December Music 2018

Wishing everyone a wonderful vacation filled with music and happy memories! See you next year!:)

December Celebrity Singers in Chorus!

 

JFK 3rd Grade

JFK 4th Grade

 JFK 5th Grade

 Parmenter 3rd Grade

December Musician, Culture, and Composer of the Month!

1st Grade Musician: Ludwig van Beethoven 

2nd Grade Culture: Europe - Russia

3rd Grade Composer: Pyotr Tchaikovsky

"The Nutcracker Suite" premiered December 18, 1892

Other snapshots of Music in December!

Below are pictures and videos of different activities and concepts we explored in music. I plan to feature every class that I teach at JFK and Parmenter by the end of the year. Stay tuned!

Also follow me on twitter @MrsMacMusic1

Grades 1st-5th Music Show and Tell

Thank you to everyone who helped transport instruments etc. during this busy week so students could perform for myself and their classmates. If your child forgot, don't worry! We'll be doing this again in June. Here a few small highlights.

5th Grader playing the Baritone in Mrs. Lacerda's Class.

A student playing a song he learned on the piano in Mrs. Lussier's 3rd grade class.

Two friends singing together in Mrs. Emord's first grade class.

A student playing the cello in Mrs. Henneberry's 3rd grade class.

A student playing the piano in Mrs. A. Williams' 4th grade class.

This is a student in Mrs. Consilvio's class looking very dapper for his performance of his own original song!

1st Grade

Here in Mrs. Emord and Mrs. Kolodny's class, students learned to listen to parts that sound the same and different. This is how students start learning about form or how composers organize music. This is "Dance of the Reed Flutes."

2nd Grade

Below students in Mrs. Sandford's class are having no fun at all exploring form through "The Russian Dance" from The Nutcracker. :)

3rd Grade

This is Mrs. Consilvio's class also exploring form by performing "The March."

This is a sneak peek at a Planet composition project we've been working on in third grade. Parmenter will actually be performing these pieces as part of their 3rd grade concert. At JFK, I will be recording their full performances.

4th Grade

Students are still working diligently at growing as recorder players. I spent a lot of time in term 1 not only building good recorder playing habits but also good recorder practice habits. Students are being taught how to learn a piece without my help by first clapping and saying the rhythm, then clapping and saying the notes, then adding fingerings and finally playing the song.

Here is Mrs. E. Williams' class performing notes B and A on the song "Starburst." Notice how diligently they are following their music! 

Recorders go home and recorder karate starts in January! Get ready!

5th Grade

I was finally able to find time to get a recording of our fifth graders in action on the ukulele! This month I gave students a packet filled with all different winter songs. Students could pick whatever song they wanted to practice and perform for me on the recorder and they were given a couple of songs to learn on the ukulele. Here they are performing the C chord and newly learned F chord. Enjoy!

3rd Grade Chorus Parmenter

Here the third grade chorus adapted a warm up called "Donkeys Always Love Their Carrots". Once mastered this warm up can be turned into a round to create harmony. This month they created their own version:)

Heads up!

Looking ahead in music...

Chorus auditions

Next week  during general music classes. 

December 10-14

JFK 3rd and 4th grade and Parmenter 3rd grade (Optional)

*Chorus concert dates are listed on the right side of this blog*

Music Show and Tell

Week before vacation during your child's music class!

December 17-21

JFK 1st-5th grade, Parmenter Mrs. Mac’s classes

Some important notes:

1. This is completely optional. Usually only a few students in each class share.

2. This is for students who would like to show a song they learned in piano lessons or other instrument lessons, sing a favorite song they learned at home, or maybe bring in and share a special instrument!

3. All sharing must be musical! While dancing is very musical, I've had to eliminate this option for time sake.

4. Please keep all songs to one minute or under.

Thank you! Mrs. MacMurray

November Music!

November Celebrity Singers in Chorus!

JFK 3rd Grade

JFK 4th Grade

 JFK 5th Grade

 Parmenter 3rd Grade

November Musician, Culture, and Conductor of the Month!

1st Grade Musician: John Philip Sousa 

2nd Grade Culture: Australia

3rd Grade Conductors: Marin Alsop and Andris Nelsons

Other snapshots of Music in November!

Below are pictures and videos of different activities and concepts we explored in music. I plan to feature every class that I teach at JFK and Parmenter by the end of the year. Stay tuned!

Also follow me on twitter @MrsMacMusic1

1st Grade

Here in Ms. Fitzgerald's class students are marching to their musician of the month's famous march, "Stars and Stripes Forever." His nickname was the March King! This is also a great way to reinforce the macro beat. 

2nd Grade

Below students in Mrs. Henault's class are learning a popular Australian song, "Kookaburra." Students are also working on identifying music that is in duple and triple meter. Here the beat on the barred instruments creates a duple pattern. 

3rd Grade

This month I shifted gears and focused on two conductors of the month instead of a composer of the month. At the end of the month I taught students how to conduct a pattern and different jobs the conductor has when leading musicians. Students really enjoyed leading their classmates!

Conductors from Mrs. Lussier's Class

Conductors from Mrs. Consilvio's Class

Conductors from Mr. Tighe's class

4th Grade

Students are still working diligently at growing as recorder players. I spent a lot of time in term 1 not only building good recorder playing habits but also good recorder practice habits. Students are being taught how to learn a piece without my help by first clapping and saying the rhythm, then clapping and saying the notes, then adding fingerings and finally playing the song. Here is Mrs. A. Williams' class going through these steps and learning how to work in groups. So proud of their focus! 

3rd Grade Chorus JFK

Here the third grade chorus adapted a warm up called "Donkeys Always Love Their Carrots". Once mastered this warm up can be turned into a round to create harmony.

Music - Thanksgiving Edition

Happy Thanksgiving!

I am grateful for so many wonderful students who brighten my day with music and a warm, supportive community of parents and colleagues!

Here are some highlights from my friends at Parmenter but I do these activities at both schools. Enjoy!

Mrs. Sanford's Class "5 Fat Turkeys"

Mrs. McCarthy's Class "Little Turkey"

Mrs. Carnaroli's Class "The Turkey Song"

JFK and Parmenter Music in October 2018!

October Celebrity Singers in Chorus!

JFK 3rd Grade

JFK 4th Grade

 JFK 5th Grade

 Parmenter 3rd Grade

Mrs. Mac's PD (professional development) in October!

 

Hung out with Mr. Barrett (Jefferson and DT elementary music teacher) on a Saturday at Bridgewater State University to learn ways to reach diverse learners in the music setting! Of course, what's more inclusive than a jam session?:)

On October 5th, Foxboro hosted music teachers throughout Massachusetts. Among other activities, I attended a workshop on ukulele in the morning and musicians of the month in the afternoon. Here is David Piper from Concord Public Schools presenting on ukulele!

October Musician, Culture, and Composer of the Month!

(Parmenter Birthday Bulletin Board)

1st Grade Musician: Yo-Yo Ma 

2nd Grade Culture: Africa

3rd Grade Composer: Camille Saint-Saens

Other snapshots of Music in October!

Below are pictures and videos of different activities and concepts we explored in music. I plan to feature every class that I teach at JFK and Parmenter by the end of the year. Stay tuned!

Also follow me on twitter @MrsMacMusic1

Kindergarten

Kindergarten has been having a blast exploring their voices and instruments! Students have also been discovering that the beat is everywhere! In this activity, students used flashlights to create a light show. Students were asked to demonstrate the beat using flashlights. Even Mrs. Plouffe, Franklin's music director, had to join in the fun!

Mrs. Trottier's Class

Mrs. Trockman's Class 

Here is Mrs. Bradley's Class dancing to the beat. To see if they were really listening to the music, we moved to the song "Freeze!"

Here Mrs. Trockman's class is exploring their singing voice (and scaring our poor videographer Mrs. Trockman!) while moving to the song "Skin and Bones." 

1st Grade

Here is Mrs. Kolodny's Class demonstrating beat and a duple rhythm chant for "Pumpkin Patch." Below they are exploring different instruments while singing a triple rhythm song "Skin and Bones."

2nd Grade

Below students in Mrs. Maiato's class are playing a game called "Witch Witch." While they play I am able to see if they can independently find and sing patterns in the song. Students in 2nd and 3rd grade love this game! 

3rd Grade

As 3rd Graders learned about the Planets and composer, Gustav Holst, they also learned about becoming composers themselves! Students created their own planets and composed their own music to accompany their planets. This month we added a melody using notes and solfege that we are learning on our barred instruments. Still more to do but we look forward to performing this for you!

Here is Mrs. Henneberry's class performing "Skin and Bones." Notice students are playing the macro beat in triple meter, singing and also created their own arrangement with other percussion instruments.

Below is Mrs. Schreiber's Class playing the game "Witch Witch." This is a great way for me to assess students singing patterns alone and with others. In third grade we are reviewing the solfege syllables they learned in second grade.

4th Grade

Students have been loving their recorders! We've been so busy I forgot to take any videos! Right now we're learning our first two notes B and A and learning practice and reading skills so we'll be ready to learn songs on our own in January. Get ready! Recorders come home then! 

How fun is this?! 

5th Grade General Music

Students are still expected to be playing the recorder at home so we can maintain our skills and add the ukulele. We are preparing for quite the concert! So far on the ukulele we have been learning the strings, parts of the ukulele, down strum and the C chord. 

Here is some motivation!

5th Grade Chorus JFK

Below 5th graders are working on a round "Hey Ho" and wanted to try singing it in three parts. They also explored expression in the song "Ghost of John."

Hope everyone had a happy and safe Halloween! My youngest had a great first Halloween. Does he remind you have a song...?:) 

September Music!

September Music!

Every month I'm going to be posting pictures of celebrity singers in chorus. I will also be posting the musician, culture and composer of the month for first through third grade. (Thank you for all of your suggestions! Please feel free to still send in recommendations for your families' cultures!) Finally, I'm trying to include pictures and videos of what goes on in the music room! September was a bit of a blur but there will be more next month. I teach 33 classes a week (25 JFK and 10 Parmenter) so while I can not capture every class, every month, (I would need a personal videographer!) I'll do my best to capture each class before the end of the year. Hopefully, by seeing another class in your child's grade you'll still be able to have a great conversation with your child about what they're learning in music! 

Thanks for reading! Mrs. Mac(Murray)

Kindergarten:

This first term students are focusing on two things. 1. Learning that the beat is a steady pulse. (We've been exploring our surroundings and finding the beat everywhere! Our hearts, tools, clocks, music, instruments, our bodies, buses, windshield wipes, swings and so on can all move with a steady pulse!) 2. We can use our voice to shout, speak, whisper, sing, chant, and audiate! (Ask them to show you all the voices we use in music!) 

Mrs. Trottier's Class JFK

Students explored a new instrument, the tambourine and found the beat in Elvis Presley's "Hound Dog".

1st Grade:

In first grade we took a few weeks to review our concepts from kindergarten. We are now focusing on two learning objectives. 1. We can echo patterns in duple meter using syllables. (We are using syllables such as Du (pronounced Doo) and Du de (pronounced Doo day). This is the second step in learning how to become fluent in rhythm. 2. We can accurately find and sing the resting tone. (The resting tone is one of the most important notes in a song sometimes referred to as "Do" pronounced "Doh" when in major tonality. Students could not get enough of our musician of the month, Ray Charles. We talked about how there must have been times when things were hard due to being blind but he never gave up! 

2nd Grade:

In second grade we spent a few weeks reviewing end of the year first grade objectives. This year we are echoing and identifying two different kinds of patterns in duple meter (Macro/micro patterns and Division/Elongation patterns). We are also learning to sing patterns in major tonality using solfege starting with the resting tone! (Think Sound of Music Do-Re-Mi:) We decided to start our cultures right here in the United States! How lucky are we that we are the home to the King of Blues, Rock, Pop and many more? Students also met a jazz favorite Louis Armstrong!

3rd Grade:

In third grade we spent a few weeks reviewing end of the year second grade objectives. This year we are focusing on composers. We are singing solfege syllables in major tonality and we have been reading and creating rhythms in duple meter. We learned about the composer Gustav Holst who used the planets as inspiration for his composition "The Planets Suite". 

Sneak peek at the one of our planet compositions. Students created this rhythm as a class, talked about revisions with friends and then voted on the final 16 beats!

We listened to Mars in class. Here students can see what it looks like in concert.

4th Grade:

Students in fourth grade spent the first month learning the names of the notes on the treble clef staff and reviewing rhythms in duple meter and their names. Ask your students to teach you the tricks for the line and space notes! Recorders are beginning in just two weeks! They will come home in January:)

5th Grade:

We have been so busy catching up on recorder from last year! We are reviewing notes from last year and adding some new practices to our bag of tricks! Students are learning how to count rhythms! Their middle school teachers will be so impressed! Remember, recorders should always be in backpacks and every student should be practicing the recorder 5x a week for 10 minutes each time. Can't wait for ukuleles will begin this month! 
Feel free to check out my previous post: Thinking of buying a ukulele?

3rd, 4th, and 5th Grade Chorus
All choirs have been learning or reviewing their chorus objectives. So far we have done...
1. We can sing with the 5 points of posture.
2. We can sing with great breath support!

Reminder that concert dates are on their right side of this blog page. These kids are going to sound amazing!

September Celebrity Singers

3rd Parmenter

3rd JFK

4th JFK

5th JFK

JFK Concert Date Change

Sorry for any confusion!

New concert date for JFK 3rd and 4th end of the year concerts is Thursday, June 13th. Information has been updated in important dates.

Please share! Thank you! Mrs. Mac

Mrs. Mac is back!

Welcome back everyone!

I'm so excited to be back at Parmenter and JFK Elementary Schools. While it's always hard to see a maternity leave and summer come to an end (I can't believe my baby is almost 6 months old!), I'm thankful I have a job I love coming back to. One new thing this year is my room at JFK! I'm now in room 28 in the modulars. Some former students may remember when I was in there before! While it's always hard to say goodbye to an old room, I'm thankful for the AC in my new room. Looking forward to a year of musical growth! 

~ Mrs. Mac

MUSICIAN/CULTURE/COMPOSER OF THE MONTH

In an effort to enrich your child’s musical experience, I have created a board for first, second, and third graders at both schools that ties their birthdays to famous composers, musicians and cultures. My hope is that in addition to helping them grow as musicians it will also help them learn different types of music and grow in their acceptance of people’s differences.

Like last year, to try to provide more consistency and align with the classroom and music curriculum, I'm going to do a musician for 1st grade, culture for 2nd grade, and composer for 3rd grade. 

SECOND GRADE FAMILIES: In terms of cultures, I hope to present music with as much authenticity as possible, I know I will be learning much of the music alongside your children. I also recognize that within a small region there are many different musical styles. Therefore it will be impossible to represent all regions and styles. Here is where you come in! If you have any knowledge of music from another part of the world or you would like me to celebrate music from your family's country please take this short survey below to share your idea! A yellow paper will also come home that you can fill out if that is easier. If you already shared last year, please share again! Thank you in advance!

2nd Grade Culture of the Month Survey

CHORUS and CONCERT DATES

All concert dates can be found on the right side of my blog page under important dates. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me. *Feel free to share these dates and my blog to any school groups you may be a part of!

For those of you new to JFK and Parmenter or have students in 3rd grade who are hopefully coming home excited about chorus here is a quick overview! Chorus is a 45 minute block once a week in addition to general music where students come together to sing as a group. My goal is to help students grow as musicians, gain confidence, and have fun! As a special incentive, I pick celebrity singers every week. Find out more below!

Q: What's a celebrity singer?

A: A celebrity singer is a student in chorus that demonstrates great effort, leadership, and focus. They also show great singing technique such as good posture, vowel shapes, pitch, breathing, etc. Sometimes I also pick a student whom I feel has shown great improvement. With the help of the educational assistants and celebrity singers from the previous week, I try to chose one boy and one girl per week. Some weeks I can't help myself and pick more!

Q: Where did this idea come from?

A: I wanted to show students that anyone can join and love chorus and become a singer. It's not just for a certain type of person, everyone was born to sing! I began thinking about celebrities such as Anne Hathaway, Beyonce, Matt Damon, Theodore Roosevelt, etc. that were all in chorus when they were younger. Sometimes the best singers are the people you would least expect!

Q: What can I do to help?

A: Never tell your child they can't sing! Also be careful about how you joke about your own singing. We're all born with the right equipment to sing. Some of us unfortunately just never learned how to use it! Anyone can learn to sing!

PRIVATE LESSON REFERRALS

Every year parents ask for recommendations for private teachers for all different instruments. The music department has a running list of well qualified teachers in the Franklin area. However, every year we see incredible talent throughout Franklin and realize there are teachers we are missing. If your child takes or has taken private lesson and you would like your child’s teacher to be recommended, please fill out the below referral or direct your child's teacher to this link. Your child's teacher can also contact me at macmurraym@franklin.k12.ma.us if they would like to be added to the list.

Private Lessons Referral

Our current list which is still being updated can be found at the following link
Private Lesson Referral List