Welcome to the Music Classroom
“Bach gave us God’s Word,
Mozart gave us God’s Laughter,
Beethoven gave us God’s Fire,
God gave us MUSIC
That we may pray without words.”
Hello! I am Dr. Driscoll. Welcome to the world of music. There are so many wonderful new things going on in the music program.
Come! Join us! Keep the beat!!!
Dance and SING!!!!
This year we have 17 new keyboards. Students from K to 8th learn the basics of music notation and theory through class piano lessons.
The students use rhythm instruments (castanets, maracas, drums, sticks, triangles, bells, blocks, cymbals, xylophones, etc.) as they dance and move to different kinds of music from around the world.
Group singing begins with vocalization exercises that are both fun and imaginative.
With dramatic play the children especially in the lower grades learn early on that music is in every facet of ones daily life.
Second graders work on their rhythm band. Third graders focus on playing the recorder. Fourth graders specialize in singing “acappella”. Fifth graders play the “tone chimes”.
Musical performance highlights this year:
Grandparents Day ( Nov. 22nd)
*1st Graders played “Mary Had a Little Lamb” on the keyboard
*2nd graders presented a rhythm band rendition of “Three Blind Mice”
*3rd grade played “Hot Cross Buns”, “Au Clare de la Lune”, “Mary Had a Little Lamb”, and “Jingle
Bells” on their recorders
*4th grade sang “ La Arana Pequenita” and “Buenos Dias" acappella
*8th graders sang “Fifty-Nifty United States”
*School Choir sang “Still, still, still” and “It’s in my Desk”
Christmas Program (Dec. 10th)
*2nd graders played “Jingle Bells” on the keyboard
*3rd graders played 3 songs on their recorders
*4th graders sang “Hail Mary Gentle Woman” acappella
*5th graders played “Silent Night” and “O Little Town of Bethlehem” on their tonechimes
January 2012
K to 8 are moving on in their keyboard skills. We have started to play with both hands in some grades.
All classes especially 1st to 8th are working on music notation: types of notes, time signature, the notes on the staff, etc. They learn the concept of flat, sharp and neutrals; the differences between legato and staccato, etc.
All classes are introduced to different composers such as Bach, Mozart, Strauss, Copeland, Foster, Guthrie, and others with easy to follow stories and DVDs.
In addition to keyboard playing and reading music and music theory, the middle school are also studying Music History this month and through the coming months.
Concurrently they are focusing on the Ancient Period (up to 800 AD) and looking at the evidences of music in the civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece and Rome through articles from iconography and archeology. They look at ancient musical instruments like the sistrum, the kitara, the lur, etc.
Next few weeks the middle school will move on to Music in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.