Wednesday, November 28, 2012

JFK Barnes & Noble Fundraiser

So fun to see so many JFK students at Barnes & Noble this afternoon! I love connecting books with music. Here are the books I shared today along with a couple other favorites. 

The Animal Boogie By: Debbie Harter (Kindergarten)
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day By: Judith Viorst (1st and 2nd)
The Remarkable Farkle McBride By: John Lithgow (3rd Grade)
Horace and Morris Join the Chorus (but what about Dolores?) By: James Howe (4th and 5th)
Pete The Cat: I Love My White Shoes By: Eric Litwin (I can't pick just one grade!)


Monday, November 26, 2012

Skin & Bones

In grades 1-3 we have been spending a fair amount of time re-establishing the beat and identifying the meter: triple or duple.

Students K-5 and I love the song "Skin & Bones". It's a great example of a song in triple meter and minor tonality. I also like that it has multiple verses that tell a short story and leaves lots of room for texture. 

This year for the first time, I let students explore ALL of the percussion instruments in my room to create texture for this song. Every student had a turn to select an instrument and verse in which to play. I originally was only going to do this with 1st and 2nd grade but it was so much fun I even let 3rd and 5th grades give it a try! I wish I had recorded my 5th graders playing the melody on recorders. I was so impressed!

Listen below to a couple of examples. You should be able to hear students singing the melody, 6 or 7 percussion instruments creating texture one at a time, and 6 or 7 students playing the macrobeat on the barred percussion instruments (xylophones, metallophones, and glockenspiels).

Mrs. Henneberry's 3rd Grade Class JFK

Mrs. Sanford's 2nd Grade Class Parmenter

Finally, one of my favorite parts of this project was when, the following week, students were able to listen to their performances and evaluate what they heard. Here are just a few of the things they were looking for.
1. Could you hear the singers? Were they on pitch? Did their voices match the mood of the music?
2. Could you hear the barred instruments? Were they on the beat?
3. What was your favorite percussion instrument besides your own? Why?

Here's a little peek into my classroom when I told students to share what they had heard with another student.

Mrs. Dulmaine's Room Grade 2 JFK






Sunday, November 18, 2012

Welcome!

Hello Everyone!

Welcome to my blog! This is my first time attempting a blog so please bear with me. I'm excited to show everyone what goes on in the music room at Parmenter and Kennedy Schools! This year at Kennedy, I'm teaching K-5 general music and 4th and 5th grade choruses. At Parmenter, I am teaching Mrs. Sabanosh and Mrs. Zarrella's 1st grade classes, all of 2nd grade, 4th grade, and 4th grade chorus.

Here is a young musician checking out the instruments in my room at JFK:)