For kindergarten and third grades, Lessons Day--see the January 6th post--will be during the regular music period on Wednesday, February 15th.
For fourth grade, Lessons Day will be Thursday, the 16th.
For first grade, it will be after their Penguins show and after Midwinter Break, on Thursday, March 1st.
Second grade will also have it after Midwinter Break, on Wednesday, February 29th.
Friday, February 3, 2012
Monday, January 23, 2012
Multi-Cultural Event, and Lessons Day
Okay, when I said "no make-up date" for Lessons Day I meant in case of a student's forgetting to bring materials s/he needed for performing. As we were snowed out instead, I hope to reschedule Lessons Day.
Meanwhile, the Multi-Cultural Event celebrating South American cultures is coming right up, this Saturday! Entertainment is to begin at about 6 p.m. in the main (largest) room. Around 7 p.m., I will take the stage and ask for any students who want to perform "Flor de Cactus"--the song from Peru I've been teaching in regular music classes--to come forward, and they'll sing it with a recorded accompaniment.
Friday, January 6, 2012
Lessons Day
On Lessons Day, students who take music lessons are invited to perform a piece for their classmates during their regular music class. This is an opportunity for some students to show skills they have gained by practicing regularly, and for all students to practice good audience skills. In fact, the class demonstrating the best audience skills will have their name put on a trophy, which will be displayed in the music studio!
Kindergarten, Second Grade and Third Grade will have their Lessons Day during regular music class on Wednesday, January 18th. First Grade and Fourth Grade will have it on Thursday, January 19th.
Kindergarten, Second Grade and Third Grade will have their Lessons Day during regular music class on Wednesday, January 18th. First Grade and Fourth Grade will have it on Thursday, January 19th.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Saturday, January 7th
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/
Currently the opera is also playing on KING's "Opera Channel", available for listening online at http://www.king.org/
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.
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