Song of the Week

Since I have come into the school in the middle of the year, making sure that there is discipline, order, and expectations for my children has been extremely important.  One of the things I am in the process of doing this week is having all of my children make name tags from large non-lined notecards.  This automatically curbs the children acting out because they know that I know who they are.

This week's piece goes hand-in-hand with this activity, because while they are getting a chance to color and decorate their name tag, I will be playing The Nutcracker Suite, Op. 71a by Tchaikovsky.  This piece is beautiful, imaginative, and extremely fun for children (and adults!) of all ages.

Standards Being Met

Kindergarten

MU.K.C.1.2, MU.K.C.1.3

Identify sounds and instruments visually and aurally.

First Grade

MU.1.C.1.1, MU.1.C.1.2, MU.1.C.3.1  

Respond to musical ideas to show how it makes one feel and share responses with others.

Second Grade

MU.2.C.1.2, MU.2.C.3.1

Form opinions about music and discuss it with others.

Third Grade

MU.3.C.1.2

Respond to and compare individual interpretations of a musical work.

Fourth Grade

MU.4.C.1.1, MU.4.C.3.1

Develop effective listening strategies to describe the characteristics of a musical work.

Fifth Grade

MU.5.C.1.1, MU.5.O1.1

Listen to and describe various elements when analyzing a musical work using correct vocabulary.

Song of the Week

Each week, students spend the last few minutes of class listening to a classical piece of music.  They are asked to close their eyes and listen for specific musical elements, and what kind of mood or feeling it evokes within them.

This week, our song was a movement from Antonio Vivaldi's violin concerti, The Four Seasons entitled "Spring."

I asked the students to tell me what instruments they hear in the piece, and why they think this piece is called "Spring" (i.e. it sounds faster, more joyful, et cetera).

Standards Being Met

Kindergarten

MU.K.C.1.2, MU.K.C.1.3

Identify sounds and instruments visually and aurally.

First Grade

MU.1.C.1.1, MU.1.C.1.2, MU.1.C.3.1  

Respond to musical ideas to show how it makes one feel and share responses with others.

Second Grade

MU.2.C.1.2, MU.2.C.3.1

Form opinions about music and discuss it with others.

Third Grade

MU.3.C.1.2

Respond to and compare individual interpretations of a musical work.

Fourth Grade

MU.4.C.1.1, MU.4.C.3.1

Develop effective listening strategies to describe the characteristics of a musical work.

Fifth Grade

MU.5.C.1.1, MU.5.O1.1

Listen to and describe various elements when analyzing a musical work using correct vocabulary.

Song of the Week

Each week, students spend the last few minutes of class listening to a classical piece of music.  They are asked to close their eyes and listen for specific musical elements, and what kind of mood or feeling it evokes within them.

This week, our song was "Canon in D", composed by Johann Pachelbel  (I jokingly have told the students they can remember his name by thinking it rhymes with "Taco Bell").

I asked the students to tell me whether this piece was fast, slow, or somewhere in between.  I also asked them to use an adjective to describe the piece.  The two most popular answers I have gotten so far is "slow" and "sleepy."

Standards Being Met

Kindergarten

MU.K.C.1.2, MU.K.C.1.3

Identify sounds and instruments visually and aurally.

First Grade

MU.1.C.1.1, MU.1.C.1.2, MU.1.C.3.1  

Respond to musical ideas to show how it makes one feel and share responses with others.

Second Grade

MU.2.C.1.2, MU.2.C.3.1

Form opinions about music and discuss it with others.

Third Grade

MU.3.C.1.2

Respond to and compare individual interpretations of a musical work.

Fourth Grade

MU.4.C.1.1, MU.4.C.3.1

Develop effective listening strategies to describe the characteristics of a musical work.

Fifth Grade

MU.5.C.1.1, MU.5.O1.1

Listen to and describe various elements when analyzing a musical work using correct vocabulary.