Week of August 26-30

What a great start to our school year! 

Please follow my blog, Ivy Hill parents.  I will post weekly updates to let you know what is happening in grades 1-5 in the music room!  As shows approach, I will create tabs at the top of this blog.  There I will provide you with copies of everything I send home regarding the shows.

 *♫♪*•.¸♥♥¸.•*♫♪*•. ¸♥ *•.¸♥♥¸.•*♫♪*• .¸♥ ....♫♪ *

The World Music Instruments are in my room for about 4 weeks.  I love teaching with these instruments!  All classes are learning proper hand drumming techniques and are playing and echoing rhythms.  Here are the details.

1st Grade - We read "Screamy Mimi" and talked about singing like "peach ice cream".  We played a name game on the drums and added many instruments to Hickory Dickory Dock.

2nd Grade - We played a couple of name games on the drums and practiced singing the Ivy Hill School song.  We are also singing a song called "Big Dreams" and are practicing the difference between playing a steady beat and the rhythm of the words.

3rd Grade - We played a challenging question and answer game on the drums that required each child to improvise and echo.  We learned a song called "We're Making Music" and added 4 rhythm patterns on the drums and other world instruments.

4th Grade - "We Haz Jazz" in under way!  On October 23, your child will be performing in this wonderful show that traces the roots of jazz music.  Each song has a different style, including the blues and swing.  Your children can access the lyrics for our show through Edmodo. 

5th Grade - These students are a joy to work with!  I am challenging them with African ensembles with 5 different layers of sounds, and they have got the groove!  We started a swing ensemble this week, too.

I hope you all have a fantastic long weekend!