Author/Illustrator Wrap-Up: Shel Silverstein wins landslide victory

Though I offered a range of choices to each class, the 1/2 and 3/4 classes all chose a Shel Silverstein poem for their recording. Good thing I offered different poems to each class! However, Elaine's class is considering using poems written by students instead ... we'll see how the vote turns out tomorrow! 1/2 classes played with dynamic, tempo and instrumental contrasts to aurally illustrate the meaning of their poems. Their results are shaping up pretty well so far!

3/4s had another magical musical moment with their musical piece based on Japanese haiku and children's games. Some decided to learn the Kagome melody on the recorder, while others sang it in Japanese. We then set the melody to an ostinato (short, repetitive melody) created by two of the children and rounded it out with other ostinati on the low and high barred instruments. The results were lovely. The students were so excited and amazed by the music they created, they exclaimed that they wanted to practice it until Reflections Night in May to share with their parents. I got a little teary-eyed, I'll admit.

5/6s have continued to learn various ways to use their bodies as percussion instruments. They've decided they want to perform an intricate piece involving body percussion and barred instruments for the younger kids at the end of the month. They also decided to add additional body percussion patterns based on the Keith Terry patterns we've been learning. In general, we have been working on ensemble skills, and the kids are improving in their abilities to listen to each other and be considerate ensemble members.

Kindergartners' favorite music activities this week included recording their voices to start their digital portfolios, conducting each other in various locomotor movements (hop, gallop, walk, jump, tiptoe) to a steady beat, and hearing the first half of the story of Whiffle Squeek, sung to the tune of "Aiken Drum."