Since the last update all classes have been learning about pitch through singing solfege, hand signs and Boomwhackers. Read below for details with each room!
Red Room: Students have been learning to echo vocal patterns and match pitch using the solfege syllables So, La, Mi and Do. This weekly practice builds up listening skills and develops the vocal chords. We have begun using action songs to make connections to what we hear- by listening to the words of a song and listening for the tempo (fast or slow) of a song. Red Roomers really enjoy moving fast!
Orange Room: Students have continued to learn about the note names on the Treble staff through reading and our silly songs. We started to combine our silly songs into the "Musical Alphabet Song" to review each note name and where it is on the staff. Recently we have sung "Hot Cross Buns" and "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" to review singing with solfege and make connections to the Boomwhacker notes on the Treble staff. Orange Roomers really like the "F, marching machine" silly song!
Yellow Room: Students have been reviewing singing solfege, using hand signs and making connections of what they sing to what they see on the music staff. We sang "Hot Cross Buns" while using Boomwhackers to connect the syllables Mi-Re-Do. This past week we sang a full scale using solfege with a little help from The Sound of Music's Do-Re-Mi song. Yellow Roomers were excited to sing along to this classic tune!
Green Room: Students performed the song "10 Little Boomers" in class with strong singing, accurate "whacking" and excellent timing! We have since added the pentascale, or 5 note scale, and are working on singing, playing, and identifying it in our songs. While we do use the colored notation of Boomwhackers to help read we also created silly rhymes for the lines and space of the staff (some examples will be available on the Music Board later on). Green Roomers enjoy playing "boomwhacker telephone" in passing rhythms around the circle!
Turquoise Room: Students have been reviewing note names on the Treble staff through our pentatonic scale, five note scale, and five note songs. We finished "10 Little Boomers" and have started to use familiar folk songs to read the staff but with a twist- each student has one note to play! This requires everyone to actively follow to completely play a song. Additionally we are adding dynamic (volume) changes to the songs by making musical decisions. Turquoise Roomers have energy when using Boomwhackers!
Blue Room: Students have mastered the pentatonic scale and have moved onto the full C diatonic scale! We are now learning various folk songs to build our Treble clef reading abilities while adding new musical elements. Last week we studied ostinato, a continuous melodic or rhythmic pattern, and we will create an ostinato to add to our song "Are You Sleeping?". Following that we will discuss musical shape and how we can use dynamics to guide our shaping of the melody.
Purple Room: We have video recorded a few of our bucket drumming cadences! A post will be coming this week so you can see and hear for yourself. Stay "tuned"!