Peter and the Wolf Video Presentation

Here is the video I put together for "Peter and the Wolf" that showcases all the wonderful work of grades K-4. The art teacher and I were lucky enough to receive a grant for visiting artist Linda Whelihan to make "Peter and the Wolf" themed puppets with students during the Arts Enrichment time. We had a lot of fun making the puppets and acting out scenes from the story.

Here is a link to the video that I used the background track from.

Flight of the Bumblebee by KR

Kindergarten students learned about pollination and got to act out how bees pollinate flowers, to the piece "Flight of the Bumblebee" by Rimsky-Korsakov. Students flew in the middle of the circle when I said "fly," pretended to eat nectar from a flower when I said "pollinate," and went back into the beehive when I said "feed the kids!"

KR's bumblebee activity

Here is a cool visual representation of "Flight of the Bumblebee."

Shoo Fly Dance Grade 2

2nd graders learned a fun dance to the song "Shoo Fly" after figuring out the piece's form. Form is the way a piece of music is organized. Students learned words such as "intro," "interlude," "coda," and "fermata."

Below are the dance moves for the piece. I originally got the idea here and changed a few things.

2S doing the "Shoo Fly Dance"

Chicken on the Fence Post Grade 3

April is jazz appreciation month so 3rd graders learned about jazz history and a song that involves improvising (making music up on the spot). The song is called "Chicken on the Fence Post" and teaches students the quick 16th note rhythm of "beat-e-t-a".

I got the lesson idea and notation from the wonderful blog: bethsmusicnotesplus.com.

Chicken on the Fence Post with instruments. Students improvise on the words "fence post yeah!".

The next week students learned the game to "Chicken on the Fence Post". There are two circles moving in opposite directions and two foxes on the outside of the circle. When the song is over two sets of students raise their hands to let the foxes in (I squeezed two sets of hands before the song began), and the foxes must race through the maze to the middle to get the chicken stuffed animal. The game idea was found here.

This week students learned a clapping and cup routine to a chant called "Funky Chicken". The routine had its challenges, but was very rewarding to put all together. Plus we got to do silly funky chicken dances! I got the lesson idea here.

Maori Unit Grade 5

5th graders enjoyed learning about the Maori culture of New Zealand.
First, students learned a Maori poi-poi song called "Koo-ee". Then they learned how to use poi-poi, which are foam balls on a cord swung rhythmically.

5B poi-poi song

Students then practiced the Maori stick games. They tapped and even tossed their sticks across to their partners. Very fun!

Lastly, students learned about the Haka dance, which is a traditional war cry or challenge dance. This dance became popularized by the New Zealand rugby team performing a Haka for their opponents before each match. Haka can also be for other occasions too, such as funerals, as entertainment, and even simple routines are performed by children.

5th graders got to compose their own haka routines in small groups. Students utilized some of the famous haka challenge moves such as showing the whites of the eyes, sticking out the tongue, and hitting the arms to show strength.

Save the date! Spring Concert May 21st

SAVE THE DATE!

Our Spring Concert this year will be on
Thursday, May 21^st, at 6:30 PM.

The theme is “Movies and the Imagination.”

The concert will include Grade 4/5 Chorus, Grade 5 Band, 
and all Grade 4 students on the ukuleles.

See you there!