Welcome Back!

What I like is not a particular genre,

it's storytelling.

There's a lot of great storytelling in jazz,

and in folk and in country music...

~ Lizz Wright

I couldn't agree more with American jazz singer Lizz Wright.  We start off our year with many musical storytelling opportunities.  Kindergarten students are exploring the story Mother Frost.  They will be orchestrating this story with different non-pitched instruments.  Grade 1 students chose to experience Nursery rhymes in a different way.  They will be singing and performing familiar nursery rhymes in a medley.  Grade 2 students are inspired by a poem entitled I Shall Wait and Wait by Alootook Ipellie.  They will be performing pieces through singing and instrumental playing.  Through these pieces, they will gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of the Inuit way of life.

While Grade 3 students are in the midst of creating their original percussion pieces using basic building blocks which we call "musical legos," Grade 4 students apply the concepts they have learned in rhythm to create "Fantastic Musical Machines."  Grade 5 students are experiencing storytelling in the most unique way:  just as artists are often inspired by music and vice versa, these students are doing an interdisciplinary project to show the relationship between music and art.  We draw parallels between the two disciplines and try to represent what we hear through abstract visual arts.

Thank you to those who attended the K-4 Winter Celebration!  I look forward to seeing some of you at the Grade 5/6 concert.

The Nutcracker

As Winter draws near, students learn songs and poems about the wintery season.  Needless to say, one of the most popular and well-loved classical works is the ballet The Nutcracker by Piotr Tchaikovsky.  Over the past week or so, students have been listening to excerpts from the ballet suite. 

If you want to learn more about the composer, you may click on the following link:

https://www.classicsforkids.com/composers/composer_profile.php?id=75

If you want to learn more about The Nutcracker ballet, you may click on the following link:

https://www.classicsforkids.com/shows/shows.php?id=93

Classics for Kids is an excellent website for anyone who wants to learn more about classical music.  Enjoy!

Winter Celebration

Just to add to the message from last week.  The Grade 5/6 Winter Celebration will take place on December 13, 2018 at 6 pm.  See you there!

One of Those Wonderful Winter Nights...

You are cordially invited to join us for the K-4 Winter Celebration, One of Those Wonderful Winter Nights.

Date:   December 6, 2018

Time:  6 pm

Place:  Elboya School gymnasium

The Grade 3/4 choir will be featured.  See you there!

"When playing music, 

it is possible to achieve a unique sense of peace."

~Daniel Barenboim

In preparation of our winter celebration, students are already learning pieces of music connected to this wintery season.  Students sing songs about snow, snowflakes, and the traditions and ceremonies held around this wintery season hundreds of years ago.  

Stay tuned with more updates about our Winter Celebrations. 

Music is the social act of communication among people,

a gesture of friendship, 

the strongest there is.

~ Malcolm Arnold

English composer

For the first time, Kindergarten students "performed" off a non-standardized musical score.  By observing the shapes, symbols and signs on the musical score, students responded by varying the pitch, articulation and volume of their voices.  Grade 1 students continued to explore different instruments; this time, barred instruments.  

Grade 2 students accepted the challenge to play a bordun on barred instruments.  This skill requires good mallet control and precision in rhythm.  Grade 3 students performed a multi-voiced texture with three layers of rhythm.  They also extended their instrumental techniques on barred instruments by exploring different ways to use the mallets in order to achieve the effects that they want.

Grade 4 students expanded their understanding of rhythm to include ti-ticka's and ticka-ti's.  They will be learning to notate familiar songs involving this rhythmic pattern.  Grade 5 students explored arpeggiated bordun and syncopations when playing multi-voiced textures.