September has a been a busy month in the Music Studio. We have been getting to know our new friends and our new space.
Our Lower Elementary classes have discovered that we have many wonderful instruments in the studio but that the most valuable one of all is themselves. We have been exploring the many ways our bodies are an instrument; through our voice, movement and body percussion (snapping, clapping, patsching (German for knee-slapping) and stamping). We have learned to follow non-verbal communication so that we can transition to the many activities quickly and quietly. We sang many songs, some that introduced ourselves and some that made us laugh, like the 'Tickle Song'. In conjunction with Halloween, we are doing a mini-composer study of Camille Saint Saens and 'Fossils' from Carnival of the Animals, where we experienced form through story and movement. We have been looking at Binary (AB), Ternery (ABA) and Rondo Form (ABACA) and are making connections to the ways in which music follows patterns - just like in math!
Our Upper Elementary students have enjoyed many F-U-N musical games like Jump! and the Funky Chicken cup game. Row, Row, Row your Boat set the stage for getting to know our pitched percussion Orffkestra. We have been learning improvisational techniques within a rhythmic structure and have extended that into some of the songs we are learning. We are now setting the stage for both our Halloween and Remembrance Day performances.
Our Lower Elementary classes have discovered that we have many wonderful instruments in the studio but that the most valuable one of all is themselves. We have been exploring the many ways our bodies are an instrument; through our voice, movement and body percussion (snapping, clapping, patsching (German for knee-slapping) and stamping). We have learned to follow non-verbal communication so that we can transition to the many activities quickly and quietly. We sang many songs, some that introduced ourselves and some that made us laugh, like the 'Tickle Song'. In conjunction with Halloween, we are doing a mini-composer study of Camille Saint Saens and 'Fossils' from Carnival of the Animals, where we experienced form through story and movement. We have been looking at Binary (AB), Ternery (ABA) and Rondo Form (ABACA) and are making connections to the ways in which music follows patterns - just like in math!
Our Upper Elementary students have enjoyed many F-U-N musical games like Jump! and the Funky Chicken cup game. Row, Row, Row your Boat set the stage for getting to know our pitched percussion Orffkestra. We have been learning improvisational techniques within a rhythmic structure and have extended that into some of the songs we are learning. We are now setting the stage for both our Halloween and Remembrance Day performances.