John Henry’s Hammer and Other Tools

We had a great time wrapping up our “Tools” theme this week in music. In K-4, we explored the legend of John Henry through literature, song, and music. Fun fact: sources (including NPR) claim that “John Henry” is the most recorded folk song in US history. Classes listened to versions by Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, and/or Bruce Springsteen, as well as an instrumental piece based on the legend by Aaron Copland. While listening, students acted out the legend, meditated, or heard the book John Henry by Julius Lester, illustrated by Jerry Pinckney. After listening, students learned to sing "The Ballad of John Henry" quickly and enthusiastically. Students then chose instruments to hammer along with while they sang, which we layered in and out to create our final performance of the piece.

3/4 students also heard the story of John Henry, but used it as inspiration for working on their instrumental settings for "This Old Hammer." Students worked in small instrumental groupings to create more intricate accompaniments for the song, then performed for their classmates and began notating their work.

K-4 students also heard musical examples featuring a hammer and anvil as part of the orchestra. Students tried to re-create the sound in the music room, coming closest with a hard mallet on the gong. We then used this sound in our John Henry accompaniments. Some students recognized the Anvil Chorus from Il Trovatore, while even more recognized the other example as part of Nicholas Hopper's soundtrack from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

Blacksmith or orchestral musician?

5/6 students continued to try out musical tools at Oz’s Music Environment. This week, we focused on stringed instruments, including violins, violas, cellos, string basses, harps, and guitars. Students learned basic techniques and played various note values in unison. Students were enthralled by a live demonstration by a recent graduate of the violin program at the UM School of Music, and were quite creative in their imaginings of stories behind the songs she played.