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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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PreK & Kindergarten: Students learned twelve verses of A Peanut Sat on a Railroad Track, and have been practicing their performer and audience skills, demonstrating the ability to sing songs with confidence and sit quietly as others perform. 1st & 2nd Grade: Students have been continuing their work on rhythm, this time by learning to read and play rhythms using music notation. Students earn stickers by playing rhythms from the karate drumming lesson book, where each lesson gets progressively more challenging. They also started working on music for the upcoming music recital on June11. 1st grade is working on El Coqui and 2nd grade is working on The Axolotl Song. 3rd & 4th Grade: Students have continued earning recorder karate belts using the Recorder Karate Book. They have also begun lessons on the ukulele using the Ukulele Karate Booke. In addition, they have started practicing for the music recital on June 11. 3rd grade is working on Funga Alafia and 4th grade is working on Frere Jacques. 5th & 6th Grade: Students have continued working on their singing voices by matching correct pitches using solfege. They will showcase their work on this skill at the June 11 music recital. 5th grade will be singing Mama Don’t Allow and 6th grade will be singing Yellow Submarine. In addition, they have continued to work on their music compositions. 5th Grade Chester Update: Students have been working hard on the Willy Wonka musical. They are now off scripts and most of the set pieces are now complete. There are just a few transitions between scenes to smooth out. June 12 is their big performance at the Gateway Performing Arts Center! Access recordings of class performances:
PreK & Kindergarten: Students have been learning to sing high notes and low notes using songs like Frog in the Meadow and Bickle Bockle, and playing these notes on glockenspiels and Boomwhackers. The focus has been to identify which pitch is higher and lower, and then copying those pitches using a singing voice. 1st & 2nd Grade: Students have been continuing their work on rhythm by learning and practicing basic conducting patterns, including 2/4, 3/4, and 4/4, by taking turns conducting various songs we’ve learned this school year. 1st grade learned to sing Chicken Wing Chicken Wing, 2nd grade learned to sing Welcome to My Morning, and both grades learned. Take Me Out to the Ballgame. 3rd & 4th Grade: Students wrapped up their work on world music with the World Music Game Show. In addition, they have continued to work out of the Recorder Karate Book to earn “karate belts” for their recorders. 5th & 6th Grade: Students have been working on singing correct pitches using solfege. To practice this skill, they learned simple songs using the pentatonic scale, including Doggie Doggie, Where’s Your Bone, Sailor Sailor on the Sea, and Who’s That? In addition, they began composing their own songs by choosing a chord progression and melody melody, and writing lyrics. To help them complete this project, students played Musical Game of Feelings to explore how music expresses emotion. R.H. Conwell students are specifically working on writing a school song for their school. 5th Grade Chester Update: Students have been hard at work on the Willy Wonka musical. All the songs have been learned, and each scene has been run through. Their next step is to put it all together by blocking the scenes, including entrances and exits. Access recordings of class performances:
PreK & Kindergarten: The focus for this trimester was for students to identify fast and slow rhythm patterns using basic music notation symbols, and then play those rhythms on percussion instruments. As part of this objective, students composed their own rhythms using the Draw Your Own Rhythms Worksheet, and then they performed their compositions for the class. In addition, students continued to practice their listening skills with a guess the sound game, and practiced responding to music with movement during a “dance party” segment of class. Along the way, students learned to sing various songs, including I’m a Little Snowflake, Five Little Snowmen. Little Bunny Foo Foo, and Polly Wolly Doodle. 1st & 2nd Grade: The focus for this trimester was for students to practice identifying, drawing, and playing music notation symbols, including quarter notes, quarter rests, and double eighth note. As part of this objective, students composed their own 4-beat rhythm patterns and then performed them for the class, and also created their own body percussion compositions to interpret sound using hand clapping, knee slapping, and foot tapping. In addition, students learned to sing a variety of songs, including To Grandmother's House We Go, Bee Bee Bumble Bee, Bug on a Rug, Magic Penny, Chicken Wing Chicken Wing (1st grade), and Welcome to My Morning (2nd grade). 3rd & 4th Grade: The two goals for this trimester were 1) for students to be introduced to music from around the world, and 2) to learn the basics of playing the recorder. For world music, students heard music from Australia, China, Russia, Jordan, and Peru, identified the countries on a map, and learned about culturally significant instruments from each country, including the didgeridoo, erhu, balalaika, mijwiz, and quena. For the recorder, students played along to videos such as the pirate adventure to get used to identifying notes on the music staff and playing the notes B, A, and G, and then they moved to working from the Recorder Karate Book to earn White, Yellow, and Orange belts by playing Hot Cross Buns, Gently Sleep, and Merrily We Roll Along. Along the way, students also learned to sing a variety of songs, including Al Citron, It’s a Marshmallow World (3rd grade), My Favorite Things (4th grade), and Tum Balalaika. 5th & 6th Grade: The focus for this trimester was for students to learn how to construct major and minor chords on a keyboard, and then practice playing these chords as part of a chord progression, using The Axolotl Song as a case study. Along the way, students also learned a variety of songs to sing, including Auld Lang Syne (5th grade), Jingle Bell Rock (6th grade), If You Want to Sing Out (5th grade), and The Axolotl Song. In addition, 6th Grade at New Hingham and the 5/6 cohort at RH Conwell have been given some choice in their song selections. They were given a criteria to select music that is appropriate for their grade level: including vocal range, rhythm patterns, language, and topic. At New Hingham, students chose Fein, and Popular. Fein was a questionable choice, but by focusing only on the first verse and chorus, it became doable for them. Popular was even more of a challenge because each verse had its own melody and rhythm patterns, and each chorus was different. Students overcame this challenge by focussing on only one section of the song, and dividing the class into groups responsible for singing their own part. At R.H. Conwell, students chose I Am Not Okay and Tough People. I was surprised by their choice in songs, because while both songs are a good fit melodically—and while both have an overall uplifting theme of resilience and hope—they both deal with heavy themes. Musically, students did an excellent job working on these songs, however, moving forward, I will be steering them towards songs that are not as “heavy.” Meanwhile, at Chester Elementary, 5th grade students just finished learning all the music for their production of Willy Wonka. Next, after another table read, they will begin working on the choreography for each scene. Access recordings of class performances:
Preschool & Kindergarten have been continuing to practice their listening skills by listening to and identifying sounds. They also learned about slow and fast rhythms using the song Frog in the Meadow. Using a velcro board, students moved frogs around the board and clapped the rhythms that the frogs made! Students also practiced identifying rhyming words using the song Five Little Hearts. 1st Grade & 2nd Grade have been practicing drawing quarter notes, quarter rests, and double eighth notes. Recently, they created 4-beat rhythm patterns, and then they played their compositions on drums! To embody the beat, they have also been practicing body percussion using videos like this and this. Many students are excelling at these movement activities, while others are resistant to them, preferring to engage in free dance rather than choreographed movements. In response, I’ve been trying to encourage them to give it an honest try, to try something new. To help students feel the beat, they have also learned songs like Bee, Bee, Bumblebee and Bug on a Rug; and in honor of Valentine’s Day, they started working on Magic Penny. 3rd Grade & 4th Grade has been listening to music from various parts of the world, including the didgeridoo from Australia, the erhu from China, and the balalaika from Russia. In honor of Valentine’s day, they also started learning how to sing the Yiddish love song Tum Balalaika. Finally, they have continued their lessons on the recorder, recently practicing three notes (B, A & G) using a pirate adventure video. 5th Grade & 6th Grade has been learning about major and minor chords, using keyboards as a useful visual aid. Using the worksheet, they placed dots on the keys for each chord, and then played them on the keyboard. As a knowledge and skill check, students played a game where teams went head to head “throwing” out chords by naming them and playing them, and the opposing team had to respond by playing the same chords. This became an engaging way for students to check their understanding while playing also practicing their teamwork skills. Finally, at New Hingham Elementary Elementary, 5th grade has been singing If You Want to Sing Out, and 6th grade just wrapped up singing Fein and started working on Popular. At R.H. Conwell Elementary, 5th and 6th grade just wrapped up their work on I Am Not Okay, and has begun working on Tough People. And at Chester Elementary, 5th grade has been continuing their work on the Willy Wonka musical, working on their ensemble and solo songs. Access recordings of class performances:
Preschool & Kindergarten have been practicing their rhythm skills by copying rhythm patterns on rhythm sticks and then creating their own rhythm patterns. They also learned to sing I’m a Little Snowflake and Five Little Snowmen. 1st Grade has been working on reading, clapping, and drawing quarter notes and eighth notes, using the song Bee Bee Bumble Bee as a guide and game. They also worked on singing To Grandmother's House We Go. 2nd Grade has been working on reading, clapping, and drawing quarter notes and eighth notes, using the song Bee Bee Bumble Bee as a guide and game. They also worked on singing Candle in the Snow. 3rd Grade has been listening to music from cultures around the world and describing the sounds they hear. So far, they’ve heard Turn the World Around (written in a West African Style based on stories from Guinea) and Al Citron (a song from Mexico that combines words in Spanish and West Africa along with nonsense words). They also worked in singing It’s a Marshmallow World. 4th Grade has been listening to music from cultures around the world and describing the sounds they hear. So far, they’ve heard Turn the World Around (written in a West African Style based on stories from Guinea) and Al Citron (a song from Mexico that combines words in Spanish and West Africa along with nonsense words). They also worked in singing My Favorite Things. 5th Grade students have selected a major instrument of their choice to focus on this trimester. Instruments include the keyboard/piano, xylophone, guitar, ukulele, recorder, and drums. Students spend time in music class practicing their instruments to learn chords and fingerings so they can create their own music. They also worked on singing Auld Lang Syne. 6th Grade students have selected a major instrument of their choice to focus on this trimester. Instruments include the keyboard/piano, xylophone, guitar, ukulele, recorder, and drums. Students spend time in music class practicing their instruments to learn chords and fingerings so they can create their own music. They also worked on singing Jingle Bell Rock. |
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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