Instrument Exploration

Grade 4/5 classes are in the middle of preparing soundscapes.  They will be using sound effects to create an interesting sound story for our daily music listening program for I Love to Read month.  Once our projects are complete, we will post a few on our blog.  Everyone had an opportunity to explore playing all of the instruments in our room.  Here are a few photos from the classes.

Under the Sea...

Congratulations to Mrs. Judy Gislason, the cast and her team for the phenomenal performance of Disney's Little Mermaid today.  All the Grade 4/5 students had the privilege of experiencing the musical and were dazzled and entertained by Sebastian, Ariel, Prince Eric and a whole flounder of characters.  A special congratulations to Stevenson's 2 students who auditioned for roles last spring and have been working hard since to learn the songs, dances, lines and staging.

If you still want to catch a seat, please see information below to call and book tickets.

Dancing

In our music classes, we learn a variety of dances, music styles and genres.  Dancing is not only a healthy and active activity, it teaches us to keep the beat and we learn that music has patterns.  It's a great way to build community and can be REALLY fun!  The following is a short video of the Kinders doing the Kinderpolka, a German folksong.  This was only our second class learning it.

For more dances, music and patterns, check out this PDF of traditional dances including the Kinderpolka steps.

Instrument Play

Kindergartens are learning about different instruments in the music room.  We have been practicing how to play a variety of instruments and the different sounds each make.

One of my favorite winter stories is "The Snowy Day" by Jack Ezra Keats.  As the students listened to the story the first time, we acted out the parts.  Second, we picked instruments that would go well to make sounds effects.  The students practiced playing their parts and were VERY patient to wait their turns.

CAN YOU GUESS THE INSTRUMENTS?

Where are the cymbals?   Where is the wind chime?  What color is the slide whistle?  What sound does the two-tone block make?  Which instrument sounds like bells?

What color is the timpani drum?  What kind of sound does Ethan's instrument make?  What kind of tree do you see in the picture?  What is the funny name of the two drum heads?  What instrument is made out of rosewood?

What do the 2 long sticks sound like?  Who's instrument sounds like a machine?  Which instrument would you pick if you wanted to make a horse gallop sound?  How many triangles can you see?  What sound does the finger cymbals make?  

We also played an instrument passing game as we learned to share, pass and play the instrument correctly.

What animal does the guiro (gweero) look like?

Singing Rounds

Singing in harmony is a great thrill we can all experience, especially if everyone is singing in tune.  Singing is a great way to enjoy being together and singing in parts is a skill we are developing in our classroom.  Part singing does not come easily to everyone and with practice, we can all achieve success.

Our choirs have been learning a variety of part rounds.  Here is one example of our Grade 4/5 classes that created a round track to help us stay in our parts.

One thing we noticed about our singing is that in order to make it sound good and like one voice in unison, everyone has to be singing the correct notes and with a nice tone, not silly.

(Thanks to Beth's music website for all the round music and instructions!  Beth's Rounds)

Writing Rhythms! Grade 1

This week, our Grade 1 classes learned a fun song and circle dance.  It's called Bow Wow Wow.  It also has great opportunities for rhythms.

Here we explored the sounds on each beat and discovered how to write rhythms to the words.  On line 3 and 4, students came up to practice their writing skills.

Today we played a rhythm game and each group had to figure out the rhythms for our new song "Lucky Lucky White Horse."

Can you clap the rhythm?

Coming soon... The Little Mermaid Musical!

Mermaid JOKES...

Do mermaids use knives and forks when they eat?  No! They use their fish fingers

What did the sea say to the Little Mermaid?   Nothing!  It just waved.

What is a mermaid's favorite song?  Salmon-chanted Evening!

Which part of a mermaid weights the most?  The scales.

At the end of January, 2 of Stevenson's Grade 5 students (Cast 1) will be performing in the SJSD Divisional Musical Theatre at Westwood Collegiate.  We invite all families to buy tickets and go and check it out.  This is a top-notch performance of auditioned students from across our division.  The Grade 4/5 classes are attending a performance on Monday, January 27 during school hours.  Permission forms will be going home shortly.

Concert Highlights

Congratulations to our students on the fabulous concerts!  Many extra hours were taken to put the songs, dances and scripts together.  Here are some highlights from the shows.  ENJOY!

K-3 A Bear-Y Merry Holiday clips

Written by John Jacobson and John Higgins

Grade 4-5 Happy, The High-Tech Snowman
Written by Jill & Michael Gallina

Principal of Music Award

We are very proud to congratulate our principal, Jane Couch, on a very special award she has recently received.  Mr. Miller and myself nominated Ms. Couch for the Principal of Music Award for Western Canada, presented yearly by the Canadian Coalition for Music Education.  We are very pleased to announce that she was selected!  Ms. Couch was presented with this award by Eric Marshall, former SJSD Arts Coordinator and present member of the Coalition, at our Winter Concert.  She received a plaque and cash award to be put towards our music program.  Ms. Couch goes above and beyond her duties as principal in our school to support music at Stevenson-Britannia and in St. James-Assiniboia School Division.  Thank-you for all you do for our students and staff to inspire us to be music-makers.

Music Makes Us Award - Coalition for Music Education

Last school day of 2013

Thank you to staff, students and parent council for the great work on the 2013 winter concerts.  Over the break, check out the pictures and videos soon to be posted of our awesome performers.  Have a very happy safe and relaxing holiday students and staff.  Merry Christmas!