This week in the music room

Hi everyone! The last week of February is here already. This week we have a special assembly on Wednesday for Anti-Bullying Day. Don't forget to wear your pink shirt!

Here's what will be happening in the music room this week:

K-1
-review new game "Seven Steps" - this is a fun song that incorporates a circle dance in which students have the opportunity to be the leader and create a dance move that we all copy. Also develops singing voice and singing in tune
-last week students learned "la", and how it relates to the two solfege tones we already know, "so" and "mi". This week we build on this with a new song, "Doggie, Doggie". Includes a fun circle game with opportunities for solo singing
-discuss and identify pitches and rhythms in "Doggie, Doggie"
-begin learning Bumblebee songs


Gr. 2/3
-review "Seven Steps" - game described above
-Continue learning "Country Swing" - identify phrases in the song that are the same; isolate a repeating phrase and learn. Build on this phrase and learn whole song. Country Swing is proving to be a bit tricky with that low D note that is required! But I know the students can do a wonderful job!
-new songs and singing game - Bumblebee Songs
-new singing game - "Grizzly Bear" (focusing on dynamics)

Gr. 4/5
-we STILL haven't had a class opportunity to learn "Happiness Blues"! This week we are going to learn how to pick the song and sing the lyrics
-continue learning "Country Roads"
-new game - "Seven Steps", or "Icka Backa"

Gr. 4/5/6 and 5/6
-Listening lesson - Compare and contrast two versions of the same song, "Hound Dog". One version by Elvis Presley, one version by Big Mama Thornton. Use music vocabulary (electric, acoustic, tempo, harmony, beat, rhythm, syncopation) to discuss similarities and differences, and discover the connection that the Blues music genre has made to other genres of music.
-new game - "Icka Backa"

Here's to a great and musical week! Let's have lots of fun while we sing, dance, and play instruments!

This week in the music room!

Happy Valentines Day!

Wow, the next two weeks are certainly a change from our regular routine! Things are busy, busy at Courtenay Elementary!

This week: special performance from Green Thumb Theatre and early dismissal Wednesday. Valentine's Day Thursday.

Next week: No school for students Monday (teacher professional development day, and Lunar New Year assembly Thurs. Feb 21 at 10:30!

Here's what our students are up to in the music room ..... 

K, K/1, 1

• continue learning Skinamarinki and A You're Adorable  
• New circle game: 1,2,3, Who Will it Be? 
• New Valentine's Rhythm and ORFF activity: Valentine, Valentine

Gr. 2/3

• New circle game: 1,2,3 Who will it be?
• Continue learning new note on recorder: low D
• Continue learning new song on recorder (purple belt song): Country Swing

Gr. 4/5

• Learn new song Somebody Loves Me, play circle game similar to Stella Ella Olla
• Continue learning Country Roads
• optional activities: Valentine's Bingo, Valentine's Composition activity, guitars 
• (students in grade 4 have been taking their FSA's which occur during music time, so there may only be a handful of grade 5 students that attend music class)

Grade 4/5/6

• Somebody Loves Me (played as Stella Ella Olla)
• Valentine's Bingo (each Bingo spaces corresponds with a rhythm that matches a "Valentines Phrase" - ie - Be Mine)
• Valentines Composition activity (students in pairs receive Valentine hearts with phrases on them ("true love", etc) which correspond to a rhythm. Students arrange hearts into a 4 bar rhythmic song in 4/4 time; students then choose instruments (xylophone, boomwhacker or guitar) and play their arrangement for the class.

This week in Music

K-1

• students continue to work on keeping a steady beat through movement, listening, and playing xylophones
• students are confident singing "so" and "mi" using hand signals
• we are beginning our Valentine's Day songs, including Roses are Red (xylophone song), Valentine, Valentine (circle game), Skinnamarinki Dinky Dink and A You're Adorable

Gr. 2-3

• students have tested for their green belts in Recorder Karate. We are now moving on to purple belt - which means a new note, "low D", and a new song, Country Swing
• students have learned about the staff, and where notes are placed on the staff. We have talked about the names of lines and spaces.
• Students are learning a new circle game, Stella Ella Olla, which helps them to keep a steady beat while singing
• Valentine's songs include 1,2,3, Who will it Be! (partner clapping game), Circle Round the Zero (circle dance)

Gr. 4/5

• we continue to work on playing ukulele chords D, G, A7 and Bm 
• Students have started a new song, "Country Roads"
• Students have started a new ukulele technique where we pick the strings and play the melody instead of chords - they have learned to play Mary Had a Little Lamb and will soon begin to learn Happiness Blues
• Students will also play the circle game, Stella Ella Olla

Gr. 4/5/6 and 5/6

• students continue their study of the Blues - playing the 12 Bar Blues on guitar (chords D, G, and A)
• students discover the lyrical form of the Blues (AAB), and write a short blues song with a small group
• Students learn how to play a shuffle beat, essential to making their guitar playing sound more "bluesy"
• students will combine the above skills to create a class blues song, that contains 3 AAB verses, and will sing and accompany themselves while playing the 12 Bar Blues on guitar 
• 
  

What we're up to this week!

K -1
Students are continuing their work on quarter note, eighth notes and quarter rests. This week we are going to continue discovering the rhythms in the songs we are learning, and in addition will begin to talk about the notes of the songs. The students are going to be introduced to "so" and "mi" this week as we start to isolate these two pitches and identify them in the songs we are learning. Our song last week, "Macaroni" had these two pitches. Our new song this week, "See Saw", also has these pitches.

We are also going to continue learning about dynamics. This week we will learn a soft song, "Starlight". Students will learn to sing the song and accompany our singing on the xylophones. What a coincidence, this song ALSO is written with "so" and "mi" pitches!  The students will also finish learning how to play "Twinkle, Twinkle" on the xylophones.

Gr. 2/3
Our grade 2 and 3 students are going strong on Recorder Karate! They have all achieved their white, yellow and orange belts. We're now working on the much more challenging new song for their green belt, "B.A.G.E Blues". It's a lot harder to memorize, and it uses a new note "E", and has a new note value, half note! Lots to deal with. But the students are up to the challenge!

We are also going to start looking at the musical staff, and how notes are written on the staff. Specifically, students will learn how to notate the pitches B,A,G and E, putting them on the correct line or space, and how to draw treble clef. This will be built upon next week as they do a Valentine's themed composition activity. As they learn new notes on the recorder in the upcoming weeks after that, I will show them where these notes lie on the staff.

Gr. 4/5
The 4/5's continue on with their ukulele. We have just about perfected "Lean On Me", with all students playing all three chords. We will continue to polish it this week. The students will also start learning a new song, "Country Roads", by John Denver. This song uses the same chords as "Lean On Me", plus another chord, Bm.  I am also going to teach the class how to play a simple picking song, "Mary Had a Little Lamb", in preparation for a more difficult picking song that we will start next week, "Happiness Blues". It's one of my favourite picking songs! Such a catchy melody!

Gr. 4/5/6 and 5/6
Our amazing students have really been wowing on the guitars. They have learned "Lean On Me", and most are successful in playing all three chords while singing the words of the song! Not an easy task! We will continue to polish the song this week.

I am going to begin a new topic with the students this week. Students will be learning about the Blues, and in the weeks to come will learn about various blues musicians, the lyrical form of blues songs, where the blues originated, and will even compose their own blues songs in small groups. This week, however, I am going to teach the classes the basic 12 Bar Blues progression, which they will play on guitars and other pitched percussion instruments we have in the music room. I will introduce them to the blues using a simple song called "Jam and Jelly Blues", recorded by Glenn Miller. The students will accompany singing while playing the 12 Bar Blues progression on guitars. They will also have the opportunity to compose a short verse for the song.



Looking forward to an exciting week with all the students! Also, Mrs. Bannister's class  is performing in our assembly on Thursday, Jan. 31 at 10:30 a.m. Parents, grandparents, and guardians are welcome to attend. The class will be showcasing their folk dance to "Kinderpolka".


~Mrs. Caya

Performing Arts Club!

Our performing arts club meets Wednesdays from 2:30-3:15. It is open to students in grades 4-6. We had a great fall, learning how to do the "Thriller" dance by Michael Jackson, and also learning the script and performing the parts in our Christmas Play.

This term we are going to be learning some more drama skills. We will be focusing on

• our speaking voices
• interpreting script with different vocal choices (demonstrating different emotions) 
• our physical awareness and spatial awareness
• working with our fellow club members, learning how to respond to their actions
• developing confidence
• stage presence 

The plan to achieve this will be through various drama activities and games which will build our skills each week. (They are also LOTS of fun!) Our main activity will be using reader's theatre scripts. In these scripts, we will use different students as different characters. Although reader's theatre doesn't technically require people to act out the scenes, we will explore this as well, through mime and tableaux. At the end of the term I hope to have the students present a reader's theatre production for the school at an assembly or perhaps as part of a special event. 

Our first script is...... "The TRUE Story of the Three Little Pigs" - based on the book by Jon Scieszka. 

What I Am

Each month we have a "Song of the Month". I'm so excited for our February song of the month that a few classes are going to get to listen to it THIS month! Here is a video. Enjoy!

~Mrs. Caya

Kinderpolka and Ukuleles

The early primary students are also learning a new dance called the Kinderpolka! This is a very cute circle dance with a partner. This dance helps students learn skills such as
-spatial awareness
-following the beat
-working with a partner
-memory of different sequences of the dance (there are 4 different parts in total)
-cooperation with different class mates as their partner changes each day we practice the dance

I am hoping that one of our classes will perform the dance at our January recognition assembly. Details to follow!




Students in Mrs. Jungwirth's class - have started a NEW unit on the ukulele! They are also beginning with the song, "Lean On Me". Students are learning the names of the strings, how to read chord diagrams, proper playing technique and how to create different chords. We will also be learning how to play the ukulele using a finger plucking technique. Lots of fun!!


~Mrs. Caya

Primary Fun!

I am so impressed with our students in K and Grade 1. They continually impress me with their great behaviour, enthusiasm, and ability to grasp new skills and concepts. We are continuing our work on rhythm reading. Students are very familiar with ta, ti-ti, and quarter rest.

This week we sang the silly song, "Johnny Caught a Flea":

Tee hee hee! Johnny caught a flea!

Flea died, Johnny cried! Tee hee hee!

After learning the song and singing the notes, we played the circle game. Students pass a mini "flea" around the circle and sing, while one student sits in the middle of the circle with their eyes covered. At the end of the song, all students cup their hands so it looks like they have the flea, and the middle student has 3 guesses to discover who it is that has the flea! Harder than it sounds!

We then decoded the rhythm of the song. I wrote the words of the song on the chalkboard, with hearts above each word, representing the beat of the song. Underneath the words, we wrote the rhythms of the words. (Example = flea is a "Ta"; Johnny is a "ti-ti") 

Tomorrow students will be doing individual rhythm worksheets in lap packs. They are protective sheet covers that allows me to reuse the worksheet with multiple students. Plus, it's lots of fun for students to write on the lap packs using colourful dry erase markers! 

Pictures to follow! 

~Mrs Caya

Recorder Karate!

Our students in Mrs May and Mrs. Holland's classes are starting a new unit called.... Recorder Karate!

In this unit students will be learning the basics of playing the recorder, including
-proper breath technique
-finger positions
-note reading on the staff
-rhythm reading
-playing as an ensemble
-phrasing


As students learn more songs and complete more skills, they earn their BELTS just like in Karate. Right now students are all starting out on their white belt. Next week, if they can successfully play "Hot Cross Buns", they earn their white, yellow and orange belts! (For being able to play the notes B, A, and G, as well as a whole song). Then, we will continue learning new notes, more difficult rhythms, and complete exercises in reading notes on the staff and rhythm reading. As they complete these tasks they will earn more belts, all the way up their BLACK BELT!

Each student also gets a ninja with their name on it, that they move up the Recorder Karate bulletin board as they progress to new belts. They also have a recorder karate notebook with their song materials that they will take home and keep when the unit is complete.

~Mrs. Caya

Welcome Back!

WOW! What a GREAT start to 2013! I am so proud of our intermediate students today! After only TWO lessons .... Mrs. Monteith's class was playing both a D and a G chord on the guitar... reading the chord diagrams... naming the letters of each string and using proper technique! Way to go!! We truly have some musical and talented students at Courtenay Elementary.


Students in Mrs. Monteith, Mrs. Lingren, and Mr. Tobacca's classes are playing guitar. They are starting out with the chords D, G and A, and will be learning a wonderful song called "Lean on Me". Following this we will explore the Blues by looking at a blues scale, chords in a basic blues progression, listening to some great blues musicians, and of course, writing our OWN blues songs. The song we started with today, "Lean On Me", is such a great song - it is SO singable and the message is something we can all connect to! I also think it's neat how the song has been making appearances on popular TV shows, such as Glee and The Voice. Here are some videos of different versions of the song - which do you prefer? The original Bill Withers, the Glee version, or the version heard on The Voice?

~Mrs. Caya

Only one week to go...!

This is our last week before Winter Break! It's hard to believe that we have already come to the end of 2012, and the first four months of school are almost behind us. I have felt so grateful to be at Courtenay Elementary and to work with such eager, energetic and talented young students. Here's a glimpse of what we will be doing this last week of school....

Intermediate students
We have started to look at Bucket Drumming. Students are playing syncopated rhythms in 4/4 time, on upside-down garbage pails, using drum sticks. This is a LOT of fun, and as you can imagine, VERY noisy! We really get to get out some of that pre-holiday energy! We will look at a song called "A Christmas Mash Up", which puts together several well-known Christmas Carols into one song. It also features some entertaining instruments, such as kazoos, slide whistles, and cymbals.

Using bucket drums also connects to the performing group, STOMP, and discussing how to create music using "found sound". We will watch a short STOMP video on the last day of classes.

Primary Students
Primary students are singing lots of Christmas Carols and have learned the Jingle Bell Dance. They have also explored the "Snowman Scale song", which is a little song that goes up the C scale note wise for each line of the song ..... until the snowman melts back down at the end!

I have a little snowman
He is so fat and round
I made him from a snowball
I rolled upon the ground
I put some buttons on his coat, 
A scarf of crimson red,
I put some mittens on him,
A cap upon his head.

Watch him as he melts to the ground!

We moved our bodies up slowly as we sang the lines of the song and they melted at the end (they really like the melting part!) We then looked at how the notes move step-wise up the scale, and used Boomwhackers to help with this. Boomwhackers are fun, pitched musical tubes!  We will continue this after the Winter Break and also begin to look at melody and how music is notated.

Primary students are also going to have a look at the Nutcracker. There are several activities we will use, including movement with scarves, rhythm, watching clips of the ballet, coloring while we listen. The two main pieces we will focus on are the March and the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy. Here are a couple videos I will be showing that are very interesting!

Dance of the Sugar Plum fairy was originally written for the Glass Armonica. Visit The Franklin Institute to learn more. View the video below to see the Glass Armonica!

  

Here is a musician playing Musical Glasses! Also, another example of a "non traditional musical instrument", or creating music using "found sound".

 

And finally, here is a ballet dancer performing the Dance of the Sugar Plum fairy, as you would see it if you went to watch a Nutcracker Ballet. 

 

~Mrs Caya

WOW! What a great show!

Congratulations to all our students for their fabulous performance in our Christmas Concert! I was so impressed with our the performances by all the classes. Great job everyone! Hopefully we will have some pictures up soon!

~Mrs Caya

We've been BUSY!

Hello everyone!
I haven't posted in a while because the music room has been so BUSY these last few weeks!
First we were preparing for the Remembrance Day assembly, and now all the classes are busy learning their songs for the Christmas Concert!

The concert is on Tuesday, Dec. 11 and there will be 2 shows. The first show is at 1:00, and the second is at 7:00 pm. Students are expected to attend BOTH shows. Each class is learning a different song and the show will feature: singing, ukuleles, djembes, xylophones, recorders, other percussion instruments!

The Kindergarten and K/1 classes have learned two extremely cute songs and they can't wait to present them to you! The Grade 1 class is learning an especially entertaining song called "Reindeer Rap", the Grade 2/3's are learning how to play xylophones with one of the classic Christmas songs, "Santa Claus is Coming to Town",the Grade 4/5's are adding recorders to "Jolly Old St. Nicholas", the 4/5/6's are busy with ukuleles and "Jingle Bells", and our 5/6's are going to WOW you with their djembe song! It's going to be an incredible performance! All topped off with some talented young actors and actresses who will weave the story together for you.

What will happen when ALL of Santa's presents get stolen from his sleigh?? You'll have to come to our concert to find out!

Can't wait to see everyone there!

~Mrs. Caya

Different Voices

Ms. White had a fright,
In the middle of the night!
Saw a ghost, eating toast,
Halfway up the lamp post!

Primary students have been learning this fun chant. They have been using different voices while they repeat the chant.

(image from bethsmusicnotes.com)  

Now that they know the chant well, we are going to decipher where the BEAT in the song is! Using my handy magnetic hearts, I will guide students by placing hearts underneath the words that fall on the BEAT. They are ready for this as we have spend a lot of time moving, listening, and playing on the beat to different styles of music! A next step would be to determine the RHYTHM of the words in the chant! Then we can add in some instruments and bring the chant to life!

~Mrs. Caya

What the Intermediates are up to!

Students in grades 4/5/6 have been busy learning all about the ukulele! They have learned the names of the strings, proper playing technique and rest position vs. playing position (very important!) :)

So far they have learned the song, "Don't Worry Be Happy", and "Wipeout". Two very different techniques needed, strumming chords, and picking the strings.

The grade 4/5 class have started learning how to play the recorder, and they are pretty amazing! In just a few short weeks (and I only see them 2 times a week for 45 mins), they have learned notes B, A, G, as well as E. They can play Hot Cross Buns, Mary Had a Little Lamb, and Ramble. This week they are learning a few new songs using their new note, E - BAGE Blues, and Skin and Bones.


~Mrs. Caya

October Assembly!

On October 25, Mrs. Bannister's class will be performing 2 songs. They will be presenting "Down, Down, Yellow and Brown", using ORFF instruments and movement. This song has been an excellent tool for discussing high/low, and for learning the very tricky skill of singing and playing at the same time. We have used leaf manipulatives with labelled with solfege, and I have placed this in a descending pattern, so students are able to see the movement of notes in the song.

The other song the class is performing is a cute little Halloween song called "Three Black Bats" (sung to the tune of Three Blind Mice)

Three black bats, three black bats
See how they fly, see how they fly
They all came out in the dark moonlight, 
Did you ever see such a Halloween sight, 
As three black bats!

I am going to be recording students this week and *hopefully* will remember to take some pictures, too!

Happy Halloween everyone!
~Mrs. Caya

Dem Bones!

Here is a cute little dance our kindergarten and K/1 students will be learning this week!

  

Pumpkin Patch!

Pumpkin patch, pumpkin patch
ti-ti         ta         ti-ti      ta

Looking for a pumpkin in my pumpkin patch.
ti-ka     ti-ka       ti-ka   ti-ka    ti-ti         ta

Here one is, nice and fat
ti    ti    ta      ti-ti      ta

Turn into a jack-o-lantern, just like that!
ti-ka     ti-ka   ti-ka   ti-ka    ti-   ti     ta



Pumpkin Patch is a song primary students got to learn today. What fun! We discussed the difference between a pumpkin, and a jack-o-lantern. Students showed me their best jack-o-lantern faces (scary? funny? sad? happy? silly?).

We then played the game. All students curl up into little balls, as pumpkins. I sang the song, and walked throughout the "pumpkin patch". At the end of the song, I tapped one student's shoulder on the words "just like that". They jumped up and showed me their best "jack-o-lantern face". The two of us then continue on playing the game, and tapping shoulders, until all students are jack-o-lanterns.

The students really enjoyed this game, and it was incredibly cute to see their different faces.

You could also use this song to each "tika-tika" with grades two and three.


~Mrs. Caya

Extra-Curricular Clubs!

Our Performing Arts Club has been meeting on Wednesdays from 2:30 - 3:15 pm.

They are amazing!

The club is working hard on learning Michael Jackson's famous dance, "Thriller"! We will be performing at the Halloween assembly coming up this October.

Choir meets on Thursdays at noon. Courtenay Elementary is a singing school and we have some very enthusiastic and talented young voices! The choir will be performing at different events throughout the year, as well as at assemblies at the school.

Turkey Lurkey!

Turkey Lurkey runs so fast,

  ti-ti         ti-ti       ti-   ti    ta

Turkey Lurkey's never last!

  ti-ti         ti-ti         ti-ti    ta

Turkey Lurkey, you had better

   ti-ti        ti-ti         ti-   ti    ti-ti

Hurry!    *        *        *

      ti-ti        rest     rest      rest

Turkey Lurkey is one of the songs we are learning with Thanksgiving around the corner! This is a great game for reading rhythms. Once we learn the song, I can put up the rhythms as a "Mystery Song" and have students guess the song. This is also a good song for showing melodic contour -- the way the melody goes up and down. I am making small "Turkey Lurkey's" with magnets on the back, that I can put up on the black board. The turkeys will follow the melodic line in the song. We can follow the line singing "Loo" and discuss the melodic movement. Students can also follow the melodic line using solfege:

sol-mi, so-mi, do do do

sol-mi, sol-mi, do do do

do do do mi, sol sol sol sol

sol-do

~Mrs. Caya