About Central's Winter Program

Dear families: That time of year approaches again! The Central Tigers have started working on our annual Christmas/Holiday program and they are coming along! The theme this year is 'Sounds of the Season!' where students will serenade us with songs of the holiday season, both old and new!

Just a couple of details about the program: The performance will take place on Friday, December 6th at 9:30 AM in the Helena Middle School Auditorium. Please have your student(s) come dressed in nice holiday clothes for the performance; please do not send them wear sweats or jeans with holes or t-shirts with screening on the front. Thank you!

If you have any questions or concerns about program day, please contact your student's classroom teacher, music teacher or Mrs. Nasset.  We look forward to seeing you on program day!

Mrs. Nyhof (K-5 Music; anyof@helena.k12.mt.us; 406-324-1628)

Helena Middle School

1025 N Rodney

Helena, MT

Objectives for the week of October 28, 2013

In celebration of Halloween, we'll be having a special school-wide focus on being tuneful, beatful, and artful (my current favorite words). So what does that look like, exactly?

1. Tuneful – to have tunes in their heads and learn to coordinate their voices to sing those tunes.
2. Beatful – to feel the pulse of music and how that pulse is grouped in either 2s or 3s.
3. Artful – to be moved by music in the many ways music can elicit a feelingful response.

(http://www.feierabendmusic.org/first-steps-in-music-for-preschool-and-beyond/)

In grades K-3, the primary objectives of this week will be:

• I can explore the range of my voice.
• I can move expressively to music.
• I can experience the beat in music.

In grades 4-5, we will continue testing for Recorder Karate belts.

• I can play with a steady beat.
• I can play with appropriate phrasing.

Objectives for the week of October 21, 2013

Kindergarten

• I can explore using my head voice.
• I can move expressively to music.

First Grade

• I can explore highs and lows in my voice.
• I can move expressively to music.

Second Grade and Primary Montessori

• I can sing using my head voice.
• I can move expressively to music.

Third Grade

• I can echo rhythmic patterns (eighth notes and quarter notes).
• I can decode rhythmic patterns (eighth notes and quarter notes).

Fourth Grade, Fifth Grade, and Intermediate Montessori

• I can play B, A, and G on the recorder.
• I can count quarter notes and half notes.

Looking forward to a great week! This week I will begin implementing many of the strategies I learned last week at the Montana Music Conference from Dr. John Feierabend. In younger grades we will be focusing on First Steps in Music skills, including pitch and movement exploration. In older grades we will start applying Conversational Solfege concepts, a method that focuses on learning music in the same way we learn to read: 

During the first five years of life we are busy making aural sense out of the complex labyrinth of language.  After achieving a certain level of conversational competence we enter school and begin a structured reading and writing curriculum. A similar process takes place when one studies a foreign language first at a conversational level.  The development of ear comprehension precedes reading, writing or grammatical structure education.  These models of learning can be applied to the development of music literacy.

Back from the Montana Music Conference and feeling pumped!

Eureka! That's how I felt so many times during several training sessions with Dr. John Feierabend in Bozeman this week! He spoke about his research in music education and offered training in two coordinating methods of music education: First Steps in Music and Conversational Solfege. First Steps in Music works to establish a solid base from children, making them "tuneful, beatful, and artful."

Tuneful – to have tunes in their heads and learn to coordinate their voices to sing those tunes.
Beatful – to feel the pulse of music and how that pulse is grouped in either 2s or 3s.
Artful – to be moved by music in the many ways music can elicit a feeling-filled response.
(John Feierabend)

Conversational Solfege works to develop music literacy in students, starting at approximately Grade 2, building on the foundations established in First Steps in Music.

When one becomes truly musically literate the playing of an instrument becomes a natural extension of one’s personal musicianship. The development of true music literacy prior to instrumental instruction will enable instrumentalists to express music through their instrument rather than using the instrument to hear the music. (John Feierabend)

I am so inspired! Can't wait to get back to school next week!

P.S. You can help me purchase more of these resources using the widget below!

Objectives for the week of October 7, 2013

Kindergarten
I can explore steady beat.
I can demonstrate long and short sounds.

First Grade
I can identify high and low sounds.

Second Grade and Primary Montessori
I can sing a melody using sol, la, and mi. (What is this?)

Third Grade
I can identify verse and refrain.
I can sing by myself.

Fourth Grade, Fifth Grade, and Intermediate Montessori
I can hold my recorder correctly.
I can make a nice sound on my recorder.
I can play B, A, and G on my recorder.

Objectives for the week of September 30, 2013

Kindergarten

• I can experience long and short sounds.
• I can explore steady beat.

First Grade

• I can explore high and low notes.
• I can notate ta and ti-ti.

Second Grade and Primary Montessori

• I can identify musical phrases.

Third Grade

• I can identify verse and refrain.

Fourth Grade and Intermediate Montessori

• I can make connections between music and geography.
• I can identify strong and weak beats.

Fifth Grade

• I can make connections between music and geography.
• I can identify syncopation.

Oh, I wish I were a little squirty orange...

This week, third graders took learned the song "Oh, I Wish I Were" and then created their own verses for the song. Here are a few!

Oh, I wish I were a little eyeball (eyeball)
Oh, I wish I were a little eyeball (eyeball)
I'd go in a socket and you will find me in your pocket
Oh, I wish I were a little eyeball (eyeball)
by "Weirdo," Alack, Silas

Oh, I wish I were a little squirmy cat (squirmy cat)
Oh, I wish I were a little squirmy cat (squirmy cat)
I'd go squirmy, squirmy, squirmy like a little, little wormy
Oh, I wish I were a little squirmy cat (squirmy cat)
by "The LLJ's"

Oh, I wish I were a little noisy fly (noisy fly)
Oh, I wish I were a little noisy fly (noisy fly)
I'll go burpy, burpy, burpy under everybody's shirty
Oh, I wish I were a little noisy fly (noisy fly)
by Jamie

Oh, I wish I were a little mystery frog (mystery frog)
Oh, I wish I were a little mystery frog (mystery frog)
I'd go worky, worky, worky over everybody's "curky"
Oh, I wish I were a little mystery frog (mystery frog)
by Alyvia and Keaton

Oh, I wish I were a little puppy dog (puppy dog)
Oh, I wish I were a little puppy dog (puppy dog)
I'd go bark bark bark while I'm in the park
Oh, I wish I were a little puppy dog (puppy dog)

Oh, I wish I were a little pink pig (pink pig)
Oh, I wish I were a little pink pig (pink pig)
I'd go squirty squirty squirty and make everybody dirty
Oh, I wish I were a little pink pig (pink pig)

Oh, I wish I were a little dirty frog (dirty frog)
Oh, I wish I were a little dirty frog (dirty frog)
I'd go splish-splash and make everybody laugh
Oh, I wish I were a little dirty frog (dirty frog)

The Grand Songwriting Experiment: 5H

Hey 5H students! Here's some tools for you to brainstorm at home... we've got our theme, "The Experiment," and now we're looking for some lyrics to open the song. Here's the melody we created:

Second Quarter Music Newsletter