Wednesday, March 3, 2010
March is Music in Our Schools Month
Welcome to Music in Our Schools Month! March is nationally recognized as Music in Our Schools Month. We have special activities planned for each week of March. (Parents should have received an email last week outlining all of this month's special events.) This week parents are invited to come to music class and see what we are doing.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
January update
Our song of the month is "El Shaddai". El Shaddai is Hebrew for God. Amy Grant recorded this song and though others have recorded it, her version is probably the best known. The classes are really doing a nice job singing it. We have spent time discussing the Bible stories referred to in the song.
Clarke PDS Music students have observed our music classes 3 times. They will primarily be working with gr. 4, 5 & PreK, though they will observe other classes.
Clarke PDS Music students have observed our music classes 3 times. They will primarily be working with gr. 4, 5 & PreK, though they will observe other classes.
Monday, January 11, 2010
January news
Happy New Year!
2010 is off to a rather slow start with missing two days of school last week. Last week we wrapped up a few loose ends with Christmas music. Older students played Name That Tune with Christmas carols. We divided the classes into teams and each team got an instrument "buzzer". The student who answered correctly became the judge with me for the next round. That way no single student always was the winner. It was fun for all.
This week we are finishing up some assessments so I can finish figuring grades for progress reports. I hope to begin "Mallet Madness" with some of the grade levels this week as well. This will be the 3rd year I've incorporated "Mallet Madness". The students love it! "Mallet Madness" uses all our bar instruments: metallophones, xylophones, glockenspiels and all sorts of drums. These instruments are arranged in wood (xylophones), membrane (drums), and metal (glocks or metallophones) order over and over. It takes a great deal of class room to put out that many instruments. The students usually get to play several different instruments during class.
Another exciting development in music classes this year will begin next week! OLG is excited to welcome Clarke College music ed. students to our campus this semester! Sr. LaDonna Manternach will be teaching elementary music methods in our building on Tues. & Thurs. mornings. Mrs. Koch will be the mentor for the five college students. The music ed. students will begin by observing OLG 4th and 5th grade music classes and perhaps pre-k too. Gradually, those students will take over teaching 4th and 5th grade music classes. Mrs. Koch will always be in the classroom and will assist the college students by providing feedback to the future music teachers.
When Clarke and Mrs. Koch had this partnership before, it was an exciting opportunity for all involved!
2010 is off to a rather slow start with missing two days of school last week. Last week we wrapped up a few loose ends with Christmas music. Older students played Name That Tune with Christmas carols. We divided the classes into teams and each team got an instrument "buzzer". The student who answered correctly became the judge with me for the next round. That way no single student always was the winner. It was fun for all.
This week we are finishing up some assessments so I can finish figuring grades for progress reports. I hope to begin "Mallet Madness" with some of the grade levels this week as well. This will be the 3rd year I've incorporated "Mallet Madness". The students love it! "Mallet Madness" uses all our bar instruments: metallophones, xylophones, glockenspiels and all sorts of drums. These instruments are arranged in wood (xylophones), membrane (drums), and metal (glocks or metallophones) order over and over. It takes a great deal of class room to put out that many instruments. The students usually get to play several different instruments during class.
Another exciting development in music classes this year will begin next week! OLG is excited to welcome Clarke College music ed. students to our campus this semester! Sr. LaDonna Manternach will be teaching elementary music methods in our building on Tues. & Thurs. mornings. Mrs. Koch will be the mentor for the five college students. The music ed. students will begin by observing OLG 4th and 5th grade music classes and perhaps pre-k too. Gradually, those students will take over teaching 4th and 5th grade music classes. Mrs. Koch will always be in the classroom and will assist the college students by providing feedback to the future music teachers.
When Clarke and Mrs. Koch had this partnership before, it was an exciting opportunity for all involved!
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