Kindergarten General Music
WEEK OF 3/12
This week we took a little trip to Ireland in honor of St. Patrick's Day. We saw a real Bodran, an Irish drum made in Dublin, the capital of Ireland.
We also got to hear Mrs. Pierce play her Irish harp for us. We also discussed the different vibrations that we could see and hear from the drum and the strings on the harp. We followed the map across the Noth Atlantic to understand where we live in relation to Ireland. Then we got to visit a class of very young students learning Irish Step Dancing at a school in New York City.
Week of 3/19
This week we are learning how to listen for different musical elements in a piece of music. We listened to a piece called "Pizzicato Polka." We talked about the interesting sound of the string family when everyone plays "Pizzicato." We talked about the way the dynamics and tempo of the music changed throughout the piece. We noticed that the composer made a pattern of the music and we described that pattern using letters and colors. We learned that an introduction is like an appetizer and a coda is like dessert. We began to learn a dance to help us remember the pattern of the music. The dance is called "Bugstep."
Week of 3/26
This week we are building our understanding of the elements of pitch, dynamics, tempo, and form by revisiting "Bugstep" and identifying the various elements as we move. We will discuss the composer, Johann Strauss II, and his love of the POLKA. We will begin to experiment with some basic POLKA steps while working with and mirroring our partners.
Week of 4/2 This week we are focusing on the element of FORM in music. The RONDO is the form we will be working with for the next few weeks.
A Rondo makes a pattern - ABACADA. Every new melodic idea is preceded and followed by "A" which is always the same. To begin to
understand the pattern we played a game called "A - not A." if you are A you clap 4 times to the beat of the music. If you are "Not A" you
make up 4 simple movements to the beat of the music. When you make something up in music it is called IMPROVISING.
Week of 4/9 This week we had Music Share and played a quick version of "A - Not A" to reinforce what we have learned about RONDO and
IMPROVISING
Week of 4/23 This week we had Music Share for the last time this quarter. Using what we have learned about RONDO, we created EARTH Rondos.
In our Earth Rondos each A is a sentence about the the earth - "The Earth is beautiful." Each different section was an earth sound
created by playing body percussion - for example: rubbing our hands for wind or making a shushing sound for water. Next week we
will substitute instruments for body percussion.
Week of 4/30 This week we are getting familiar with the African drums. We are learning that the "Tone" is on the outside of the drum.
The tone is a lighter, higher sound. The "BASS" is on the inside of the drum. The bass is a lower, heavier sound. We
will be learning a variety of drumming skills and African songs and games for the last 6 weeks of music class.
Week of 5/7 More African Drumming basics - how to sit with or on the drum, how to play what you see and hear
Week of 5/14 This week we will also be explorig the job of the conductor.
What is in a conductor's job description? What kind of training does a conductor need to do his job?
Can you answer these questions?
Week of 5/21 This week we will finish our discussion of the conductor's job. We will continue drumming and see a performance
from a West African dance troup called Kulu Mele.
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MUSIC SHARE UPDATES
As always, Music Share will take place at the end of each quarter at report card time. Students are invited to share anything related to music - a favorite song, an instrument, any object that makes music, a friend or family musician and so on. Students are not required to share. Please contact Mrs. Pierce at cpierce@skschools.net with any questions. Quarter 3 Music Share Dates Are:
Monday April 9 and 23 for Minuto, Turcotte, Heald, Opaluch, McKinney
Tuesday April 10 and 24 for Zamperini, Champion, Farrelly, Schmitt, Perrin
Wednesday April 11 and 25 for Holden, Kamerzel, Horton, Girard, Morse
Thursday April 12 and 26 for DeCoteau,Willett, DeFeo, Sheehan, Dolan
Thanks so much for 2nd quarter shares. I am always amazed at the variety of musical interests of our students here at Peace Dale School.
RECOMMENDED SITES FOR KIDS
sfskids.org - The SanFrancisco Symphony page for kids
nyphilkids.org - The New York Philharmonic page for kids
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