PLAY! 2021 Finale

 

Back in April, Stevenson had a couple of student volunteers, Ilya (Room 5), Haylee (Room 12), and Ali (Room 11), who came and rehearsed a single part for the Finale performance that is showcasing today!  They did an amazing job and a shout out to them today for their participation in this exciting performance that will be shared across our province.  Their video submissions resulted in this amazing, virtual performance! This final video is a representation of the high quality music programs in elementary schools across Manitoba. The students in this video demonstrate exceptional focus, precision, musicianship, and dedication to doing their very best at "making music together, while we are apart". We had over 40 Manitoba students, representing 18 Manitoba schools (several from our division), making music "the Orff way"!

Play! 2021

 

Play! 2021. From May 31 to June 11 we are celebrating Elementary Music Education in Manitoba through a new, virtual format.   Thank-you to the Manitoba Orff Chapter for all your work in advocating music education in our province.  We can still make music together while we are apart!

And thank-you to our Principal, Ms. Couch and Vice-Principal, Jackie Gagne, our Winnipeg Jets Hockey Academy Coordinator, Janelle Forcand, and our very own students performing in the Friday Finale: Ilya, Hailey and Ali!

From our very own SJASD music teacher, Manitoba Orff president, Mrs. Charisse Wurch!

Thank-you Ms. Gagne and students for sharing the importance of music!

A beautiful picture painted of why music is important for the WSO Assistant Conductor, Naomi Woo

Highlighting Play! events from 2014 and 2015

Cool Sounds

This month for I Love to Read, we've been exploring the various non-pitched percussion instruments we have in our classroom.  We have been deciding and selecting instruments to create soundscapes and that make good sound effects for different parts in our stories.  Our Grade 1/2 classes are learning an arrangement to CLICK, CLACK, MOO Cows that Type by Doreen Cronin.

We first listened to this fantastic performance that was created around the sounds of the typewriter, many of which my students had never seen or heard.

Today as I was looking at different videos for this performance, I came across another fun one using sandpaper blocks.  Not everyday you hear a solo performance and symphony experience centered around that instrument!

Reach for the Stars

In 2013, I wrote this song with Ryan Miller for our school and we have been enjoying singing it for the last several years.  Even though we can't sing it right now in the classroom, we are learning the movements.  The message is still the same as we care for ourselves and each other, coming here to learn new things.

 

Mega Mix!

 Here is the Nutcracker story and song in 3 minutes!  Ready, set, GO!

The Nutcracker

We have embarked on a new adventure and story for this season.  We are learning about the ballet, the classic Nutcracker story by E.T.A. Hoffman and music by Peter Tchaikovsky.

Check out the story 

Winnipeg's Royal Ballet Company Nutcracker

Learn more about the composer of the Nutcracker music

Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

History of ballet

When I'm Gone

In the spring when our schools went to remote because of covid, the St. James Elementary Music teachers worked on a virtual singing project.  Here is our version of the cups song, When I'm Gone.

Celebrating 45 Years!

 The MB Orff Chapter is celebrating 45 years of membership.  Thank you educators for supporting music education and the training of professional music teachers in our province.  We are truly blessed!

MusicPlay Online

Our classes have been exploring a number of games and activities with the MusicPlay Online website.

Some of our favorites so far are:

Poison Rhythm Games

Christmas Bucket Drumming

Guess the Rhythm

Music Composition

As we continue to explore rhythms, we are moving into practicing our own creations.  Thank-you to MusicPlayOnline for this great website and resource for teaching music in so many ways.

Rhythm Composition

Virtual Instruments