Dothan Brook School Music!: December 2013

January Lessons Preview: Grade 5

Students will begin the new year by learning more about notes and rests in a fun "Smartboard Now" interactive lesson called "It's a Bird! It's a Plane! Flying High with Notes and Rests."
Example page:

Students will then begin a drumming unit by learning about body percussion.

Here is one of the body percussion moves they will learn:

Students will then start learning the basic playing techniques of the djembe drum. They will apply their rhythmic knowledge through hands-on playing and singing/chanting. Students will have the opportunity to lead call and response and improvise on the drums. They will finish the unit by composing their own 8-measure rhythm for drums.

There will be an opportunity to continue learning about body percussion in chorus this year. Anyone in grades 4/5 is able and encouraged to join chorus in January.

January Lessons Preview: Grade 4

Below is what grade 4 will be working on in music for the month of January:

Students will begin the new year by learning more about notes and rests. Then students will learn about half and whole steps, and how they apply on the piano and ukulele.

In the first part of the school year 4th graders learned how to play chords and strum on the ukulele. Now students will begin learning how to finger pick individual notes and melodies on the ukulele. They will achieve this through a new program I am trying called "Ukulele Karate." This uses the same music as "Recorder Karate" made through MusicK8, but I adapted it to be for ukulele instead. Students work more independently in class to practice their songs, while I help individuals and "pass" students into the next song. There are 9 songs and belts total. Every time a student completes a song he/she moves a clothespin with his/her name on it to the next colored belt. I am very excited to start Ukulele Karate!

Photo by Chriskoru

January Lesson Preview: Grades 2/3

Below is what grades 2/3 will be doing in music the month of January:

Students will start off with a SmartBoard game called "Candy Rhythms." Students must drag the named candy into the correct bag that has the same rhythm. Students will use quarter notes and eighth notes in this game.

Students will then start a unit on the 4 families of the symphony orchestra, and their corresponding instruments. The interactive online game called "The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra," will be a tool in helping students learn about the orchestra, along with various listening and visual non-internet activities.

After this unit is completed students will learn about a Conductor of the orchestra and how to conduct simple patterns. They will also touch on dynamics (volume) of music, and tempo (speed) of music.

Photo by MITO SettembreMusica

January Lessons Preview: Grades K/1

Below is what grades K/1 will be doing in music the month of January:

We will start off with a lesson on losing baby teeth and sing a cheerful song from MusicK8 called "Bye Bye Baby Tooth." Then students will begin learning how to count simple rhythms of quarter notes and quarter rests. They will apply this knowledge by composing their own rhythms using big paper lips and paper teeth. They will line up teeth next to each other for quarter notes, and leave gaps for quarter rests, being able to clap and share their compositions.

The following week students will learn a chant called "Loose Tooth" and add classroom instruments, such as the triangle, to certain words.
The third week in January students will talk about how colors feel, sound, and move through the book "My Many Colored Days" by Dr. Seuss. Students will listen to music representing different colors and move their bodies with colored scarves to match the music.

Photo Credit

Music Class Video Catch Up

Here are some videos from the last couple months of music students may enjoy seeing again.

Bach's Toccata and Fugue Listening Map K-4:

Witch's Brew K/1:

Carol of the Bells: Boy's Choir All grades:

Carol of the Bells: Boomwhackers All grades:

Carol of the Bells: For 12 Cellos: The Piano Guys: All grades

Carol of the Bells: Destiny's Child: All grades

Carol of the Bells: Pentatonix: All grades

Students loved the Pentatonix A Capella group and may enjoy watching other videos by them on Youtube, such as The Little Drummer Boy.

Winter Concert was a Huge Success!

The Dothan Brook School winter concert, "A Holiday of Music," was on December 11th, 2013. The concert was a huge success! The gymnasium was filled to the brim with cheerful parents, children, friends, and community members. This is the first all-school concert DBS has put on, and students were so excited to show what they had been working on the past few months. I am very proud of all the hard work and dedication students exhibited that night. I had a blast teaching them all the songs and conducting them at the concert. I am truly lucky to be working with such inspirational, creative, and caring students. Thank you to everyone who helped and supported me in putting on this concert!

See more photos of the event on the DBS Facebook page, linked here.

SAVE THE DATE: The spring concert will be on May 21st, 2014 at 6:30 PM. This concert will feature all 4th graders on ukulele, 4/5 chorus, and 5th grade band.
PLEASE NOTE: Chorus will be opening up in January to any 4th or 5th graders that want to join. We meet Tuesdays/Thursdays during recess. I have some exciting music picked out for this concert and can't wait to share it with the students. Please encourage your students to join chorus, and join the fun!

Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year!
Ms. Sandi Moon