People make music to get a reaction.

Music is communication.

~ Yoko Ono

Kindergarten students learn how music and lyrics can help them communicate their emotions.  By changing the lyrics, the dynamics, the articulation of the music, they experience a range of expression.  

Grade 1 and 2 students are extending their understanding of solfège to include sol, mi and la.  They also learned how music can be made up of sections.  Grade 3 and 4 students focused on the different families of the orchestra.  They are currently learning about the string family.  We listened to excerpts from Symphony No. 1 by Gustav Mahler and discovered a "sad version" of Frère Jacques.  

Grade 5 students are exploring jazz music.  They perform some of these pieces which are adapted for barred instruments.