Third and fourth grade are learning the recorder! In our class, we use a curriculum called Recorder Karate! This curriculum includes recorder history, rules, how to hold them, how to clean them, fingering charts, and much more. Students work through songs with increasing difficulty and once they have mastered the song, they are able to test and earn their belts, like in karate. The belts begin with white and progress to yellow, orange, green, purple, blue, red, brown and finally black! We us charts and clothes pins on my wall to help track progress.

Learning an instruments is hard. Playing the recorder helps students develop musical skills such as reading notes, keeping rhythm, and controlling breath and tone. It also strengthens concentration, memory, and fine motor coordination through finger placement and listening practice. Additionally, performing in groups builds confidence, teamwork, and creative expression.Third grade is rocking it and are already yellow belts. Fourth grade is currently working on their green belt song.

I could not be prouder of them! Rock on!

No, it is not the yummy soft drink you or your parents might have had many years ago! Tab is an alternate method for reading music for string instruments.

After our lesson, students worked together using their knowledge to read the TAB and figure out some mystery songs. TAB is a good thing to help the students realize that when they hold certain frets down, the pitch of that string changes. This will be a very helpful tool for us when we start learning chord shapes and progressions! They are one step closer to playing some familiar tunes! Now that’s what I call hands on learning! 5th and 6th grade had a blast today and the aha moments were some for the books!

First of all, I am so proud of these 7th and 8th graders!

A few weeks ago, we started a project in our music class. We began with a lesson on the science of sound. We talked about how sound starts with a vibration from a source and travels through the air as a sound wave. it arrives to our ears and our brains interpret that as sound. We learned the higher the frequency, the higher the pitch and the lower the frequency, the lower the pitch. Then to further the learning and understanding, they were tasked with designing their own instruments out of household items. They could create a rubber band guitar, a straw flute, a bottle drum, or their own original instrument. We were lucky because students created some of each type. After they constructed their instruments, they experimented with sound. They learned how to change the pitch of the instruments and created the sound they wanted. Then, they worked together to create a presentation to introduce their instrument and what they learned about sound. We had so much fun playing the instruments at the end of each presentation! We have some very creative kiddos!

Group 1: Tropiphone (Original Design)

Group 2: The Minute Flute (Straw Flute)

Group 3: The Uke (Rubber Band Guitar)

Group 4: Lyre (Rubber Band Instrument)

Group 5: Andrew F. Drum (Bottle Drum)

This week was a busy one! We were having so much fun, I almost forgot to take pictures!

2nd Grade: We were reviewing dynamics this week. Dynamics is just a fancy music word that means volume. When you are reading or describing a piece of music, you use dynamics. These rock stars solidified their learning by playing a Dynamic Dinosaur’s Matching Memory Game. They had to match the term with its definition. The biggest task was remembering where each card was!

5/6: Last week, we had an introduction to the ukuleles. We learned about the history, the difference between it and other string instruments, and much more. This week we actually got our hands on them. We learned that each of the four strings is a different note GCEA. We practiced strumming and even started learning a song!

Speech: Our class participated in an activity that required them to use their knowledge about Logical Fallacies. A Logical Fallacy is an error in reasoning that renders an argument invalid, flawed, or unconvincing, despite often appearing persuasive. We must learn to avoid these flaws in order to construct a solid argument in our speeches. The groups had to match the fallacy with its definition and example.

I am so happy to be back! I have had the best time catching up with my students and getting to know the new ones! We hit the ground running with lots of fun musical learning!

Primary: We talked about Humpty Dumpty and how important it is to be careful! We created our own puppets and acted out the song as we sang. We created a wall with our arm and everyone had a great time!

PreK: This week we began our study of Pitch Hill. This is a storytelling lesson that introduces the solfege scale with colors and different characters. Each character has their own song and hand motions. This helps build the foundation needed to read music as they get older.

Kinder: We started learning about the different instrument families. We discussed that all of the different families have similarities that make them belong to each group. We learned a song to remember the names of each family (percussion, strings, woodwinds, brass).

1st: We reviewed the different instruments families. We played games and wrote the room to further solidify our knowledge.

2nd: We reviewed quarter notes, quarter rests, and eighth notes. We read some rhythms and even clapped them!

3rd: Next week in 3rd, we are beginning the process of learning a new instrument, the recorder. We reviewed how to read the notes on the treble clef. What better way to review than to solve a mystery! Am I right???

4th: Next week we continue our learning on the recorders. We reviewed the treble clef by playing games and doing a worksheet!

5/6: Lower school isn’t the only ones who get to learn or play an instrument. 5th and 6th are going to begin learning how to play the ukulele next week. We reviewed how to read the notes of the treble clef so that they can easily read the ukulele music and learn some chords.
7/8: We began class this week by learning about the science of sound. We learned about sound waves, frequency, and pitch. They will further their learning and understanding by creating their own instruments. They will work in groups to create either a rubber band guitar, a straw flute, a balloon drum, or they can create their own. They will make them using household items and experiment with sound. At the end of the project, they will present their instruments and findings. Stay tuned for some awesome work!

St. James had a very special Music Teacher for the day on Wednesday, Miss Caroline! She started out the day with her morning teacher routine and then went to support the Primary classes at their program! She even had time to laminate! Then, it was on to her classes.

PreK: Miss Caroline led them through their movement video and then reviewed with them about dynamics. They talked about crescendos and decrescendos, played a listening game, and used their musical vocabulary. We ended our lesson with a game of Hide the Potato. Miss Caroline hid the potato around the room and the kiddos had to use their drums to help our friends find him.

2nd: Miss Caroline helped them review for our Musical! Then, she reviewed them on their instrument families with a four corners game.

3rd: Just like with with 2nd, Miss Caroline reviewed for our Musical. Then, she helped them solve The Case of the Missing Manuscript. Students have to solve a series of riddles and clues by using their knowledge of the treble clef note names.

We had an absolute blast with Miss Caroline today!

This week in Primary, we celebrate Easter. We moved our bodies together using scarves to Vivaldi’s Spring. We talked about how this is a classical piece of music and that there are no words. We sang Five Little Ducks and danced to Here Comes Peter Cottontail. We even shook our own Easter eggs. We talked about the Easter Bunny, springtime and the real reason for our Easter celebration, Jesus! They had a blast!

We are one week away! That seems crazy to say, but here we are. These kiddos have been working so hard these past few months and I could not be prouder of them. I have the best kids on the planet. Always so willing to help with anything I or anyone else need! We had our sound boy take over when one of our actors was absent at our latest rehearsal and he was amazing. They love this show and want it to succeed. The pictures speak for themselves! They have memorized their lines, learned the steps, and the songs! Now all was need is the costumes and the stage! I cannot wait for you all to come out and see these amazing students shine!

We celebrated St. Patrick’s Day a little early in our Primary classes on Wednesday and Thursday! We played a game called, “Can You Catch the Leprechaun?” This game required us to create a rainbow and to catch silly friend while we sang and moved! They practiced high and low.

In speech, our eighth graders are preparing their informative speeches. Today was workshop day. They have completed their speeches and are presenting them to their classmates. Students each have a “Glow and Grow” sheet. They gave each other constructive criticism on how to make their presentations better. Then, they each worked with me for a final critique. These kiddos have worked hard. I cannot wait to hear the finished product next Monday!

These past few weeks we have been super busy. We have had a field trip and lots of learning.

Primary: I have been working closely with the Primary teachers to further their learning in the classroom in music. We have sung and moved to songs that had to do with their construction unit. They had a blast!

PreK: They have been hard a work on learning about Dynamics. They know that Dynamics is just a fancy word of volume. They know that Forte means loud and Piano means soft. They are also masters at using their terminology and applying it in our activities.

Kindergarten: They have been learning about quarter notes, quarter rests, and eighth notes. They can identify them and read basic rhythms. We ended with our favorite activity, play dough notes. They had a blast creating their own notes and rests out of play dough.

Lower School: Lower School got to attend The Orchestra Swings concert on January 30. They kiddos sang and played their recorders from their seats. They were so excited to actually be able to participate in the concert. It is such a wonderful opportunity to be involved with the Perot and The Texarkana Symphony Orchestra! We have also been hard at work on our spring musical, The Little Mermaid Jr.

Middle School: They have been hard at work on our musical as well. They have been learning blocking, their lines and music. We have even finished ROUGH blocking the show. For those of you who do not know what blocking means, it is just stage movement while acting. So proud of these kids and their hard work!

Speech: We have been learning about Logical Fallacies and how they can weaken an argument in a speech. Students participated in an activity where they had to match each fallacy with it’s definition and example. Then, we watched a few commercials and they were able to name the fallacy used to help advertise. This knowledge will help them avoid using them in their upcoming speeches.

This week in Primary, we took a trip to the jungle. We started with a jungle hunt and singing, colored our very own animals, listened to find out special friends, and even played the djembes. We had a blast working and playing together. We worked on our listening skills and how to be patient. It was so much fun!!!

These past couple of weeks have been filled with such wonderfulness!

Primary: We dance, sang and played along to Jingle Bells. We talked about taking care of our instruments and worked on our spatial awareness.

Kindergarten: We began working on quarter notes, quarter rests and eighth notes.

1-4: We had a very special guest during choir, Maestro Philip Mann. He is the conductor of the Texarkana Symphony Orchestra and helped our students prepare for our concert, The Orchestra Swings, in January. He was very impressed with our students and their musical knowledge.

Middle School: We went to Cornerstone Methodist Retirement Community and sang Candlelight Songs. We had a blast helping the residents celebrate this Advent and Christmas season.

We are so thankful this week and every week! We get to go to school and learn so many wonderful things! This week we did some Thanksgiving inspired activities!

Primary: We talked about all the things we were thankful for sang and moved to If You’re Thankful and You Know It!

Kinder: We practiced our instrument families by matching the feathers to the correct turkey. Each turkey had an instrument family on them (Woodwinds, Brass, Strings, Percussion) and each feather had a different instrument. Students masterfully created the most beautiful turkey tails and got every one of them right! So proud! We talked about how the Percussion turkey had the biggest tail and how this makes sense because the Percussion family is the largest in the Orchestra!

These past couple weeks have been a hodgepodge of learning. We did a lot of DIFFERENT things!

Primary: It is Thanksgiving season and we talked all about turkeys. We listened to a story called Run, Turkey, Run. We learned a song and move to it! Run, Run, Turkey Run!

Prek: I forgot to get pictures because these kiddo blew me away while practicing for their annual Christmas Program. They are working so hard and singing so beautifully!

Kinder: We are continuing out study on the instrument families!

1st: We worked on Candlelight songs and had time to find some placements for the musical!

2nd-4th: The past few years, 2nd through 4th grade has been lucky enough to perform alongside the Texarkana Symphony Orchestra in a concert. The repertoire of this educational concert is in conjunction with Carnegie Hall in New York City. These concerts invite local schools to participate in the show while they are seated in the audience. Students can sing, move, and even play the recorder. We have been involved with The Orchestra Moves, and The Orchestra Rocks. This year we are going to participate in The Orchestra Swings. This concert is filled with swing music and is a lot of fun. 2nd grade is going to sing! 3rd and 4th grade are going to sing as well as play the recorder with the orchestra. This is a wonderful concert and the kids and I look forward to it every year. We can’t wait for January 30th!

Middle School: We worked on Candlelight Songs, played musical games, and learned more of our Musical Songs.

We have been celebrating spooky season!!!

Primary: We had some ghosts escape into our room! I needed help from our resident ghostbusters to keep them under control while listening to their theme song!

3rd & 4th: We learned a bucket drum routine to, “The Addams Family.” We worked on keeping tempo and playing all together!

The smiles say it all. It was a great week!

We have been so busy and had so much fun along the way!

Primary: We used the rhythm scarves to explore music and move our bodies. We learned and practiced spatial awareness and our gross and fine motor skils.

PreK: We finished out study of Pitch Hill and our Solfege friends (Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Ti, Do). We practiced our hand signals and even used out knowledge to play Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. We ended class by playing Hide the Potato and worked out our listening skills.

1st: We began our study on different Rhythms. We learned about Quarter Notes, Quarter Rest and Eighth Notes. We learned their value and how to say them. We even made them out of playdough! It was a blast!

2nd: They have become masters of Quarter Notes, Quarter Rests, and Eighth Notes. They know how to read them, say them, play them and write them. We even created our own rhythms. We even started learning about half notes and half rests.

3rd: They have all completed the first test of Recorder Karate and are now all White Belts. They played Hot Crossed Buns. The next belt is Yellow and will require a new skill.

4th: They are working on becoming Green Belts as they continue their study of Recorder Karate.

5-8: We have been practicing our Candlelight Songs in preparation for Candlelight. When we have time, we work on Chapel Songs and Musical Songs.

It’s all about rhythm! We had fun in class learning about, reading, and playing rhythms.

PreK: We moved to the music and kept a steady beat and rhythm. We sang and moved to,”When the Saints Go Marching In.”

2nd: We practiced reading and writing rhythms. We reinforced our learning by playing rhythm bingo and went on a rhythm monster hunt around the room. Next up, we will learn to play what we read!

3rd: We began our recorder unit and learned how to follow the rhythm on the page. We used out knowledge of the treble clef and rhythm by practicing, “Hot Crossed Buns.”

We had an absolute blast! Learning is fun!

This week we did a lot of exploration with different instruments and had a blast!

Primary: When it rains, I go to them! In Ms. Diane’s class, we used bucket drums. In Ms. Cristen’s class, we were able to play with our djembes.

PreK: We explored another type of percussion instrument, the tambourine! We moved and played together while singing, When the Saints Go Marching In!

Everyone give a warm welcome to, Miss Dowd. She was our music teacher today! She did an amazing job! The kiddos had fun moving, singing, and learning.

Primary: Miss Dowd and the children talked about all of the Summer fun we are going to have. They colored a Summer pictures and moved together and separately with scarves to “In Summer" and “You’re Welcome!”

Prek: Miss Dowd helped Mrs. Wright teach about crescendos and decrescendos. They played a listening game and then used our knowledge to help our friends Find the Gnome with our drums.

1st: Miss Dowd tested their knowledge of musical instruments with Instrument Bingo.

4th: Miss Dowd had the students use their musical knowledge to escape a Digital Escape Room.