Making Connections with Africa

African Inspiration

The intro to my classes this week were inspired by a video I took while visiting South Africa this summer.  On the Boardwalk, the Marimba Trio musicians played and entertained people along the boardwalk in Port Elizabeth.  CFIES students were asked to put the beat in their feet while watching the video.  It was a lead into playing our classroom bass xylophones and metalophones with our songs we've been learning.  They learned what a marimba was and made connections between marimbas and xylophones.

The 5th grade classes have been working on a song  I call "Alfred".  It is a fun nonsense song that allows us to review steady beats and ostinato patterns.  It will also be adding some creativity parts in future lessons.  This week, 5th grade learners add a bass cross-over ostinato pattern and a xylophone 4 beat repeated pattern.  The large tube is to help maintain a steady beat.  This activity is in progress!

      First grade classes have been working on steady beat and the song Bounce High.  We did an activity with balls and bouncing them to a steady beat while singing. 

Then we added a bass two mallet ostinato pattern to a steady beat.  The students will continue adding parts and creative movements to these activities. Stay tuned in to a final product.  

A Brand New Year

Music Room Rules!

Well, it is the start of a new year, lots of new faces, and the opening lesson.  Now with the start of a new year, it's the going over the classroom rules, expectations, and procedures for their first music visit.  Now remember, there are  5 Fifth grade classes, 6 Fourth grade classes, and 7 classes each of Kindergarten, First Grade, Second Grade, and Third Grade.  That is a lot of repetition on my part.  So I would like to share how I have fun with this.  I have my music rules set to rhythm patterns.  (Not my idea...saw it on Pintrest,)  

 This year, I decided I wanted to try "bucket drumming"...so I was looking and pricing buckets this past summer.  They are not cheap...especially if you need to have 32 so each student has their own.  So while I was in Michael's Craft store, I got this bright idea to do Frisbee drumming...Less space required for storage and still able to get multiple sounds from it (when taught to use center and rim)..and bingo only $.50 each.  I can afford that.  (They were on summer clearance!)  I did have to purchase the drum sticks as well, but got a great deal through Musician's Friend catalogue.

Now I would like to introduce my Frisbee Drumming.  Mrs. Jones class is demonstrating each rule and rhythm.

 I have all second through 5th graders practicing reading and playing rhythms on these "drum kits"  so what about Kindergarten and First Grade?  They were introduced to "Beat Buddies."  I had some Ty Beanie Babies, and I put out a request for donations of more and got enough for each student to have one.  So, they get to play their rhythms with Beat Buddies.  This was not my idea either.  The credit for this will go to Richland's Primary Music teacher Holly Beasley.  Thanks for sharing this great idea.   Stay tuned for more fun and activities this year!

Take 5

Well, as the year winds down, I get to do some of my fun lessons in class.  I enjoy this 5th grade activity that reviews time signatures in 3/4 and 4/4 time and introduces 5/4 time. We work on polyrhythms and also review  rondo form and improvisation. This music is one of my favorite jazz pieces by Dave Brubeck:  Take 5.  Hope you enjoy our final activity for this lesson!

Mrs. Bryant's 5th Grade class

Hawaiian Puilli Stick Routines

Ms. Carter's class

The third grade classes concluded their "Hawaiian" unit by playing Puilli sticks this week.  Each class learned two routines and enjoyed some trivia questions about our 50th state.  The top video is a routine that the students performed individually.  The second video is a partner routine.  

Mrs. Greene's class

E-I-E-I-Oops!

Kindergarten Program 

This week we had a wonderful time putting this little musical together for our friends and family.  The kindergarten classes did a wonderful job. Thank you teachers for helping rehearse these songs.    Our seven classes will not all fit in the multipurpose room of our school, therefore, four classes performed on Tuesday, and three classes performed on Thursday.  These recordings were taken during the Thursday performance.  The farmers and the stage animals (speaking parts) stay the same for both performances, while the chorus groups change from one performance to the next. 

Old MacDonald

Ham It Up

Lost Sheep

Cute Chicks and Whole Barnyard.

Autoharp Fun!

Ms. Bossler's 2nd Grade Students

There is never a dull moment in the music room.  The second graders were introduced to playing autoharps this week.  This is this class's first time playing them and I thought they did an outstanding job.  Now, I need to constantly remind them to push the buttons down all the way, but their beginning technique was awesome.  They started off keeping a very good steady beat, however by the third verse, they are off a little but I am supper excited of how well they are reading the chords from the music to play.  Hats off to Ms. Bossler's Musicians!!

Tropical Storm Sound Scape

Mrs. Smith's Class

Second Grade has been busy creating the tropical storm sounds with their music.  We talked about where tropical storms occur and what it's like to be in a tropical storm.  The students concluded that this song is from the Caribbean islands.  It is song in both English and Spanish; Mrs.Smith's class is singing in English, and Ms. Acavedo's  class is singing in Spanish.  Students are playing the steady beat in the bass metalophones and xylophones, and improvising on wave drums, thunder tubes, guiro, and rain sticks.  The ribbons and scarves are for improvisational moves too.  Students had lots of fun in music this lesson.

Ms. Acevedo's Class