November and December are busy months for us all, but at school they are possibly the fastest weeks of the entire school year!
Our November composer of the month was Aaron Copland. A native of Brooklyn, Copland was born November 14, 1900, and most of his early musical education was from his sister and various NYC teachers. He traveled to Paris, France to study with the famous teacher Nadia Boulanger, and after returning to the USA, he started using American folk songs as the basis for some of the most iconic music of the 20th century. We listened to "Hoedown" from the ballet Rodeo, "Variations on a Shaker Hymn" from Appalachian Spring (also a ballet), "Morning on the Ranch" from soundtrack to The Red Pony, and "Fanfare for the Common Man." Copland lived to be 90 years old. (October and) November selections are on this youtube playlist.
December's composers of the month are Tchaikovsky and Ellington. These two composers were individually featured last year, but we are revisiting them to take a closer look at the Nutcracker suite. Tchaikovsky wrote the original ballet (1892) and subsequent suite, but Ellington and his collaborator Billy Strayhorn created a jazz arrangement of the suite in 1960. The pieces have many commonalities- the melodic ideas, some of the instrumentation, and the form, but are quite different in terms of style, dynamics, tempo, and the inclusion of improvisation. Check them out on my youtube playlist Nutcracker x2.
Our November composer of the month was Aaron Copland. A native of Brooklyn, Copland was born November 14, 1900, and most of his early musical education was from his sister and various NYC teachers. He traveled to Paris, France to study with the famous teacher Nadia Boulanger, and after returning to the USA, he started using American folk songs as the basis for some of the most iconic music of the 20th century. We listened to "Hoedown" from the ballet Rodeo, "Variations on a Shaker Hymn" from Appalachian Spring (also a ballet), "Morning on the Ranch" from soundtrack to The Red Pony, and "Fanfare for the Common Man." Copland lived to be 90 years old. (October and) November selections are on this youtube playlist.
December's composers of the month are Tchaikovsky and Ellington. These two composers were individually featured last year, but we are revisiting them to take a closer look at the Nutcracker suite. Tchaikovsky wrote the original ballet (1892) and subsequent suite, but Ellington and his collaborator Billy Strayhorn created a jazz arrangement of the suite in 1960. The pieces have many commonalities- the melodic ideas, some of the instrumentation, and the form, but are quite different in terms of style, dynamics, tempo, and the inclusion of improvisation. Check them out on my youtube playlist Nutcracker x2.
First grade- We have been practicing reading ta and rest in standard notation, exploring high and low melodic movement, and we are preparing to introduce the notes Sol and Mi in just a week or so. We have also been working on singing solos, duets, and trios. We learned some Thanksgiving songs, and are preparing for the all-school holiday sing-along. Some of our songs these two months include "I'm A Very Fine Turkey," "See Saw," "Apples, Peaches..." "Doggie, Doggie," and "Star Light, Star Bright."
Second grade- Our focus concepts are reviewing sol-mi-la and adding Do, and reading these melodic patterns from standard notation, and using Curwen hand signs. We have also been working on our Orff instrument and non-pitched percussion instrument skills. We did a composition project, creating rhythms for these instruments to play to accompany "The Turkey." We have also been singing solos and duets with "Jambo," (in Swahili, English, Spanish and French) and have done some solo pitch-reading. Some of our songs these two months were "A Turkey Named Bert," "Five Fat Turkeys," "Mouse, Mousie," "Mother, Mother," and "I See the Moon." We are also preparing for the all-school singalong.
Third grade- Our focus concepts have been reading La, Sol, Mi, Re, and Do from standard notation, and identifying these pitches in a variety of songs. We are preparing to add sixteenth notes to our rhythm vocabulary. We studied "A Turkey Knocked" and analyzed the rhythms and pitches of the songs for patterns that occurred multiple times, and added body percussion and instruments to highlight these patterns. In December, we are focusing on question/answer improvisation with body percussion, singing, playing, and movement. Some of our other songs are "Tidoe, Biddy Biddy Hol' Fast," and "Closet Key."
Fourth Grade- We are diligently preparing for our upcoming Winter Concert (See practice materials and information here). Part of this has been analyzing and memorizing the form of each piece, in addition to studying songs with AB form and Theme and Variation form. We are working especially hard on our listening skills to form a more perfect choral sound and really sing together as a cohesive ensemble. I am recording our rehearsals so students can see and hear what I see and hear. We are critiquing the videos and applying the comments our classmates are making.