Alash

HSES was incredibly fortunate to host the Alash Ensemble recently for a performance at our school. They are currently on tour in North America and were performing at the university nearby, UGA. I discussed the group's country of origin, the Republic of Tuva, and their unique style of performing called throat singing. They were fabulous and the students were so fascinated! I heard from many parents that throat singing was the topic of conversation at their dinner table that night including some demonstrations. ;)

Here are a few pictures of their performance a some video clips of the group you can check out. Their website also has some wonderful information if you'd like to learn more about them: http://alashensemble.com/

Alexander and the Rhythm/Instrument Review!

One of my favorite children's books is the classic, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, by Judith Viorst. Artie Almeida has a wonderful lesson plan in her book, Mallet Madness, that serves as a great review activity for the beginning of the year! Not only does it review basic rhythms but you can also use it for an instrument technique refresher as well. Our HSES 2nd graders have really enjoyed this activity as we have gotten back into the swing of things in music class.

First we read the story together...

Next, we reviewed the quarter note, eighth notes, and quarter rest, and then I had the students discover the rhythm of the repeated phrase in the book, "...terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day."

I divided the students into 4 groups and each group practiced one part of the phrase. Then each group played their rhythm on their instruments and we put the phrase all together.

The woodblocks:

The tambourines:

The maracas:

The drums:

Then I read the book again, and each group played the rhythm on their instrument on the correct words. Great job, 2nd graders!

A Special Concert at HSES

How lucky are we at HSES?? Our new principal, Mr. Eddy, is a musician and former band director so our 2nd grade classes were treated to a special concert performed by him and his family! The Eddys demonstrated the clarinet, oboe, saxophone, flute, piccolo, and violin. Since our 2nd graders are currently learning about the Instruments of the Orchestra, they loved being able to see the instruments up close and hear their sound in person. Here are a few pictures from their performance:

Instruments of the Orchestra Centers

Here is a sneak peak into some centers that 2nd graders recently did to help them practice identifying the Instruments of the Orchestra!

Instruments of the Orchestra

Second grade classes are currently learning about the Instruments of the Orchestra. I love teaching about the orchestra but I always struggle to create interactive lessons to go along with this unit.

After teaching about the String Family, I had the students get into 5 groups. Each team received a picture of one of the stringed instruments, a dry erase marker, and eraser. They were asked to work as a team to write as many facts about their instrument as they remember from the lesson. They also enjoyed labeling the various parts of their instrument. 

I found that this was a great way to incorporate team work and also assess what they had learned from the lesson. Once each group was done, they shared their facts with the class and posted their instrument on the board for everyone to see. 

It Rained on Anne

Second graders at HSES are really enjoying our study of Italian musical terms. They love learning the vocabulary of "real musicians!" ;) This lesson about fermatas is one I learned from my mentor teacher years ago and it has become a favorite!

First, I teach the students the following poem. After they are comfortable, I like to add a simple steady beat (pat, clap). After the students can perform the poem well, I ask them to listen as I change something. I read the poem again, this time adding a long pause on the word, "huge." The students then perform with me.

I introduce the fermata symbol and definition and have the students practice drawing the symbol in the air. We perform the poem again, this time drawing the fermata in the air on the word, "huge." We then move the fermata to different words in the poem and perform the fermatas.

Next, I have the students get into small groups and experiment with the fermata on a variety of words. Once they have their poem like they want it, they practice it together. This gives them a chance to practice drawing the fermata as well as discover where fermatas might naturally fit in a piece.

Each group then performs for the class and the other students have to locate the words that had a fermata. The students pick volunteers to come to the board and put the symbols in the correct place.

At this point, we typically discuss how there are not usually many fermatas in a song and how some songs don't have any at all. The students enjoy looking through their music book to find songs that utilize a fermata. I usually follow up with another one of my favorite lessons, Shoo Fly!

There is also a great Orff lesson using the song, "It Rained on Anne," in Konnie Saliba's book, "A Musical Adventure." You can check it out here.

Musical Symbol Pumpkins

After completing a unit on musical terms, 2nd graders created their own Musical Symbols Pumpkins! They used the various musical symbols they had been learning about to create some funny faces on their Jack-o-Lanterns. It was a great review and an opportunity for them to practice drawing the symbols. Check out these cute pumpkins...

"March" from the Nutcracker

As a young girl, I watched in wonderment when our family would attend a performance of "The Nutcracker Ballet."  I absolutely loved the music, dancing, costumes, and scenery!  And now... I get to teach it to my students!  It has become one of my favorite units to teach.

This year, I focused on teaching the Nutcracker to second grade.  After reading the story of the Nutcracker and talking about it's origins, we watched and listened to some of the most famous pieces, including the "March."  The students got so excited when they recognized this piece!

Next, we listened to the song again and discovered it's form.  Second grade classes have been talking a lot about form this year, so they figured it out very quickly!  After studying the varying sections, the students learned that this is called Rondo Form (when the A section - or refrain - alternates with contrasting themes). 

 

The students were then introduced to our new movement prop, Mr. Stretchy Band!

 

 

Using a lesson plan from Artie Almeida's "Parachutes and Ribbons and Scarves, Oh My!" we used Mr. Stretchy to move to the various sections of the March.  During the A sections, students used the stretchy band to form a circle and marched to the music.

 

 

 

 

During the contrasting sections, the students stopped marching and faced the middle of the circle.  Holding the stretchy band above their heads, they listened as I called out different colors. When their color was called, they had to run under the stretchy band and quickly switch places with somebody else.  Of course, they thought this was so much fun! 

 

 

 

 

 Learning while having fun... my favorite combination! ツ