Robert Munsch

The Grade 1s have been working really hard to learn instrument parts for the song "Clang Clang" from the famous Robert Munsch story, Mortimer.

Check out Robert Munsch telling the story!

MusiCounts at Stevenson

This year we are LOVING our new instruments!  It's been alot of fun trying them out.  Thank-you to MusiCounts and all the sponsors of this Caras music grant that have allowed us to purchase many new instruments for our school.  Here is alittle video that was made of some of our music journey at Stevenson-Britannia.

Thank-you Ms. Couch and Ms. Amaral for your words in the recent SJASD Contact Newspaper.

Celebrations

For term 2, our classes did a variety of music activities and practiced many instrument and team building skills.  One of our highlights was playing together on the barred instruments and creating songs and stories.

Grade 1 Abiyoyo by Peter Seeger

Grade 2/3 playing Old Mother Hubbard

More Burgers and Books!

It's I Love to Read month and there are many exciting things planned for us in the music room.  We kicked off the week with Burgers and Books and some fun stories.  Stay tuned for more books and music.

When I say "Lettuce," You say "Read!"  "Lettuce!" "Read!"

Kinders Performance "Dinosaur Roar"

Can you say - Catalina Magdalena Hoppensteiner Wallendiner Hogan Logan Bogan Was Her Name?

Grade 4/5 Orff Club 2016 1st performance

Storytelling using shadow puppets is an ancient method

Our Kinder helpers telling the story!  Rehearsals :)

What is Orff?

The Orff approach to music education for young children was founded by the well-known German composer and music educator Carl Orff (1895-1982), and developed by Gunild Keetman (1904-1990). The Orff approach to music education was introduced to Canada in 1974 and advocates that music teaching be experimental and elemental.

The basic elements of music (rhythm, melody, harmony, timbre, form, and expression) are experienced through a pedagogy of imitation, exploration, literacy, improvisation, and composition.

The Orff teaching process involves speech, song, movement, recorder playing, playing of pitched and unpitched percussion instruments, and listening. The pitched instruments used are primarily barred instruments, or Orff instruments as they are also called, as Carl Orff designed them to be used by young children for making music.

You can read more about the Orff approach by checking out the Manitoba Orff Chapter website: http://www.manitobaorff.org

The Manitoba Orff Chapter provides workshops and resources to elementary music teachers throughout the province.

Orff Club

There is an Orff club that will begin in the second half of the year for any interested grade 4 and 5 students and grade 2 and 3 students. This once-a-week lunch time club will explore playing more challenging instrumental pieces with the Orff instruments, with the addition of song, speech, movement and recorder.

Building Community in September

The music room has been a busy place for the month of September.  Our big theme this year is all about building community.  Here's what we've been up to:

ASSEMBLY:

Assembly song leaders

Our classrooms had a wonderful sharing time during our October assembly.  We shared important things that make our classrooms special.  We sang our music room rap and Stevenson's theme song, Reach For the Stars.  A shout out to all the students who rehearsed, shared and performed.  It was awesome!

MUSIC CLUBS:

Tinikling club choreographing parts

2 clubs have started up which include the Philippino stick dancing called Tinikling. This team is learning to work together and designing a dance routine to an upbeat pop culture song.  We meet on Day 6 at lunch.

Drumming club getting their jam on

The Grade 3 Drumming Club is learning to play a variety of rhythms on the tubano drums. We are working on playing together in beat.  Our latest chant is Jeremiah Blow the Fire and we are working on getting a unified sound on the tone and bass parts of the drum.  We meet on Day 2 at lunch.

Drum rhythm patterns 

KINDERGARTEN:

MUSIC IS IN ME - In this unit, students are building awareness of the group and becoming more comfortable with music class routines and procedures. They are presented with a variety of chants, singing moving and imaginative activities and games that will teach rhythm and expression, exploring what it is to be music smart.  We explore our different voices and work on matching our singing voices.  We like to have fun singing, moving and imagining.

Kinder dancing to Elephants Have Wrinkles

Practicing using sticks to Listen to the Ducks song

GRADE 1:

MUSIC CONNECTS ME TO OTHERS - In our Term 1 unit, the Grade 1 classes have been working on music room routines.  We've been exploring different instruments and proper playing techniques for each instrument.  We are learning to play together as a team.  When a problem arises, we stop and figure out together how to solve it.  We are also learning to keep the beat and match our singing voices.  Here's one of the songs we learned.  How else can you count to eight?

Grade 1 exploring the piano

Back to school song

GRADE 2/3:

MUSIC CONNECTS US - Students have been looking at classroom citizenship and how we share our music experience.  Music activities center around team-building so we will understand our rights and responsibilities in the music-making community.  How do you contribute to the team?  What does a great choir look like and sound like and feel like?  How do certain songs connect us?  As we look into these questions we will see how music influences our identity (traditions, celebrations, play, media, arts, games and places).

Room 11 choir

Room 12 excited to sing!

Room 17 ready!

Room 18 choir!

Practicing beats and mallet techniques on the bars

Hey There Neighbour!

Instrument sort

Instrument technique and keeping the beats

Circle games and singing

GRADE 4/5:

MUSIC MAKES IMPACT - In this unit, students will look at the impact that music has on them.  They will look at the influences that play factors into creating music (elements, techniques, concepts).  When creating music, they will identify points of inspiration through history and present sources.  They will work to see how collaboration and individual voice are important to accomplish a task. Students will also look at what makes a performance memorable.

Looked at different ways we are smart.  We also discussed how a person can show these intelligences in music class.

Ready, set, sing!

Sharing ideas about how to make choir the best!

Presentations on what music is.

Listening to music to analyze

Music sharing on ipads

Music Monday 2015

This was supposed to be a Canadian flag...

Today we filled the skies with music to kick off the month of May and to video for Music Monday 2015.   Watch the live webcast on Monday, May 4 as various performances from Montreal and Calgary are broadcast.   Go to www.musicmonday.ca to find the link.  Tweet:  #MMWeAreOne

Mr. Miller and I created a Music Monday song for the 2015 Music Monday Song Search Contest.  Here was our entry and we wanted to share it with everyone.  Thanks to the students who recorded on the song.  Can you feel it?

Upcoming Concert

Wavin' Warm-Up

The Orff Club has been warming up the drums and instruments as we are getting ready for Music Monday 2015.  This year, we will be filling the skies with music on Friday, May 1 to kick off the month.  Please join us outside on Friday, May 1 at 9:00 a.m. as we share "Wavin' Flag" and video tape from the rooftop.

Sound Story Videos

Finally, all the videos are made and recorded.  Enjoy our performances by our Grade 1-3 classrooms.

Room 17 - One Hundred Hungry Ants

Room 18 - Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock

Room 11 - Stand Tall Molly Lou Melon

Room 12 - Swimmy

We've had a lot of fun for the last month working on creating music, sounds and movements to a variety of stories in our music classes.  We've had to learn to work together as team, patience, playing techniques and proper care of the instruments.  We've had to make decisions about what instruments to chose and the best sounds for parts as well as taking turns letting others get parts.  We had a lot of fun.  Enjoy the shows!

A Day of Firsts!

Mrs. Lowe's class showing "One two scooby doo."  Are you ready Freddy?

Today was an exciting day for the Kindergartens in music.  We all got to play the barred instruments!  Today we were learning what it looks and sounds like to use these really cool instruments.

Mrs. Grant's room showing "Number one, no fun!"  :(

Reading is Music to our Ears

This month, Kinder to Grade 3 classes are using literature to inspire us, spark our imaginations, work as a team, explore sounds and create musical stories.  

Congratulations to the Kindergartens on their performances at our "I Love to Read" assembly at the beginning of February.

Mrs. Grant's class performed "Pete the Cat - I Love My White Shoes" by Eric Litman.

Mrs. Lowe's class performed "When It Rains It Rains" by Bill Martin, Jr.

These are the 5 stories Room 11, 12, 17 and 18 have been exploring.  We look forward to sharing our performances with you in a few weeks.

Orff Aliens

Room 16 - Orff Aliens!

Room 14 playing the game

Our Grade 1 classes were working on mallet technique this week.  We can remove the bars using "crab" hands and "helicopter lifts."  We practiced waiting and listening to Ms. Rempel's directions by holding our mallets in "number one no fun" position and ready to play "one two scooby-doo."  We also have to remember to be careful around the instruments and walk around and not run.

Get your child to tell you about our instrument game: early in the morning at 8 o'clock...