Ms. Nichelson sent me some great information about using the "Scratch" interface to create an interactive musical landscape using computer commands, pre-recorded and new sounds, and all of our STEM skills. Check out the finished projects here!
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In the first month of school, we used a composition activity to review rhythm, timbre, and form. I was especially impressed by the final performances of Mr. Murphy's and Ms. Edgar's fourth grade classes, who were completely self-directed. Students collaborated to arrange their small group's rhythms, speech, and instrumentation, worked as a whole-class ensemble to make decisions about the overall form, and internalized a steady beat to perform in unison. Please enjoy the low-fi live recordings of Mr. Murphy's and Ms. Edgar's Summer Break Symphonies!
What a wonderful start to the year! I am having a fantastic time reconnecting with familiar students and getting to know new ones. Ludwig van Beethoven is our musician of the month for August, and I have been using the 2nd movement of his 7th symphony with all classes. In the younger grades, we are putting the rhythmic motif (ta ti-ti ta ta) in our feet and pretending to be secret agents sneaking around a sculpture garden. In the upper grades, we are using chopsticks and our feet to work on simultaneous steady beat vs rhythm in different body part combinations (a classical-drumset of sorts). I am looking forward to another great year at Montgomery, and can't wait to share more classroom snapshots with you all.
For the past two summers, I have been working toward obtaining my certification from the American Orff-Schulwerk Association. Orff pedagogy focuses on "Sing, Say, Move, Play" as the fundamental building blocks to experience music. With source material from folk music of all cultures, classical repertoire, blues, jazz, pop, and more, we use our voices, instruments, and bodies to bring each piece to life. One of my favorite aspects of Orff teaching is the emphasis on arrangement, improvisation and composition, allowing each student to have ownership of the music. I hope to keep you all updated on some of the activities we'll be doing each week!
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