February 2025

Access recordings of class performances:

• Chester Elementary School
• New Hingham Elementary School
• R.H. Conwell Elementary School

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.