Vocal Exploration!

In all grades, we explore the different sounds our voices can make! In Second Grade, we are currently using a beautiful rainbow fan to help us explore our voices. The game is called "Fan Master." Whoever uses their best singing voice and follows the fan with their fingers gets to become the next fan master and lead us in our warm-ups. We usually get about 3 kids per class to do it, and they are learning so much while having fun! With "Fan Master," we learn to use our voices in high and low sounds, and what those sound physically look like, with a pretty visual to go along with it! Here are a few second grade classes working with their fan master!

We're having so much fun! Even our football players love a chance to be the fan master! This is our friend Kade as the Fan Master, with Mrs. Rhodes and Mrs. Washington's classes following his fan motions! :)

Here we have our friend Jake leading Mrs. Carlan's class in some awesome vocal exploration!

We have so much fun exploring our voices here in music class at BCPS!

Arioso Land

This is the magical land we call Arioso Land!

Here in Arioso Land, the people and animals all speak the language called "Sing-Speak," where you can only sing what you want to say. If you try to talk it, they have NO IDEA what you are saying! Kindergarten and first grade have been meeting some awesome friends here the past few months, singing back and forth to each other in the sounds of the animals of Arioso Land.

We have met two humming bird friends; twins named Flick and Flitter!

We have also met two owl friends, who visited the first graders last year, named Puff and Ball!

As the year continues, we will keep getting better and better with our singing voices and improvisation (making up songs) until we can create new songs using words we've made up anytime, anywhere!

Creative Movement

n all of our grades, we have been working on creating movement that matches the music, and exploring different ways to move our bodies; this allows us to learn balance, spatial awareness of others, and how our bodies move within our own spaces. We really work hard on this with Kindergarten, so that they have the balance they need to go up and down stairs, do the fun physical activities in PE, and are aware of how their bodies act within relation to others around them.

Here we have Kindergarten playing the game "Musical Houses and Families." Students 'drive' around the neighborhood of hula hoops while the music plays. When the music stops, they must go to the nearest 'house' (hula hoop). The people within their hula hoop become their family, and from then on they must drive staying connected to their family. I take a hula hoop away each time the music stops until there is only one left, and we all become one great big family! This activity is great for kids who have a hard time moving around a space without bumping into others and things, and allows for the great community aspect of music to take affect!

Here is first grade playing Freeze Dance! When the music stops, they have to freeze in whatever shape the stick figure on a card I hold up is making! This really allows for the students to discover what kinds of ways their bodies can move, and allows for some laughs for all of us!

Second Grade Student Growth Measures

For the past 2 weeks we have been taking a pre-test in 2nd grade music called a Student Growth Measure. This pre-test was over information that we will be learning this year, to judge where students are on the knowledge scale for this information. At the end of the year, they will be taking it again as a post-test to see if they learned the information throughout the year as thoroughly as they could! So, if your kiddos have been complaining about tests in music, this is what they were doing! But don't worry, we're getting back to the fun now that testing is coming to a close! I cannot wait to teach your awesome kids these awesome new music concepts this year.

While we are testing and you wonder, "Why do my kids have to test in music? Isn't it just a fun place to sing and dance?" Remember that music has many health benefits for you and your children, and is an integral part of our lives. Look at these awesome research-based facts about the benefits of music!

Newsletter, Remind, and Piano Lessons

Coach Grier and I have sent out our newsletter today! Take a look to see any updates we might have in class coming soon! Just in case you forget or need a refresher, take a look at this!

1. Kindergarten and First Grade Music are graded in the same way: We have a rubric with 8 categories, with a point scale from 0-3. The average of your 8 categories will determine your grade in music class at the end of the year! Below is the rubric that I grade K and 1 on!

	Consistently Competent	Competent	Emerging	Poor
Pitch Exploration	The student was able to imitate vocal glissandi accurately using head voice.	The student approximated the model but lacked use of head voice.	The student attempted the model but was not recognizable.	The student did not attempt.
Fragment Singing	The student is able to echo a simple melodic pattern with and without words using head voice.	The student approximated the melodic patterns with accurate melodic direction and included at least one accurate pitch.	The student attempted to echo the melodic pattern but it was not recognizable.	The student did not attempt.
Simple Songs	The student is able to remember and sing an entire simple song using head voice.	The student approximated the simple song, which contained appropriate melodic direction and included at least one accurate pitch.	The student attempted to sing the simple song but it was not recognizable.	The student did not attempt.
Arioso	The student is able to spontaneously create an original tune using more than two tones in head voice.	The student 1) included two or more tones OR 2) used head voice.	The student did not use more than two tones.	The student did not attempt.
Song Tales	The student is able to listen to a piece of music and comprehend the story told within.	The student is able to listen to a piece of music and understand parts of the story told.	The student is able to listen to a piece of music quietly.	The student does not listen to the music and chooses instead to talk or distract others.
Movement Exploration	The student is able to create movements that appropriately reflect the musical expressiveness of various styles of classical music.	The student uses varied levels within their movement exploration, uses basic patterns, and explores a variety of creative options.	The student uses only one level within their movement exploration or uses common patterns borrowed from others.	The student did not attempt.
Movement for Form & Expression	The student accurately demonstrates the prescribed movements and maintains the beat throughout the performance to a song, rhyme, and/or piece of music.	The student accurately demonstrates SOME of the prescribed movements and maintains the beat throughout the performance.	The student does not demonstrate the prescribed movements OR does not maintain the beat throughout the performance.	The student did not attempt.
Beat Motions	The student is able to maintain a consistent beat in groups of 2s and 3s at the tempo given.	The student maintains a consistent beat in groups of 2s and 3s at a given tempo for partial amounts of time.	The student is not able to maintain a constant beat at a given tempo.	The student did not attempt.

1. SECOND GRADE is graded differently than Kindergarten and First grade. Second Grade will take written tests on content gone over within class that average together to determine their grade, as done in other classes, as well as performance grades. However, most of their grades will come from the written tests.
2. Music is on Remind!! If you want updates on Concert days/times, music activities, Parents to Music Week, or any other musical information, text @9cghc8 to 81010
3. I am giving piano lessons again to those interested this year! Anyone interested in lessons, please email me at mary.bryan@banks.k12.ga.us for information; I will send home a sign up sheet with your child ONLY if you contact me about it first! I look forward to teaching your awesome kiddos the mechanics of piano playing!

It's a New Year!

It's time for the 2017-2018 school year to begin and I cannot wait! The excitement is in the air and all of the teachers are abuzz, wondering what kind of awesome new students they're getting this year. I'm excited to see all of my awesome first and second graders, and I can't wait to meet all the wonderful new kindergarteners coming in!! With the first day coming up, it's that time of year again; time to post awesome pictures of the music room, ready for the first day!

Our welcome door to enter this year is my favorite so far! A colorful piano, welcoming all to enter into a new year full of music! Also notice the red signs! WE GOT NEW CARPET THIS YEAR!! That means no candy/gum, food, or drinks unless it's water in the music room now, so we can keep this new carpet looking nice! :)

 

The back wall has been a little reorganized. We had a wonderful anonymous donation of a few instruments this year, such as the gong on the far left shelf, and I can't wait for the kids to get to use them!

Just saying, this new carpet works wonders for the room! The colorful floor tiles where they have their assigned seats never looked better!

Word wall; look at all those words they're supposed to learn this year! It's crazy! To the left of the word wall is our Spotlight Instrument of the Week. The first week is the triangle!! To the right of the word wall is our Composer of the Month. This month we are studying the Renaissance composer William Byrd.

Just look at all this color this year! I am so excited!!

This is probably my favorite addition this year! This is Arioso Land, where all creatures who live here speak the language SingSpeak! They don't understand you unless you sing to speak :) This works wonders for students who are afraid to sing by themselves, because they love to sing to our stuffed animal friends.

That's it! This is our awesome room for this year! I can't wait to meet all of our smiling new Kindergarten faces! Keep a look out for more updates! :)

Second Grade Program

The Second Grade Program, "Out on the Sea," is coming up on May 18! More information will be sent home in the weeks to come. The kiddos were sent home this week with the lyrics to all of their songs, so they should have plenty of material to practice! I am uploading recordings of each of the songs here with vocal tracks so that students can practice with recordings. Enjoy listening to your littles' voices sing as they practice hard for their upcoming performance! They can't wait to make you proud!
If you go to this link: https://www.musick8.com/html/downloaddisplay.php?dwnid=1867
your child can practice the dance to "Fishy Fishy" with an entire instruction for the choreography!