Our theme this year is "Music Brings Us Together!"
We have started the year working on keeping a steady beat. We define BEAT
as: “The pulse that keeps us together.” We need a steady beat to sing, dance
and perform on instruments together. You’d be amazed at all the different
ways you can keep a beat with your body (we call this body percussion) and
with instruments.
RHYTHM is defined as: Patterns of sounds and silence. Notes are combinations
of long and short sounds. Silence is just that—silence! We call the silence
rests.
We are also learning and exploring layering rhythms over the steady beat to
create some new and interesting compositions. We also use rhythm patterns to
accompany songs.
THE WOODWIND FAMILY includes instruments like the flute and piccolo, the oboe
and English horn, the clarinet and bass clarinet, the bassoon and double
bassoon and the saxophone. You don’t usually find the saxophone in the
orchestra, but it’s very popular in band. In Portage, band starts in 6th
grade. If a student wants to play saxophone in 6th grade, they have to start
on the clarinet. Contact the band director at the middle school your child
will be attending if you have any questions. For links to more information on
the woodwind instruments as well as listening examples, go to the Woodwind
Family section of this web site.
COMMUNITY SONGS AND DANCES:
Each grade is learning songs that are on MENC's List of Songs Everyone Should
Know. These songs include: The Star Spangled Banner, America (My Country ‘Tis
of Thee), Simple Gifts, and our Moorsbridge School Song. (This one isn’t on
the list. I put it there!) We’ve also been learning folk song and dances such
as: Head and Shoulders, Little Shoemaker’s Dance, Old King Glory and others.
Guests are ALWAYS welcome in the music room. Please check in at the office
and “come on down!” Plan to join us in our music making.
