This week, the first graders continued working on their sol, la, and mi solfege singing. To help celebrate Halloween, we listened to some fun classical music in minor while they decorated bats, then played a great game called "Flap and Fly." Bats are nocturnal, meaning that they sleep in the daytime and are awake at night. Bats were asleep while the lights were on, then a student (the Sun) turned off the lights so the bats could dance and sing! When the sun came up, the lights were turned back on and the bats fell asleep. We also sang a call and response song called "Woman All Skin and Bones."
First grade sleeping bats
The second graders read a book, "Old Wind," and used various instruments as sound effects. It was so much fun to add the instruments and vocal sounds to make the book sound even cooler! We recorded the students' performances, and we will share them next week - so stay tuned! They also got to meet our special friend, the skeleton marionette! He danced while we listened to "Funeral March of the Marionette" by French composer Charles Gounod.
In third grade, the students repeated their "Funeral March of a Marionette" activity from last year- they loved it so much! We compared the music from that piece to the "Funeral March" by another composer, Frédéric Chopin. Even though they are both in the minor tonality, they have such a different mood!
The fourth grade students are almost ready for next week's Veteran's Day assembly! They rehearsed the music for their featured part of the song, and also learned the other parts so they can sing along. In chorus, they worked on their grade level song, "Stars that Twinkle and Shine," as well as the slow and lyrical "Candlelight Canon."
The fifth graders did an awesome listening activity this week! They followed a listening map for "Danse Macabre" by Camille Saint-Saens. It's based off of a poem by Henri Cazalis and features a violin soloist. I (Mrs. Rzasa) played some of the themes on my violin so they could find them as we listened to the song. We also listened to a spooky song with a cool secret twist by Henry Cowell. Ask your 5th grader what the surprise is!
We hope you have a fun and safe Halloween!