Perry Lecompton Elementary Music

Happy Earth Week!

We took some time from our program rehearsal at Perry Elementary to sing and talk about this important celebration. The students all learned a song called “I Need the Earth and the Earth Needs Me”. It is a very catchy tune that reminds us about how we need to take care of our resources. The last line is “we can make it be” and I found that to be a good message to students.

The Kindergartners acted out a poem called “Little Seeds” and then got to color and label their own plants. They looked so nice, I planted them in the hallway!

Our show “Make it Healthy” is coming up soon! We discussed all the yummy fruits and vegetables that grow in the ground. We think you’ll really enjoy the energy and tunes in this production. See you May 3rd!

In fourth grade news, we finally started our last project: Mini-Musicals. If your student hasn’t told you about this, ask them what role they’re playing. The scripts are almost completely done and I was not disappointed by the creativity from this bunch. I think on May 22nd you’ll get a glimpse into the silliness and imagination of these 10 year olds. Should be a blast!

Students have all begun working on their spring programs. For the fourth graders, this means brainstorming and collaboration as their program will be a set of mini-musicals that they are creating. The Kindergartners are learning to memorize and say speaking parts – a whole new adventure for them.

The first, second and third graders are singing, rapping, talking and dancing about staying healthy! Our show is called “Make it Healthy” and we’ve learned about keeping active and eating right. There’s a particularly catchy tune about eating fruits and vegetables the colors of the rainbow. Speaking parts have already come home so make sure your student is practicing if they have one.

For costumes, the students need to wear exercise clothes. Sweats, basketball shorts, active wear of any type. Accessories are allowed but avoid hats and jewelry. **Third graders will need sunglasses

I’m really looking forward to these shows. As two of them will be performed at the elementary schools, we appreciate your flexibility in this new solution.

Kid quote: As the Kindergartners were coloring, I overheard one say “What if Miss Beaulieu was a bowling ball?” They have been bowling in PE but it was still rather random

As the third quarter came to an end, it was time to add up our daily class scores and see which classes had the highest number of “3 days”.

Congratulations to these classes who had near perfect behavior:

Mrs. Surface, Mrs. Folks, Mr. Brown, Mrs. Gantz (2nd grade), Mrs. Schrimsher, Mrs. Whitehair-Carver

To celebrate, most of the classes opted for extra recess but a couple requested a frozen treat. Here are the 2nd graders and Kindergartners enjoying fudge bars:

Into the fourth quarter we’ll be starting our spring programs! Please follow the links at the top for all the information you’ll need.

Sorry it’s been so long since I’ve posted! My annual trip to KMEA combined with Read Across America week just about did me in. Luckily, I have pictures to share!

Info about the spring music programs is available at the link on the top of this page.

More pictures of students sharing musical show and tell are on that link as well.

Read Across America Week!

LES: After getting more acquainted with our textbooks, students learned a couple songs with lyrics written by Dr. Seuss himself! They were goofy and silly. Especially “The No Laugh Race” which is a song and a game where you try to keep from laughing.

Our Dr. Seuss songs were enhanced by a guest who came to visit last Wednesday. Laura King is a recent KU grad who teaches piano lessons in Lawrence. She played a piece by Grieg (from her iPad!) and talked to the kids about being a pianist. She was great fun and played Dr. Seuss songs so nicely! Thanks for coming, Mrs. King!

PES: We also had a guest come visit this week and he brought along his strip-covered bassoon!

Mr. Eric Killen told us all about the instrument. We talked about describing words and opposites. We even did a movement activity while he played a melodic piece. The kids enjoyed hearing the “grandpa” part from Peter and the Wolf that we listened to (and read) earlier in the week. It was a blast!

In addition to playing “The No Laugh Race” (see above) we read two books that have songs mixed in. Pete the Cat is a pretty cool cat and loves to sing about his shoes. You can get the full audio of the books and songs at http://www.harpercollinschildrens.com/petethecat

This week, they even decorated their own “school shoes”.

Kid quote: The day we learned the Pete the Cat songs, I was working at my computer at the end of the day. I could hear students in the cafeteria waiting to be dismissed. All of the sudden, someone started singing one of the tunes and it spread like crazy! Suddenly they were singing at the top of their lungs! I wasn’t sure whether to be proud or sorry for the teachers supervising them. Mostly glad the song stuck with them

^^ I’d like to direct your attention to the new link at the top of the page: Show and Tell

Gradely updates:

4th- Recorders! Recorders! Recorders! We’ve tested and earned some belts and we are doing great! Things will be getting harder and harder and we appreciate your support of these unique sounding instruments. Please make sure materials are coming to school. Grades are starting to suffer.

3rd- Wrapping up Don Gato, we put on some dramatic interpretations. I need to finish editing them and I’ll be posting the link soon. This week we sang about some “Pizza Love”. They took home a paper pizza that helps us learn the note values (not bad practice for fractions either!)

2nd- After reviewing sound stories last week, we switched gears and reviewed some rhythms in Valentine’s Day songs. A favorite from last year that has a dance with it was a hoot! They really had a blast.

1st and K- We got composing! Students got to write their own rhythms and some even performed them on instruments. Some songs are going home and others have been hung up. They even got a chance to sight-read a friend’s rhythm on the spot! They are proud composers now.

The hearts on the pictures below represent the steady beats. 1st grade wrote a song with 8 steady beats and Kindergarteners wrote one with 4 beats.

Both classrooms were rearranged a bit this week with the addition of risers. Last year, the district purchased new risers and it turns out the old ones were just sitting in storage. So now there’s a few at each school for us to use in practicing for programs. This is especially helpful for the younger students to practice proper riser procedures!

4th grade: Our first playing tests on recorders will be next Wednesday and Friday. See the link at the top for information on this. Students have practice guidelines stapled into their folders. We’ve been good about remembering to bring materials to school for music, let’s keep it up!

3rd and 2nd grade: We’re revisiting a ballad about poor Senor Don Gato. The students just love this song – it’s just fun to sing! Look for videos of the 3rd graders acting it out next week.

K and 1st: In celebrating Kansas Day, we’ve been performing a sound story called “The Mule that Got Away”. The students play their instrument when they hear their keyword. It’s a funny story about a “greenhorn” farmer who  has a trick played on him. I was really impressed with the self-control and respect they used when playing instruments.

Lecompton students are in for big announcement on Monday! We’re going to start something that I think the students will really enjoy. I know I’m excited about it! Look for it in next Friday’s blog post.

Here’s my corrected schedule for parent/teacher conferences this week.

Wednesday – Perry Elementary 4-8pm

Thursday – Lecompton Elementary 2-8pm

Again, I’d love to visit with you. Please stop by!

This week, students (other than 4th) learned about and celebrated Kansas Day!

At Perry, we made some projects that you should seem come home soon. Kindergarteners will have fun in the KS wind with their streamers (some are decorating my room for now). 1st graders are still finishing up parfleches. It was quite a challenge but they look pretty neat!

At Lecompton, the 2nd and 3rd graders teamed up to make a video. Since I just got down recording it, it’ll be awhile before it’s ready. We learned about the history of our state song, “Home on the Range”.

Quiz your student on it! (keywords: FDR, Arizona couple, mystery, Smith County, Dr. Brewster Higley)

Here’s a powerpoint with the lyrics if you want to sing at home: HomeontheRange

They also wrote and drew about what home means to them. How it makes the feel and their favorite parts. I’ll be posting some pictures and quotes up here as I have time.

*Parent/Teacher Conferences – I’d love to meet you if I haven’t already! I have work to show you from 2nd and 3rd grade and there’s always things to share about all your kids. I’ll be at Lecompton on Wednesday from 4-8 and Perry on Thursday from 2-8. See you then!

Kid quote: “I suck at drawing lizards!”

Here’s what we’ve been up to since we came back from winter break:

Martin Luther King Jr. Day: Most classes did a song or two about Dr. King or the civil rights movement. Some classes had more discussion time than others. We talked about how music was important to bring people together and sing out a message. Below is a link to a neat video that 2nd and 3rd grade watched.

http://bit.ly/r6GV1n – Martin Luther King Jr. sings in Memphis

A graduate student used a computer program called autotune to make it sound like he’s singing his speech. His voice was so rich and dynamic that the effect is really neat.

Spelling and Reading:

Last week we had our school Spelling Bee. This was a blast to watch and I was so impressed with the students. To help get ready, we did some spelling in music. (Okay, it was really to reinforce learning the note names on the treble clef staff) 2nd and 3rd graders worked in teams to “spell” out words using only A, B, C, D, E or G. They sure were competitive!

At Perry, I tried out a lesson I’d seen on a fellow music teacher blog.

I printed up ABC boards to point to while we sang the song.

We used chips to represent the rests in the song and then added a few of our own to change it up!

It was tricky to remember not to sing a letter when the song is so familiar. Some letters were harder than others to take out.

Then they split into pairs to compose their own versions. Here’s a few pictures of the Kindergartners and 1st graders.

Both winter programs are over and let me tell you, I’m bursting with pride.

Scene Change-

Moving the programs to the high school gym was a decision made by the elementary and high school administration after consulting with myself and getting feedback from parents. While it didn’t necessarily feel like it at the 2nd, 3rd and 4th program, there was more seating than in the past.

The educational benefits of having the students be a part of the audience are tremendous. It is very important that they learn this set of skills.

"Twas the Night Before Christmas" stage

We really appreciate your patience as we make adjustments to the new arrangement. The goal really is for the students and the audience to have the best experience possible. As our district grows, that will mean a couple changes.

"Wacky Winter" stage

One Wacky Winter Night-

A week before the show was Pajama Day at school. The energy and excitement was tangible. I thought to myself, is this what it will be like when they dress up wacky? Yes, the answer was yes. Luckily, we had about half an hour to laugh at everyone’s silliness and get down to business. It seemed like the students had fun and really put a lot of energy into the performance. Extra special mention to the soloists- that is not easy to do and they rocked it!

Twas the Night Before Christmas-

The keyword the night before was “wacky” and for the Kindergartners and 1st graders it was “adorable”. They looked adorable, they sang adorably, they read their lines adorably and they danced adorably. They impressed me at every turn. It can be a very overwhelming experience at that age. Now they know what it’s like, they can only get better at it!

Say cheese!

I was so busy making sure I got it all on tape that I didn’t get any pictures taken. If you have any you’d like to share with us, please e-mail them to me.

Contributions from around classrooms to make our tree wacky!

Feedback: Your constructive feedback is always welcome. Please leave comments here, e-mail or call the school. I would love to hear from you.