Fun Friday: Make your own instrument!

The PreK and JK students have been singing their popcorn song, and recently made their very own popcorn instruments. You can do this at home, too!  It is very simple and only requires a few items.

Materials:

- One small container with a lid (Plastic containers make the best sound. Try an empty yogurt container, spice jar, juice bottle or medicine bottle. What a great way to reuse that bottle from your Flinstones vitamins!)

- Unpopped popcorn, rice, or beans. Lentils would work nicely, as well.

- Tape, stickers, markers (optional)


Step 1:  Make sure the inside of your container is clean and dry. If it has a wrapper on the outside you can peel it off.

Step 2:  Put a small amount of the popcorn/rice/beans into your container. You don't need too much. Make sure you leave lots of room for the popcorn to rattle around!

Step 3:  Put the lid on your container. If it is loose you can use the tape to secure the lid to the container. If the lid comes off while you are shaking the instrument it can cause quite a mess!

Step 4:  Use your stickers and/or markers to decorate the outside of your instrument.

Step 5:  Shake!  Your instrument is completed and it is time to make some music.

You can play along with your favorite songs on the radio, or you can shake it to this song.  Listen carefully! There is a time to play and a time to listen. SSSHHHhhhhh!!!!

Leaving comments

It was brought to my attention by a few of the 3rd graders that I had my comments settings a bit too tight. I have adjusted the settings so that any of the families and students can now reply without having a Google account, or some other such account.

Feel free to comment on the posts, videos and pictures.  Feedback is always appreciated!

Also, if you want to keep up to date on the happenings in Music class you can subscribe to this blog. Just type your email address into the the box to the right under "Follow By Email" and press submit. You will receive a notification when a new post has been added to the blog.

Fun Friday: Valentine's Video & Gift

Yesterday was Valentine's Day and the students were in the holiday spirit. Red and pink could be seen in every direction.  The Valentine's Dance was rockin', and we even heard some of the students take a turn on the microphone as they sang along with the music.

In 3rd grade Music I was able to surprise the students with a small Valentine's Day gift. Can you guess what they are?

After singing a Valentine's song and playing a melody identification game, the students were presented with their gifts. Oh, the squeals of excitement as they discovered what was inside.

What could it be? 

 It's a recorder! A recorder!

They are so excited to start playing their instruments!  Never fear, parents, they will not be sent home until the students have learned to play with a pleasant sound. You have another week or two to prepare for the forthcoming sounds of musical expression. More details will be sent home regarding the use and materials for class in the near future.

Have a fabulous, relaxing long weekend!

Popcorn Play

In PreK and JK we are in the middle of a mini unit on popcorn. Fluffy, crunchy, yummy popcorn!

We are reading books about popcorn, both fiction and non-fiction.

The students examined un-popped popcorn to see what it looks like before the corn pops. We talked about how the hard, dried kernels need to be heated up for the corn to pop and become the fluffy, tasty treat.

 We are going to use the popcorn kernels to make our own popcorn instruments. After that we will be able to play along with our favorite popcorn song.

The Compositions are coming!

The 2nd and 3rd graders have been hard at work composing their own original songs in Music class. The 2nd graders are just about finished presenting their songs, and 3rd grade is currently writing out their final drafts on the music staff. In mid-February we will have the world premiere of these grand compositions. To whet your appetite, we present this movie trailer...coming Winter 2013!

Fun Friday: Video, Hawaiian Style

Aloha!

In 4th and 5th grade the students have learned a song from the beautiful state of Hawaii. It may be cold with snow in the forecast here in New Jersey, but at least we can sing and bring to mind the sunny skies and ocean waves of the tropical islands.

The students have learned the song and discovered a new-to-us rhythm pattern. It happens to be my favorite rhythm pattern.  Yes, that's right, music teachers are such big music geeks that we have favorite rhythm patterns. This one in particular helps give the song it's Hawaiian flavor.  Take a listen to hear the song played with the ukulele, an instrument native to Hawaii, and to learn a bit about this fun, funky rhythm pattern.

After the students learned the song they started to learn the game that goes with it. Since the nickname for the song is "The Hawaiian Stick Game," it is safe to assume the kids got to use sticks.  Here they are trying it out for the first time.

During the next class they were asked to enter the room and to practice the stick pattern with a partner of their choosing. What an amazing surprise when they came in and all started singing while practicing!  Quite by accident they created harmony!

Fun Friday: A song and a poll

This week for Fun Friday I want to ask you a question. I want to hear what you think!

We sing many different songs in Music, mostly from different folk traditions.  North American folk songs are the most common.  Some of these songs are: Rocky Mountain, Dinah, We Are Dancing in the Forest, Oliver Twist, Peas Porridge Hot, and Shoo Fly.  I try to make sure that we explore other folk traditions, as well.  The 4th and 5th graders are singing a Hawaiian song (check boack for that next Friday!) In 2nd grade the students are singing Kaeru No Uta Ga, a Japanese song about a frog.  In 3rd grade we sing a Spanish language lullaby called Duerme Pronto. Click on the Vocaroo link to listen below!

Voice Recorder >>

As we move forward in the year I want to add more songs to our repertoire that are in other languages.  Here's my questions for you: In which languages should we learn new songs in Music class?  Look to the right of this post and you will see a poll.  You can choose as many answers as you like.  If the language you would like to sing in is not listed click on "Other" and post your answer in the comments below.