Center Time for 4th Grade

4th graders are spending some time in learning centers. This purpose of these centers is to give students an opportunity to review concepts we've learned in music and apply them in a number of ways- through reading, writing, listening, and playing.

In this round of centers, our 4th graders have been working on pentatonic pitches (do, re, mi, so, la, and low la), and eighth-sixteenth note rhythm combinations.

In our red center, students are playing SMART Board games to practice visually and aurally identify melodic patterns.

In the green center, students are identifying and writing melodic patterns including low la, do, re, and mi.

In the blue center, students are being introduced to the iPods and the listening center process with an iPod "scavenger hunt."

In the purple center, students are playing a musical version of the game "Don't Break the Ice." The only difference between the real game and our musical version is that the ice cubes have quarter, eighth, and sixteenth note rhythms written on them, and students have to read the rhythm before they tap out an ice cube.

In the yellow center, students are improvising a pentatonic melody set to a rhythm that they have written. You may see their "Fruit Rhythm" papers coming home soon!

And finally, in our new orange iPad center, students are playing a rhythm game called "Rhythm Cat" (this is a free app available on the iTunes store!). Students have to "play" a rhythm along with an accompaniment track.

 

*For Music Teachers: Check out Aileen Miracle's TPT store for some great resources for centers. I used some materials from her Songs and Activities to Teach Low La set in these centers.

Veteran's Day Sing-Along

On November 11th, we celebrate Veteran's Day. At Franklin School, our 5th grade Ambassadors organize an assembly to honor this holiday and thank local veterans. As part of this assembly, our students will participate in a school-wide sing-along of several patriotic songs. Several students expressed an interest in being able to practice these songs at home, so I am linking the Powerpoint presentation we will be singing along with at the assembly below. We will be singing:

         -The Star-Spangled Banner
         -Yankee Doodle   
         -There are Many Flags
         -This Land is Your Land
         -You're a Grand Old Flag

Use this slideshow to practice to lyrics to these patriotic songs.

Sing-Along Powerpoint

The website for the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences has some great background information on these songs! Check it out here.

4th Grade wishes you a Thrilling Halloween!

4th grade has been learning about ways to structure a song, called "form." We mapped the form of a familiar Halloween song using index cards, and then, since we just can't sit still when we hear this song, we mapped the form using choreography as well! Enjoy our in-class performance of Michael Jackson's "Thriller." Click on the links below to view.

4J- AM

4J- PM

*Music teachers, this activity can be found at mrskingrocks.blogspot.com- a GREAT resource for music teachers!

Instrument Investigation Research Begins

As we prepare for our Children's Concert field trip next month, we have been reviewing families of instruments in the orchestra, how to categorize them, and now we are focusing in on specific instruments. Students are working in pairs to research an assigned instrument. They will answer questions about their instruments, create a question to research and answer, and then will present their research to the class. Students will be assessed on their written work, as well as their presentation.

Students, here are some resources you can use in your research. Keep up the great work!

     San Francisco Symphony

     Classics for Kids

     Dallas Symphony Orchestra

     New York Philharmonic

     Arts Alive


Here we are in action...

*Music Teachers: This activity was adapted from this worksheet available for purchase here at Tracy King's PayLoadz.com store.

2nd Grade Rhythm Review

We've been reviewing rhythms through singing, playing instruments, notating, and composing. We've reviewed quarter notes, quarter rests, and eighth notes. We learned a poem called "Loose Tooth," first adding body percussion like snaps, claps, and pats, then audiating the words of the poem and just performing the rhythmic word patterns. We then learned an instrumental accompaniment to the poem and interspersed our musical creation throughout a reading of  "Loose Tooth" by Lola M. Schaefer.

We also learned a song called "I Bought Me a Cat" by Aaron Copland. Click here for a video of a performance of this piece.

We used this song to reinforce the concept of one, two, and no sounds on a beat (syllabification). We used this syllabification concept to determine the rhythm of the words of our song. See some of our "I Bought Me a Cat" activities below.

We enjoyed reading/singing the book "Cat Goes Fiddle-I-Fee."

*Music Teachers: "I Bought Me a Cat" SMART Board Lesson and Rhythm Activity available from "Music and Technology's" Teacherspayteachers store here.

Let's Keep a Beat, 1st Graders!

Our 1st graders have been working on differentiating between sounds that have a steady beat from sounds that have no beat. Ask your students to explain what a beat is, and have them demonstrate how to keep a beat with sounds around them!

We listened to environmental sounds that keep a beat, like clocks and windshield wipers, versus sounds that have no beat, like a cat meowing or a rainstorm.

We learned a poem called "Windshield Wipers," to help us begin recognizing how to keep a beat at different speeds. Check us out...

We learned the song "Miss Mary Mack," and as we did, we worked on recognizing sight words and finding rhyming words. We responded to this song with a movement game, and as the tempo changed, we had some fun! 1st graders, teach your parents or siblings how to play!

Welcome Back!

Hello, Ben Franklin families!

Welcome back! I everyone had a great summer! I'm so glad to be back for my 7th year here at Ben Franklin, and I'm excited about another wonderful year of making music with our great students.

Parents, I hope that this blog will provide you with a closer look into the music room this year. I'll be posting updates as often as I can to give you descriptions of music room activities, as well as pictures and videos so you can see us in action. Students, I hope you'll use this blog to review what we've done in class, to find ways to extend what we're learning, or just to be able to share your day with your families!

Ready or not, here we go!