Music

Lots of progress was made following our winter break! The children are now able to participate in a hand drum circle. We used rhythm sticks to prepare for the future handling of mallets. Students have learned the resting position, the ready position, and how to wait for a downbeat Our rhythm sticks aim to develop flexibility in the wrist and maintain a relaxed grip I am very pleased with our solfège work as well Associating a color to each pitch really helps Pre-Primary students memorize tones more easily

I encourage families to take advantage of the many live concerts offered during the summer as I believe it leaves a great impression on our Pre-Primary students’ minds! Have a great summer!

Pre-Primary Primary

Primary students have gained a lot of musical knowledge this season! They learned to play the hand drums using a mix of two different strokes, “dum” and “tek.” They also learned all of the solfège syllables (Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Ti) Each sound is associated with a color which opens up the possibility of a multitude of fun matching games A favorite activity is running toward the color you hear!

Primary students were introduced to the xylophone and learned how to assume proper posture and hand position with the mallets They practiced aiming for the center of the bars and alternating hands when walking up the scale Primary students learned rhythm counting that centers around “Ta’s” and Ti's ” Every quarter note is called “Ta” and eighth notes are called “Ti ” By using popsicle sticks to score simple rhythms, children were able to create and reproduce rhythmic patterns

Suggestion: For a fun game to play as a family, score a rhythm and play them together using various objects as percussion instruments You may want to throw in a few “Tick a Ticks” into the mix for added fun!