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To cap off the school year, each grade prepared a song to present at the spring recital. Students were responsible for memorizing the lyrics to the song as well as adding musical instruments into the final performance. You can listen to the progress they made by listening to their practice recordings:
Preschool worked on the song Listen Listen, Here I Come this semester, combining singing with creative drum solos. Students were challenged to listen to each other and then create their own rhythms and sounds on the drum! In addition, we continued to practice listening and responding to sounds by identifying sounds and moving our bodies to the beat. Kindergarten students worked on the song I’m a Potato this semester, where they were challenged to not only memorize the lyrics, but also come up with creative movements in response to the lyrics and rhythms. This is a challenging song, as it’s in a triple time signature, which isn’t as intuitive to their ear as a duple meter. In addition, we continued working on identifying sounds, recognizing that many things in our world make similar sounds, which is why it’s important to practice listening to understand rather than jumping to conclusions. First Grade worked on El Coqui this semester (except for R.H. Conwell, which worked on Catch a Falling Star). The coqui is a type of frog indigenous to Puerto Rico and students were challenged to memorize lyrics in both English and Spanish! To make it even more fun, we used guiros shaped like frogs to mimic the sound of the coqui! In addition, we continued working on identifying sounds, recognizing that many things in our world make similar sounds, which is why it’s important to practice listening to understand rather than jumping to conclusions. Second Grade worked on Catch a Falling Star this semester. Students were challenged to memorize the lyrics and add percussive and melodic instruments to complement the tune, including the glockenspiel, triangle, egg shaker, tambourine, and djembe. In addition, we continued working on identifying sounds, recognizing that many things in our world make similar sounds, which is why it’s important to practice listening to understand rather than jumping to conclusions. Third Grade either worked on Funga Alafia (New Hingham) or Toom-Bah-Ee-Lero (R.H. Conwell and Chester). Funga Alafia by LaRocque Bey and Babatunde Olatunji is written in three West African Languages; and Too-Bah-Ee-Lero by Ella Jenkins is written in a nonsense language that mimics the sound of West African Drums. Both songs use a call-and-response technique reminiscent of the music by the “Hi Dee Ho Man” Cab Calloway. In addition, students also practiced playing the recorder this semester, learning to play the notes D, E, G, A, and C from the pentatonic scale, allowing them to practice playing Doggy Doggy Where’s Your Bone by ear. Using these same pitches, students can also play both Funga Alafia and Toom-Bah-Ee-Lero! Fourth Grade worked on This Land is Your Land this semester (except for R.H. Conwell students, who worked on Toom-Bah-Ee-Lero). Students learned the history of the song, including why Woody Guthrie was inspired to write the song in critical response to Irving Berlin’s God Bless America, and how it is a contrafactum of When the World’s on Fire by the Carter Family. After memorizing the lyrics, students practiced adding percussion instruments to the song to complement the beat. In addition, students also practiced playing the recorder this semester, learning to play the notes D, E, G, A, and C from the pentatonic scale, allowing them to practice playing Doggy Doggy Where’s Your Bone by ear. Fifth Grade worked on Stand By Me this semester (except for R.H. Conwell and Chester students who worked on Lift Every Voice & Sing). Students listened to various versions of the song, discussed their likes, dislikes, and preferences of the various musical choices the artists made in their versions, and then they created their own rendition of the song, adding light percussion instruments along the way. In addition, students practiced playing the ukulele, learning how to tune it, how to strum it, and learning the chord shapes for the chords C, Am, F, and G7. Sixth Grade worked on Lift Every Voice & Sing this semester, learning about the history of the song—who wrote it, their inspiration for it, and how it’s on the cusp of becoming the National Hymn of the United States of America. Students listened to various versions of the song, including by Alica Keys, Andra Day, Ray Charles, and Beyonce. They discussed their likes, dislikes, and preferences of the various musical choices the artists made in their versions, and then they created their own rendition of the song, adding light percussion instruments along the way. In addition, students practiced playing the ukulele, learning how to tune it, how to strum it, and learning the chord shapes for the chords C, Am, F, and G7. As the semester wrapped up, I also asked students to reflect on what they learned this school year in the music room, what they enjoyed the most, what they might change about their music classes, and what they hoped to continue learning next year. As part of this reflection, I invite you as a family to submit your feedback on the music program. Click the link below that corresponds with your school to access the survey:
Your responses will be used to improve the music program. Thank you for your support!
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Students have been busy in the music room advancing their musical knowledge and skills by identifying the sources or various sounds, exploring how to respond to music through movement, and playing music as an ensemble—and upper grades are even learning how to play melodic instruments including the recorder and ukulele! In addition, all students have begun practicing writing their own music by composing a school song for the school!
Finally, students are also getting ready for their spring showcases next month! Here’s the lineup of performances and the pieces they will be performing: R.H. Conwell Elementary: June 5 @ 6:00pm
Chester Elementary: June 11 @ 2pm
New Hingham Elementary: June 12 @ 9:15pm
We hope to see you at the showcase! It’s been a busy start to spring in the music room!
To finish out the school year, students will spend the next several weeks preparing for the spring showcase. Each class will select a song and students will be responsible for learning, practicing, and honing their emerging music skills to present at the recital. The chase will be held on:
This month in the music room each class wrapped up their work on the songs they have been working on:
Most classes were ready to record their songs, and you can find their recordings using the links below: Most recently, preschool through 2nd grade began working on Bluebird Through My Window while practicing playing half notes and quarter notes on percussion and melodic instruments. Also, 3rd through 6th grade reviewed Sing Together, which will be featured as part of a whole-school singalong at the spring recital. In addition, they have begun the process of learning about songwriting which they will use to begin writing a school song! I am also excited to see so many students interested in borrowing instruments to practice and play at home! Learning to play an instrument can help students gain valuable skills that they can use in all aspects of life, including perseverance, responsibility, confidence, and much much more. I’ve noticed, however, that some instruments have taken a while to come back to the music room, which prevents students from using them in their music classes. To help students remember the expectations, I typed up a letter for each school that you can find here for New Hingham, here for RH Conwell, and here for Chester. This letter outlines the two key expectations:
Please review this letter with your student, and then sign and return a copy to school. Once a signed copy has been returned, your student will be free to borrow instruments again. Thank you for your help encouraging students in their passion for music! This month students have been practicing their ensemble skills, by working on their singing voices, listening to each other, starting and ending with silence, and following the conductor. It’s a work in progress, and many classes are making great progress!
Preschool is working on Sing Together, a simple round. Kindergarten is working on Two Merry Geese, a Russian Folk Song. 1st Grade is working on The Chickens Song, a Palestinian Folk Song. 2nd Grade is working on The Gray Cat, a Ukrainian Folk song. 3rd - 6th Grade is working on The Star Spangled Banner. Next month, all classes will be working on We Come to Greet You in Peace, a simple yet beautiful Hebrew Folk Song. Not all classes were ready to try a recording of their work yet, but for those that were ready, you can find their recordings in the links below: 3rd - 6th grade has also been working on their rhythm skills by practicing listening to and copying rhythms, as well as reading and writing rhythmic notation. Some students are progressing quickly in this competency, while for others this has been a challenge. I keep reminding students that what we are looking for is an honest effort and progress. Last month, students at New Hingham Elementary were treated to a guest presentation by James Kitchen and friends, including local resident Nan Clark (turing 95 this year!) who demonstrated the victrola; opera singer Claudia Waite from the Metropolitan Opera who shared stories from her career; Dave Abbott who played songs on the tuba; and Cynthia Jirak who accompanied everyone with various percussion instruments. I even made a special guest appearance by playing solos on the recorder and the saxophone! To cap everything off, students got to play many of the instruments and ask questions from our special guests. You can check out the article about the event from the Country Journal here. I’m hoping to bring this presentation to Chester Elementary and R.H. Conwell as well. Fingers crossed! We’ve certainly been busy in the music room, and the hard work is paying off. Many students have been asking to borrow musical instruments to bring home, and I have worked out a procedure to sign instruments out—with the understanding that students bring the instrument back to school the next day. If your child brings an instrument home, great! That means they are excited about music! Please ensure your child brings their instrument back to school the next day. If they forget, I’ll send a slip home as a gentle reminder. It’s my hope that this procedure will help reinforce their excitement for music, while also teaching them responsibility skills. This month in the music room, students worked on not just playing music, but also writing music, by learning the basics of music notation.
They have also worked on recognizing the differences between pitches and their relationship with each other in the context of a melody. We’ve played with this idea using Boomwhackers to play various songs, including Jingle Bells and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Listen to samples of their performances by clicking on your student’s school from the list below: Students have also been working on their listening skills by identifying various sounds. They have even had the opportunity to get creative by choosing various musical instruments and challenging their peers to identify what instrument makes those sounds. They’ve had a lot of fun with this game! Next week, students at New Hingham will have a special treat when local musician James Kitchen comes to the school to demonstrate various musical instruments! This is going to be a lot of fun! This month in the music room we’ve been learning how to express ourselves through music and movement.
Preschool through 2nd grade learned to sing “Old King Glory” along with a dance to accompany the music. Listen to a sample of students singing and playing this song here. In addition, we’ve been turning the songs we know into a medley, where we take two or more songs and mix them together. It’s made for a fun way to start music class while reinforcing their established skills. 3rd grade through 6th grade revisited the Boomwhacker Compositions they wrote in October and learned how to play them on keyboards, xylophones, and glockenspiels. In addition, they have also begun to learn how to sing “Happy Trails.” When we come back from break, we will continue to expand upon our growing musical knowledge and skills by learning about the history of musical instruments and how music is made. When we come back from break, we will continue to expand upon our growing musical knowledge and skills by learning about the history of musical instruments and how music is made. This will be explored in detail with an event by James Kitchen on January 24: James Kitchen will be at New Hingham Elementary School on Wednesday January 24, 2024 to present a brief history of musician instruments. Students will learn about simple drums and flutes, including a 60,000-year-old Neanderthal flute! Along the way, they will also discover instruments made by Native Americans, learn about Benjamin Franklin’s glass harmonica, and learn how African Americans introduced the banjo. James will have instruments on hand to demonstrate, including a cigar box banjo, a variety of percussion instruments, and even a Theremin! He will also demonstrate how students can make their own one-string tin can banjo! In the music room we’ve been practicing playing music as an ensemble. This includes singing with a mezzo forte dynamic (so we can clearly hear the vocal parts) as well as learning instrumental parts to accompany the songs. Listen to an audio sample of students singing and playing instruments to the song “Find Your Light” here.
Over the past couple of weeks, preschool through 2nd grade learned “Pass the Pumpkin All Around” and 3rd grade through 6th grade learned the song “Pass Around the Broomstick.” To accompany these songs, students practiced playing individual parts on the xylophone, egg shakers, tambourines, guiros, and a gong. Listen to an audio sample of Pass Around the Broomstick here. In addition, both of these songs are also games that help students practice keeping a steady beat while also working on their teamwork skills. A key competence many students are still working on is starting and ending a song with silence, which is the frame of music. Much like a work of art at a museum has a frame that sets it apart, so too does music have a frame that sets it apart from the noise of everyday life. Moving forward, we will continue working on this competence to help students become skilled musicians who can listen and respond effectively to the music they listen to and perform. This month in the music room we have been practicing our rhythm, singing, and creativity skills, while also working on listening and teamwork.
Preschool, Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade have continued working on "Hello Everybody, How Do You Do?" while exploring tempo and dynamics. In addition, we learned new songs, including "Here Sits a Monkey" and "Hop Old Squirrel," which both help students to work on rhythm, singing, and movement. In 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th grade, we have continued working on "Find Your Light." By now, most students have the song memorized by heart, and we've begun adding percussion instruments to complement the lyrics, with a focus on not overpowering the vocals. All grades have also continued playing "Doggy, Doggy, Where's Your Bone?" These past few weeks we've explored the song's melody on the xylophone and boomwhackers, which has helped students to start thinking musically about the relationship between pitches to create a melody. To help inspire their creativity, students wrote their own melody using the Boomwhacker Composition Worksheet, and everyone had an opportunity to practice performing their composition. Listen to a sample of one of the compositions here. Next month, we will extend this activity by having students practice writing their melodies on the music staff with proper music notation, and performing their compositions on other instruments. Welcome to the new school year in the music room!
These last few weeks we've been learning new songs and playing new games to work on our music skills. Preschool, Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade learned a new welcome song called "Hello Everybody, How Do You Do?" While singing this song, we work on making eye contact with others and practice singing with different dynamics and tempos. In 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th grade, we've been working on "Find Your Light," a written song by the filmmaker Greg Pritikin for his film The Last Laugh. In the movie, the song was sung by Richard Dreyfuss, but it seems the song was never released commercially, because I have yet to find it available anywhere other than in the movie. You can listen to my own rendition of the song here. This is a song about hope in the face of uncertainty, encouraging us to do our best and take courage by finding our inner light—a valuable lesson for students to take to heart. All grades have also been playing "Doggy, Doggy, Where's Your Bone?," a fun call-and-response song that we've been singing to practice our listening, rhythm, and improvisation skills. To play it, we form a circle and everyone gets a drum. As we sing, we play the rhythm on our drums—being sure to keep a steady beat with the song and listening to others so no one overpowers anyone else. Then, we take take turns playing solos, making up our own rhythms on the drum to complement the beat. This is a great way to practice building confidence with our performance skills. Next month, we'll working on using pitched instruments, including xylophone and keyboards! |
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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