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Preschool & Kindergarten students learned to sing the song Teddy Bear and came up with movements to express the song. They have also begun learning how to read music notation for fast and slow rhythms (eighth notes and quarter notes) by clapping and by using rhythm sticks. 1st & 2nd Grade students have been learning to sing Candle in the Snow, a song about helping others by being a light in the world. They have also been learning to read and draw basic music notation, including quarter notes and quarter rests. Next, they will be learning to read and draw double eighth notes, and then they will be ready to start composing their own rhythms in 4-beat patterns. 3rd & 4th Grade students have been learning music from other parts of the world, including Mnohaya Lita and Al Citron. They have also begun working on playing the recorder, which combines the skills of reading rhythms and identifying notes on the music staff, along with the fine motor skills of covering the correct combination of holes on the instrument while blowing gently into the mouthpiece. 5th & 6th Grade students have begun learning to sing two versions of The Skye Boat Song. Then, they used this song as a source to compose a contrafactum—writing new words to sing along with the original melody. They will use the skills they learned with this activity to begin composing their own music.
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Kindergarten & PreSchool Our learning goal for this trimester was for students to sing songs from memory with a steady beat while demonstrating knowledge and skills of tempo and dynamics through sound and movement, while being safe, kind, and responsible. Instruments included the drum, tambourine, egg shaker, güiro, rhythm sticks, and glockenspiel. For example, when we learned the song “Old King Glory,” students explored singing and playing simple rhythmic instruments with various dynamics and tempos to interpret the music, while also engaging in physical movements to complement the rhythm. Students learned a variety of songs, including “Hop Old Squirrel,” “Here Sits a Monkey,” and “Pass the Pumpkin,” “This Little Light of Min (pre-k) and “Peace Like a River” (k). 1st & 2nd Grade Our learning goal for this trimester was for students to identify the four basic families of instruments and describe how each family creates sound. For Woodwind and Brass, students listened to samples of these instruments and practiced identifying them by sound and classifying each instrument by their family. Woodwind instruments included the recorder, flute, clarinet, saxophone, and bassoon. Brass instruments included the bugle, trumpet, trombone, euphonium, and tuba. For String and Percussion instruments, students had the opportunity to play these instruments for a hands-on learning experience. String instruments included the violin, cello, ukulele, guitar, and harp. Percussion instruments included the snare drum, bass drum, güiro, and glockenspiel. In addition, students learned a variety of songs, including “I Will Be Your Friend” (1st grade) and “It’s in Everyone of Us” (2nd grade). 3rd & 4th Grade Our learning goal for this trimester was for students to identify and describe music genres popular in the Western World, including classical, folk, blues, jazz, country, rock, and hip-hop. Students listened to a variety of music samples and practiced their communication skills by describing what they heard, helping them to build a vocabulary for describing the various characteristics of sound. In addition, students learned a variety of songs, including “This Land is Your land” (3rd grade) and “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life” (4th grade) at the Harvest Celebration in November. 5th & 6th Grade Our learning goal for this trimester was for students to identify and describe basic elements of songwriting (verse, chorus, bridge, etc.). Students listened to a variety of music samples and practiced their listening and communication skills by identifying the various elements and patterns they discovered. Students also practiced playing chords on instruments, including the ukulele, guitar, keyboard, and glockenspiel. Students were given access sheet music and simple chord charts, and challenged to learn how to play chords on these instruments while singing. In addition, students learned a variety of songs, including “Leaves Are Falling” (5th grade) and “We Shall Overcome” (6th grade). Access recordings of class performances:
Preschool learned to sing This Little Light of Mine and Kindergarten learned to sing Peace Like a River. They learned to play a passing game called Pass the Pumpkin, where they also got to practice their ensemble skills by learning to play music on percussion instruments using a steady tempo and a soft dynamic. Along the way, we are also continuing to practice responding to music through movement with a weekly dance party! 1st Grade worked on singing Do Re Mi and I Will be Your Friend. They have also been exploring how instruments make sound through vibration, and how to classify musical instruments by their family. Along the way, we have also continued to practice responding to music through movement with a weekly dance party! 2nd Grade has been learning to sing It’s in Everyone of Us. They have also been exploring how instruments make sound through vibration, and how to classify musical instruments by their family. Along the way, we have also continued to practice responding to music through movement with a weekly dance party! 3rd Grade has been learning to sing This Land if Your Land. They have also continued to explore music genres, including Country, Rock, Jazz, Blues, Hip Hop, and Country, by sharing music that they enjoy with the class and classifying each sample by their genre. 4th Grade has been learning to sing Always Look on the Bright Side of Life. They have also continued to explore music genres, including Country, Rock, Jazz, Blues, Hip Hop, and Country, by sharing music that they enjoy with the class and classifying each sample by their genre. 5th Grade has been learning to sing Leave Are Falling. They’ve also been learning how to play chords on instruments, including the ukulele, keyboard, and guitar. And finally, we have been exploring how to practice music in a Music Studio, by being a respectful and responsible musician. 6th Grade has been learning to sing We Shall Overcome. They’ve also been learning how to play chords on instruments, including the ukulele, keyboard, and guitar. And finally, we have been exploring how to practice music in a Music Studio, by being a respectful and responsible musician. Access recordings of class performances:
Preschool and Kindergarten learned to sing Farmer’s Apple Tree and have practiced playing steady beats on various percussion instruments, including egg shakers, drums, tambourines, rhythm sticks, xylophones, and güiros. 1st & 2nd Grade recorded their rendition of Down by the Bay and started working on Do-Re-Mi. They’ve also been exploring how instruments make sound through vibration, and identifying instruments from the four instrument families: woodwind, brass, string, and percussion. 2nd Grade recorded their rendition of Catch a Falling Star and started working on Do-Re-Mi. They’ve also been exploring how instruments make sound through vibration, and identifying instruments from the four instrument families: woodwind, brass, string, and percussion. 3rd Grade recorded their rendition of Find Your Light and started working on Do-Re-Mi. They’ve also started exploring various genres of music by listening to samples of various styles, identifying what kind of music each sample represents, and describing the sound. So far, we’ve listened to examples of folk, hip hop, blues, jazz, rock, pop, country, and classical. 4th Grade recorded their rendition of When You’re Smiling and started working on Do-Re-Mi. They’ve also started exploring various genres of music by listening to samples of various styles, identifying what kind of music each sample represents, and describing the sound. So far, we’ve listened to examples of folk, hip hop, blues, jazz, rock, pop, country, and classical. 5th Grade recorded their rendition of What a Wonderful World and started working on Do-Re-Mi. They’ve also been learning how to play chords on instruments, including the ukulele and keyboard. They are working on being able to write their own songs, and being able to play chords on an instrument is an important skill for writing a melody. 6th Grade recorded their rendition of When I’m Gone and started working on Do-Re-Mi. They’ve also been learning how to play chords on instruments, including the ukulele and keyboard. They are working on being able to write their own songs, and being able to play chords on an instrument is an important skill for writing a melody. Welcome to a new school year in the music room! Here’s what students have been working on:
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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
January 2026
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