Week 6/15-6/19
Dear Fourth Graders,
Congratulations! You've made it through 13 weeks of distance learning! I know it hasn't been easy but I'm proud of you. Although our sticker chart is still at school, I know it would definitely be filled up by now. In fact, you've earned more than one super fun music reward! I hope you enjoy these games and activities.
Love, Ms. Sheridan
LISTEN: Here are two awesome and inspiring videos I thought you might like. ;)
Bad Guy on Boomwhackers: The Lorax: Dr. Suess raps with Dr. Dre beat
Congratulations! You've made it through 13 weeks of distance learning! I know it hasn't been easy but I'm proud of you. Although our sticker chart is still at school, I know it would definitely be filled up by now. In fact, you've earned more than one super fun music reward! I hope you enjoy these games and activities.
Love, Ms. Sheridan
LISTEN: Here are two awesome and inspiring videos I thought you might like. ;)
Bad Guy on Boomwhackers: The Lorax: Dr. Suess raps with Dr. Dre beat
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PLAY:
Here are two sites that I thought you would enjoy exploring. Have fun!
Here are two sites that I thought you would enjoy exploring. Have fun!
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Week 12: 6/8-6/12
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READ:
I am sharing the story of "Lift Every Voice and Sing' by Kelly Starling Lyons this week. You may remember this book from earlier in the year when Principal Miller shared it with us at our assembly for MLK Jr. Sing along with me when the song pops up in the book! LISTEN & SING: Songs that bring us together There are so many things going on in the world around us right now. Many people are feeling worried, sad, angry or confused. These are all important feelings. Sometimes, these emotions can leave us feeling alone. One thing I know that can always help bring people together is music. Humans sing when they are happy. But, we also sing when we’re sad. Making music has a magical way of helping us share our feelings and find the words we need to express ourselves. It can make us feel united and strong. It has the power to lift us up and make us belong. You and your family may be expressing your feelings at home by making signs of gratitude and cheering on our essential workers helping to fight the pandemic. You may be protesting, marching or attending a vigil to show that you know Black Lives Matter. All of these actions are important tools for changing and strengthening our community. |
Playlist of songs that bring us together
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Throughout history, music has been the glue to bind communities together when they are unraveling. Each year at Pierce, we sing to celebrate the life of Martin Luther King Jr. to remind us of our constant fight for civil rights in this country. What we sing, unites us and makes us stronger. I have shared these songs and more in a playlist below. I encourage you to bring these songs into your homes. Listen and SING as a family and lift each other up.
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LEARN:
This week we will finish up our unit on the Orchestra by learning about the Percussion family! Percussion instruments are played by hitting, shaking or being scraped. Percussion plays a huge role in the music that John Williams composed. Whether you’re listening to Harry Potter, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, or any of his other powerful movie scores, the percussion family always has a big job. Watch for percussion instruments like the timpani, snare drum and bass drum in this performance by the Boston Symphony Orchestra conducted by John Williams at Tanglewood. Use this worksheet to share your observations as you listen. Send your worksheet to me at: [email protected] |
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Week 11: 6/1-6/5
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May The Force Be With You!
We are continuing with our learning about composer John Williams using the music he has written for Star Wars! The Star Wars soundtrack is known to have a great big brass section to emphasize the vastness of space. Listen to the "Imperial March" from Star Wars. This theme is very famous and known as the “Darth Vader Theme Song”. The song is played mostly when Darth Vader enters the picture in the movie. |
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LISTENING:
Last week you learned that a suite is a collection of pieces of music that are related. This Star Wars Suite has several more songs from the movies. How many do you know? As you listen, fill out this listening worksheet and send your work to me through email: [email protected]
Last week you learned that a suite is a collection of pieces of music that are related. This Star Wars Suite has several more songs from the movies. How many do you know? As you listen, fill out this listening worksheet and send your work to me through email: [email protected]
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READ: Little Melba And Her Big Trombone
"Melba Doretta Liston loved the sounds of music from as far back as she could remember. As a child, she daydreamed about beats and lyrics, and hummed along with the music from her family's Majestic radio. Overcoming obstacles of race and gender, Melba went on to become a famed trombone player and wrote and played gorgeous songs for all the jazz greats of the twentieth century." Listen to me read the story and then hear Melba Liston play below! (From Google Books Intro)
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More AWESOME Listening:
Check out all of these amazing versions of the music from Star Wars that different musicians have made! You will use a google form to share your thinking about the different videos. All of these videos are available to watch in the google form as well as below on the website. I can't wait to read your answers and see what you think! Click here to begin: Star Wars Listening Survey
Check out all of these amazing versions of the music from Star Wars that different musicians have made! You will use a google form to share your thinking about the different videos. All of these videos are available to watch in the google form as well as below on the website. I can't wait to read your answers and see what you think! Click here to begin: Star Wars Listening Survey
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Week Ten: 5/26-5/29
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The Woodwind Family
After visiting the Cincinnati Music Hall and reviewing the families of the Orchestra with the Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra by Benjamin Britten, you should feel like an expert on the four families in the Orchestra. This week, we are going to begin learning about a very special composer. You may not know his name, but I bet you can recognize a lot of the music he has written! John Williams is an American composer. He has written all kinds of music in his lifetime, but is most famous for the nearly 80 film scores he’s composed. This week, we’ll explore the music he created for “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone”. He is very skilled at creating memorable themes and this one is no exception! A theme in music is the big idea, just like the theme of a book or movie. A good theme is one that gets stuck in your head or is something you find yourself humming around the house. Hedwig’s theme is first played on the celesta which is a keyboard instrument that sounds like a cross between a glockenspiel and a piano. Then, it is passed around the orchestra and played by members of each instrument family. Hedwig’s theme: The video below shares a suite from “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” that Williams composed. There’s a cool laser light show happening too! In music, a suite is a set of pieces that are related. Can you recognize the different parts of the movie based on the music alone?
Who Played it Better?
This video shows "Hedwig's Theme" played by a variety of musicians on a variety of instruments! Which one do you like best? See if you can figure out how to play this theme on an instrument at home. |
Listening worksheet:
Use the worksheet below to organize your thoughts as you listen to "Hedwig's Theme". Share your writing with me when you are finished! Take a picture of your worksheet and email it to me at: [email protected] 
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Week Nine: 5/18-5/22
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WATCH & LISTEN:
Last week, you took a virtual field trip to Ohio! You visited Music Hall in Cincinnati and hopefully learned about some new instruments as you explored the stage and the different sections of the Orchestra. (If you haven't done this, scroll down to Week 8 and give it a try!) This week, we will continue learning about the Orchestra through a piece of music called the "Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra". This was composed by Benjamin Britten specifically to teach kids about the Orchestra! PLAY: After you have listened to this piece (the link is above in purple!) try this “listening adventure” to walk you through the piece virtually! Visit this website: https://listeningadventures.carnegiehall.org/ Allow "adobe flash player" to run. If there’s a dark screen, try to look for an “adobe flash player” sign to help it work. Email me @ [email protected] to let me know if you need help! |
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Week Eight: 5/11-5/15
Field Trip Time!
We will be learning about the orchestra over the next few weeks and will begin this unit with a virtual field trip to a VERY cool place. We will explore the Cincinnati Music Hall and answer some questions along the way! Click on this link to visit Music Hall and begin your tour. Make sure you read the directions before you enter the building. You want to turn on the "info" and "scavenger hunt" features first! There is an option for sending me your answers with a google form OR printing the worksheet on paper and emailing it back to me. Either way, please send me your work! |
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Week Seven: 5/4-5/8
SING:
Last week we began to learn how to sing “April”. This week we’re going to try singing it in a round! To sing a round, everyone sings the same song, but different groups come in at different times. Ms. Han and I tried a 4 part round and filmed it for you. Challenge yourself and try singing the round or get some friends on Zoom or Google meet to see if you can try it together! NAME THAT TUNE: Watch this video and try to guess which Disney song is playing. I tried my best but didn’t get them all! See how many you can identify and then go listen and learn the others. :) MOVE: It’s time to put your rhythm skills to the test. Beginner Level: Since you do not have a classroom full of percussion instruments at home, we will use this video mainly as a rhythm review of ta and ta-di, or quarter and eighth note, rests and rhythms. Clap along with the beat of the song! Advanced Level: For this version of the "Can Can", you will need to follow the movement key below. Each different color will signal a different movement. You will either nod your head, clap, flap your arms like wings or stomp. It is harder than you think and should make you laugh. :) It goes really fast! LEARN: Music of Mexico Read about the music of Mexico this week on this worksheet. The first page summarizes the foundations of traditional Mexican music and instruments. I’ve posted the video of the "Guitarrón Mexicano" below. Fill out “What I’ve Learned” and when you are done try to do your own research. |
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Week Six: 4/27-5/1
SING:
Here is a new round for spring for you to learn as well. It’s called April and it’s all about mud. Listen to the video until you know both parts well and sing them as you go around the house as well! The shower is a spectacular place to sing because everyone sounds amazing in the shower! :) Here is another new song to learn! Gotta Get A Beat is a 4 part song that sounds really cool when all the parts are put together. This week, I just want you to listen and learn the four parts on their own. Use the recording, and the music linked above, and try singing them all. CREATE: Last week you had the opportunity to make your own cup song! I made my own routine to a song from the soundtrack to the new Trolls movie. You could use any music you like for your original routine. OR you could teach the song you already learned to your family members and try it together like this video. I did not get any videos from students sharing their cup song routines so I’m going to extend the project for one more week. Send me your videos, please!! MOVE: This song activity gives you a chance to work on your coordination and musical timing while having fun! The “Deteggtive” will lead you through the song showing you which beat is happening in the music. The picture here tells you what each egg means.
EXPLORE: Take some time to explore some beat making with an app called Groove Pizza. You can explore different grooves in styles like Jazz, Rock, Bembe and Trap. You can explore beat through using geometric shapes in your groove pizza. You can also make your own personal groove pizza and share the file with me! |
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Week Five: 4/21-4/24
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LISTEN & REFLECT:
I'm giving you one more week to complete our “Couch Concert” This is a fun and easy assignment that every student should complete! Thank you to those students who already submitted their answers. I enjoyed reading about which performances you liked and disliked. So far, the "Squashmouth" video is in the lead for favorite performance. MOVE: La Bombovoca is a group from Argentina. They use all kinds of "juegos de ritmo" to teach rhythm and play and dance their way through different activities and pieces. Get any types of sticks that you can use and get moving along with this video! Make sure that you are keeping the beat and are not getting slower or faster! CREATE: Two weeks ago you learned the Cup Song. (If you haven't yet learned it, scroll down to Week #3 and check it out.) Now, try making up your own cup song! I made my own routine to a song from the soundtrack to the new Trolls movie. You can use any music you like for your original routine. OR you can teach the song you already learned to your family members and try it together like this video. CHALLENGE: Remember your favorite song from the 4th grade concert? Sing Fifty Nifty and add this challenge: Write down all the states on a piece of paper from memory just by singing the song (with no Youtube video). I got this idea from a game that I played with friends last week. The challenge was to name all the states in order. Guess who won? ME! Guess why? Because I was singing Fifty Nifty in my head! Good luck!! |
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Week Four: 4/13-4/17
LISTEN & REFLECT:
During this time of social distance, musicians all over the world are still making music at home and finding creative ways of connecting with their band mates, their fellow Chorus members, Orchestra friends and even their back up dancers! They are also reaching audiences everywhere and providing entertainment and good feelings across the world.
Watch this “Couch Concert” of different performances and then use the Google Form to share your thoughts and reflections with me!
During this time of social distance, musicians all over the world are still making music at home and finding creative ways of connecting with their band mates, their fellow Chorus members, Orchestra friends and even their back up dancers! They are also reaching audiences everywhere and providing entertainment and good feelings across the world.
Watch this “Couch Concert” of different performances and then use the Google Form to share your thoughts and reflections with me!
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Week Three: 4/6-4/10
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SING & PLAY:
Learn this new song called “Epo I Tai Tai E”. It is a folk song from the Maori People of New Zealand. It translates to mean, "this is a strong person, the strong [person fights like a bull". Try learning the song and adding body percussion. There are different levels throughout the video. Can you make it to level three? PLAY: Learn the Cup Song from the movie “Pitch Perfect” All you need is a plastic cup! Here’s a tutorial video that will help you learn how to do it! Try it slowly at first and then try matching it with the music video when you are more confident. Please send me a video of you performing the cup song to my email: [email protected] READ & LEARN: Handel Reading & Crossword PuzzleHere is a short reading assignment about a famous composer named “George Frideric Handel”. He is a composer from the Baroque Era (years 1600-1750s). Complete the crossword puzzle that goes along with the reading. While you are working, you can listen to a performance of one of his famous pieces: Sarabande in D |
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Week Two: 3/30-4/3
WARM-UP: Did you try some body percussion out last week? I hope so! Warm up your body and your brain this week with this activity. Follow along as best as you can and try it a few times until you know what move is coming next.
GET INSPIRED:
Watch some examples below of musicians creating with body percussion.
What do you notice about their performances? What makes them different? What are some things they all do the same?
GET INSPIRED:
Watch some examples below of musicians creating with body percussion.
What do you notice about their performances? What makes them different? What are some things they all do the same?
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CREATE: Pick a favorite song and create some body percussion to go along with it. Record yourself playing along with the song. Share your creation with me by email: [email protected]
Week One: 3/23-3/27
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CREATE: Body Percussion
No instruments at home? No problem! Your body is a great instrument! Watch the video and practice some of these techniques. Then, create a body percussion ostinato to go with a song of your choice. It can be a favorite song from music class or any song you love. Have fun! PLAY and SING: Al Citrón This is a new game “Al Citrón”. Try to learn the song and teach it to your family! If you don’t have beanbags, you can use cups, rocks, socks (clean of course!) or anything else you have around the house. Send me a video of you singing and playing - I’d love to see it. PRACTICE: Hopefully, you brought your instrument home and you can practice your Band or Strings music. |
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