Wednesday 29 June 2016

Closing Time

Thank-you Stevenson for a great year of learning and growing.  We went out with a bang today at our final Celebration of Learning.  Thank-you to all my Grade 5s for your dedication, love of learning, perseverance, and zest.  We accomplished many things in our music careers together and I only pray that you will all step into new horizons with appreciation and love for the arts.  Happy summer!






Friday 24 June 2016

See You Again


It's that time of the year to start working on a year end song for our final Year End Celebration Assembly on June 29.  This year, by popular request, we are going to sing the song "See You Again" by Wiz Khalifa.

(Performance Soundtrack)



"See You Again"

[Chorus] – all singIt's been a long day without you, my friend
And I'll tell you all about it when I see you again
We've come a long way from where we began
Oh, I'll tell you all about it when I see you again
When I see you again


0:38 [Solos]
SOLO 1: Hey, who knew?
All the planes we flew
Good things we've been through
That I'll be standing right here talking to you
'Bout another path
I know we loved to hit the road and laugh
SOLO 2: But something told me that it wouldn't last
Had to switch up
Look at things different, see the bigger picture
Those were the days
Hard work forever pays
Now I see you in a better place

1:02 [Solo]
SOLO 3: How can we not talk about family when family's all that we got?
Everything I went through you were standing there by my side
And now you gon' be with me for the last ride

1:15 [Chorus] – all sing
It's been a long day without you, my friend
And I'll tell you all about it when I see you again
We've come a long way from where we began
Oh, I'll tell you all about it when I see you again
When I see you again


1:41 - [All sing]
Aah oh, aah oh
Wooooh-oo-oo-o-o-o

1:53 [Solo] 
SOLO 4: First you both go out your way
And the vibe is feeling strong
And what's small turn to a friendship
A friendship turn to a bond
And that bond will never be broken
The love will never get lost

2:05 [Solo]
SOLO 5: And when brotherhood come first
Then the line will never be crossed
Established it on our own
When that line had to be drawn
And that line is what we reach
So remember me when I'm gone

2:20 [Solo]SOLO 6: How can we not talk about family when family's all that we got?
Everything I went through you were standing there by my side
And now you gon' be with me for the last ride

2:30 [Solo]
SOLO 7: So let the light guide your way
Hold every memory as you go
And every road you take, will always lead you home, home

2:55 [Chorus] – all sing
It's been a long day without you, my friend
And I'll tell you all about it when I see you again
We've come a long way from where we began
Oh, I'll tell you all about it when I see you again
When I see you again

3:20 [All sing]Aah oh Aah oh
Wooooh-o-o-o-when I see you again
Aah oh Aah oh
Wooooh-o-o-o-when I see you again
When I see you again

Singing with words


Karaoke Version

Video with pictures

Audition criteria includes:
1. memorized
2. keeps in the beat/timing of the song
3. clear words (volume and diction)
4. stage presence (confident, looking at audience)



Thursday 16 June 2016

Outdoor Music Challenge

The fields are alive... with the sound of music!
I have been planning these last couple of weeks of music for atleast a year now.   When I first read @prairiemusik's blog on outdoor music learning, I started to see more possibilities and benefits of getting outside the 4 walls of the music room.  Our professional discussions on staff included the benefits of play and connecting with the outdoors.  We were all inspired by our next door neighbours, Discovery Children's Centre and the 2 week outdoor challenge taken on by many in our school, our division, city, and province .

I grew up on a farm and played outdoors alot.  Now that I am living in a city of concrete, it's hard to find time and space to connect with the beauty around us.  I wanted to give the Stevenson students a little taste of inspiration in their playing, singing, and dancing and above all, give them some platforms to create and use their imaginations to make music.

Here is a short video that captured some of the precious discoveries and activities going on throughout the past 2 weeks.


Saturday 11 June 2016

Flashback Firestation

I was just reading Mrs. Grant's classroom blog about their trip to the fire station this week and their pictures reminded me of my time teaching in South Korea.  Here was my Kindergarten's field trip to a fire station.






Friday 10 June 2016

Outdoor Challenge

Recorder time!
For the past 2 weeks, various classes have been having music outside.  Next week we are going to be doing some music exploration stations.  It's been a lot of fun!
Practicing together
Duet time!
Really focused on practicing.  Great job!
Singing songs with the guitar and making up rhymes 
Creating a dance to an original song.  We will be sharing it on June 22.
Exploring materials for their sounds
Creating drum jams with our friends
Learning some skipping rhymes and showing off our moves
Hanging out in the audience. Watching the action as we keep cool.



Tuesday 7 June 2016

Down By the Bay...

One of my favorite children's muscians is Raffi!  Raffi is an Egyptian-born Canadian singer-songwriter and author best known for his children's music.


One of the fun songs we like singing at Stevenson is "Down by the Bay."  It's fun to rhyme!  Can you finish these lines?  Can you make your own silly rhyme?

Have you ever seen a snake, baking a _________?
Have you ever seen a bear, eating a _________?
Have you ever seen a whale, swimming in a ________?
Have you ever seen a bee, living in a ________?
Have you ever seen a dog, sitting on a ________?