Music in April!

Here is what we are up to in music class this month!

Primary:

Grades K,1,2 are continuing to work on steady beat, singing voices, and rhythm reading in duple and triple meter.  The children are also focusing on rhyming words, song with repetition, and speech pieces to improve vocabulary and musicianship.  Kindergarten students are using speech specifically to learn new rhythms and perform them on a variety of instruments.  First and second grade students are using rhythm manipulatives to create their own music phrases while continuing to use play, song and dance to enhance their skills.  The students have chosen concert performance pieces and will start rehearsing for this event this month.


Intermediate:

Grades 3,4,& 5 are continuing to review rhythm and note reading, through recorder practice, and rhythm flash cards.  All intermediate grades are working with dance for musical interpretation.  Intermediate students are also working on singing in both English and Spanish.  3rd grade students are continuing to work on difficult dances and small compositions.  4th and 5th grade students are advancing their recorder skills by learning new notes and rhythms and attempting to read and perform more difficult music.  They are also performing difficult dances and learning to sing in two parts.  Students have selected concert pieces and begin rehearsals this month.  The 5th grade students are quite busy preparing for their performance at our annual Gala which involves learning a broadway musical song, singing in Spanish and difficult choreography.

Middle School:

Middle school students continue to learn advanced xylophone and percussion pieces that involve note and rhythm reading.  Our 6th grade students are working to review rhythm reading in several parts.  7th and 8th grade students will be reading and performing 3-5 part percussion ensemble pieces.   This month, the students have chosen concert performance pieces which range from singing in 1 or 2 parts, xylophone work, stepping, dancing and percussion ensemble.  They will begin work for our May 24th performance.