September 2024

Welcome to a new school year in the music room!

These past few weeks we have been learning about instrument families—how they produce sound and what they sound like:

• Woodwind instruments make sound by blowing air into or over a mouthpiece, often using a wooden reed that vibrates to make the sound.
• Brass instruments make sound by buzzing your lips while blowing into a mouthpiece.
• String instruments make sound by the vibration of strings, whether by strumming, plucking, or bowing.
• And percussion instruments make sound by striking, scraping, or shaking them.

Students even got to bow a cello and violin! They loved it!

• Preschool students have been practicing singing “Hello Everybody.”
• Kindergarten students have been practicing singing “Hello Everybody” and recalling songs they learned last year.
• 1st grade students have been singing “Down by the Bay.”
• 2nd grade students have been singing “Catch a Falling Star.”
• 3rd grade students have been singing “Find Your Light.”
• 4th grade students have been singing “When You’re Smiling.”
• 5th grade students have been singing “What a Wonderful World.”
• 6th grade students have been singing “When I’m Gone.”

Soon, students will be recording these songs to begin the process of creating their own music class album!

Along the way, we’ve been reinforcing the music room expectations: Safe, Kind & Responsible.

• Be safe with our bodies and safe with the instruments.
• Be kind to each other by sharing, taking turns, listening to each other, and encouraging one another.
• And be responsible by participating, doing your best, and putting equipment away when we are done with them.

Please consider reviewing these expectations with your students. 

Next month, music classes will be divided into different levels, and each level will have their own path through the rest of the school year:

• Level 1 (PreSchool & Kindergarten): Students will practice playing instrument appropriately by sharing, taking turns, and keeping a steady beat,
• Level 2 (1st & 2nd Grade): Students will continue learning about instrument families.
• Level 3 (3rd & 4th Grade): Students will explore different musical genres from the western world.
• Level 4 (5th & 6th Grade): Students will explore songwriting practices to begin learning how to write their own songs!