Student Compositions:

Students have been exploring Ableton’s Learning Music: Beats.  Many have shared beats and loops to our Shared Compositions Padlet.

We’ve also continued our pitch and rhythm reading review using Khan Academy resources, and answered questions about Bach based on our previous viewing.

If you have a Greene County library card, younger students may enjoy the TumbleBook Library (be sure to have your card number ready to sign in). Once you are signed in there are many wonderful read-along books about music and sing-along song videos.

You may like to try this one:

• Read Along: Pecorino’s First Concert (TumbleBook Library)
  • First sign in to the TumbleBook Library. (You will need a Greene Co. Library Card to sign in. An adult can get a temporary one here).
  • Then follow this link to read Pecorino’s First Concert
  • This story is a little longer (about 11 minutes)

Music activities for Early Learner through 2nd Grade students will be included in communications and blog post from their classroom teachers.

They can also be found here:
Early Learner Music Activities
Kindergarten and 1st Grade Music Activities
2nd Grade Music Activities

3rd Grade and up can find their music activities in Google Classroom.

More distance learning information can be found here or via the link in the menu bar above.

Thanks!
Mr. Keech

Student Compositions:

Students have been posting compositions created with Chrome Song Maker to our Shared Compositions Padlet.

We’ve also explored Learning Synths, an interactive website created by Ableton, used Khan Academy resources, and listened to Bach.

Music activities for Early Learner through 2nd Grade students will be included in communications and blog post from their classroom teachers.

They can also be found here:
Early Learner Music Activities
Kindergarten and 1st Grade Music Activities
2nd Grade Music Activities

3rd Grade and up can find their music activities in Google Classroom.

More distance learning information can be found here or via the link in the menu bar above.

Thanks!
Mr. Keech

Week Ending March 27 (Week 30)
(Distance Learning Week 2)

After a few adjustments, I think we’ve found our distance learning stride. Here are some ways we are continuing our music making and exploration.

Early Learners and Early Elementary

Our early learner and early elementary classes have been able to enjoy music together via activities, show-and-tell, as well as singing “Happy Birthday” together to celebrate with classmates. I tend to join our early learner and elementary classroom Zoom meetings on Thursdays each week. It’s been a great way to keep in contact with everyone.

Music activities for Beginners, Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, 1st Grade, and 2nd Grade will be included in communications and blog post from their classroom teachers.

They can also be found here:

Early Learner Music Activities
Kindergarten and 1st Grade Music Activities
2nd Grade Music Activities

3rd-5th and Middle School

Google Classroom

A Music Google Classroom has been established for 3rd, 4th and 5th Grade students. All music activities for these grades will be posted there. Middle School and All-Star students will continue to receive music assignments via Google Classroom as usual.

As work will be tracked through Classroom, it is important that students turn-in completed work through Classroom.

Assignments Posted Weekly

Weekly music assignments are typically posted on Monday morning. Students are expected to check the Music Google Classroom and engage with our work on the days that they would normally attend music (although they are welcome to engage with work beforehand if they choose).

Assignments Due

Students will have about a week to complete and return simple assignments. Questions such as “do you have a keyboard or piano at home”  and tasks such as “log-in to Khan Academy and join my class” should be completed quickly.

Initial assignments on a new platform (i.e. Khan Academy) will likely contain review material as we are check the usability of new resources.

Projects will be given more time and will typically involve a rubric to ensure students understand any expectations. I set due-dates that provide students with enough time to reach out to me (via Classroom private comments, email, or Zoom time) assuming that they engage with the work when it is assigned.

Availability

I attend elementary class Zoom meetings each Thursday. Upper School students have received my Zoom open office time (Monday and Tuesday 12:30-1:00) links via Classroom post. I am also available to help students by appointment (an adult should be present, but need not be on camera).

Thanks for helping keep our community learning together during this time.

Shawn Keech

Early Learners:

Our Beginner and Pre-K celebrations were held in February. Videos of the two celebrations are now posted to our 2019-2020 Concert and Celebration Playlist.

Elementary:

Kindergarten through 2nd Grade musicians are working on two vocal pieces together. 3rd through 5th Grade musicians are also working together on two choral pieces (and a few surprises for the concert). The Current Semester Tutorials playlist contains videos for practicing at home.

Upper School

Middle school & All-Star musicians continue to work on their concert pieces. All playlists and assignments are posted on their Google Classroom pages.

Happy Valentines Day. Thank you for all of the kind wishes and treats.

As our weather has been a little messy outside, Early Learners have been trading time between working on music for their upcoming classroom celebrations and moving along with Just Dance. Dancing is a great way to enjoy and participate in music for a lifetime.

Our elementary students have have been working hard on their choral pieces for our April 28th concert. Tutorials can be found on our Current Semester Tutorial playlist. It will be helpful for students to practice their songs at home; all of our songs will need to be memorized (even the ones that are not in English).

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Thanks again to the Rauch family for helping deliver out new choral risers!

Pieces for our three Middle School groups have also been chosen. Tutorials and practice videos for Middle School musicians can be found here.

Although our musicians are slowly returning to a normal schedule, there have been a few special things going on since the break.

Many of our students attended the premiere of our Annual Film Fest’s entries today in the music room:

Early Learner and Elementary vocalists began new vocal warm-ups to add to their music time.

3-5th Grade musicians have begun interleaving vocal and recorder work.

2nd Grade students are working hard to get their hand position just right and get a good tone (being careful to cover each hole and being careful with their air).

Middle School musicians are continuing a quasi-tradition of starting  the new semester with a work by Gilbert and Sullivan. Pirates of Penzance returns this year, bringing with it discussions about the work, history, and how intellectual property issues have been causing difficulty for creators well over 100 years.

Speaking of confusing intellectual property issues, you can find several performances of Penzance on YouTube, including the one we are watching at school, just in case you missed part of it and can’t live without the patter.