Hello to all Thacher Elementary School families. We have had a very busy few weeks here in the music room. Our day performances of our holiday sing-along took place last Friday and the fourth graders’ evening performance on Tuesday went wonderfully. Meanwhile, we still had plenty of learning happening during the school day.
Kindergarten and First Grade: Our youngest grades have been learning lots about a type of metal instrument that is very prevalent this season: jingle bells!! We have also been learning lots of different ways to move to a steady beat in music while moving in locomotor motion (moving from one place to another) all around the room. By the end of this week, we will have mastered twenty-two different motions! As always, we are working hard to sing beautifully through a variety of songs.
Second Grade: Second grade has been prepping to play on our xylophone instruments by doing lots of rhythm stick activities. We are also crushing our rhythm and tonal goals through lots of different chants and songs. This week, students have created a variety of motions on their own and with a partner while learning all about the holiday of Hanukkah. We even got the chance to learn how to play a traditional dreidel game!
Third and Fourth Grade: Our upper grades have been learning lots of new recorder material. We are beginning to get more comfortable with three notes, with more to come after break. Some students have even gotten to share their very own improvisations with the rest of the class. Older students have also begun to complete more advanced movement activities and games and have been refining their singing voices through our sing-along songs. Fourth-grade students are still gearing up for our upcoming performance at the Mayor of Attleboro’s inauguration on January 2nd!
Insights Classrooms: Our insights classrooms have officially wrapped up their current cycle of lessons. We have worked hard on making vocalizations to prepare for further singing activities and some students have been singing along with our in-class music. We have also learned to move different parts of our body, with props like scarves, and by popping bubbles with a variety of motions like pinching, clapping, poking, and stomping. We have also begun identifying numbers, and food-words through a few fun songs and chants!
Keep on rocking and enjoy the pictures and video below.
Musically yours,
Mr. Chippo
Music Specialist
Thacher Elementary School
Holiday Sing-Along Clip
