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Kindergarten
During the 3rd Trimester, Kindergarten focused on preparing for the Spring Music Showcase. To prepare, they learned the song “My Little Rooster,” a song that helps them practice memorization skills while also working on copying sounds of animals. In this music classroom, there is a big emphasis on listening, for it is only by listening that we can create a genuine response to the world around us. Along the way, students experimented with various percussion instruments to accompany the rhythm of the song, however in the end, we decided to perform the song solely with our voices at the Music Showcase. 1st Grade During the 3rd Trimester, First Grade focused on preparing for the Spring Music Showcase. To prepare, they learned the song “El Coqui,” a song written in both Spanish and English. The coqui is a type of small tree frog found in Puerto Rico. Singing together can be enough of a challenge, and singing in another language added even greater difficulty, but they rose to the challenge with great enthusiasm. To get them excited for the song, students played frog-shaped guiros, a notched instrument that is played by rubbing a stick along the notches. These guiros are unique in that they sound like a croaking frog! We had a lot of fun playing the guiros and other percussion instruments while learning the song, but ultimately found these instruments to be too distracting, so when it came time for the showcase, we sang it without accompaniment. 2nd Grade During the 3rd Trimester, Second Grade focused on preparing for the Spring Music Showcase. To prepare, they practiced “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,” a song they already knew, but they were challenged to learn the seldom-heard verses and also create instrument accompaniments to complement the song. These instruments included the triangle, the xylophone, and the flutophone. Learning these instruments was a meaningful challenge for students, and many commented that it was their favorite part of class. 3rd Grade During the 3rd Trimester, Third Grade focused on preparing for the Spring Music Showcase. To prepare, they learned the song “Funga Alafia,” a song written using words from three different West African languages:
The students learned the words of the song first, and then practiced playing the rhythm on various percussion instruments. For the showcase, students were given the opportunity to decide which percussion instrument they wanted to play, giving them both freedom of choice and an opportunity to practice sharing resources. 4th Grade During the 3rd Trimester, Fourth Grade focused on preparing for the Spring Music Showcase. To prepare, they learned the song “My Kinda People” by a young singer/songwriter named A.J. Raggs. This song was selected to help remind students about the importance of sharing kindness with others, while also practicing the skills of music memorization and singing together as an ensemble. We started by singing along to the music video, and then began adding our own percussion instruments to keep the beat and playing along to the chords on the ukulele. The students showed great enthusiasm for this song, with many students saying that they listened to and practiced singing the song at home. Their hard work paid off by giving an impressive performance at the showcase! 5th Grade During the 3rd Trimester, Fifth Grade focused on preparing for the Spring Music Showcase. To prepare, they learned the song “This Land is Your Land” by Woody Guthrie. Aside from learning how to sing the lyrics together and play them melody and rhythm on various instruments, students also learned about the history of the song and listened to various versions that have been made over the years. We spent a good amount of time practicing the song as a chorus accompanied by various instruments—working to play the instruments just loud enough to be heard, but not too loud as to overpower the lyrics. I was particularly impressed by how seriously students engaged in the process, while also embedding joy into their performance. 6th Grade During the 3rd Trimester, Sixth Grade focused on preparing for the Spring Music Showcase. To prepare, they learned the song “Stand By Me” by Ben E. King. This song was selected as a reminder of the importance and value of friendship, while also giving them an opportunity to explore their emerging musicality on various percussive and melodic instruments. While I made myself available as a guide with suggestions, I left the students plenty of room to choose for themselves what instruments they wanted to use or not use, giving them ownership and leadership in the experience. During the Music Showcase, I awarded deserving students with The Conductor’s Award, which recognizes students of exemplary conduct, outstanding character, and valued contribution to the music program. Recipients of this award demonstrate the values of teamwork, leadership, and excellence. The students who received this award are Holly Sampson and Addison Thomas from R.H. Conwell Elementary School, and Cailin Gougeon and Carson Bisbee from New Hingham Regional Elementary School. Final Note It has been a joy and an honor working with these students over the past year and I look forward with anticipation and excitement to working with them all again next year!
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This month we began preparing for the Spring Music Showcase that is planned for June 7 at New Hingham and June 9 at R.H. Conwell.
Preschool is learning “Listen Listen Here I Come.” Kindergarten is learning “My Little Rooster.” First Grade is learning “El Coqui.” Second Grade is learning “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.” Third Grade is learning “Funga Alafia.” Fourth Grade is learning “My Kinda People.” Fifth Grade is learning “This Land is Your Land.” Sixth Grade is learning “Stand By Me.” Click the links below to explore all our resources on the class website, www.MrCainMusic.com: This month, the students in the Music Room:
Click the links below to explore all the available resources: With report cards just around the corner, I thought a more detailed update would be in order. Look for the specific grade level below to check out what we've been doing in the music room!
Kindergarten In the Kindergarten music classes we have been learning a variety of songs to perform together. Learning to sing and play music empowers students with a variety of skills, including listening, responding, memorization, matching, movement, and creativity. For example, when we learned the song “This Little Light of Mine,” students first practiced listening to and copying the words. Next, they practiced keeping a steady beat to the song using rhythmic instruments. Finally, they learned a simple dance to go along with the song, providing them with an opportunity to respond to the sound through movement. Expression through movement has been a key component of the kindergarten music classes. During each class we spend time listening to music and students are encouraged to copy dance movements provided to them while also coming up with their own dance movements. 1st Grade In the first grade music classes we have been learning a variety of songs to perform together. Learning to sing and play music empowers students with a variety of skills, including listening, responding, memorization, matching, movement, and creativity. For example, when we learned the song “The Bear Went Over the Mountain,” students first practiced listening to and copying the words, including the mimicking of animal sounds. Next, they practiced following tempo changes throughout the song, which helped them further work on their listening and responding skills while also honing their rhythmic skills. Finally, they were encouraged to come up with their own words to the song, giving them an opportunity to create something new as a class. Listening has been a key component of the first grade classes, which helps them train their ears to distinguish sounds while also helping them improve their concentration abilities and capacity for responding to the world around them—an important transferable skill to use in the classroom as well as in other social environments. One of the ways they have been practicing their listening skills is by listening to a variety of sounds and trying to identify what made the sound, with an emphasis on growth in their skills rather than perfection. 2nd Grade In the second grade music classes we have been learning a variety of songs to perform together, empowering students with a variety of skills, including listening, responding, memorization, matching, movement, and creativity. For example, when we learned the song “Here Sits a Monkey,” students first practiced listening to and copying the words, which enabled them to sing along. Next, they practiced keeping a steady beat on rhythmic instruments, such as the hand drum, the tambourine, and maracas. Finally, they were given space to create their own words to the song and come up with their own dance movements, giving them the opportunity to create something new as a class. Listening has been a key component of the second grade classes, which helps them train their ears, improve their concentration abilities, and be more effective team players—all important transferable skills to use both in and outside of the classroom. One way they have practiced this skill is through an activity we call “Open Mic.” This is where students take turns performing a song, doing a dance, telling a story, or any other creative performance, and the rest of the class practices being a respectful audience—with voices off, eyes forward, ears listening, and with calm bodies. This activity plays the dual role of also encouraging students to take creative risks by sharing their emerging skills with their peers. 3rd Grade In the third grade music classes students have been engaging in a variety of activities that encourage them to create their own music by exploring the organization of sound. These activities empower students with a variety of musical skills, including rhythm, tempo, dynamics, and instrumentation, along with further transferable skills such as listening, responding, movement, and creativity. For example, students participated in an activity called “The Sound Machine” where they drew plans for an imaginary instrument and then, using a variety of real instruments, created what they imagined the instrument might sound like. To further help them grow in their musical abilities, students moved beyond rhythmic instruments and began learning to play melodic instruments, starting with the recorder. The recorder is a woodwind instrument that requires breath control, fine motor skills, and memorization of how to play individual notes (or pitches). Learning the recorder also helps students to practice reading basic music notation by identifying pitches and rhythms on the music staff. Listening has been a key component of the third grade classes, which helps them train their ears, improve their concentration abilities, and be more effective team players—all important transferable skills to use both in and outside of the classroom. One way they have practiced this skill is by identifying musical instruments by the sounds they produce. Students listen to brief samples of music and try to identify the instruments being played using audio clues. 4th Grade In the fourth grade music classes students have been engaging in a variety of activities that encourage them to create their own music by exploring the organization of sound. These activities empower students with a variety of musical skills, including rhythm, tempo, dynamics, and instrumentation, along with further transferable skills such as listening, responding, movement, and creativity. For example, students participated in an activity called “The Square of Sounds” where they were presented with a series of squares, each representing one beat of sound. Students were tasked with notating a sound in each square, so that when it was all played together, it created a complete musical composition. For many students, this was their first opportunity to write their own musical composition! Students also began learning to play the recorder, a melodic woodwind instrument that requires breath control, fine motor skills, and memorization. Learning the recorder has helped students practice reading basic music notation by identifying pitches and rhythms on the music staff. Listening has been a key component of the fourth grade classes, which helps them train their ears, improve their concentration abilities, and be more effective team players—all important transferable skills to use both in and outside of the classroom. One way they have practiced this skill is by identifying musical instruments by the sounds they produce. Students listen to brief samples of music and try to identify the instruments being played using the audio clues provided. 5th Grade In the fifth grade music classes students have been engaging in a variety of activities that encourage them to create their own music by exploring both the organization of sound and the communication of ideas. These activities empower students with a variety of musical skills, including rhythm, tempo, dynamics, and instrumentation, along with the transferable skills of listening, responding, movement, creativity, and self-expression. For example, students engaged in an activity called “The Musical Game of Feelings” where they were tasked with expressing emotion through sound. They were given a list of six feelings (happy, sad, excited, tired, afraid, and angry) and a list of six musical instruments (ukulele, piano, tambourine, xylophone, maracas, and drum). Students matched feelings with instruments by rolling dice and were challenged to express those feelings using the sound of the assigned instruments. Though some of these pairings were challenging, students were creative in coming up with interesting ways to express themselves through nonverbal communication. Students also began learning to play the ukulele, a string instrument that requires both fine motor skills and memorization. While the ukulele can be played both as a melodic and a chord instrument, we have been using it to learn about and practice playing chords—sets of pitches played simultaneously to accompany a melody. Listening has been a key component of the fifth grade classes, which increases their ability to understand others and be more empathetic—all important transferable skills to use both in and outside of the classroom. One way they have practiced this skill is by listening to music from different cultural backgrounds. This practice offers students the opportunity to expand their musical and cultural horizons to become more aware of the perspectives of others and better understand the world around them. 6th Grade In the sixth grade music classes students have been engaging in a variety of activities to help them explore both the organization of sound and the communication of ideas. These activities empower students with a variety of musical skills (including rhythm, tempo, dynamics, and instrumentation), along with a myriad of transferable skills (including listening, responding, movement, creativity, and self-expression). For example, students began writing their own musical compositions using the “RAFT” method, which provides a useful outline to help students engage with any writing project. RAFT is an acronym that stands for Role (Who is writing the piece?), Audience (Who is this piece written for?), Format (What is the format of this piece?), and Topic (What is this piece about?). For this assignment, the role and format were preassigned (their role was themselves and the format was a song), but they were free to choose their own audience and topic. This freedom provided students with an opportunity to express themselves both verbally and nonverbally through the creative use of organized sound. Students also began learning to play the ukulele, a string instrument that requires both fine motor skills and memorization. While the ukulele can be played both as a melodic and a chord instrument, we have been using it to learn about and practice playing chords—sets of pitches played simultaneously to accompany a melody. Listening has been a key component of the sixth grade classes, which increases their ability to understand the world and be more empathetic—all important transferable skills to use both in and outside of the classroom. One way they have practiced this skill is by listening to music from different cultural backgrounds. This practice offers students the opportunity to expand their musical and cultural horizons to become more aware of the perspectives of others and better understand the world around them. This month the students in the music room:
Click the links below to explore all our resources on the class website, www.MrCainMusic.com: This month we learned a series of new songs including Hello Hello, The Bear Went Over The Mountain, danced to Freeze Dance POP 2 by Be Well Played, explored Blop Opera, learned about song structure, began writing our own songs, created our own imaginary instruments, continued the Listen & Tell series, and listened to samples of sounds including Clean Percussion Music, The Most Beautiful Trumpet Solo, and Unusual and Strange Musical Instruments Compilation Part 2!
Click the links below to explore all our resources on the class website, www.MrCainMusic.com: This month we learned a series of new songs including It’s Raining Tacos, This Little Light of Mine, and Jingle Bells, danced to the Thanksgiving Freeze Dance, practiced rhythmic exercises, learned about protest songs, started the Listen & Tell series, and listened to wild samples of sounds including Unusual and Strange Musical Instruments Compilation, Marble Machine, and the Glass Armonica!
Click the links below to explore all our resources on the class website, www.MrCainMusic.com: This month we learned a series of new songs including 6 Little Pickles and Gobble, Gobble, learned the Pickle Dance, practiced rhythmic exercises, reviewed the meaning of dynamics and tempo, and listened to wild samples of sounds including the Musical Saw Duet and Rush E!
Click the links below to explore all our resources on the class website, www.MrCainMusic.com: This month we learned a series of new songs including Acka Backa, Five Little Pumpkins, My Kinda People, and The Farmer's Apple Tree, danced to Erik Satie's “Trois Gymnopédies” and the Halloween Freeze Dance, played Guess the Sound, and listened to samples of sounds including “Ghosts IV - 34”, Mania, and African Drumming in Trinidad and Tobago.”
Click the links below to explore all our resources on the class website, www.MrCainMusic.com: This month we learned several songs including Hello, Nice to See You!, Goodbye, See You Soon, Who Stole the Cookie from the Cookie Jar, Lava, and Hop Old Squirrel, played with Boomwhackers, danced to Can't Stop the Feeling, played Guess the Sound, practiced rhythmic exercises with The Cup Song and The Name Game, reviewed classroom behavior expectation (how to be safe, kind, and responsible), and listened to samples of sounds including Mozart the Cat, Ukraine is Not Yet Lost, and HarvardTHUD!
Click the links below to explore all our resources on the class website, www.MrCainMusic.com: |
Mr. Cain, M.Ed.
AuthorMr. Cain studied music education at UMASS Dartmouth and Westfield State College under the guidance of saxophonists Rick Britto and Ted Levine. Archives
May 2025
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