Ms. McMillan's Music Class

  UPCOMING DATES Teachers' Convention - February 12th and 13th EMBRACE MUSIC WHILE SWIRLING AROUND IN YOUR LIVES WITH KIDS: Keep singing, keep moving, keep listening to music together. The theme of conversation in many classes this week was attention to organized sound. We have established in class that we have a wonderful capacity to make lots of noise. Our goal is to harness the noise and to create sound that is cooperative and accessible for everyone. One way we do this at school is by listening to one another while playing and singing. We also listen for patterns in the music that we hear - we pay attention to repetition of phrases and sections. Listen for patterns while you experience music at home. For an extra challenge, try listening for the duration of a song before commenting on what you hear.  LEARNING INTENTION LEGEND ( Blue  =  Kindergarten ,  Green  =  1 / 2 ,  Purple  =  3 / 4 ,  Red  =  5 / 6 ) -I can move ...

  UPCOMING DATES Performing Arts Club @ Lunch - Thursday, February 5th EMBRACE MUSIC WHILE SWIRLING AROUND IN YOUR LIVES WITH KIDS: Keep singing, keep moving, keep listening to music together. Have conversations about what you hear. What voices are present? Not just human voices but instruments. There is an abundance of music available to us where the lyrical line is not conveyed to us through words and human voice but by a melody line played on a flute or a violin or a cello or a guitar or...endless possibilities here. Listen to music together and have conversations about layers of sounds that you hear in the music. If there is a human voice, what qualities of that voice are interesting or unique to you? Is it a grown up voice, a kid's voice? Is the voice pitched in a low range or does it sound higher compared to other voices that you hear? What other instruments do you hear? What musical patterns do these instruments play? We are fortunate to live in an age where information abou...

UPCOMING DATES Performing Arts Club @ Lunch - Thursday, January 29th EMBRACE MUSIC WHILE SWIRLING AROUND IN YOUR LIVES WITH KIDS: Experience music together through spontaneous and uninhibited movement. We come into this world with a natural propensity to move to music. We tend to lose that innate sense as we become self aware and conscious of our actions around others. By encouraging kids to move while listening to different styles of music, we are supporting their developing awareness of the beautifully nuanced expressive elements that are present in the overwhelming range of musical selections available to us. These beginning experiences encourage a musical way of being that supports all learning through music as kids move forward. Movement also activates a myriad of systems in our bodies to enhance good mental and physical health. LEARNING INTENTION LEGEND ( Blue  =  Kindergarten ,  Green  =  1 / 2 ,  Purple  =  3 / 4 ,  Red  =  ...

UPCOMING DATES Performing Arts Club @ Lunch - Thursday, January 22nd EMBRACE MUSIC WHILE SWIRLING AROUND IN YOUR LIVES WITH KIDS: Experience music together through spontaneous and uninhibited movement. We come into this world with a natural propensity to move to music. We tend to lose that innate sense as we become self aware and conscious of our actions around others. By encouraging kids to move while listening to different styles of music, we are supporting their developing awareness of the beautifully nuanced expressive elements that are present in the overwhelming range of musical selections available to us. These beginning experiences encourage a musical way of being that supports all learning through music as kids move forward. Movement also activates a myriad of systems in our bodies to enhance good mental and physical health. LEARNING INTENTION LEGEND ( Blue  =  Kindergarten ,  Green  =  1 / 2 ,  Purple  =  3 / 4 ,  Red  =  ...

  UPCOMING DATES Performing Arts Club @ Lunch - Thursday, January 15th TO SUPPORT LEARNING WHILE SWIRLING AROUND IN YOUR LIVES WITH KIDS: SING, HUM and WHISTLE - or do all three! Both humming and whistling activate the same physiological breathing and sound components required to sing well (and part of singing well is producing sound with tuneful accuracy). Singing is highly kinesthetic; your entire body is the instrument. Through humming and whistling, we build muscle memory for sound production. Once we can effectively produce the sound, we can play with the highness and lowness of the pitch. Fun fact: Most popular music isn't readily pitched in a range where it is easy for kids to project their young voices. If you're singing along to your playlist at home and the song is too low, pitch up an octave so it sits in a better place.  LEARNING INTENTION LEGEND ( Blue  =  Kindergarten ,  Green  =  1 / 2 ,  Purple  =  3 / 4 ,  Red ...

Important Dates: Winter Break December 20th - January 4th    TO SUPPORT LEARNING: Sing together; sing often; sing to inspire joy. "Don't worry that it's not good enough for anyone else to hear; just sing, sing a song." Learning Intentions:  -I can  distinguish voice sounds; differentiate singing from speaking voice -I can recognize 'like' and 'unlike' phrases / patterns; identify repetition and contrast -I can sing with expression; articulation (legato and staccato) and range of dynamics (incorporate crescendo and diminuendo) -I can respond to beat through action and simple body percussion -I can use pitch awareness for singing; extend vocal development to include phrasing, enunciation and expression Students participated in holiday singalong sessions to experience singing as a school community. Group singing supports social relationships and is extremely effective for bonding large groups. This is valuable in today's world, where many of our socia...