Our Grade 3,4,5 winter concert is coming up soon (mark your calendars for Tuesday, December 12, 2017) and we are starting prep.  Auditions are Monday, Oct. 30 during music class.  There are many parts for students to try out for.  Please choose one of the following audition scripts below.  

We are looking for:

1. acting in character

2. loud clear voice

3. good pacing (not too fast)

4. memorized

Audition Paper

Yes I Can!

This week I attended several professional development workshops and one particular person that I am in awe of and appreciate with so much respect is Canadian musician, Alvin Law.  I think there are many lessons, for the young and old, that we can learn from and aspire to as we hear Alvin's story.

Alvin had a great honor to be the drummer for this amazing song, We're the Superhumans.  From this day on, no matter, the challenge or difficulty, we all need to adopt the "Yes, I can!" attitude.

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

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

I'm a Gummy Bear?!

Learning patterns to the Gummy Bear song

Today the Grade 1 classes were introduced to the Drums Alive program.

Our 3 rules are:

1. safety

2. respect

3. participate (who doesn't?!)

Our first song is learning patterns.  We realize that we have to know our RIGHT and LEFT or we can easily get mixed up and bump into someone.  We also have to be able to count to 8, feel the beat, follow the pattern (teacher) and listen to the music all at the same time.  It's hard at first but fun when we all get it!  Once we know it, we can start singing along!

The form of the song is ABCADBCAEAF.  Wow!  That's alot to remember!

Take on the World

For the next few weeks our school is preparing for our final concerts.  We have the Calvary Place Carehome coming to our school on Monday, June 22 for a concert.  We will be performing from 10:30-11:30.  Families are welcome.  Our final celebration is a good-bye to staff and students on Monday, June 29.  This assembly takes place from 10:00-11:00.   We are preparing this beautiful song called "Take on the World" by Sabrina Carpenter.  Check it out!

Gold Medal Winner!

First Olympic Gold Belt Recipient!

Today made history in the music room.  Congratulations to this Grade 5 student for receiving the first gold medal in the Level Recorder Karate Program!  Well deserved!

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.

Tweeting Rhythms

Today our Grade 1 classes figured out the rhythms to these sentences.  We then practiced them on the instruments and repeated them 4 times each.  We noticed how important it is to stay on the beat or it sounds like a messy noise.  Our instruments need to sound like one.

We chose 3 of these patterns and layered them into a musical piece.  Can you hear which 3 patterns we picked?

Room 16's Birdy Rhythms

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!"  :(

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...

Miss Mary Mack Fun!

Today our Grade 1 classes read, sang and learned a simple version of the hand-clapping game of Miss Mary Mack.  We have some Grade 1 experts here to show us our version:

 

Here is the version that is shown above in the music.

Check out this fun song and body percussion piece called "Bim Bam."  Can you keep the pattern?