Welcome back to school!!!  We have one week gone already and I honestly have to say that it feels as though we've never left!

The kids have been working already--for the first time in 20 years we played instruments on the very first day.  I think this was one of my better ideas--they were so excited!! I am hopeful that we can continue that excitement as the year goes on.  Learning about music--how to create it, how to analyze it, how to perform it--is very important.  However, nothing is more important than coming to love it, whatever role it may play in your life.  Whether you play an instrument or just the radio, music plays some part in everyone's lives.  I hope to help our kids find the joy that only music can bring to life...while learning along the way!

Welcome back to our music class!  This time of year is always one of my favorite times in music class.  We have many new songs, 3rd graders are really starting to get into recorder, 5th graders are starting DARE songs, 4th graders are finishing up their rhythm study and heading into the science of sound and 2nd graders are just about to begin their study of instruments of the orchestra.  I love seeing the kids succeed in music--music truly is for everyone!  It has been a great year filled with musical discovery and already these first few days back after break have been jam packed with learning.  Please take a second to check out a specific grade level page to see more specifically what your child may be learning currently.  I am hopeful that he or she can tell you a little bit about what they've done, and please know that some of this stuff is pretty difficult!  I am really very proud of their work!!

Well, the Halloween celebrations are over and we are fully into fall--yea!  The kids have been doing some creative work in class and I really couldn't be more proud of their efforts so far.  I've added videos and pictures to all of the grade level pages so please if you have a minute go check them out!  

As the season continues we will really get into creating and responding to music performances in the older grades.  Third grade will begin its final prep for recorders, and hopefully they will make an appearance in time for some Hot Cross Buns music during winter break.  It takes some time to get started with them, so while that may seem a long way off, it'll be here before you can sing "Jingle Bells." :-)

It's almost that time!  All students in 3rd, 4th & 5th grade will be playing recorder during music classes this year.  Please look for an order form to come home soon with information regarding purchasing a recorder through the music department.  It is NOT MANDATORY that any child purchases a recorder--we have plenty school-owned instruments available for borrowing.  It is mandatory that all 3rd, 4th & 5th grade student play the recorder as it is a part of our elementary music curriculum.  Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns you may have.  Again, look for the order form to come home both electronically and hard copy in the coming days.

5th Grade Choir Sign-Up sheets went home yesterday both hard copy and electronically.  If your child is interested in being a part of our after-school group please complete the form and return it to school  no later than Friday, September 22.  Rehearsals begin Wednesday, September 27 after school until 5pm.  :-)

Welcome back to school!!  Hopefully everyone is relaxed and ready to begin another school year.  We have worked very hard this summer preparing for our music classes and are very excited to see all of you.

Music classes are filled with opportunities for children to sing, dance, create, perform, and enjoy music all while learning the fundamentals of music.  In the music room, music is learned for the most part by doing.   For example, we learn about composers by actually composing.  Much of our time is spent playing instruments, dancing, and singing; however, we also play music games to help maintain interest and enthusiasm. We also take time to assess student knowledge and skill through age-appropriate worksheets and in-class performances. 
 
During music class students are expected to participate in all activities to the best of their ability.  Proper posture for singing is explained and encouraged as well as proper instrumental technique (holding mallets properly, treating the instruments kindly, etc).  Students are also expected to respect one another during music class, especially when classmates perform alone or in small groups.
 
 
While musical knowledge is important and stressed within the music room, we also feel that it is essential to instill a love of and an appreciation for music. We do take time to “sing for the sake of singing.”  Music is an inherent part of our history and culture. That being said, it is important that we take time to enjoy music for the art that it is.  Our curriculum is based upon the National Standards for Music Education, and in striving to teach to these standards, children have the opportunity to express their individual creativity, learn about music as a “science,” and share in the beauty of music as an art. It is our belief that by laying a strong foundation in our elementary general music classes we are setting students up for success within the many musical opportunities that lie ahead for them in the Baldwin-Whitehall School District.

On Saturday, June 25, 2016, the PSO is presenting a Sensory-Friendly performance entitled "Heroes and Inspirations."  They are planning several pre-performance activities, including a resource fair to help discover many of the accessible recreational activities in the Pittsburgh Region.  This performance is unique in that the house lights are left partially on, ear-plugs and fidgets are available to guests, and several other modifications to a typical performance that should help to make the overall experience of going to the symphony more enjoyable for those with sensory-related needs.  To read more about this exciting event and to access the pre-performance videos and Spotify links, please click the button below.  It will take you directly to the PSO's website where you can read more about the event, find out how to submit original artwork for the event, and purchase tickets should you choose to do so.  I am in no way encouraging anyone to go or to spend money, and I am not receiving anything from the PSO to spread the word.  I just really believe we are very fortunate to have a world-class orchestra here in Pittsburgh that is sensitive to the needs of all of its patrons and see this as a terrific opportunity for those who may otherwise not attend a performance to be able to do so.

Telemann! Georg Philipp Telemann was born in Germany in 1681.  For generations, Telemann men became ministers, and Georg Phillip was no exception.  As a child, he loved music.  He taught himself to not only play instruments but to compose as well.

When Telemann went off to University in Leipzig, he was supposed to forget about being a musician.  Somehow, his roommate found out that he was a composer and had one of his pieces performed in church.  That was the end of his career as a minister and the beginning of his composing career!  

He spent his adult life composing, and was even the composer for a Duke in Poland!  He eventually became the music director for a big city; first Frankfurt and then Hamburg.  In this job he was able to compose music for churches and special occasions, conduct concerts and teach music.  Telemann was influenced by folk instruments and the sounds of life around him.  You can hear these influences in some of his pieces.  Follow the Classics for Kids link on the Apps & Websites page above to hear some of his most famous works.

Better late than never!  I apologize for not getting the composer's work up here sooner!  This month's composer of the month is Scott Joplin.  Scott Joplin was born in America sometime around 1870, most likely in Northeast Texas.  Nobody is exactly sure of the date or place.

Scott Joplin taught himself how to play piano while his mother cleaned houses--one of the houses she cleaned had a piano and he was allowed to play it.  As Joplin grew older, he began travelling, and even played a cornet (an instrument similar to a trumpet) in a band at the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago.  

Scott Joplin moved to St. Louis, which was rich with ragtime music at that time.  He eventually moved to New York City.  Joplin wrote some songs and stage works, but he is best known for his piano rags--one of which ended up in a movie!  In 1976, many years after his death, Joplin was awards a Pulitzer Prize for his opera, Treemonisha.

One of the most exciting this about this composer is I learned a lot, too.  All of the information above I learned from reading on the Classics for Kids website.  Head on over and hear some of his music, read more about him and you can even take a quiz about what you've learned.  The listening example includes many different composers this month, all of whose music (the piece featured) ended up in a movie!

Below is a link to a performance of Scott Joplin's "The Entertainer."  I bet that you will think it sounds familiar. I remember having to learn this for flute lessons when I was in elementary school--it was difficult!!!  Enjoy!