Woodland Elementary West Music Department

The third graders have been really impressing their music teachers in the last notation with how well they are learning all of the songs for the concert. They are focused and working very hard every day to present the best concert ever! Parents, please ask your third graders about their songs and they will tell you all that they know about other countries' music for children.  They also have been working on their concert projects in art class and they look awesome! We are all so proud of what they have done so far and can't wait to show off on May 16th and 17th.

Wow, what a busy time spring is! So much that Mrs. Bush has not gotten a chance to update in a while. In February, the second graders put on a wonderful concert called "Read a Book!" and showed us how we can have lots of fun reading.
March came and went like a blur and so did spring break. We all learned a little about traditional Irish music and Irish step dancing.
First grade got very well associated with Igor Stravinski's "The Firebird" and can tell you the whole story by listening to the music. If you are looking for a good copy of the piece just email your music teacher.
Second grade practiced using a cross-over pattern of playing the xylophones while we sang about four leaf clovers around St. Patrick's day.
Third grade loves to sing, dance, and play instruments to the song Tideo.

Now that we are in April, the third graders are getting ready for their concert all about music from all over the world.
Second graders are learning about Dynamics and the composers Beethoven and Haydn.
First grade is practicing using the pitches So-Mi- and La with their names and hand signs.

It has been a busy time in the music rooms of Elementary West. First graders have been learning has be also been learning songs that use the pitches So and Mi. They have also been playing Orff instruments.
Second graders are working hard on their concert and can't wait for everyone to see it.
Third graders have learned all about instruments of the orchestra, folk dancing, and have been writing sound-scapes based on the book "Fortunately" by Remy Charlip.

On February 29th and March 1st our second graders will be putting on a concert entitled "READ A BOOK!"
We can't wait so see you there!

In rotation 6 the first graders have been learning about percussion instruments. They read the story  Listen to the Rain by John Archembault and and Bill Martin Jr. WE all made a rainstorm in class with the percussion instruments we just learned about. First grade finished up the lessons with an overview of all the instruments of the orchestra.

In second grade, the classes have been singing a new song with more than one part at a time! The class sang part one while Mrs. Bush sang part two. Soon we will be able to do it all on own own. Second grade also has been learning the story of "Peer Gynt" the Norwegian folk tale turned symphonic suite by Edvard Grieg. We love to listen to the "Hall of the Mountain King" the most.

Third graders have been finishing up their composition project. Almost everyone has their whole song written and is now putting it on clean copies. Students will then use the new Ipod Touches to record themselves playing and can see themselves performing their own works.

In rotation 7, First graders will be learning about ballet and music and seeing clips from the Nutcracker by Peter Tchaikovsky. Second grade will be continuing the Peer Gynt Suite and practicing skips, steps, and repeats in music. Third grade will be learning about the instrument families and tone color.

In rotation 4 the first grade learned all about the note- ta and rest. Ta makes one sound  for one beat. Rest is one beat of no sound. First graders also sang Halloween songs to get in the mood for the season.

Second graders finished playing Bounce High, Bounce Low and really know how to use mallet instruments.
Second graders finished the rotation with using their crossover playing skills on the song "Old Woman all Skin and Bones."

Third Grade finished their mystery songs and WOW can they play them. For fun we finished the week with the song "Vampire Cowboy."

In the fifth rotation, first graders learned all about ti-ti and how it is two sounds in one beat! First graders are also playing the song "Cuckoo" on the glockenspiels.

Second graders are busy learning about half notes and starting their unit on the Peer Gynt Suite by Edvard Greig.

Third graders are hard at work starting their compositions and learning about time signatures.

The third graders in Mrs. Bush's class have started using our brand new IPod touches that we purchased with last year's Box Tops for Education money! Right now we are testing out how to video tape each other while we play mystery songs so that when we start writing our own music for our big project we are as good as Spielberg. Look out Hollywood!

During the second and third rotations all the students at West have been very busy in music.
The first graders have been learning all about opposites in music like high and low, loud (forte) and quiet (piano), alone (solo) and together (tutti) and fast (presto) and slow (largo) they have also been listening to the Four Seasons by Antonio Vivaldi and are making magical soup with Chef Figaro (the Marriage of Figaro- Mozart.)
Second graders are rocking out on So, Mi. La, and Do. They are playing xylophones and singing Bounce High, Bounce Low and really getting the hang of mallet playing and a crossover bordun.
Third graders are finishing their unit on notes on the staff and are taking a quiz on the notes names on the treble clef in rotation 3. Look out for papers to come home that may be for extra credit or have a grade on them.
Mrs. Bush

In Mrs. Bush's class, the first graders are really working hard on their singing voices and keeping a steady beat. We also read a book every day! Don't let the Pigeon Drive the Bus and The Pigeon Find a Hot dog by Mo Willems, Somewhere Over the Rainbow by Judy Collins, Puff the Magic Dragon by Peter Yarrow, and Musical Max by Robert Kraus. Have your first grader sing their name for you, they are very good at it.
In second grade, we practiced our solfege singing, learned an entire new song, and read selections about Mozart from Lives of the Musicians by Kathleen Krull. Second graders also listened to 3 pieces in the "Can you Hear it?" book and CD. We did the Flight of the Bumblebee (Rimsky-Korsokov), The Four Seasons: Spring-adagio (Vivaldi) and An American in Paris (Gershwin).
Third graders are remembering the different kinds of notes we use and are learning how to read notes on the staff. Notes on the space spells FACE and Elvis' Guitar Broke Down Friday. We also sang and played instruments for the song Sarasponda.

Dear parents (grandparents/aunts/uncles) of Elementary West students,
The music department s looking for someone to sew covers for new instruments and some old ones that need covers. If you are interested please email Katie Bush kbush@dist50.net.
Thanks,
Elementary West Music Department