A live performance from the Metropolitan Opera of Humperdinck's opera Hansel and Gretel will air this Saturday morning at 10 a.m. on KING-FM, 98.1.
Currently the opera is also playing on KING's "Opera Channel", available for listening online at http://www.king.org/
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Multi-Cultural Event
The Multi-Cultural Event is one of my very favorite things each year. This year the committee has chosen to celebrate cultures of South America. So I've chosen a song from Peru, "Flor de Cactus", for kids to participate with at the event (on January 28th).
I'm teaching the song to children in kindergarten through fourth grades. It's in Spanish and has three parts, so I've replaced parts of the lyrics with "la la la"s to make it a little easier. I plan to teach it to recorder players as well, so that kids can choose to sing and/or play along at the event. Participation will be completely optional; no one is required to attend the event, nor to sing or play if they do attend. But I highly recommend attending; it's educational and great fun, and it's so nice to be together with so many OWS families!
I'm teaching the song to children in kindergarten through fourth grades. It's in Spanish and has three parts, so I've replaced parts of the lyrics with "la la la"s to make it a little easier. I plan to teach it to recorder players as well, so that kids can choose to sing and/or play along at the event. Participation will be completely optional; no one is required to attend the event, nor to sing or play if they do attend. But I highly recommend attending; it's educational and great fun, and it's so nice to be together with so many OWS families!
Thursday, December 1, 2011
The Music Teacher's Music Teacher
Over the Thanksgiving holiday I enjoyed a visit from Drake Mabry, who is a composer and a lifelong music performer and educator, and years ago was my oboe teacher. On Tuesday he was so kind as to visit my classes as well.
For the kindergarten and second grade classes, he played a couple of the "bamboo clarinets" which he makes himself, and talked about how they were made. For third graders, he played a condensed version of an alto recorder solo, which he had composed using avant-garde techniques. He demonstrated these techniques and talked about them a little before playing the piece. Third-graders were very good audience members, even remembering to wait until the end of the third movement before applauding.
I promised the third-graders that I'd put a pointer here to Drake's MySpace page so that they could see some of his other work (which includes visual art as well.) Here it is:
www.myspace.com/drakemabry
Drake also coached the fifth-grade recorder ensemble who come to me on Tuesdays, as well as my after-school "EXTREME Recorders!" group. For most of the kids, I'm the only recorder teacher they've ever had; so it was a wonderful opportunity for them to work with someone else's musical ideas.
For the kindergarten and second grade classes, he played a couple of the "bamboo clarinets" which he makes himself, and talked about how they were made. For third graders, he played a condensed version of an alto recorder solo, which he had composed using avant-garde techniques. He demonstrated these techniques and talked about them a little before playing the piece. Third-graders were very good audience members, even remembering to wait until the end of the third movement before applauding.
I promised the third-graders that I'd put a pointer here to Drake's MySpace page so that they could see some of his other work (which includes visual art as well.) Here it is:
www.myspace.com/drakemabry
Drake also coached the fifth-grade recorder ensemble who come to me on Tuesdays, as well as my after-school "EXTREME Recorders!" group. For most of the kids, I'm the only recorder teacher they've ever had; so it was a wonderful opportunity for them to work with someone else's musical ideas.
Monday, November 7, 2011
Coming up in Music Class
Kindergartners through fourth-graders have been practicing patriotic songs, plus a few others, which we will gather and sing together just before the Thanksgiving holiday.
Just after that holiday, one of my own music teachers will be visting me; he will come to school with me on Tuesday, November 29th. On that day I have fourth-grade recorder class, fifth-grade recorder class, and Extreme Recorders after school; so I'm hoping he will do some work with the recorders. It's always good to get the perspective of a different musician!
And here's one much farther in the future: on Tuesday morning, March 20th, young opera performers from Northwest Opera In Schools Etc. (NOISE) will come to OWS and perform for us a shortened version of Engelbert Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel. I've already introduced the opera to all my students and will continue to familiarize them with the arias.
Just after that holiday, one of my own music teachers will be visting me; he will come to school with me on Tuesday, November 29th. On that day I have fourth-grade recorder class, fifth-grade recorder class, and Extreme Recorders after school; so I'm hoping he will do some work with the recorders. It's always good to get the perspective of a different musician!
And here's one much farther in the future: on Tuesday morning, March 20th, young opera performers from Northwest Opera In Schools Etc. (NOISE) will come to OWS and perform for us a shortened version of Engelbert Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel. I've already introduced the opera to all my students and will continue to familiarize them with the arias.
Friday, October 7, 2011
Specialists' Night
I'm making plans to be at school on Thursday evening, October 13th, and show you some of the things I do with your children in music class. Mrs. Brodahl, Ms. Leggitt, and Mr. Smith will be here too, so that you can experience what your children do in their Spanish, Art, and Physical Education classes!
Sound like fun? Your kids probably think so! Meet in the OWS gym at 6:15 for a welcome and introductions. Then we'll take you to your first specialist session, according to your children's grade levels. From 6:30 to 8:30, we'll rotate you through all four specialists' classes.
In previous years, we've had many enthusiastic comments from parents regarding how much they enjoyed the evening and how informative it was. We hope to see YOU this Thursday at 6:15!
Sound like fun? Your kids probably think so! Meet in the OWS gym at 6:15 for a welcome and introductions. Then we'll take you to your first specialist session, according to your children's grade levels. From 6:30 to 8:30, we'll rotate you through all four specialists' classes.
In previous years, we've had many enthusiastic comments from parents regarding how much they enjoyed the evening and how informative it was. We hope to see YOU this Thursday at 6:15!
Friday, September 30, 2011
Here's what we're up to in music class!
Kindergartners have been singing songs about farm animals, sometimes adding handheld percussion instruments. We've just begun learning about Humperdinck's opera Hansel and Gretel, which we will see performed in March.
First-graders have been working with steady beat. (If you have a first-grader, ask him or her to show you part of the "Syncopated Clock" dance!) We've been introduced to quarter notes and are about to meet the quarter rest.
Second-graders have been practicing sight-singing the pitches G, E and A. We've heard the story of how "The Star-Spangled Banner" was written, we've deciphered some of the lyrics, and we are learning to sing it correctly, without the extra melisma which is so often inserted.
Third-graders are very excited because they can begin learning on October 5th to play the recorder! Don't forget, there's a great recorder concert coming up Friday evening, October 7th--see the previous post. They've been doing a little of everything: sight-singing pitches, comparing durations of note values, playing instruments, and performing and even leading rhythmic canons.
Fourth-graders learned to sing Washington's state song and have been working with the Orff metallophones, glockenspiels and xylophones to distinguish their timbres and use them effectively in orchestration.
Mrs. Arends is preparing recorder music and getting ready to attend a music educators' mini-conference in Kirkland on October 14th and 15th.
First-graders have been working with steady beat. (If you have a first-grader, ask him or her to show you part of the "Syncopated Clock" dance!) We've been introduced to quarter notes and are about to meet the quarter rest.
Second-graders have been practicing sight-singing the pitches G, E and A. We've heard the story of how "The Star-Spangled Banner" was written, we've deciphered some of the lyrics, and we are learning to sing it correctly, without the extra melisma which is so often inserted.
Third-graders are very excited because they can begin learning on October 5th to play the recorder! Don't forget, there's a great recorder concert coming up Friday evening, October 7th--see the previous post. They've been doing a little of everything: sight-singing pitches, comparing durations of note values, playing instruments, and performing and even leading rhythmic canons.
Fourth-graders learned to sing Washington's state song and have been working with the Orff metallophones, glockenspiels and xylophones to distinguish their timbres and use them effectively in orchestration.
Mrs. Arends is preparing recorder music and getting ready to attend a music educators' mini-conference in Kirkland on October 14th and 15th.
Friday, September 23, 2011
Professional Recorder Concert Friday evening, October 7th
Here's a fun opportunity to hear and SEE recorders of all sizes--from five inches to six feet tall--played by professionals. Vicki Boeckman is a Seattle-based performing artist and recorder teacher; David Ohannesian is a recorder maker. Together they will perform music from seven centuries, from courtly love songs to pieces about Australian animals! This happens at 7:30 p.m. on October 7th, at Northlake Unitarian: 315 3rd Avenue South, Kirlkand, WA 98033. You can buy tickets online from the Early Music Guild at
http://www.earlymusicguild.org/?page_id=470
If you're going, let me know so I can look for you!
http://www.earlymusicguild.org/?page_id=470
If you're going, let me know so I can look for you!
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Welcome!
Hi! Thanks for checking out my blog for OWS music. It's my version of the classroom newsletter: here I'll post what your children are studying in my music classes, plus concert announcements and information about recorder activities. The little turquoise "Pages" section to the right stores basic information about the OWS music program and recorders program. You also can navigate from here to other specialists' blogs.
This first week we've been practicing what to do if you're in the music room when the fire alarm sounds--safety first! I'm also sending home information on the recorder program and will post it here shortly.
If your family enjoyed hearing YAAMBA (the Zimbabwean-style marimba band in which I play) at the cultural event last year, you might want to know that we'll be playing at the Mercer Island Farmers' Market on Sunday, September 18th. We're to begin at 11:00 and stop at 3:00, with two or three breaks.
This first week we've been practicing what to do if you're in the music room when the fire alarm sounds--safety first! I'm also sending home information on the recorder program and will post it here shortly.
If your family enjoyed hearing YAAMBA (the Zimbabwean-style marimba band in which I play) at the cultural event last year, you might want to know that we'll be playing at the Mercer Island Farmers' Market on Sunday, September 18th. We're to begin at 11:00 and stop at 3:00, with two or three breaks.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Lessons Days
OWS students who take music lessons are invited to play for their classmates next week during their regular music classes. The date for Grades One and Three is Wednesday, May 25th; for Kinder and Second, it's Thursday, May 26th. (Fifth Grade had theirs earlier.)
Students who wish to perform should bring their lesson books (or books out of which they will play) and their instruments, with the exception of piano. The music room is equipped with a touch-sensitive electric piano and music stands.
At the end of Thursday's classes, the winner of the "Best Audience" trophy will be declared!
Students who wish to perform should bring their lesson books (or books out of which they will play) and their instruments, with the exception of piano. The music room is equipped with a touch-sensitive electric piano and music stands.
At the end of Thursday's classes, the winner of the "Best Audience" trophy will be declared!
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Recorders Play for Second Grade
Friday, April 15th, 68 students who have been attending recorder class will be playing a concert onstage in the gym. The audience will be Second Grade, who will have the opportunity next fall to learn recorder themselves! Familiar tunes in the concert will include Beethoven's "Ode to Joy", an adaptation of Pachelbel's "Kanon", and "Old MacDonald".
Monday, March 28, 2011
Free Children's Concert in Seattle
Saturday, April 2 at 2 p.m., the Seattle Men's Chorus and Seattle Women's Chorus will present their twelfth annual FREE Children's Concert at McCaw Hall. This year the concert will also feature kids from Village Theater's KIDSTAGE program! The program promises to be lots of fun, and kids who enjoy or have enjoyed singing in choir will have an extra dimension to their appreciation for the music.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Updates!
Today kindergartners played on the Orff instruments using mallets. We used the rhyme "Ninety-nine O'Clock". They continue to practice songs from Japan, India and the U.S. to perform after their Parade of Cultures.
March 21st was Bach's birthday! First-graders celebrated by listening to some of his most famous music and figuring out that, if he were alive today, he would be 326 years old.
Second-graders have been learning songs for their Earth Day show. One of the songs uses a few phrases in Swahili.
Third-graders are preparing to read syncopation and to listen to the first movement of Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 in C minor.
Fifth-graders have been learning vocal and instrumental parts for the song "We Are One" and hope to make recordings of it next week.
Recorder players are still earning belts and are preparing to play their first concert: Friday, April 15th, they will play onstage in the gym for an audience of Second-graders. This always creates a lot of excitement among the recorder players, as well as among the audience, who will have a chance to begin playing recorder next fall.
March 21st was Bach's birthday! First-graders celebrated by listening to some of his most famous music and figuring out that, if he were alive today, he would be 326 years old.
Second-graders have been learning songs for their Earth Day show. One of the songs uses a few phrases in Swahili.
Third-graders are preparing to read syncopation and to listen to the first movement of Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 in C minor.
Fifth-graders have been learning vocal and instrumental parts for the song "We Are One" and hope to make recordings of it next week.
Recorder players are still earning belts and are preparing to play their first concert: Friday, April 15th, they will play onstage in the gym for an audience of Second-graders. This always creates a lot of excitement among the recorder players, as well as among the audience, who will have a chance to begin playing recorder next fall.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Class Updates
Kindergartners are getting pretty good at the play-party "Alabama Gal" and now are learning to "wring the dishrag" and play "I Let Her Go-Go" and "Jump, Josie".
First-graders continue to practice singing, hearing, reading, and writing the pitches "G" and "E", and are preparing to learn "A". They enjoy using their rhythmic reading skills and hearing about J. S. Bach.
Second-graders are identifying the sound of "mi-re-do" and writing it in different places on the treble staff (B-A-G, A-G-F and E-D-C). Recently they learned proper hand drum technique.
Third-graders have been performing speech canons, movement canons and of course singing canons. They are adding sixteenth notes to their classroom rhythm repertoire.
Fifth-graders have studied the harmonic progression of 12-bar blues and played it on the Orff instruments. They've discussed the history of blues and gone on to jazz and George Gershwin, hearing "Summertime" from his opera Porgy and Bess and singing his "I Got Rhythm". After Midwinter Break they'll begin a drumming/composition unit.
The winners of the trophy for Best Audience were Mr. Goodman's Fourth Grade and Mrs. Spadoni's Second Grade. Earlier I listed Ms. Rawson's First Grade; I regret the error.
First-graders continue to practice singing, hearing, reading, and writing the pitches "G" and "E", and are preparing to learn "A". They enjoy using their rhythmic reading skills and hearing about J. S. Bach.
Second-graders are identifying the sound of "mi-re-do" and writing it in different places on the treble staff (B-A-G, A-G-F and E-D-C). Recently they learned proper hand drum technique.
Third-graders have been performing speech canons, movement canons and of course singing canons. They are adding sixteenth notes to their classroom rhythm repertoire.
Fifth-graders have studied the harmonic progression of 12-bar blues and played it on the Orff instruments. They've discussed the history of blues and gone on to jazz and George Gershwin, hearing "Summertime" from his opera Porgy and Bess and singing his "I Got Rhythm". After Midwinter Break they'll begin a drumming/composition unit.
The winners of the trophy for Best Audience were Mr. Goodman's Fourth Grade and Mrs. Spadoni's Second Grade. Earlier I listed Ms. Rawson's First Grade; I regret the error.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Lessons Days, cont'd.
Third Grade's Lessons Day (see below) will be Wednesday, February 29th. So far, Mr. Goodman's Fourth Grade and Ms. Rawson's First Grade are tied for first place and the Best Audience trophy!
In other news, Fourth Grade music classes are finished for this school year, and on Tuesday, February 1st, Fifth Grade will begin having music once a week.
In other news, Fourth Grade music classes are finished for this school year, and on Tuesday, February 1st, Fifth Grade will begin having music once a week.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
LESSONS DAY January 26th & 27th
On January 26th and 27th, Kindergarten, First, Second, and Fourth grades will have Lessons Day during their regularly scheduled music class. That's when those children who take lessons on an instrument (or dance) have an opportunity to show their classmates the result of their hard work. During Lessons Day, each student's most important job--no matter whether s/he performs or not--is to be an excellent audience member. This performance is just for classmates, not parents.
If your child would like to perform, she or he needs to rehearse announcing the piece, playing it, and bowing afterwards. You could help by being an audience during rehearsal(s) at home. The student should also bring the music for the piece to be performed, as well as the instrument to be played (except, of course, for piano). If you'd like to store the instrument in the music studio that morning, that will be just fine.
First Grade and Mr. Saltz's and Ms. Scott's will have their opportunities during regular music class on Wednesday, January 26th.
Second Grade, Kindergarten and Mr. Goodman's class will have theirs on Thursday the 27th. Third Grade will have Lessons Day after their Folk Tales performance is over.
If your child would like to perform, she or he needs to rehearse announcing the piece, playing it, and bowing afterwards. You could help by being an audience during rehearsal(s) at home. The student should also bring the music for the piece to be performed, as well as the instrument to be played (except, of course, for piano). If you'd like to store the instrument in the music studio that morning, that will be just fine.
First Grade and Mr. Saltz's and Ms. Scott's will have their opportunities during regular music class on Wednesday, January 26th.
Second Grade, Kindergarten and Mr. Goodman's class will have theirs on Thursday the 27th. Third Grade will have Lessons Day after their Folk Tales performance is over.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Recorders and Singers at MCE January 22
By now just about all the students at Open Window--including Vista--have heard a catchy gospel song from South Africa called "Ipharadisi" ("ee-parr-ah-dee-see"). We've been learning it because this Saturday's Multi-Cultural Event, at the Baha'i Center near Crossroads in Bellevue, will celebrate Africa. Recorder players and choir members attending the event will want to be sure to be present at 6:30, when we'll kick off the entertainment portion of the evening by performing Ipharadisi. Students will be joined by YAAMBA marimba, one of the Zimbabwean-style bands which have grown up in the Pacific Northwest from seeds planted by Dumisani Maraire. Should be great fun!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
