Tuesday, 15 January 2013
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
Wednesday, 9 January 2013
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
-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":
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
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
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
Sunday, 16 December 2012
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!
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
~Mrs Caya
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