Gr. 3/4/5 Recorders

If you are in Gr. 3/4/5 and have not been to school this week, please pick up your package of music, recorder and login code in the music room.

This note is going home for our Grade 3/4/5 music students this week.  I am expecting they are dong a little bit of music at home these next 3 weeks.  They are able to work on their belts for Recorder Karate and record it on the app or website: SeeSaw Class  

Orchestra Instruments

All our classes are enjoying studying the 4 families of orchestra instruments.  Our Grade 1/2 classes are watching the Disney classic:  A Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom!

Our Grade 3/4/5 classes watched the video about why the instruments are grouped in their families.

We will be watching the wonderful video and story by John Lithgow, The Remarkable Farkle McBride.

Another one of my favorites is The Composer is Dead by Lemony Snicket

PART 1

PART 2

PART 3

Form and Contour

We discussed today form patterns and the contour of sounds through the Nutcracker songs: The March and Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy.

Here's a fun winter video:

Marching Bands

I love how 1 instrument brings up some cool connections and leads to some great discussions.  Today we were playing a game that used the snare drum and it reminded us of marching bands.  Canada does not have this as a common tradition although we sometimes see them in parades and in the military.  Some students knew about the marching bands in the USA and that they often play at football games.  Here was an example of what we watched and how the team has to work together and the skills that are needed to accomplish such a cool work of art.

Which also lead to a short discussion on baton twirling which Mrs. Mitchell is going to be teaching at our Thursday project afternoons.  We are sooooo lucky to have her and looking forward to seeing what her group will learn.

Recorder Orders

Any new Grade 4/5 students to Stevenson and Grade 3 students will need a Yahama soprano recorder for the upcoming school year. Stevenson parents can purchase one from the school for only $6.25.

Please DO NOT purchase Dollarstore recorders for classroom use. If your child has a Yamaha recorder from another school, please send it labeled to the music room.

All school payments are to go through https://sjsd.schoolcashonline.com. If you haven’t signed up for an account, please do so ASAP in order to pay for your child’s recorder.

Once I have received notification of payment, I will issue a recorder. We keep our recorders in the music room throughout the year. Some students want to practice at home and I do suggest getting a second recorder (buy a cheaper one) to have at home. By parent note, I do allow some students to take them back and forth between home and school, but the general routine has been to keep them at school as many do not return them when needed for rehearsals. At the end of Grade 5, students take their recorders home for keeps.

If you have any questions, please contact me at the school (204) 832-1359 or via email: jrempel@sjsd.net

Thank-you,



Ms. Rempel
Stevenson-Britannia Music