Welcome Back to School

Welcome back to school!  Welcome back to music!  I am so excited about starting a new year of music and learning here at Wendell Elementary.  Here's what we've been up to this first month of music classes...

• Kindergarten musicians are working on STEADY BEAT.  All music has a steady beat.  Students are practicing finding and keeping the steady beat with body percussion and instruments.  Some of the instruments we have learned to play so far are the hand drums, jingle bells, and rhythm sticks.
• First Grade musicians have been reviewing all of the classroom rhythm instruments, their names, and the correct way to play each of them.  We have so many rhythm instruments in our classroom - the triangle, sand blocks, wood block, tambourine, maracas, and more - that's a lot of information to remember from last year!  We are also working on a special Nursery Rhyme unit with their classroom teachers.  We will have more information soon about a Nursery Rhyme Informance coming up at the end of the quarter.
• Second Grade musicians have reviewed the correct technique for playing the mallet instruments - metallophone, xylophone, and glockenspiel.  They are also reviewing reading rhythms with eighth notes, quarter notes, and quarter rests.
• Third Grade musicians have reviewed the correct technique for playing the mallet instruments - metallophone, xylophone, and glockenspiel.  They have practiced reading rhythms with eighth notes, quarter notes, and quarter rests, and have been notated (written) rhythms that use these notes, too.
• Fourth Grade musicians have reviewed the correct technique for playing the mallet instruments and have identified the unique timbre of each instrument - the metallophone, xylophone, and glockenspiel.  We have just embarked on a journey to Jamaica and the Caribbean for a study of Calypso and Reggae music.
• Fifth Grade musicians are busy working on their Personal Music History projects.  Students reflected on their own personal music history and interviewed an adult in their family - parents, grandparents, aunts/uncles, etc - to see how music has been a part of their lives.  We are working hard to put all of this information in a multi-media online blog as a representation of who WE are musically.  Students are also learning about copyright and fair use issues in this online 21st century skills project.  You can check out my project for an idea of what we are working on, and make sure you look for our finished blogs soon!

I have missed these singing, smiling faces over the summer and it feels so great to be back in the swing of things this year.  Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to practice music with your child.  My heart is so full every day because of the love and joy your child brings into my classroom.  Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or would like to come visit us for a music class.  I will be seeing you all soon for some of our music performances and informances.  Welcome back! xo