JFK 4th and 5th MixCraft/Recorder Projects!

Parmenter 4th graders are currently working on this project as well. Their projects will be done and posted the week before winter break!

What is MixCraft?
Mixcraft 6 is a powerful music production and multi-track recording workstation that comes packed with thousands of music loops and dozens of audio effects and virtual instruments. Mixcraft 6 music recording software enables you to record audio, arrange loops, remix tracks, compose with MIDI and virtual instruments, add effects, score and edit video, and mix and master your tracks to create polished, professional compositions. This program is only for PCs but very similar to GarageBand for Macs.

What were the students' objectives?
*4th: We can perform an 8 measure piece on the recorder using the notes B and A.
*5th: We can perform an 8 measure piece on the recorder using the notes B, A, and G. (Students were able to choose which piece they performed.)
*4th and 5th: We can record, arrange, and evaluate using the program MixCraft.

4th Grade:

Mrs. Merten: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/attv1zhiedlc4p1/WelafVUs6A

Mrs. Williams: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/js9sp2hb1cfyga6/-8joudl4lg

Mrs. Adams: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/sq7dawrn8yngozk/24olkJjtUV

Ms. Farrell: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/re79iy9gw8756mp/1DEJru-lyI

5th Grade:

Ms. Etzel: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/bkmg062qq8gyk2k/47um2i_EEo

Mrs. Vicente: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/feomq9kdijt83z9/PQI8Ha56hX

Mrs. Lacerda: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/6duzejx4sw0s3n0/Q9VsvDhnLI

Mrs. Kroeber: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/musmosl62tp05rc/bpTvJOVsoa

November Celebrity Singers and Happy Thanksgiving!

Our November Celebrity Singers!

 

JFK 3rd

 Parmenter 3rd

 

 

 JFK 4th

 

 Parmenter 4th

 

 

JFK 5th

 

Happy Thanksgiving from Mrs. Dulmaine's 2nd Grade class at JFK!

(This is a song I did with many grade levels at JFK and Parmenter this week. I'm sure your children will be able to teach you the moves!)

 

What were the music teachers doing yesterday?

Yesterday's Professional Development Day was really special because we got to work with conductor, Dr. Rachel Lauber. See her bio below. She facilitated great discussion about why creativity and the arts are so important and how we have to give students more opportunities to create. The high school repertory orchestra came in on their day off to play while the teachers conducted. What an amazing orchestra we have here in Franklin! Here are Horace Mann and Remington's band directors working with Dr. Lauber. Thank you to Dr. Lauber for helping us really bring the score to life!

Dr. Rachel C. Lauber, Conductor

Rachel C. Lauber is instructor of Conducting at the Eastman Community Music School and is currently a freelance conductor.
Dr. Lauber has served as Music Director of the Livingston Symphony Orchestra, Conductor of the Detroit Symphony Civic Orchestra, and has appeared as guest conductor with the Romanian-American Music Festival (with members of the DSO), the Slee Sinfonietta, and the Holland Symphony Orchestra (MI). In Detroit, she shared the podium in concert with Neeme Jarvi, Tom Wilkins and Mark Wigglesworth. She was also director of the Detroit Symphony’s Unmasked Series working to plan camera shots, direct live cameras and collaborate with guest conductors (Nicolas McGegan, Roger Norrington, JoAnn Falletta, John Adams, Hans Graf and Tom Wilkins) on their pre-, post-, and interactive-concert discussions and lectures.
Other podium work includes conducting the University of Michigan Orchestras and the University at Buffalo Orchestra. For the University of Michigan Opera Productions she conducted performances of Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen and Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi & Suor Angelica. She has directed the University of Michigan Campus Symphony, the Nazareth College Orchestra, and the Shady Side Chamber Music Festival Orchestra.
Ms. Lauber has studied with Kenneth Kiesler at the University of Michigan where she received her doctorate in orchestral conducting. Additional studies have included the Conductor’s Retreat at Medomak with Mr. Kiesler, the Brevard Music Center with Gunther Schuller, the Oregon Bach Festival with Helmuth Rilling, and numerous workshops of the Conductor’s Guild and the American Symphony Orchestra League. She has studied in Italy at the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena and the Catania International Conductor’s Workshop in Sicily.

November Musicians of the Month

As we celebrate November birthdays in music this month, we will also be celebrating music from India! I'm really excited to introduce our musicians of the month, Ravi Shankar and daughter, Anoushka Shankar. 

Ravi Shankar was an incredibly talented sitar player and one of the first to popularize Indian Classical Music in other parts of the world! Probably one of his most famous students was George Harrison from the Beatles who studied the sitar with Ravi Shankar for six weeks in India and became lifelong friends. Listen to this Beatles song and see if you can hear the Beatles love for Indian music.

 

Anoushka Shankar is carrying on her father's tradition. She recently released an album of Indian music fused with Spanish music. Here is an example, Raga Flamenco.

Fun fact! Norah Jones is Ravi Shankar's daughter and Anoushka's half sister. Here's a beautiful song they perform together.

Happy Halloween!

Here is Mrs. Dulmaine's 2nd grade class performing "Skin and Bones". I did variations of this song with almost every grade level from singing to moving to instruments to even recorders in fifth grade! Enjoy!

October Celebrity Singers!

Check out these 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade celebrity singers from JFK and Parmenter. Do I have the best students or what?!

 Parmenter 3rd

 

JFK 4th

Parmenter 4th

JFK 5th

 

JFK 3rd

Survey and Name This Chorus Warm-up!

Next month I will be selecting a musician from India and I could use your help!

 

If you know any musicians that the students would enjoy whether from India, China, Australia, Ireland, Brazil, etc. Please take this two minute survey!

 

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Q66XBFV

Check out what this talented fifth grader from JFK figured out on her recorder! Do you recognize this warm up?