We’ve got notation.
We’ve got composers.
We’ve got rhythm.
Who could ask for anything more?

Dizzy Gillespie with his famous trumpet!

After a fantastic Christmas Pageant, the students were rewarded with a free day.
Some classes watched the video of the pageant, and some played fun musical games.
It was my way of saying, “Thank you,” to the students.

Photo credit: Mr. John Haynes

Once the students returned from Christmas break, they started learning about rhythm, note values, tempos, and dynamics. 
Grades 2-4 learned how to read the notes on a scale. To practice note-reading, the students solve “The Word of the Day” at the beginning of each music class. In this exercise, the students read notes on a staff to make a word (such as cabbage, badge, and baggage). The students look forward to this activity each class!

To celebrate Black History Month, the students are learning about composers and musicians such as Scott Joplin, Duke Ellington, and Dizzy Gillespie. The students learn about the composers and then they listen to and evaluate their music. The students enjoy listening to music that they have never heard before! The students also learned about the birth of jazz in America, and they have learned and played a new musical game from Japan!

In the coming months, the students will continue to practice reading rhythms and notes, they will learn about more composers and musicians, and they will have the opportunity to learn and play more musical games. I have already begun planning the music for Ascension Thursday, and students will begin working on that music in March.

~Mrs. Canell 

Revised 2/22/10