Week 18: Monday

Classes today: 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, MS band

3rd: Learned about repeating notes/tones in music.  Student should be able to visually and aurally identify upward and downward movement of music as well as repeated tones.  They should also be able to SING upward/downward/repeated tones by looking at written music.  To help students understand this concept, we learned a Caribbean folk song called “Four White Horse.”  We also learned a clapping game to go with the song.

4th: Students learned the fingering for a treble C (the C in “FACE in the space”) and how to calculate the number of beats a dotted note would receive.  Students determined the number of beats a dotted half note receives (3 beats) and learned to recognize it in their music.  Next class, students may audition for their yellow belt by playing the piece found on Lesson 6, “Au Clair de la Lune.”

5th: Back to Music Olympics!  We learned about the Maori people, who called New Zealand (Aotearoa in their language) home.  Somes students who have had personal experiences in New Zealand shared their stories.  We watched a video of dancers using “poi balls,” plain, on fire, and as glow sticks.  Students sang the song “Whaka Poi” (in the Maori language) AND learned a poi ball “dance” to accompany the song.

6th: We are going back in time (technically forward from the Medieval Era) to the Renaissance Era (1400-1600).  Students learned about some of the major social and technological developments during this era.  We discussed the concept of primogeniture and how women distinguished themselves (by their artwork and by their dancing) in order to improve their social standing.  Looked at images of the Unicorn Tapestries (now housed at the Cloisters in New York) and videos of traditional Renaissance dances.  Students then learned how to dance the Carolingian Pavane to the piece “Belle qui tiens ma vie”  (two examples of this piece can be found on Youtube here [slow version, one repetition] and here [more traditional (except for the drum background rhythm, which is too techno for this time period) and employing a typical Renaissance recorder consort, two repetitions]).  One of the most difficult parts of the dancing for the students was remembering to lift up after their steps and to keep their arms out.  Even though the steps are relatively simple, it does require a lot of  coordination.

MS band: “Louie, Louie.”  Students are asked to consider some music from VIDEO GAMES that they might like to play for the Spring Concert.  We will vote on 2-3 that Mrs. Conway can put into a medley.  We will also look at the list of shorts that Mrs. Conway put together and select two pieces.