October Newsletter
Happy October!
Our music year is off to a great start. I am pleased to see so many of my 1st and 2nd graders remembering so many of the music concepts they learned last year. In addition, the newer students are slowly but surely adjusting to their new music environment. Also, Chorus rehearsals are about to start, and I know my Chorus students are really looking forward to that.
Here's what students will be focusing on in music class this October:
Pre-K: We are still working on the concepts we studied in September, like keeping a beat and how we use our singing voices. Some of the songs you may have heard your child sing at home might be "Color Game", " Hey Betty Martin", "Kye Kye Kule" and "Applesauce Applesauce (and cider)". Call and response songs will also be a focus this month (leader sings, group answers). We are also continuing to work on our circle building as we play many circle games in class. Circle games promote community and the importance of working together.
Kindergarten: We are still working on the concepts we studied in September like beat and producing a good tone with our singing voices. In addition, we will be learning about rhythm and how to play it on the rhythm sticks. We are also looking at differentiating between high sounds and low sounds, the sounds we can make with our singing voices, and solo singing including call and response songs (leader sings, group answers).
First Grade: Review of September music concepts like beat and producing a good singing tone are still happening but we are also reviewing solfege sounds SOL and MI and prepping our ears for a third sound LA. We are reviewing how to play rhythms on the rhythm sticks and eventually performing longer pieces on them. Finally, we are looking to see if we can sing a song and perform a choreographed movement.
Second Grade: We will be discovering and discussing the first music note DO and hearing it in songs we already know. We are also writing and performing more complex rhythms. Finally, we are working on our inner hearing (ability to audiate a song in our head) I am also challenging students with my weekly "music challenges" involving students in performances that require multiple levels of thinking.
Chorus: Chorus rehearsals will begin the week of October 6th. The list of students accepted into Chorus are posted near my classroom. For more information about Chorus, please click the Chorus tab.
Mr. O
