Fine Arts

Elementary Music Makes a "Key Change"

The 2020-21 school year has been full of “changes!” Elementary music is still being taught with a “sing, say, move, play” approach but, like everything else, some adjustments have been made. “Singing and speaking activities have been limited.” shared Elementary Vocal Music Teacher Mrs. Bounds “However, we have increased our movement and playing (instruments) portion of this method. I have also added listening and evaluating music, as well as music performance and some music history into the curriculum.” “Students are responding very favorably to the new activities and material,” Mrs. Bounds shared. “They are enjoying as well as appreciating the more diverse music knowledge that is being covered and learned.” Kindergarten – Students recently had their first listening lesson through the song “Ballet of Chicks in Their Shells,” by Russion composer Mussorgsky. They started with looking at the “chicks” artwork and moved about the music area like chicks do. The students were taught to learn the different sections of the music and move appropriately with each section. Finally, they learned the instruments that were played during the piece and watched professional musicians perform it. A coloring activity was also completed that showed their aural and visual recognition of the instruments from the music. First Grade –Students started the year listening to “Viennese Musical Clock,” by Austrian composer Kodaly. They viewed clock artwork and looked to recognize the clock that best matched the sounds of the music. They were taught to recognize the main melody, moving with it every time they heard it. They were also able to view a photo of the actual clock that inspired the piece and do a coloring activity that showed the comprehension of the “mood” of the piece. Second Grade – The second grade curriculum really HAS RHYTHM! They began the year focusing on rhythms involving quarter and eighth notes and quarter rests. “We have read and performed lots of rhythms lately,” shared Mrs. Bounds. “They are also learning how to place notes on a staff, including the pitches so-mi. Working at music theory is a GREAT “COVID” activity!”

Third Grade – While second grade has been learning a lot about rhythm, so has the third grade class. “We have been learning about pitched and unpitched instruments,” shared Mrs. Bounds. “We have successfully read and played many rhythms on these instruments. The students were thrilled to watch a portion of ‘STOMP!’ as part of this unit. They marvelled at how the musicians/performers made music out of everyday stuff as well as how much practice it must take to reach their level of skill.” Fourth & Fifth Grade – Students in the fourth and fifth grades have been immersed in American patriotic music history the past couple weeks. “They really enjoyed learning about ‘America the Beautiful’ and ‘The Star Spangled Banner,’ ” shared Mrs. Bounds. “Both songs have amazing back stories — ask a 4th or 5th grader to tell you about them! We have particularly enjoyed watching and evaluating performances of these songs. They are always asked to share what they noticed, valued and/or wondered. These questions prompt great discussions.” Sixth Grade – The sixth grade students have been studying American music history, too, but another type of style called African American Spirituals, specifically “Exekiel Saw the Wheel” and “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot.” “Students were intrigued by the coded messages in these songs,” shared Mrs. Bounds. “We also explored the folk song, ‘Follow The Drinking Gourd.’ We marvelled at the fact that we see the same big dipper (drinking gourd) the slaves saw as they made their way north to freedom. Their comments concerning what they noticed, valued, and/or wondered about these slave songs were deep. My favorite comment was that, ‘this is NOT how God wanted things to be.’ Amen!” Mrs. Bounds continues to change keys with the recommendations and is looking forward to the new things God shows her that our kiddos should learn/be exposed to in elementary music class.