What we've been up to

Hi everyone!

For the past few weeks we have been very busy learning all about a few of the basic music concepts. Each week, all of the grades focused on the same concept and explored it in different ways.
We're getting really good at identifying high and low notes! We've been using glockenspiels to play different high or low notes and having fun getting others to guess whether we played a high/low or a low/high pattern. In grades 1 and 2, we sang a 2-note lullaby called "Bye Low Baby Oh" and played a game while we sang. We jumped onto a line for the high notes and off for the low. Our best listeners earned their stars for the day by avoiding being knocked out of the game for 3 rounds in a row!
It was great to see everyone so involved and really grasping the concept!
Check out how we mapped out the melodic contour of Bye Low Baby Oh with bingo chips:

We really have covered a lot so far this term. Songs like the Grand Old Duke of York and Tony Chestnut helped us learn about fast and slow music. The actions for those songs really got us moving!
We've also learned some great music words like "forte" and "piano" (loud and soft)...even "fortissimo" and "pianissimo"....and practiced loud and soft sounds with John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt. One of favourite games so far also helped us practice dynamics. We took turns hiding a dragon named Dynamo and helping the dragon hunter find him by clapping louder as they got closer to him.
In kindergarten, we are doing a lot of learning through songs and singing games. The children have been getting ready for Halloween with songs like "Looking for Dracula"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZpf0SIO-sY
Tricky Witch and Monster Walk.

**Stay tuned for more information about our upcoming December concert for grade 1 and 2. I will posting our songs for the children to practice, along with the links. Each class will be singing 2-3 songs together with another group. The children will also be coming home with the modified lyrics this week so please help them to read over and learn the words and encourage them to sing "loud and proud" (as we like to say)!
Thank you for your support!