January/February 2024
General Info
This newsletter is meant to keep you up to date on our progress in music class. Aer a successful Christmas concert and what I hope was a restful holiday season for all of you, we are back!
Class Activities
Kindergarten & First Grade have been continuing to establish a firm foundation in understanding steady beat (tempo) and have been delving more into rhythm. We practice rhythm through establishing patterns using syllables that go on top of the beat. Mostly focusing on Ta (quarter notes, one syllable) or ti-ti (eighth notes, two syllables). We practice using a variety of different percussion methods. In addition, students are continuing to learn about pitch through singing songs and boomwhacker activities. Students were also recently introduced to the music staff!
Second through Fourth Grade students have learned about ostinatos, steady beat, tempo, simple meters, identifying pitch and improvisation in the first trimester. This trimester we have been focusing on learning the music staff, treble clef, major vs minor sound, and the beginnings of music history. As we progress in learning the treble clef, I plan on teaching the students mallet instruments. Hoping that we can perform some beginner ensemble music together by spring break. Lastly, we have been digging into the periods of music history. Thus far digging into Baroque music and learning about Bach, Vivaldi and Handel.
Fih through Eighth Grade this trimester the students have been working on creating their own podcast on a music topic of their choice. The students have been allowed to work in groups of up to three while some have chosen to work independently. We began this journey doing a couple of podcast listening assignments. This allowed for the students to hear a couple different styles of podcasting to model their approach aer. At this point they have picked and refined their topics of interest and will begin compiling research. Over the next few weeks we will be creating outlines, scripts and then finally recording our episodes. We hope to create either a landing page or at least a google drive that will allow for you to listen to your students work!
Sincerely,
Chris Misch-Bloxdorf