Can you feel the force of the beat?

Star Wars Extravaganza

 

 

 

In Kindergarten the main focus is to find the beat and the rhythm of the words. This helps students with reading and recognizing the different syllables in words. In music we call the beat: The heartbeat and the rhythm of the words: the way the words go!

 

This activity we used our "beat"sabers to tap with our friends the heart beat of the music from Star Wars.

 

First we discussed how to properly listen to music. 1. We sit criss cross applesauce 2. We keep our lips sealed 3. We put our listening ears on 4. Our hands in our lap.

 

Then I played the song The Imperial March from Star Wars. It was amazing to see how the students faces lit up once they recognized where the song was from!

 

We then brought out our "beat"sabers and created movement that matched the music! Check out the fun we had in music class!

 

 

Music and Art

Century Park Learning Center Art Walk

As a fundraiser Century Park Learning Center had the students create an art walk. Classrooms chose an artist and then recreated the artwork and displayed it in the windows and around the school. With the help of the art teacher Nick Leonard, he showed me a really cool painting by Jasper Johns.

I noticed that the painting was comprised of numbers between 0-9. I wanted to put a musical spin on it so we decided to use musical notes starting with the shortest beat progressing all the way to the whole note which receives four whole beats. The students then listened to a musical piece called Totentanz by Liszt.

 

 

The students then were asked to draw how the music made them feel or an experience it reminded them of. Some students thought the music sounded happy or even sad. Others expressed how it reminded them of Halloween and spooky. 

This student said how he thought the music started out dark and scary then kept getting happier and brighter by the end. That is why he started with the dark color and then progressed into the happier colors!

 

 

 Students in action!

Our finished project!

Rhythms and Straws OH MY!

Straws and rhythms...who would have thought?!

In 2nd grade we have been reviewing and learning rhythms: Ta=Quarter Note, TITI=2 Eighth Notes, and Z=Quarter Rest. We first started by writing the rhythms on the board and then the students would copy and build the rhythms using straws.

TITI TITI TA TA

Our next step was to listen to Mrs. Mergan say the rhythm out loud and then build it! The students had a blast building rhythms and at the end I gave them free time to build whatever they would like. I had some students build rhythms that were gigantic and could even say them to the correct beat. Great Work!

Now students can build rhythms with straws! Ask your child to show you how to build rhythms and see if you can find household items to make up the Ta TiTi or Z!!



WELCOME!

Hello and welcome to my music blog!

 

I just wanted to thank you for subscribing to my blog. 

 Even though I only work with your child a short time, it is amazing to see how much they learn, experience, and have fun in the music classroom!

Please welcome Mr Durand!

He is a student at Grand Valley State University and is getting his Bachelors degree in Music Education. He student assists in the morning with me at each of our schools. Mr. Durand's focus is on band and he also plays the bassoon! He brought his instrument to school and has played it for the students. Their immediate response to the instrument was, "It sounds like a cow!" We have also discovered the bassoon is taller than most of our students.

 

Coming tomorrow... numerous pictures and videos of students in action! Don't miss it!

Mr. Noisy

The first graders have been learning a lot about percussion instruments through Mallet Madness. It is amazing way to have ALL the students playing at once and to experience numerous instruments within the 25 min. of class time. Yes, it can get loud but I call it organized madness!

Here is a video of the students creating the noisy rhythm of Ta Ta TiTi Ta.

THANK YOU!

BARNYARD MOOSICAL

Thank you so much for coming and watching the Kindergarten students perform The Barnyard Moosical!

We had a packed auditorium for every concert and the students really sang and danced their hearts out. I am so lucky to be apart of your child's musical experience and appreciate their excitement and eagerness to learn music. 

I cannot thank you enough for supporting the program and Grandville Public Schools!

If you have any pictures from the concert please email them to me at: jmergan@gpsbulldogs.org I would love to include some within my blog. 

THANK YOU!

Kindergarten Mallet Madness

The Kindergarten students have been learning how to play numerous percussion instruments. In class we are learning and working hard at perfecting the correct way to play each instrument. Once they mastered the correct skills we began playing simple rhythmic patterns and ostinatos on the instruments.

The student below is demonstrating the correct way to hold mallets which are used on the xylophones and glockenspiels. 

We say "Thumbs Up" and "No Sneaky Fingers!"

Once the students have accomplished the right grip on the mallets, we then work on the correct posture while playing the instrument. This student is showing off her great, "bicycle arms" which I always remind the students to get their elbows up and ride the bike so they have more movement while playing their instrument.

This is the Ocean Drum. This drum not only sounds like a snare drum when using mallets but it also sounds like the waves at the ocean. I love to use this instrument after an interactive high movement lesson to calm the students down before they go back to class. 

BOOMWHAKERS! Yes, the students LOVE to play these instruments because you can hit them on the ground or your own body to make the correct sound and they don't hurt. Here the student is showing the correct way to hold the instruments. Not too tight and right by the bottom of the tube.

Kindergarten and 1st Grade Students ROCK at Rhythms

The kindergarten students at all three schools have been working really hard in music class. They have been learning how to read rhythms and play them on different instruments. They are now able to play and read Ta, TiTi, and Rest (Z)!

 

 

This activity I placed 5 different rhythms on the board and the 6th one was a mystery rhythm where the students were able to play whatever they wanted. One student was asked to roll the die and whatever number it landed on we played the corresponding rhythm for that one. When the students heard me chant: 1 2 3 4 Put your instruments on the floor. 5 6 7 8 Hurry don't be late (BOOM) after the word "late" the students are suppose to play one sound on their instrument to show me they are ready to go for the next rhythm.

 

The first video is a class from Cummings Elementary and they are demonstrating how to play TiTi TiTi Rest Rest. The second rhythm they rolled a number 6 so they were able to play whatever they wanted, which is by far their favorite thing to do!

 

 

This picture video shows the rhythms we played and East Elementary students playing all kinds of fun and exciting instruments!

 

 

Musical Form

The first grade students have been learning how to recognize the different parts in music, which is called form. The students are now able to label the different parts and identify the patterns that the composers have created within the music.

This is a first grade class at Grand View Elementary moving with scarves to a piece called, The Great Gate of Kiev composed by Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky. The students are trying to have "serious" faces because the music they said sounded very important!

Kindergarten Concert Dates and Information

The Kindergarten classes at Cummings, East and Grand View Elementary will be having their first concert,

 "A BARNYARD MOOSICAL"

 

Dates:

Grand View - April 30, 2013

Cummings - May 1, 2013

East - May 2, 2013

 

Location:

Grandville Middle School Auditorium

 

Time:

Students need to report to the auditorium by 6:15p.m.

The concert will begin promptly at 6:30 p.m.

 

Concert Attire/What To Bring:

Students may wear "country" attire for the concert.

Your child also needs to bring a pair of sunglasses from home for one of our concert songs.

 

Any questions or concerns please contact Mrs. Mergan