Drums Alive

We've been learning about playing in a beat along to music.   We are using exercise balls on pails.  This program is for exercise and it's called Drums Alive, but a super great way to practice our music skills.  Here are a few of our favorite songs.

Music Literacy

Creating their own patterns.

Figuring out patterns from musical chairs game.

Grade 1 students are getting lots of practice reading, writing, and playing quarter note, eighth notes, and quarter rest rhythms.  We play games, sing songs, dance, read, and write, 4 beat patterns.

The classes shared presents they got for the holidays and we figured out the the rhythms of words and made this chain.

Music Games for Learning

One of the best ways of learning is by doing. Carl Orff says "Tell me, I forget, show me, I remember, involve me, I understand." This week in music we've been playing singing games, writing new verses to songs and creating word rhythms. We have been identifying parts of music including form, phrase, pitch, rhythm and beat. Here are a few of those pieces.

Cup Games

A few new resources have come across my desk this week and I'm excited to introduce these to my students.  Last week, in some of the classes, we pulled out the cups for a quick team building / beat keeping exercise.  This new resource, Rhythm Cup Explorations, gets the rhythms into the students' hands.

Grade 4/5 team work to "When I'm Gone"

We look forward to sharing these games with you in the future.

Incredibox

Today some of our music classes had a few minutes of fun time and we learned about the website called "INCREDIBOX."    Here is a link to the website:  www.incredibox.com

You need a desktop computer to create free songs with a mix of fun rhythms, beatboxers and sound effects.  You can also record your mix and share it.

Beat, Beat, Feel the Beat

The beat keepers!

Several music classes have been moving, saying and playing the beat in a variety of songs and games.  We had lots of fun playing follow the teacher as we listened to the famous song "The Syncopated Clock" by Lerory Anderson.  Can you hear the clock's tic-toc?


We have also been learning about TEMPO - the speed of the beat.  It's how fast or slow the music is played.   Here's some of the words we have learned and practiced.   

Check out the tempo video with Mr. Greg!