Term 2 2016

For Term Two our focus in Music is pitch and tone colour. We will use tuned percussion instruments (glockenspiels, resonator bells, chime bars, metallophones, xylophones, and marimbas) to start recognising pitch changes following on from using the Boomwhackers last term.

We will be turning all our beat and rhythm learning into simple melodies as well as creating soundtracks to well known or made up stories and short compositions. We are so lucky to have our awesome marimbas, including the bass and two sub contra bass chime bars, and a number of alto and soprano xylophones so there is plenty for everyone to play.

We will also look at Solfege (Do, Re, Mi) singing with Curwen/Kodaly hand signs. Some classes have already started this and it will help us so much with our pitch work that it will be something for us to concentrate on.

Our aim is always to make a beautiful sound whether singing or playing. We will maintain our expression through movement, dance, speech, and drama, continue our music appreciation, and expand our repertoire of shared songs.

Singing with Hand Signs

Room 3 sing a greeting each time we have Music together. We use Curwen/Kodaly hand signals to match the sol, mi, re, do descending pitches we sing. They are excellent at singing the correct pitches and are always telling me that they don't need me to do the hand signs with them anymore...they know them and have been practising!

Room 4

Room 4 have been practising ta, ti, and za rhythms on the Boomwhackers. Some people felt confident to tap a four beat rhythm on the board for a colour group of Boomwhackers to echo.

Boomwhacker Improvisations

Room 12 have been playing four beat rhythms on the Boomwhackers. They can record the rhythms and use the correct rhythm names. We had different conductors come up to improvise a piece by pointing to the different coloured circles in order to get the corresponding groups of Boomwhackers to play.

Room 11

Room 11 have been working very hard in Music and are always keen to create their own music. Before I had even sat down to do their afternoon roll this week they were all humming, beating, and bopping to an improvised ostinato someone had started. Recently they have chosen to prepare, practise, and perform either a soundscape or a series of four beat rhythms.

They also participated creatively in a "Boomwhackers Challenge". They had five minutes to prepare and practise a rhythm ostinato to play on the Boomwhackers that made up a C Major pentatonic scale. They included the bass sound tubes and performed for each other.

Group 1

Group 2

Group 3

Group 4

Group Ostinato

Room 10 prepared, practised, and performed four bars of four beat rhythms. Group by group they played their rhythms to the rest of the class. Then, they taught their classmates one of their bars until everyone could join in. This created an ostinato (a continually repeating musical phrase or rhythm) from one of each group's rhythms.

Practising

Performing

Playing Parts

Room 6 used the piece Naughty Kitty Cat to look at keeping a beat while playing a rhythm over the top. Beat people had to concentrate to not be put off by rhythm people. The rhythm was quite tricky too as it had lots of eighth notes (quavers) in it. The biggest challenge was keeping the beat going while the rhythm part observed a rest.

We had he manuhiri today...Mrs Fraser joined Room 6 for Music

Carefully following the notation on the board

Keeping in time together

Concentrating on the beat

Kereru Rhythms

Team Kereru (Rooms 7, 8, and 9) have been playing four bar rhythms in groups on percussion. They practised and performed their arrangements to the class before teaching their pieces to each other using the rhythm symbols and names we have been learning. Kereru classes are great at sharing their Music learning; when Room 12 arrived today, Room 7 were keen to take the opportunity to sing with them and teach them te waiata Tēnā Koutou.