May Update

Welcome to May Everyone!!!

Temperatures are rising and excitement is building as the school year comes to a close.  Even though time is short, it does not mean that we are sitting back on our heals and coasting.

Kingergarten Music

The kindergarten classes have earned a little bonus day recently and we have started watching a video about the 6 Pillars of Character.  These pillars include Respect, Citizenship, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring and Trustworthiness.  These characteristics have been a focus for the students throughout the entire year.  Besides that video, we have discussed the circus most recently.

The kindergarten students have had our own circus parades in our room that encourage the students to move and act like many of the circus performers that you would see if you were watching a circus parade.  We have had drummers, and acrobats and lion tamers and lions and zebras and even elephants in our parades.  The students have seen a little video footage from the world famous Ringling Brothers Barnum and Baily Circus.  This circus spends the winter months in Florida and each spring they load up the circus train and ride the rails to Baraboo, WI and the Circus World Museum.  The students are also aware that this Thursday, May 12th, there is a circus in Otumwa, IA.  Many have indicated that they are going to be there.

Very soon we will be acting out our own circus in the room and I will be recording it and hopefully in a couple weeks you will be able to check back on this blog and see our very own circus including the "Flying Finnegans", "Fearless Ferdinand" and the elephants.

First Grade Music

The first grade students have been discussing the use of music to help tell stories.  We have talked at great length about the music titled "Once Upon a Time Suite" that musically illustrates the story of "The Three Billy Goats Gruff".  We have taken turns being each of the goats as well as the troll.  Just like the kindergarten students, we will be acting this out and recording our play.  I will hopefully have the movies posted on the website for you to get a peak into our classroom.

A second project that we are working on has to do with the story "Peter and the Wolf".  We have spent several classes identifying the different instrument families as well as individual instruments.  Some of this discussion began with the story of the "Three Billy Goats Gruff" because just like "Peter and the Wolf", some of the instruments represented specific characters in the story.  After identifying the instruments and themes, we listened to the story to hear how the instruments acted with each other in the music to illustrate the story.  Currently we are working to color finger puppets to help tell the story.

Second Grade Music

In Second grade, we have continued to discuss the idea of music telling a story just like we did in the Kindergarten class and First grade class.  The biggest difference is that we have taken it a step further.  We had started our discussion by "Going on a Lion Hunt" and discussing the different ways the music and sounds help to tell the story.  Next we revisited the pieces that the First grade classes are working on and then took it one step further.  We really paid close attention to the "Peter and the Wolf" example and discussed how not just instruments can represent the characters, but also specific musical themes.  After an in-depth discussion, we were able to listen to the story of the "Sorcerer's Apprentice".  We identified each instrument with it's particular character or characters, but especially each character and its musical theme.  We were able to do a worksheet that had several statements about the plot of the story, and put them in order based on the music.  We will be using those statements to create a book that we will illustrate ourselves as we begin to further understand the musical story.  Secondly, for fun, we have begun to color our own brooms and buckets to put on our castle background in the room and create our own "Sorcerer's Apprentice" scene.

In the last few weeks of school we will be finishing these projects, as well as taking a final assessment to see how much we have grown in our rhythmic counting and identification.

Third Grade Music

After completing our concert in April, we have been able to relax a little.  We still have not taken time to watch the video of our concert, but we will soon.  We have returned to some of the music we were working on right before the concert and even have done a little dancing in class.  There are two songs in particular that we are doing that involve some type of movement.  "Four White Horses" involves a sort of clapping game that you do in groups of four.  If we keep the tempo slow, we can do this pretty well, but if we try to increase the speed, mass chaos kind of breaks out and everyone gets lost.  :)

The second song that we have is called "Coffee Grows on White Oak Trees".  This is a song that has words that don't seem to tell much of a story.  However, these words are actually the directions to a square dance.  We have worked one day on the dance, but many of the kids were smiling the whole time.  It was really great to see them try something so different and be open-minded enough to enjoy it.  I was extremely proud of the students for trying this!

Like the Second grade, we still have to complete our final assessment on rhythms.  That will have to wait till next week at the earliest though since today was our first performance of three for this week.  Today the 3rd and 4th grade students performed at the Fairgrounds for the Heritage Club.  Everyone sounded great and I think that the audience enjoyed our performance.  Two more performances left this week.

Fourth Grade Music

In the middle of our extra performances and trying to finish their final rhythm assessment, the fourth grade students have spent many classes lately working to learn to play their recorders.  We have not had the time for the recorders that I had intended to have from the beginning of the year, however, some of the students are working really hard and are working feverishly to get their belts.  Hopefully you hear your student at home working on their songs so they can pass as many belts before we run out of time.

We still have two performances during school hours this week of our Spring Concert material.  I know their performances are greatly appreciated in the public.  I am very proud of how well they are singing, and I see great benefits for these students in these extra performances.

Fifth Grade Music

All year we have looked at different composers each month.  The students are now beginning a computer project for the next couple weeks that involves these composers.  Glogster is a web 2.0 tool that allows students to create virtual online multimedia posters.  The students have the ability to add text boxes and change as well as rearrange the text in about anyway they can think.  They can also add pictures and illustrate them however they wish.  For composers, much of their work is about what you hear.  Glogs allow the students to add video and audio examples to help introduce their composers.  This is a fun tool for the students, and I hope to post some examples when they are done.

5th Grade Ensemble

The 5th Grade Ensemble has been working on three songs for the Spring Concert.  The concert will be on Thursday, May 19th at 7:00 PM at the Middle School.  The 5th grade students are on the concert first, and I do expect that when they are done singing, they will sit quietly and support the other groups on the concert.  After all, they will have the chance to be a part of those groups next year.  If there is a need for you to take your student early for specific reasons, please just see me and let me know.  It is a busy time and many families have very busy schedules.

The concert begins at 7:00 pm, please have your students come to the 5th Grade Music Room between 6:30 and 6:45 so that we can line up and be ready to take the stage at 7:00.  One final note that I have been asked to pass along is that there is a fee for the concert and school activity passes will no longer accepted for the Middle School concerts.  The cost at the door is minimal, but again, the activity passes will no longer be accepted at the Middle School Concerts.

Please have your students dress nicely and be ready to sing and have a great time.

One last note on the ensemble, after the concert is over, I am making plans to have them sing during school hours at Logan Apartments.  More information will be coming about this engagement.

Other Music News

Last night was the High School Vocal and Instrumental concert.  I was a great concert to end the year with.   The Music Awards Night that was scheduled for tomorrow night (Thursday, May 12) has been canceled for that night and there is some ongoing discussion about what the next steps will be.

The Middle School Choir students and Middle School Ensemble will be performing at the Middle School on Thursday, May 19th at 7:00.  Please remember that there is a minimal fee at the door and that school activity passes will no longer be accepted for the Middle School Music Programs.


Final Thoughts

As the year comes to a close, I want to thank everyone for your support of your students and our music program at all levels both instrumentally and vocally.  This has been a great year with several new things to try and I think we have had several successes because of these changes.

Local Tour!!!

Today is the first performance of four this week for the students of Washington and Libertyville 3rd grades, 4th grades and 4th grade ensembles.

They will kick off the performances with a joint presentation for a luncheon at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds today at 12:45.  They will be performing the music from our spring concert that was so well received a short time ago.  They will not be doing the speaking parts, but they will be entertaining with the music.

On Wed, the Libertyville students will have two performances.  The first performance will be at the old hospital and will be a combined presentation with Washington again.  Then, after the conclusion of that performance, they will travel by themselves to perform at Sunnybrook on the West side of town.

Washington will be singing with Libertyville at 10:30 on Wednesday at the old hospital, then on Friday they will be performing themselves at Parkview at 10:00 am.

These performances are great for our students to be involved in and share their talents with many residents of Fairfield that might night have been able to come to the concerts.  They also will include relatives of many of our students, and I know they are looking forward to the performances.

Libertyville and Washington 3rd and 4th Graders are taking the show on the road!

Load the equipment.....

Board the tour bus....

Line up the security units and body guards.....

Or maybe just make sure your shoes are tied and get on the school bus......

We are hitting the road for our Jazz Tour...

Or at least we will be singing for many community members in our local area.

During the week of May 9th, which happens to be Nurses Appreciation Week as well as Nursing Home Appreciation week, the 3rd and 4th grade students will be doing several "sing-outs" using the music from our Spring Concert that was performed a couple weeks ago.

On Tuesday, May 10th, the students from both schools will be joining forces in song to bring the music from our concert to the Jefferson County Fairgrounds.  The students were invited to come and sing to provide a little entertainment for a luncheon.  They should begin their performance around 12:45 and be completed by 1:15.  Buses will be loading approximately 15 or 20 minutes prior to arrival at the performance site. 

Then the following day, but schools will combine for a 10:30 performance at Sunnybrook Living Care Center located in the old hospital building.  This performance will last approximately a half hour, at which time the Washington students will return to Washington and the Libertyville students will take the bus to Sunnybrook Assited Living Center on the West End of Fairfield where they will perform the concert music by themselves at approximately 11:15, and will return to school by noon.

The last performance will  be the Washington students only, and they will be visiting the residents at Parkview Care Center on the East end of town.  This performance will be approximately 10:00 and end approximately 10:30, at which time the students will return to school.

The students have worked very hard on this program and I feel as if we are still riding the wave of appreciation that was expressed to us in the time since the program.  When they work that hard and sound that good, it is awesome that we are able to share this program many times over.

Thank you for your support....I am very proud of YOUR students.
Musically,
~Mr. G
 

Oompa Loompa Rehearsals Begin......

The Oompa Loompa Chorus 1 rehearsals will begin on Thursday, April 28th at the Middle School.  Chorus 1 includes students in grades 1 - 8.  Monday night is primarily a Chorus 2 night, however they are going over the same music we will go over in the after school rehearsals, so the Chorus 1 members are completely welcome to join the Monday night rehearsals.

After Thursday, the schedule will be as follows:

     Mondays.....3:30 - 4:00 in the Pence Elementary Music Room
                         7:00 - 7:30 pm in the High School Band Room
     Tuesdays.....3:30 - 4:00 in the Washington Elementary Music Room
     Thursdays....3:30 - 4:00 in the 5th Grade Music room a the Middle School

This schedule provides four opportunities for each student to come to a practice.  It is the desire of the directors that they attend ONE of the four rehearsals each week.  If your student wishes to attend more than one rehearsal, that is totally acceptable and appreciated.  These multiple times are intended to accommodate busy schedules without requiring only one possible time for everyone to schedule around.

Welcoming a New Blogger!!!

I want to take a second to welcome a new music blogger....Mrs. Keller has started a blog!!  I would like to invite and encourage everyone to check out her music blog and support her new form of communication.  Shortly there will be information on her blog in regard to the Pence Spring Program.

Check out her blog and enjoy her posts.

~Mr. G

Spring Concert Recap

The 3^rd and 4^th grade students from Libertyville and Washington Elementary Schools presented their Spring Program on Monday, April 18^th at the Sondheim Center just off the square in Fairfield.  The students presented a program that gave their audience a brief history lesson of Jazz and some of the musical styles that grew out of Jazz such as the Blues and Swing.

Each grade had a couple songs on their own that fit into the history of Jazz.  Besides the 3^rd and 4^th grade students, students involved in the 4^th Grade Ensemble from each school also had a couple songs.  The entire students assembly also combined on several songs.  In between several of the songs, many students got the opportunity to come down front and read some of the history to the audience.

The show teased the ears with sounds of each type of music, but the senses were also satisfied by the giant projection screen behind the students.  The slideshow used for the program announced each song selection, as well as providing visual pictures of many of the great Jazz composers and performers that were mentioned throughout the program.  Many of the most well-known composer/performers were highlighted by some of the readers and were mentioned again in one of the final numbers that had a Jazz twist to a very famous Beethoven piece.  Ode To Jazzers listed 54 different composers/performers who influenced Jazz.

Besides our students from Libertyville and Washington not only shared the stage with each other, but they also shared the stage with one of the most well-known Jazzers…..Louis Armstrong.  Armstrong was born in 1901 and died in 1971.  The final song performed in the program was “What a Wonderful World” written and originally performed by Armstrong himself.  The students performed this piece on the stage as a slideshow of pictures from their individual classes played behind them for their parents to see.  The pictures were taken in the classroom, at recess and other places such as field trips.  Now, you may ask, just how did they share the stage with Mr. Armstrong?  During the final song there was a trumpet solo.  As you can see in the accompanying video below, Satcmo joined the students on the projection screen in a video as he played the solo to accompany our students.  What you can do with technology can really be inspiring.

Mr. Grunwald is very proud of the students and how they performed.  Many positive comments have been made by parents and shared with their students.  Mr. Grunwald wishes to thank all of the parents and guardians for their interest and support of their students musical endeavors. 

I have also included a clip of the second song on the program, which was the first combined song on the program as well as the final song in its entirety.

3rd and 4th Grade Sharing the stage with Greatness.....

For any of you who wonder just how it is possible that our third and fourth grade students shared the stage with a great trumpet player like Louis Armstrong, click on the video below.

For those of you who attended the concert on April 18th and really enjoyed the final slideshow and want to see it again...click on the video below.

Lastly, for those who might not have been at the concert and just heard about the final slideshow or want to see something fun you can do with technology... click the video below.

The following video is a portion of the powerpoint presentation that I created for our 3rd and 4th grade Spring Concert based on the history of Jazz.  The Louis Armstrong solo is not a perfect match, but considering what it took to get him in this presentation and have our students share the stage with him, I think it worked out pretty well.  Even if you are just interested in the student pictures only, enjoy.  The music used is the accompaniment track that was used and does not include the voices of the students.  I might take some time to add them in the future.

Thanks for visiting,
~Mr. G