Kindergarten, First, and Second Grade
Our musicians have been studying the instrument families over the past
few weeks. The third, fourth, and fifth graders reviewed the instrument
families through playing games and checking out a cool website that showed
what the instruments looked and sounded like. They even learned that the
recorders they are starting to play are part of the Woodwind Family.
Our first and second graders will be learning a little more about the
instrument families, studying one family per week. They’ll even have the
opportunity to try a few instruments from some of the families! If you’ve
ever played an instrument, be sure to share that with your child. Tell your
child what you played and see if he/she can tell you it’s family and why it
is a member of that instrument family.
Third, Fourth, and Fifth Grade
It’s that time again! Our third, fourth, and fifth graders are starting
to play the recorders in Music. We will be studying the recorders in school
for the next eight weeks, learning a new skill each week. Playing the
recorder reinforces music skills learned throughout the elementary music
education experience including counting note values, reading notes on the
staff, keeping a steady beat, listening to different pitches, and more.
Rockin’ Recorder Rules
There are three simple rules your child needs to remember to be a
successful recorder player. They are as follows:
*Always come prepared.
*Only play when it’s time to play.
*Listen respectfully when others are playing.
Recorder Groups
We will spend the first 20 minutes of class working as a whole group
learning and reviewing a skill and practicing songs as a group. We will then
split into groups of four based on ability. Students will practice songs at
their level in these small groups. Each child will have a job (Starter,
stopper, fixer, and checker) to keep their groups on track. During this time,
I will be pulling students to work with and test their playing individually.
Homework
Your child will have music sent home to practice each week. This music
will be assigned based on your child’s playing ability. Students will also
occasionally receive special information about the recorder. Please read this
information with your child to help him/her become a better musician. This
will all be placed in their “Recorder Folders.” Students are responsible for
bringing their folders to Music on their Music day.
Testing
Students will be tested on skills taught in the previous music class
starting the week of February 9th. They will receive new music based on their
ability each time they test. If your child would like to move at a faster
pace, I will be available to test students on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and
Fridays from 8:00-8:20 a.m.
Students will be able to test their ability through nine songs. Each song
focuses on a different skill. If your child successfully passes all nine
songs and would like to further advance their recorder skills, I have a
limited supply of recorder books that can be checked out. Students must pass
the first nine recorder songs to be able to check out a more advanced book.
These books will also be available after we finish our recorder unit for
students who want to continue playing.
