New Year 2020

This coming year 2020-2021 will be none like any we've experienced.  I am so thankful that I get to come to school everyday to work with amazing people and beautiful children.  As for September, I will be focusing on mental health and music mindfulness.  I am so looking forward to helping kids feel amazing.  Follow our journey on Instagram @musicroomsb

 

Costume List

NOTE: K-2 parents - For the evening show, K-2 students are to arrive at 5:30 pm and head to classrooms to get ready.  Show starts promptly at 6:00.  

Please send your child in the "costume needed" on Wednesday (all day).  We are doing a dress rehearsal in the morning and afternoon show starts at 1:15.

NOTE: Gr. 3-5 parents - For the evening show, Gr. 3-5 students are to arrive at 6:30 pm and head to classrooms to get ready.  Show starts promptly at 7:00.  

Please send your child in the "costume needed" on Wednesday (all day).  We are doing a dress rehearsal in the morning and afternoon show starts at 2:15.

Storytelling and Music

One of my favorite things to do is read stories and create mini dramas and music to them.  This past week the Grade 1/2 classes have been listening, acting, and playing to fun stories that connect us to the fall season.

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!

Global Play Day 2017

Official Global Play Day Song

Global School Play Day is an event promoting the importance of unstructured play in schools. Unstructured play helps children develop 21st century skills. Since our music classes are only 30 minutes, there are some very expensive things in our room and we have a smaller space to play in, the loudness can be overwhelming when trying out instruments, but we still managed to play and explore lots of things. Here are some of the things the kids loved to do.

Dancing with ribbons

Handbells

Exploring the piano - always a hit!

How many sounds can a triangle make?

Everyone's always drawn to the percussion!

Music art

Contra-bass bars and finding the beat.

We love music!

Costumes

Parents/Guardians:

Please have all forms and costumes in by no later than Monday, May 2.  All items must be labeled on the inside and put in a bag with your child's name on it.  For the New Yorker chorus, if you haven't already, please return the form indicating the night your child will perform and you will attend.  This is needed IMMEDIATELY.  Thank-you to all who have returned them promptly.

The main actors costumes have been mostly provided.  These students are expected to be performing both nights as they have lead roles.  Please see a few items that may still be needed.

• Orphans: cool short shorts, tank top, flat shoes or boots - black preferred or neutral colored shoes, hair ties for pigtails/braids, anklet white socks or neutral colored stockings or long white, grey, or black knee high socks

Orphans - Isabella D, Samantha K, Cassey C, Aura S, Dacotah A, Azraa A, Krista N, Parinta A, Cadence D, Romee M, Irish G, Maye A, Jessica, Delilah, Kiera C, Ruby, Gianna, Danieka, Krystal, Abigail

• Ms. Hannigan, Lily, Grace, Apple Sellers: short shorts to wear under dresses, white or black tank top

Ms. Hannigan – Bailey T

Lily – Willow M

Grace Farrell - Nicole M

Apple Sellers – Hannah N, Shannon, Sierra      

• Rooster, Oliver, Grumpy Man, Louis, Roosevelt, Officers, Bert and Bundles, Star-to-Be: short shorts to wear under pants, white t-shirt/undershirt to wear under dress shirt, black or dark shoes with black socks

Rooster – Johannes M           

Oliver Warbucks  – Nathan D

Grumpy Man –  Riley S

Louis Howe – Jimmy H

President Roosevelt – Meelad A

Police Officers – Mitchell R, Jayden K

Bert Healey – Tyson W   

Bundles – Quinton C

Star-to-Be - Joseph   

• Girl servants - bike shorts to wear under their skirts, white tank top or camisole, black shoes with white anklet socks
• Boy servants – bike shorts to wear under their dress pants, black socks with black or dark dress shoes

Servants - Jack, James, Phoenix K, Marlen E, Joseph M, Brielle, Hannah, Alea M, Piper, Sara, Olivia, Brooke

• Sandy: short shorts to wear under costume, cool undershirt, hair tie, white or black or brown socks and slip-ons (beige/black/brown/grey/white)

Sandy – Christina M      

GOOD TO GO!

Usherette – Breanna W

Stars-to-Be – Kristine N, Drew H, Keerat K.

            

James and the Giant Peach

Each year up to 120 students from across the School Division are selected to make up two casts for a selected musical production. At the request of the school and music teacher, selected students from Grade 3-5 are invited to audition for next year’s production, ‘James and the Giant Peach Jr’.  The show will run Jan 28 – Feb 4/17.

Guidelines consist of choosing students from twenty-one schools, with representation from all the schools and grades.  Selection is based on the quality of the audition and the character needs of the musical, which includes in-tune singing, voice projection, acting, and stage presence.  Elementary students will be required to attend one weekly rehearsal on either Monday or Tuesday.

Being part of this group is a devoted commitment for four months: Sept., Oct., Nov., Jan. and the first week of Feb.  Each cast will rehearse on a specified day, beginning in September.  Students with lead roles will be required to attend two weekly rehearsals.  There will also be additional rehearsals three weeks prior to the show.  Attendance is of the utmost importance, and students must make up for all rehearsals missed by attending on the alternate cast’s day.

Here is the link for the music to practice with.  The cast requirements, speaking audition passages and all of the sheet music are in this drop box.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/koj8zfy2d2b0t12/AAAxd2S5bZNuhFa6RmA5CeDSa?dl=0

Audition dates are as follows at Westwood Collegiate in the cafeteria.  Please contact Ms. Rempel for the link to set up an audition time.

Grades 6 & 7              May 9 or 10                4:00 - 7:30 p.m.

Grades 3, 4 & 5:         May 11 or 12              4:00 – 7:30 p.m.

If you are interested in having your child audition or would like to know more about the process, please contact Ms. Rempel via the school, phone, or email.  We are asked to limit students sent to auditions for practical purposes and we have a set criteria for students wishing to audition.  This includes: 1. parental support 2. student attendance/commitment  3. student behaviour 4. musical/drama/dance aptitude 5. confidence 6. ability to take directions/focus 7. involvement in extra-curricular music/drama activities 8. stage presence

James and the Giant Peach.

Global School Play Day

Today was http://www.globalschoolplayday.com/ and we got to have 'play time' in the music room.  We explored the arts - music, visual art, drama and dance.  Lots of great ideas and time to express ourselves.  One of my favorite quotes from musician and supporter of music play is from  Carl Orff -"Since the beginning of time, children have not liked to study.  They would much rather play, and if you have their interests at heart, you will let them learn while they play; they will find that what they have mastered is child's play."

The animals like to talk to each other - Questions and Answers!

Writing songs and playing them.  This is Twinkle Twinkle :)

Working as a team, making up a drum song.

He even came and sang it for me!  Nice job!

SJCI Sr. Jazz Band came and jazzed us up today.  Awesome talent!

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.

Farmer in the Dell

Today the Kindergarten music classes sang and played the Farmer in the Dell game.  We learned that a dell is a small valley between trees.

Dansez Avec Moi?

The Grade 1/2/3 classes are learning some French dances.  These take good listening, patience and cooperation.  

Check out Room 12's rehearsal today!

More to come with our progress.  The dance you see in the pictures above is not the original dance to the music.

Here is the real dance:  Bourree des Dindes

Here is a very fast version of Cercle Circassien.  We have adapted ours and our music is a bit different.

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!

Spring Has Sprung on the Drum

The Grade 1 classes were working on their dynamic playing today.

This is a crescendo.  It starts quiet and gets louder.

Here is a short video of the poem we learned and drummed to.  Can you hear the crescendo?

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...

Tuesday Assembly

 

Come on out to our Kick Off to I LOVE TO READ assembly on Tuesday, February 3 at 9:00.  Our Kindergarten classes will be presenting 2 stories with some really cool sounds! 

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.

Coming Soon... Get Your Tickets!

2 of Stevenson's students and a few former Stevenson students will be performing in the upcoming SJSD musical, Disney's Peter Pan Jr. under the direction of Paula Olsen.  Please see the information above and call soon to get your tickets.  These students are in CAST 1.  Good luck Alex and Bailey.