Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Halloween Hallways!
5th Grade has been learning all about music pitches and their names in
order to prepare for learning to play the recorder :) We've learned
silly songs to remember that the spaces on the treble clef spell F-A-C-E
and that the lines are E-G-B-D-F. Another way to help us remember the
lines is we came up with our own mnemonics like Every Good Bear Deserves
Fish and Edvard Grieg Buys Duck Feet. For the spaces I gave students a
paper plate and the instructions that they could alter it in any way as
long as they made it a face with a Halloween theme (spooky or characters
to dress up as!) Now, our hallways look festive and so creative!!

Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Showbiz Props
Calling all 4th graders and their families who have props to use for the upcoming program! 4th Grade has been working very hard on their quickly approaching program, A Little Bit of Showbiz, on November 7th at 6 PM. We've worked on music, movement, and speaking roles-the only things missing are props to use! Instead of requiring kids to go out and purchase feather boas, top hats, canes, or capes, I thought it'd be best to see what items people already have. So please send your child in the next two weeks with any props you may have lying around. Thanks and look forward to seeing you at the performance!
Monday, October 21, 2013
Successful Fall Festival Musical!
I was very satisfied and proud of the 6th Grade's program, Fall Festival Musical! This was my first "official" program to direct and I felt that I couldn't have asked for a better group to share it with :) Lots of compliments were given from community members and families so I know they enjoyed seeing the kids perform. Check out the photos of students marching in a parade, singing, dancing with snowflakes, playing kazoos, and having fun. Nice work 6th Grade!!
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
October's Composer of the Month
Edvard Grieg
June 15, 1843 - September 4, 1907
Romantic Period
This month's composer is Norway's national hero! Grieg is to Norway what George Washington is to America and William Shakespeare to England: his country's most celebrated human. Grieg started learning piano at a very young age from his mom, started composing music at age 9, and attended the best music school at 15. He wrote over 150 piano compositions, 140 songs, background music for plays, and much more. We enjoyed studying two of his pieces from the play, Peer Gynt Suite (I bet you recognize them!) and one of his beloved country's folk songs.Romantic Period
Fun facts:
Grieg always carried a little frog statue in his pocket everywhere he went and would rub it before concerts for good luck!
Both him and his wife were shorter than 5 feet tall!
Peer Gynt Suite: Morning Mood
Norwegian Dance No. 2
Peer Gynt Suite: In the Hall of the Mountain King
6th Grade Costumes
Greetings 6th grade students & parents/guardians! Tomorrow night is the BIG NIGHT! During class today a few kids had questions about what they were suppose to wear tomorrow. Here is the letter I sent home a few weeks ago that may have gotten lost sometime between then and now:
See you tomorrow for a night of entertainment and fun!
See you tomorrow for a night of entertainment and fun!
Saturday, October 12, 2013
Why is MUSIC Important? Music Advocacy
Obviously, since I am a music teacher I feel strongly about the importance of music in schools. I'm convinced of the benefits and necessity of music because it's been one of the biggest driving forces in my own personal life. Instead of hearing me ramble on and on about it, I thought I'd post some thoughts and facts by experts and various other people who can say it better than I can. Enjoy :)
6 benefits of music in early childhood
Posted by: Shara | January 31, 2012
Submitted by Slimy Bookworm
Today we are re-posting a fun article from Bola, owner of Slimy Bookworm, an online bookstore for children.
“If music be the food of love, play on” said William Shakespeare. The sensory experience of music is cardinal in early child development. Exposing a child to music is particularly important before they become verbal. It is always a delight watching my toddler who only speaks “baby language” light up to music. Depending on the tempo of the music, he would either sway from side to side or even break into a dance. You can’t teach kids these things, you just exposure them to music and let them be themselves.
Here are 6 good reasons to consciously exposure your child to music:
Language Development: The rhymes and repetition in nursery rhymes helps infants and toddlers with language development.
Motor Development: Infants and toddlers would usually respond to music by clapping their hands, stomping their feet and dancing. These are motor activities. The more they do, the better they get at it leading to better development of their muscles and nerves.
Social Development: Preschool teachers know that when they turn on music, they get laughter and pure silliness from the kids. Music loosens the kids and foster interaction between the kids and their instructors.
Memory Development: Kids learn to commit the lyrics of the songs they enjoy to memory further improving their brain’s capacity.
Improves Mood: Have you had to deal with getting a cranky kid through a checkout line in a grocery store? I have, playing music from my phone on those occasions works wonders! Works for car rides too. Kiboomu.com has over 1,000 children’s song downloads with lyrics and kids music apps at affordable rates. They even have a subscription plan that any parent (especially homeschoolers or preschool teachers) would find valuable.
Entertainment: Everyone needs to have some downtime and need to let loose every now and then, yes even kids. Music has the ability to make this happen.
Music does seem to be the food of a child’s brain development, so play on!
- See more at: http://blog.kabongo.com/6-benefits-of-music-in-early-childhood/#sthash.JWiRF3Xh.dpuf“If music be the food of love, play on” said William Shakespeare. The sensory experience of music is cardinal in early child development. Exposing a child to music is particularly important before they become verbal. It is always a delight watching my toddler who only speaks “baby language” light up to music. Depending on the tempo of the music, he would either sway from side to side or even break into a dance. You can’t teach kids these things, you just exposure them to music and let them be themselves.
Here are 6 good reasons to consciously exposure your child to music:
Language Development: The rhymes and repetition in nursery rhymes helps infants and toddlers with language development.
Motor Development: Infants and toddlers would usually respond to music by clapping their hands, stomping their feet and dancing. These are motor activities. The more they do, the better they get at it leading to better development of their muscles and nerves.
Social Development: Preschool teachers know that when they turn on music, they get laughter and pure silliness from the kids. Music loosens the kids and foster interaction between the kids and their instructors.
Memory Development: Kids learn to commit the lyrics of the songs they enjoy to memory further improving their brain’s capacity.
Improves Mood: Have you had to deal with getting a cranky kid through a checkout line in a grocery store? I have, playing music from my phone on those occasions works wonders! Works for car rides too. Kiboomu.com has over 1,000 children’s song downloads with lyrics and kids music apps at affordable rates. They even have a subscription plan that any parent (especially homeschoolers or preschool teachers) would find valuable.
Entertainment: Everyone needs to have some downtime and need to let loose every now and then, yes even kids. Music has the ability to make this happen.
Music does seem to be the food of a child’s brain development, so play on!
6 benefits of music in early childhood
Posted by: Shara | January 31, 2012
Submitted by Slimy Bookworm
Today we are re-posting a fun article from Bola, owner of Slimy Bookworm, an online bookstore for children.
“If music be the food of love, play on” said William Shakespeare. The sensory experience of music is cardinal in early child development. Exposing a child to music is particularly important before they become verbal. It is always a delight watching my toddler who only speaks “baby language” light up to music. Depending on the tempo of the music, he would either sway from side to side or even break into a dance. You can’t teach kids these things, you just exposure them to music and let them be themselves.
Here are 6 good reasons to consciously exposure your child to music:
Language Development: The rhymes and repetition in nursery rhymes helps infants and toddlers with language development.
Motor Development: Infants and toddlers would usually respond to music by clapping their hands, stomping their feet and dancing. These are motor activities. The more they do, the better they get at it leading to better development of their muscles and nerves.
Social Development: Preschool teachers know that when they turn on music, they get laughter and pure silliness from the kids. Music loosens the kids and foster interaction between the kids and their instructors.
Memory Development: Kids learn to commit the lyrics of the songs they enjoy to memory further improving their brain’s capacity.
Improves Mood: Have you had to deal with getting a cranky kid through a checkout line in a grocery store? I have, playing music from my phone on those occasions works wonders! Works for car rides too. Kiboomu.com has over 1,000 children’s song downloads with lyrics and kids music apps at affordable rates. They even have a subscription plan that any parent (especially homeschoolers or preschool teachers) would find valuable.
Entertainment: Everyone needs to have some downtime and need to let loose every now and then, yes even kids. Music has the ability to make this happen.
Music does seem to be the food of a child’s brain development, so play on!
- See more at: http://blog.kabongo.com/6-benefits-of-music-in-early-childhood/#sthash.JWiRF3Xh.dpuf“If music be the food of love, play on” said William Shakespeare. The sensory experience of music is cardinal in early child development. Exposing a child to music is particularly important before they become verbal. It is always a delight watching my toddler who only speaks “baby language” light up to music. Depending on the tempo of the music, he would either sway from side to side or even break into a dance. You can’t teach kids these things, you just exposure them to music and let them be themselves.
Here are 6 good reasons to consciously exposure your child to music:
Language Development: The rhymes and repetition in nursery rhymes helps infants and toddlers with language development.
Motor Development: Infants and toddlers would usually respond to music by clapping their hands, stomping their feet and dancing. These are motor activities. The more they do, the better they get at it leading to better development of their muscles and nerves.
Social Development: Preschool teachers know that when they turn on music, they get laughter and pure silliness from the kids. Music loosens the kids and foster interaction between the kids and their instructors.
Memory Development: Kids learn to commit the lyrics of the songs they enjoy to memory further improving their brain’s capacity.
Improves Mood: Have you had to deal with getting a cranky kid through a checkout line in a grocery store? I have, playing music from my phone on those occasions works wonders! Works for car rides too. Kiboomu.com has over 1,000 children’s song downloads with lyrics and kids music apps at affordable rates. They even have a subscription plan that any parent (especially homeschoolers or preschool teachers) would find valuable.
Entertainment: Everyone needs to have some downtime and need to let loose every now and then, yes even kids. Music has the ability to make this happen.
Music does seem to be the food of a child’s brain development, so play on!
6 benefits of music in early childhood
Posted by: Shara | January 31, 2012
Submitted by Slimy Bookworm
Today we are re-posting a fun article from Bola, owner of Slimy Bookworm, an online bookstore for children.
“If music be the food of love, play on” said William Shakespeare. The sensory experience of music is cardinal in early child development. Exposing a child to music is particularly important before they become verbal. It is always a delight watching my toddler who only speaks “baby language” light up to music. Depending on the tempo of the music, he would either sway from side to side or even break into a dance. You can’t teach kids these things, you just exposure them to music and let them be themselves.
Here are 6 good reasons to consciously exposure your child to music:
Language Development: The rhymes and repetition in nursery rhymes helps infants and toddlers with language development.
Motor Development: Infants and toddlers would usually respond to music by clapping their hands, stomping their feet and dancing. These are motor activities. The more they do, the better they get at it leading to better development of their muscles and nerves.
Social Development: Preschool teachers know that when they turn on music, they get laughter and pure silliness from the kids. Music loosens the kids and foster interaction between the kids and their instructors.
Memory Development: Kids learn to commit the lyrics of the songs they enjoy to memory further improving their brain’s capacity.
Improves Mood: Have you had to deal with getting a cranky kid through a checkout line in a grocery store? I have, playing music from my phone on those occasions works wonders! Works for car rides too. Kiboomu.com has over 1,000 children’s song downloads with lyrics and kids music apps at affordable rates. They even have a subscription plan that any parent (especially homeschoolers or preschool teachers) would find valuable.
Entertainment: Everyone needs to have some downtime and need to let loose every now and then, yes even kids. Music has the ability to make this happen.
Music does seem to be the food of a child’s brain development, so play on!
- See more at: http://blog.kabongo.com/6-benefits-of-music-in-early-childhood/#sthash.JWiRF3Xh.dpuf“If music be the food of love, play on” said William Shakespeare. The sensory experience of music is cardinal in early child development. Exposing a child to music is particularly important before they become verbal. It is always a delight watching my toddler who only speaks “baby language” light up to music. Depending on the tempo of the music, he would either sway from side to side or even break into a dance. You can’t teach kids these things, you just exposure them to music and let them be themselves.
Here are 6 good reasons to consciously exposure your child to music:
Language Development: The rhymes and repetition in nursery rhymes helps infants and toddlers with language development.
Motor Development: Infants and toddlers would usually respond to music by clapping their hands, stomping their feet and dancing. These are motor activities. The more they do, the better they get at it leading to better development of their muscles and nerves.
Social Development: Preschool teachers know that when they turn on music, they get laughter and pure silliness from the kids. Music loosens the kids and foster interaction between the kids and their instructors.
Memory Development: Kids learn to commit the lyrics of the songs they enjoy to memory further improving their brain’s capacity.
Improves Mood: Have you had to deal with getting a cranky kid through a checkout line in a grocery store? I have, playing music from my phone on those occasions works wonders! Works for car rides too. Kiboomu.com has over 1,000 children’s song downloads with lyrics and kids music apps at affordable rates. They even have a subscription plan that any parent (especially homeschoolers or preschool teachers) would find valuable.
Entertainment: Everyone needs to have some downtime and need to let loose every now and then, yes even kids. Music has the ability to make this happen.
Music does seem to be the food of a child’s brain development, so play on!
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