Specials Update - Music

Fine Arts - Music Updates:

December 2013:
Kindergartens students began exploring jazz music this month.  Students sang and moved to Herbie Hancock's "Watermelon Man as we talked about two major sections in jazz music - the 'head', or main melody, and the improvisation solos.  Students learned about the famous jazz trumpet player, Wynton Marsails, and enjoyed seeing and hearing a real trumpet.  They were excited to hear about how he began playing the trumpet when he was six (the same age as many of them!), and that he was playing with professional orchestras at fourteen.

January 2014:
The Cottontails spent the month of January learning their music for the spring music program. They learned the songs "Ebeneezer Sneezer", "I Caught a Rabbit", :I Bought Me a Cat", and "Willowbee". "Ebeneezer Sneezer: has been one of the favorites as they sing the silly words about the character in the song. This song is a great opportunity for students to practice accurately singing an ascending and descending major scale. "I Caught a Rabbit" reviews the call-response form from earlier in the year. Students practiced singing in two groups- group 1 sang the call part of the song while group 2 sang the response part. The challenge was making sure our voices were quiet when the other group sang. "I Bought Me a Cat" talks about animals on the farm and the sounds that each makes. Finally, students enjoyed working with a partner as they created movements for "Willowbee". It was great to see them work together as they made a tunnel for their classmates to walk through! Be sure to save the date for the spring music program, which will take place on Monday, April 7 (VIP day). 

February 2014:
The Cottontails have been working hard on their program music this month. In addition to singing their music often, we have also talked about and practiced performance etiquette. Students practiced standing in two lines, watching Ms. Katherine as they sing the correct song lyrics, and watching closely for the signal to sit and stand when it is their turn to sing. They also practiced singing with the instrumental recordings, which can be a challenge as it requires students to sing with a steady tempo. A favorite program song has been “I Caught A Rabbit” where students sing in call-response form. The class is divided up into two groups and they sing at different times, waiting patiently while one group sings first and then the other.

Questions?  Contact Katherine at katherinea@willowwind.org.