Dept. Events
- Saturday, March 2nd - District Solo & Ensemble at DHS (Contact Mr. Petersen or Mrs. Apold if interested in volunteering at this event!)
- Monday, March 11th - 6th-12th Grade Band Concert at DHS
- Monday, March 18th - 6th-12th Grade Choir Concert at DHS
- Thursday, March 21st - 1st/4th Grade Concert at DES
- Thursday, May 16th - Kindergarten/5th Grade Concert at DES
Contact Me!
Email: ericksona@deerfield.k12.wi.us
Website: www.deerfield.k12.wi.us/faculty/ericksona/index.cfm
Location: 340 West Quarry Street, Deerfield, WI
Phone: 608-764-5442 (5137)