Past years at Pierce

Information about what students in music class are learning will be posted here throughout the school year.
If you do not see your child here, but would like to, please check your media permissions with our school or email me to let me know that I have your permission to share their image.

Thank You!

Over the past four weeks, we have had three Memorial Day Assemblies, Spring Sings for Kindergarten, 1st, 3rd and 4th grade students, Arts Night for Chorus and Band students in grades 4-8, and a Strings concert for 4-8 at Lawrence School! Our students have worked hard in preparation for these performances and felt proud of their growth. It means so much to be able to share their learning with such a supportive community. Thank you for making the time to be at these gatherings and to show you value their music education!

6/7/8 Chorus

Our 6/7/8 Chorus is preparing for their spring concert on Wednesday, June 5th, at 6pm in the Pierce Auditorium. They will perform along with all other Pierce Chorus and Band students as part of Arts Night. Our K-8 Art Show will be on display around Pierce school so you can peruse the work of our students in between performances. Here, our students are rehearsing a song in classic Arabic called "Tafta Hindi". This song is known in various forms in the Middle East and the story tells of a gentleman selling Indian muslin, taffeta and other materials and wares.

5th Grade Chorus

5th grade Chorus students have been working towards memorizing and polishing several pieces for their spring concert on Wednesday, June 5th, at 6pm in the Pierce Auditorium. One of their favorite songs this spring has been an arrangement by Ruth Morris Gray of "Will There Really Be A Morning" by Emily Dickinson. This arrangement can be heard below. There is an energy in the accompaniment that really speaks to our singers and breaths life into this poem and it's message.

Will There Really Be A Morning
by Emily Dickinson

Will there really be a "Morning"?
Is there such a thing as "Day"?
Could I see it from the mountains
If I were as tall as they?

Has it feet like water lilies?
Has it feathers like a bird?
Is it brought from famous countries
Of which I have never heard?

Oh some Scholar! Oh some Sailor!
Oh some Wise Men from the skies!
Please to tell a little Pilgrim
Where the place called "Morning" lies!

3rd Grade

3rd graders recently finished their dramatization of "Jabuti the Tortoise" and their work was incredible! Each class worked as a group to plan and perform the story with narrators, actors, sound effects and original music throughout. The work was challenging at times due to the open ended nature of creating something from scratch. However, they loved the freedom to get truly creative and I loved saying YES to each request as they schemed and dreamed up ideas.

2nd Grade

Second graders welcomed a very special guest this week! World renown composer and Brookline resident, Jim Papoulis, came to work with our students on writing a song. He has been visiting all K-4 students in Brookline schools this spring as part of grant through the Brookline Education Foundation. Students were very excited and attentive as he engaged them in writing a song. Stay tuned for our performance of the finished product in early June! He will be working with the rest of the grade next week, and all 3rd and 4th graders later this month.

4th Grade

4th graders have missed quite a few music classes this month due to both the early release reschedule and MCAS testing. We have been squeezing in as much singing, playing and dancing as possible to the classes we have had. Students are preparing the song shared here, "Singing Freedom's Song", for our Memorial Day Assembly on May 22nd. They are also learning new songs for their Spring Sing on June 14th, at 8:15 am.

5th Grade Chorus

"Pata Pata" is an Afro-pop dance song sung by South African singer Miriam Makeba. The song was originally released in South Africa by Makeba's girl group The Skylarks in 1959. The song's title "Pata Pata" means "touch touch" in the Xhosa language. Our students love the energy of this piece and the rhythm of the language as they sing. Next week, we will begin adding percussion parts to our rehearsal!

3rd Grade

3rd grade classes are embarking on a composition journey. They will work together to create original music to dramatize the story of Jabuti the Tortoise. Jabuti happens to play the recorder, and he has inspired us to compose a theme just for him! Stay tuned for updates on our progress. "Jabuti (zha-boo-CHEE) is a central figure in the tribal lore of the Amazon rain forest. Slow and short legged, the little tortoise is nevertheless portrayed as virtually invincible. Through his cleverness, he is able to overcome larger, often dim-witted foes. These mirthful trickster tales expose human foibles and are enjoyed throughout Brazil."
-Gerald McDermott

4th Grade

Our students have been exploring different types of Jazz and Blues music. They have been playing the 12 Bar Blues on xylophone and singing standards like Audubon Zoo, Tuxedo Junction, Blue Moon, Basin St. Blues and Route 66. They recently experimented with collective improvisation and scat singing in class and we had a blast!

6/7/8 Chorus

6/7/8 Chorus students have been rehearsing an arrangement of Blackbird by Paul McCartney. McCartney felt moved to write this song about racial tensions in our country in the 1960s. Specifically, he cited the Little Rock Nine as his inspiration for Blackbird. Students learned that the musical choices McCartney made when writing this song, and the finger picking style he used, were influenced by Bach's Bouree in E Minor. As part of our exploration of this song and it's place in music history, students analyzed versions of it in different musical styles. The Paragons and Brad Mehldau, created two of my favorite versions. Students were asked to write about instrumentation, style, voicing, improvisation and more.

3rd Grade

3rd graders have come a long way since the days of Hot Cross Buns! They now know over an octave of notes and are playing songs with harmony, more complex form, and greater independence. Here, you can see several trios that volunteered to perform the song Skippin' Along in class.

The Little Mermaid

Congratulations to the cast and crew of this year's production of The Little Mermaid. All three casts showcased incredible hard work and talent. It was a pleasure to watch you all perform and I can't wait to see what's next!

2nd Grade

Our 2nd graders have been working hard to prepare for their performance of Why Mosquitoes Buzz In People's Ears on Wednesday, April 10th, at 8:15 am in the Pierce Auditorium. We can't wait to share our music, dancing and storytelling with you!

3rd Grade

Students enjoyed a new singing game this week called "Frosty Weather". We borrowed some essential props from Ms. Grindstaff and were able use parachutes and fleece balls as stand ins for our snowballs and frosty wind. This game allowed students to practice reading dotted rhythms and review reading eighth, quarter, half notes and rests. Students had to work cooperatively to balance their snow balls during different types of movement and remember the words to the song. They also got to show their understanding of rhythmic patterns independently by listening and responding to different examples.

Lunar New Year

Happy Year of the Pig! Our students shared both their culture and talent with us at our Chinese New Year Assembly this week. We enjoyed performances including a Chinese pop songs performed by the 7/8 Mandarin classes, a performance on the Hulusi, a King Fu demonstration, a dramatized folk tale, a dragon dance and much more!

2nd Grade

2nd graders have been learning about the Lunar New Year and the music and traditions that accompany this 15 day festival. They listened to the legend of Nian. They learned about how the animals of the Chinese zodiac found their order after the Jade Emperor had them race to the finish line. They read The Dancing Dragon and experimented with improvisation using a pentatonic scale on xylophone. "Gong Xi Fa Cai", Happy New Year!

All Town Choral Concert

Students in 6/7/8 Chorus participated in the All Town Choral Concert this Tuesday evening. They shared the stage with choirs from Heath, Baker, and CCS. In addition, BHS students from A Cappella Choir, Camerata and Concert Choir also performed. It was a jam packed night of music making and our students performed their best. They really enjoyed seeing Pierce alumni on stage and hearing what other middle school groups from around town look and sound like.

3rd Grade

3rd graders have been learning even more new notes on the recorder! They can now play a complete octave from low to high C. They have been using these new notes to practice the song "Xin Nian Kuai Le" or, Happy New Year.
Students have also been exploring the traditions and music associated with Lunar New Year. This week, they learned about the Hulusi, Erhu, and Guzheng. These are all traditional instruments found in a Chinese orchestra.

5-8 Winter Chorus Concert

Our 5th through 8th grade Chorus students had a winter concert last week. They performed beautifully and made me so proud! Teaching these two groups is such a privilege. They are thoughtful, expressive, and dedicated children that I look forward to working with each week. Coming out on a cold, yucky Wednesday night in January can be a challenge. I was so grateful to see a full house of supportive families waiting to applaud their hard work. Thank you for supporting music education at Pierce! Here is a clip of our 6/7/8 group singing "Winter Dreams" by Pink Zebra. I do not have permission to share a video of our 5th grade.

2nd Grade

2nd graders have been working together to learn and perform an Orff arrangement of a song to accompany "The Paper Bag Princess" by Robert Munsch. Orff Schulwerk, or simply Orff, is a developmental approach used in music education. This methodology combines music, movement, drama and speech into each lesson. It was developed by the German composer Carl Orff (1895–1982). The Orff approach is central to my teaching because it helps create an atmosphere of experimentation and exploration that is similar to natural play. This allows children to feel comfortable learning a new and often abstract musical skill. It also encourages participation from the group as a team and keeps a student from feeling evaluated by his or her peers and teachers. As you can see in this video, the entire class is engaged in this collaborative effort and therefore the "success" of our playing is shared by all.

2/3/4 Martin Luther King Jr. Assembly

2nd, 3rd and 4th graders gathered together to learn about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on January 18th. The theme for this year's assembly was Making Choices for Change. Principal Ryan-Miller read "Be A King" by Carole Boston Weatherford and students in all grades sang songs from the Civil Rights Movement. Dr. King had a dream that 'one day all people would not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of the character.' Vasanti, Lucas, Molly and Matia shared their thoughts about how we as a community can help people feel safe, welcomed and accepted at Pierce School.

5-8 Martin Luther King Jr. Assembly

Our 5th through 8th grade students gathered to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in a fantastic display of student led learning and introspection. Over 100 individual voices were heard at this assembly! 7th/8th grade chorus students performed "If You're Out There" by John Legend. 8th grade students performed a choral reading of Dr. King's "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" with pieces from his autobiography arranged by Ms. Lattin. 8th graders Zavian Nedjadi and Gaby Arbaje-Thomas shared inspiring poetry. Courtney Stanley, a 7/8 paraprofessional and former Pierce student, shared two spoken word pieces. Students from Mr. Zobel's guitar class performed "Imagine." Chorus students performed an arrangement of "We Shall Overcome" and "Lean On Me". 6th grade students, Alex Bakum, Hannah Wells and Maddie Cox presented three heroes of the Civil Rights Movement; John Lewis, Mahalia Jackson, and A. Philip Randolph.

This is a Pierce tradition that I look forward to each year. It was a rich display of student learning and leadership and I felt proud of the work our students shared and the truly collaborative approach my colleagues took with me in planning this event. I am so grateful for my planning partner, Amy Woogmaster, and the spirit of community at Pierce school.

2nd Grade

Students in all grades are preparing for their Martin Luther King Jr. assembly this coming week. 2nd graders read Martin's Big Words and we discussed the challenges and rewards of choosing compassion and understanding over anger and hate. They also learned about the role of music during the Civil Rights Movement. At their assembly, they will sing "This Little Light of Mine", "We Shall Overcome", and "What Can One Little Person Do?" Look for the lyric sheets that were sent home to help your child prepare!

4th Grade

4th graders have been preparing many songs for their upcoming assembly celebrating the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. They will sing "Woke Up This Morning". I've shared an inspiring version of the song here performed by Sweet Honey and the Rock and James Horner. Enjoy!

4th graders have also been dancing again. They are currently working on a very challenging "mixer" to the traditional folk fiddle tune "Old Joe Clark". Mixers are dances in which you find yourself with a new partner each time the sets of steps repeat. They make excellent tools for developing both social skills and gross motor skills.

Upcoming Performances

Many students at Pierce have various concerts and assemblies quickly approaching! Assemblies at Pierce have been a tradition for much longer than my 13 years teaching here. These are opportunities for multiple grades to gather together in our Auditorium and learn about a topic and/or build community through song. These informal events do not include parents since the focus of them is for student learning and community building between grades. Concerts, and performances, are more formal and provide the opportunity for ensembles or for an entire grade, to share their progress in music with families. These events typically happen once a year per grade int he spring (or twice a year for Band, Strings & Chorus) and include family members, guardians, and friends.

For a complete listing of ALL performances and assemblies at Pierce, please see the Performance Dates tab. The list below is just for the events taking place over the next few weeks. As you can see, we're going to be very busy!

MLK Assemblies: students only
K/1: Friday, Jan. 18th, 9:15-9:45 am
2/3/4: Friday, Jan. 18th, 8:15-8:45 am
5/6/7/8: Wednesday, Jan. 16th, 1:45-2:20 pm

5-8 Winter Chorus Concert: families invited
Wednesday, January 23rd, 7pm at Pierce

4-8 Winter Strings Concert: families invited
Monday, January 28th, 7pm at Lawrence School

6/7/8 All Town Choral Concert: families invited
Tuesday, February 5th, at Brookline High School at 7pm *Snow date: Feb. 7th, 2019

5-8 Winter Band Concert: families invited
Wednesday, February 6th, 7pm at Pierce

2/3/4 Winter Sing!

Our 2nd, 3rd & 4th grade students gathered just before winter break for a Winter Sing Along. It was FANTASTIC!! Each grade had the opportunity to share two songs they had prepared, and then ALL 300+ students joined in for a sing along to conclude the assembly. After the assembly, many students shared with me that they loved the chance to see and hear siblings and friends sing. They also really liked revisiting old favorites from past grades as they listened to their younger friends perform. The enthusiasm and joy at this assembly reminded me of just how special Pierce truly is!

3rd Grade

3rd graders are learning lots of new songs for their Winter Sing next week as well as many new songs to play on recorder. We have begun to learn two part music which is exciting in that it opens up the possibilities of harmony and allows for greater differentiation for students as they self select their challenge level. Many of our students are familiar with the Nutcracker from first and second grade and I like to spiral back to this curriculum for recorder. It's very rewarding for them to learn familiar themes on their instrument. This week, classes are learning to play the Arabian Dance and the March. They are also playing Gingerbread Jazz and Fum, Fum, Fum. Recordings of these pieces can be heard below!

2nd Grade

2nd graders have been listening to different pieces of the Nutcracker by Tchaikovsky. These lessons have centered on identifying patterns in music, understanding form, meter, accented beats and dynamics. They have also made observations about how dancers coordinate their movement with music and why choreographers might make certain choices. They have listened to identify the form of the march and moved to reflect this pattern using a gigantic stretchy band! Each class also watched and listened to the Russian Dance, or Trepak. They used the chart below with circles and stars to practice where the accented beats fall and then showed their understanding of this while moving to the music and using scarves. This can be seen in the video posted here.

Singing Songs of Joy and Peace

Grades 2, 3 & 4 are preparing songs to share at their Winter Sing assembly. This "Sing" is an opportunity to gather, connect, and build community through song. One song we sing each year is called "Peace, Salaam, Shalom" and can be heard (and seen!) below in this moving video brought to me by a 3rd grade student who discovered it online. It felt amazing to think about our students bringing songs home, sharing them with family and friends, and looking for more. Each student in grades 2, 3 and 4 have packets that were sent home with the lyrics to all the songs we will sing. Ask them to share a song or two with you. In addition, if you speak a language other than English at home, please teach your child how to say the word "peace" in your language, or send them in with it written down for us to learn. We would like to include these in a song we will sing called "Circle the Earth With Peace".

2nd & 3rd Grade

Students in grades 2 and 3 have worked on expressing gratitude through song for the past few lessons. Each class began by brainstorming a short list of things they were grateful for. Their lists included everything from clean water to drink, safe homes, and family to donuts, emojis and video games. And music, of course!! They chose a few things and decided on the rhythm of these words. These patterns became an ostinato, or a repeated musical pattern, that we layered over our singing. Ask your child to share their "Thank You Song" at home! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

5th Grade Chorus

5th Grade Chorus students began learning a really fun swing arrangement of the classic nursery rhyme Humpty Dumpty this week. As an introduction, I shared one of my favorite books, After the Fall by Dan Santat. They really enjoyed his humor, illustrations, and the surprising twist at the end. Please save the date for our two concerts this year!

PIERCE WINTER CONCERT: 5-8 Chorus
Wednesday, Jan. 23rd, 2019, 7 pm at Pierce Auditorium
ARTS NIGHT: 5-8 Chorus, 4-8 Band and K-8 Art Show
Wednesday, June 5th, 6-8 pm, at Pierce Auditorium and Cafeteria

4th Grade

Students in 4th grade enjoyed a musical reward for earning 15 stickers on their sticker chart this week! These classes are practicing an arrangement of a song that they must collaboratively play using only the tubes they are given. Each tube is a different length, and therefore a different pitch. Aside from being really fun and engaging students in cooperative learning, Boomwhackers are an excellent jumping off point for exploring wavelength, frequency, timbre and how sound travels.

6/7/8 Chorus

Our 6/7/8 Chorus students have begin learning many pieces including Winter Dreams for their upcoming concerts. This is a stunning arrangement that allows for deep work with expression, tone and creating a well blended ensemble sound. I look forward to sharing their work with you!

PIERCE WINTER CONCERT: 5-8 Chorus
Wednesday, Jan. 23rd, 2019, 7 pm at Pierce Auditorium
ALL TOWN CHORUS CONCERT: 6/7/8 Chorus
Tuesday, Feb. 5th, 2019, 7pm at Brookline High School Auditorium
ARTS NIGHT: 5-8 Chorus, 4-8 Band and K-8 Art Show
Wednesday, June 5th, 6-8 pm, at Pierce Auditorium and Cafeteria

3rd Grade

With so many days of indoor recess this week, it was the perfect time to introduce one of my favorite folk dances for 3rd grade. While these photos don't look particularly "tidy", just look at all those smiles! We danced Sasha, a Russian folk dance, and many of our students who speak Russian volunteered to coach us on our pronunciation as we counted "Sasha, Sasha, Ras, Dva, Tri!"

4th Grade

Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, was celebrated yesterday by many around the world and here at Pierce! In 4th grade, students learned about the festivals of Navrati and Diwali, and learned to dance Dandiya, using rhythm sticks instead of the traditional decorated bamboo. They were interested to learn that hundreds of thousands of oil lamps were lit to illuminate the northern Indian city of Ayodhya as part of the festival of Diwali. The city appeared to be glowing in photographs. This was especially exciting because it broke the Guinness Book of World Records! Check out this article for some amazing photographs from Ayodhya. As always, it was powerful to hear from students who study traditional Indian dance, celebrate this holiday at home, and have been to India during this special time, as our first hand experts.

4th Grade

4th graders love to dance! Here, a class is practicing a traditional reel called the Bridge Of Athelone in which two lines of partners navigate several sets of steps. Mr. Stoddard happened to stop by to watch and will join in the fun next time! Students begin a small unit of folksongs, dances and games from the northeastern United States and will be exploring what "folk music" means and sounds like to different cultures around the world.

2nd Grade

This week, 2nd graders are using a variety of percussion instruments to add color and texture to our telling of the story, The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything. Ask your child what part they played!

3rd Grade

3rd graders have been learning the note "E" and are beginning several songs that showcase this new note and allow for lots of practice in class. In addition, they are composing original melodies using the notes B, A, G & E, and quarter, eighth, sixteenth, half, and whole notes and rests!
Ask your child to improvise or compose a B, A, G, E melody for you at home!

2nd Grade

Students in 2nd grade have been singing songs, playing xylophone, dancing with partners, playing musical games and learning to write music. They have used white boards to practice rhythm dictation using quarter, eighth, sixteenth notes and rests. They have also practiced decoding different rhythm patterns from a traditional song we sing called Bought Me A Cat. Here, students are listening to a specific animal sound in the song and deciding how to write it rhythmically. Ask your child to sing the song for you!

3rd Grade

Our students have come so far! Their squeaks are squawks grow less each day and I'm hearing a more beautiful tone at every class. Students have learned B, A, and G on recorder. With these three notes they can play many songs. They will be learning to play E next week and you will find more music for them to work on at home in their binders. Please encourage their 5 minutes of practice a day. At this point, no more is needed! Below, I've posted a few recordings that they can practice with at home. We explored Flight of the Bumblebee by Rimsky-Korsokov and watched an orchestra perform it. Students observed the difference in sound when a string player uses a bow or plucks a string (pizzicato). We used this opportunity to review the instrument families in the orchestra. They also compared the orchestral version with a solo piano performance (posted below) arranged by Rachmaninoff. The tempo and energy of this piece are always exciting and inspiring to our students!

2nd Grade

It was Pajama Day in 2nd grade as we worked on this partner dance called Close Encounters. This type of movement builds gross motor skills and social skills. It helps students become more aware of their personal space, and the space a partner may need. It helps students feel the pulse of music, or the steady beat, that is essential for a musician. It also requires careful planning and sequencing to remember the steps and change partners on the beat! This class was feeling proud of their mastery and wanted to share their work.

4th Grade

Fourth grade students have been learning different parts of a few seasonal songs including Canoe Song and Autumn is the Time. They have been working as a group to arrange and perform them using soprano, alto and bass xylophones, glockenspiels, rainstick, vibra-slap, gong, finger cymbals, log drum, shakers, chimes, and more! The recordings above are some "works in progress" by two of our 4th grade classes. This type of group music making takes focus, cooperation and a high level of engagement for students as they have to think through their creation and remember each musical choice they've made in the moment. Ask your child about the part they played in their arrangement.

6/7/8 Chorus

Our year has been off to a great start! It's been a big adjustment for students combining 6/7/8 and moving our rehearsals over to the gym at the Teen Center. They have handled the changes with flexibility, understanding and patience. They are sounding WONDERFUL and I can't wait for you to hear their work. Our first concert is on February 6th, 2019, at 7 pm at Brookline High School. This concert will include performances from our students and several other Brookline middle school choirs, as well as performances by the Brookline Camerata, Concert Choir, and A Cappella Choir. Details will be emailed home as we get closer to the concert date. The photos below show our 6th and 8th graders working on sight singing in a rehearsal this week. Music literacy is a skill that we develop throughout the school year. (7th graders are missing here because they were at Nature's Classroom on their overnight field trip!)

3rd Grade

It's recorder time!! Students are beginning with recorder this week and are VERY excited. Please send them to school with their binder and recorder for each music class and encourage them to play with their softest air when practicing at home.
3rd Grade music follows this schedule:
Barnum: Tuesday & Thursday
Tranfaglia: Wednesday & Friday
Godfrey: Tuesday & Friday
Carter: Tuesday & Thursday
Connors: Monday & Tuesday

2nd Grade

This week, students explored the concept of big beats and little beats, or macro beats and micro beats. They listened to the music of the all girl band "Anacoana" and read the story "Drum Dream Girl" by Margarita Engle. The book "was inspired by the childhood of a Chinese-African-Cuban girl who broke Cuba's traditional taboo against female drummers". Millo Castro Zaldarriaga had nine sisters in her band and began playing with them at age ten! Millo's passion and resilience truly are inspirational, and we LOVE moving to her music.

4th Grade

4th graders have been singing many songs, working on their rhythm reading skills, and playing musical games. Here, one class works on a cooperative steady beat game using the song "Grinding Corn". We used sticks to represent the ears of corn. Students have also been learning a xylophone arrangement for "Canoe Song" and "Autumn is the Time". Ask them to sing these for you at home!

2nd Grade

Welcome to the 2018-2019 school year!! Students have been singing, playing, dancing and having a blast! Here, they are practicing a xylophone part that fits with the song "Hop Old Squirrel". Each row has a turn and then the group rotates. The students waiting for their turn are the singers and helpers. They practiced moving to the music in the many ways a squirrel might and worked on two different melodic patterns to accompany their singing.

Welcome to a new year of music!

3rd Grade Sing

Our 3rd graders had an amazing concert last week! Each class performed a song they chose on recorder that showcased the work they've done throughout the school year learning to read music and play with beautiful tone. Together, the grade performed a song called "Proud", and traditional Chinese melody called "Silver Moon Boat" featuring students singing, playing recorder, and playing xylophone, glockenspiel, and finger cymbals. They ended the performance with an adventurous arrangement of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" in which students worked to sing and play in 3 part harmony!

This is a candid from our rehearsal the day before our concert. I'm hoping to upload some video that Mr. Stoddard took later today!

4th Grade Sing

Our 4th grade Spring Sing was two weeks ago, and our students definitely rose to the occasion! They shared many songs, several folk dances (with gusto), a traditional folk song called "900 Miles" and a classic swing piece called "Basin Street Blues". Ms. Manion recorded the concert and I hope to upload some images or video in a few days. I was proud of our students and glad to see them enjoying themselves so much throughout the concert!

2nd Grade Sing

2nd graders studied Ghana during Social Studies this year. As part of this unit in Social Studies and in Music, they explored Ghanian culture, folktales and many songs and games. Students read traditional Ghanaian folktales and even had the opportunity to write their own. This spring, Ms. Manion and I collaborated with the 2nd grade team to make a Ghanian folktale come alive. Our students performed the mini-musical, "Why Do Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears?"
Some second grade music skills that we have been developing through this work include echoing and matching pitch, reading and performing rhythmic and melodic phrases, performing with expression and accuracy, moving in time to music, and understanding the music, dance and traditions of other cultures. In this case, Ghana! The inspiration for our collaboration came from a book written by Verna Aardema with pictures by Leo and Diane Dillon. The artwork you see on the students crowns was designed by a past Pierce parent. The leaf artwork was created by the students. Our mini-musical included both traditional songs and original music written by DuPont and Hiller.

Arts Night

Arts Night was a huge success! Students in grades 4-8 Band and 5-8 Chorus performed. Our fabulous art teachers, Steven Rae and Amelia Bellve, somehow curated an art exhibit for almost 870 students and the work on display was excellent. There are two brief videos of our 5/6 Chorus posted below. Thank you to the parents who shared these with me! Our 7/8 Chorus recorded their favorite song from the concert at their last rehearsal and wanted to share it here as well. This recording is "Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story" from the musical Hamilton. Thank you to all who came out and supported our students, the arts, and our community here at Pierce!

Memorial Day

Our students came to together several weeks ago to learn about why we celebrate Memorial Day. Students in Chorus and Band performed. Individual students in grades 4-8 led each assembly with poise and grace. Students who shared work at these assemblies were thoughtful and insightful. We were joined by service members from our community representing the Brookline Police Department, Brookline Fire Department and the Coast Guard. Our guests spoke about what brought them to choose the profession they are in. Many commented after the assembly on how respectful and creative our students at Pierce were. This year, Amy Woogmaster, worked with me to plan the 3/4/5 and 6/7/8 assemblies. She created lesson plans for Social Studies teachers in grades 5-8 that connected with our assembly. She arranged for our guest speakers and she created an amazing slideshow (seen here!) featuring service members linked to members of our Pierce community.

Attention 8th Graders!

Are you interested in joining an a cappella group at BHS? Come audition for one of these fabulous student run groups! Many former Pierce students sing in these groups and will welcome you at the auditions. Come see me if you have any questions! -Ms. Sheridan

Note-a-fy (female identifying)
When: after school April 30, May 1 & 2
Where: BHS chorus room (324)
How: sign up sheet outside the BHS chorus room or email [email protected]
Prepare: a verse and chorus of a song of any kind. See more info. here!

Perfect Pitch (female identifying)
When: after school May 7-10
Where: BHS chorus room (324)
How: sign up sheet outside the BHS chorus room or email [email protected]
Prepare: a verse and chorus of a song of any kind

Testostatones (male identifying)
When: after school May 29-31
Where: BHS chorus room (324)
How: sign up sheet outside the BHS chorus room or email [email protected]
Prepare: a verse and chorus of a song of any kind

3rd Grade

Students have been exploring the different pieces that make up a song. They have been listening carefully to identify whether the composer has used an introduction, verse, chorus and/or bridge. Students used rhythm sticks to tap out patterns to match each different section as we analyzed "Penny Lane" by the Beatles. Next, they used paper rectangles to represent each section as they worked with a partner to find the form of "Happy" by Pharrell Williams. They loved solving this like a puzzle! Finally, we analyzed the form of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" by the Tokens. They will be performing this song (and many more!) at their Spring Sing Concert on June 14th at 8:15 am.

5th Grade

Hugo's Rondo

Aya's Rondo

Here are two finished compositions by 5th graders! Each class is wrapping up their unit on composition using both classroom instruments and digital notation software. I was proud of their creativity, attention to detail and diligence in making this music! I will share more pieces this week as each class finishes and shares their work.

4th Grade

These kids love to dance! These pictures only capture a fraction of the energy 4th graders expend while folk dancing in music class. They really let loose and enjoy the experience. Folk dancing is a great way to build social skills, develop gross motor coordination, reinforce steady beat, and learn about other cultures and traditions. Through our dancing, students work on moving to music with a partner and expressing an idea through movement. This dance is called The Bridge of Athelone and they are dancing to an Irish jig called The Blarney Pilgrim.

5/6 Chorus

Students in 5th & 6th grade Chorus have been practicing music literacy through sight singing in pairs during rehearsal. They have also been learning new songs for their spring concert. Our spring concert, called ARTS NIGHT, is scheduled for Wednesday, May 30th, from 6-7:30 pm at Pierce. The event will include performances by the 4-8 Bands, 5-8 Choruses, and a K-8 Art Exhibit.

4th Grade

4th graders are continuing their study of the 12 Bar Blues form and learning to hear the changes in the chord progression while they improvise on xylophone. This collective improvisation requires careful listening and creative thinking.

The Beelzebubs Visit Pierce!

Last week, thanks to our fabulous PTO, our 6th, 7th & 8th graders attended a presentation by the Beelzebubs of Tufts University! Our students sat riveted by their performance as they shared arrangements of contemporary, classic and original songs. The Beelzebubs are an all-male a cappella group that has been singing since 1963. My chorus students have recently finished an a cappella project during our rehearsal time so I was really excited for them to hear a group of this caliber. I was especially excited for our students to hear men singing in the full range of their voice including falsetto, head voice, deep, rich bass lines, vocal percussion and everything in between. The Bubs shared what they study at Tufts and the list of majors included Physics, Clinical Psychology, Engineering, Child Development and Business. I thought it was powerful for our students to see that you can do and be more than one thing!

4th Grade

New Orleans Second Line by Anne Jenkins Photo from the Satchmo Summerfest

Second Line by Bob Graham

Bourbon Street Second Line by Richard T. Pranke

"The second line parade and jazz were born around the turn of the 20th century in the city of New Orleans, Louisiana. The people loved to celebrate with music and parades. The front line is made up of the trumpet, clarinet and trombone players leading the parade. The second line is a group of people that follows a jazz band parading down the street. They dance and inspire the musicians to get deeper into the groove." -Wynton Marsalis

4th graders are exploring Jazz music beginning with the New Orleans traditional march, Second Line. They are working to identify the banjo, sousaphone, clarinet, trombone, trumpet, drum set, bass and piano visually and aurally. As they practice feeling the "Big Four", or the emphasis on beats 2 & 4, and counting bars in a 12-Bar Blues, they will internalize a standard form used in much of Blues and Jazz music. They will also explore collective improvisation and put these new skills into practice using classroom instruments.

3rd Grade

Students are learning to improvise on recorder! Please continue to send your child to school with their recorder and binder for every music class. It is essential for their success as we dive into more challenging material. Below, are recordings of 4 new songs they are working on. They can practice improvising at home along with Lucky Sneakers and Cage Full O'Blues. Each class has also been learning about reggae music, singing partner songs, and learning a new folk dance called Circassian Circle Mixer! In the coming weeks, they will be using percussion instruments including shakers, cabasa, drums, and claves to play a new song on recorder called Breezewood 77. Encourage your child to practice a little each day, and then give your family a concert!

7/8 Chorus

Ever wonder why so may pop songs sound the same? Many of them use the same four chord progression! Students in 7/8 Chorus learned about this common I–V–vi–IV chord progression and the role it plays in pop music. Students practiced 3 different a cappella parts based on this chord progression in our warm up each day. When they were confident holding their own parts, they were divided into small groups and given a list of songs that fit the chord progression. They were asked to choose a few songs to arrange in a "mash-up" and perform for our class! This work required patience, flexibility, creativity and strong leadership. This was a challenging, but rewarding, project with almost 50 students in our Chorus. However, each group rose to the challenge, developed their part singing skills and their independence as they navigated this vocal challenge! I'm grateful to these students for allowing me to share their work here. They made me proud!

2nd & 3rd Grade

Gong Xi Fa Cai! Students in 2nd and 3rd grade have been learning about the Lunar New Year and singing songs in Chinese and English. While singing these songs in celebration of the Chinese New Year, students have been improvising on the pentatonic scale and adding instruments like cymbals, drums and the gong. They have read The Dancing Dragon and learned about Chinese Zodiac symbols as well. The students below are practicing singing, playing, and improvising on a song called "Gong Xi Fa Cai". Ask your child to sing it for you at home! Xin Nian Kuai Le, Happy New Year!

4th Grade

Students in 4th grade have been working in small groups to teach themselves a piece of music called "On A Cold And Frosty Night". Each group rotated through different instrument stations in a relay that required team work, patience and a variety of musical skills. Students needed to read notes in treble clef, read different rhythmic patterns, and be able to perform each line of music as an ensemble. No musician left behind! I really enjoyed watching this student driven work unfold. Their mastery of each part and their engagement in the activity was exciting!

Conservatory Concerts

Students in grades 5-8 Band, Chorus and Orchestra performed for each other during our regular rehearsal time last week. It was an excellent opportunity for sharing student work. Each group has additional concerts throughout the school year for families and friends, but this gave our students an opportunity to see each other perform and provide valuable peer feedback! I wasn't able to film each group since I was conducting my own students, but I wanted to share the videos and photos I was able to take.

Special thanks to Emily Stewart, John Ferguson, Cindy Wu, Dylan Zobel, Rick Stone, Nina Bishop, Chris Thoft-Brown and Elton Xhoja for helping make this happen!

5th Grade

Students in 5th grade have been studying form in music. By identifying and understanding patterns in music, students can begin to process larger, more complicated pieces. The Viennese Musical Clock by Zoltan Kodaly is an excellent example of the rondo form. A familiar "A" section repeats throughout the piece alternating with new/different sections of music we call "B", "C", and "D". Using tap charts and paper manipulatives (the paper squares seen in photos here spread across the floor) students identified the rondo pattern as they listened to the Viennese Musical Clock. They further demonstrated their understanding of this form by creating choreography in small groups to represent each section. They performed their movement in class as one giant human musical machine! Our next step, was to compose our own rondos on xylophone. Listen to the student example in the video below and see if you can identify what the "A" section sounds like!

Looking ahead into the next month, each student will begin learning the digital composition program Noteflight. They will use this program to build on their xylophone creations and include harmony, a variety of instruments, and more sophisticated notation.

All Town Choral Concert

Chorus students in grades 6-8 all across Brookline participated in the All Town Choral Concert on January 10th. Each school performed several pieces and we saw performances by the BHS Concert Choir, A Cappella Choir and Camerata. In addition, our Chorus students combined with the 6-8 and BHS Orchestra students to perform an original piece commissioned by Brookline resident, parent, and composer, Jim Papoulis. Here is a brief clip from our short rehearsal of "Let Us Rise As A People". I will share the professional video of this event when I receive it!

4th Grade

Students have been reviewing the story of the Nutcracker, the music of Tchaikovsky, and some of the things that happen behind the scenes of a ballet. Each class is analyzing the form of the "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" using cards that represent quarter notes, eighth notes, quarter rests and bar lines. Working in small groups, they listen to the piece until they can put the rhythm cards in the correct order for each section of music. Students are also learning an Orff arrangement of the "Chinese Dance" using recorder, glockenspiel, temple blocks, gong, finger cymbals and bass xylophone. In addition, each class is preparing songs for their Winter Sing Assembly. Students in grades 3 & 4 will gather next week for a community sing. 4th graders will share many songs including "Circle the Earth With Peace" by Joanne Hammil and "Here in My House" by Aline Shader. Have them sing along with these recordings!

December 11, 2017

Music Choice Rewards

Students in my 2nd through 5th grade general music classes use a sticker chart to build incentive around following our classroom rules. When a class reaches a certain number of stickers, they earn a "music choice reward". These rewards involve special musical things such as learning about a new instrument, having a classroom concert, musician visits, learning a new dance, playing a special musical game, etc. These "choices" are exciting for students because they change up the routine of our regular classes, and each time the activity is something new! Third grade classes recently chose "Learn About A New Instrument" for their reward. We learned about a few unusual and inspiring instruments. Check out these videos to learn about the Hang drum, the Glass Armonica invented by Benjamin Franklin, and the Wintergaten Marble Machine.

The Wintergatan Marble Machine was particularly fascinating to students as they noticed familiar things like metallophone bars, legos, and basic marble run mechanics featured in the engineering of this incredible musical machine. They thought is was "super cool" that the inventor and builder of this machine was also the composer and performer.

November 15th, 2017

5th & 6th Grade Chorus

Students in 5th and 6th Grade Chorus are learning the song "Thula Klizeo", by Joseph Shabalala. He was born in 1941 in Ladysmith, South Africa. He formed the all male a cappella

isicathamiya singing group Ladysmith Black Mambazo in 1964. This group is made up of mostly family and friends from Ladysmith and they continue the tradition today. Shabalala has written music in Zulu and English as well as many other African languages. His goal has been to use music as a unifying force to bring people of different cultures together. Students watched a part of this interview and performance in their rehearsal and reflected on their style of singing, and how they could bring the same beautifully blended sound to their performance.

November 9th, 2017

3rd Grade

Students in 3rd grade have been learning many new songs using the notes B, A, G, and E. Look for more new music coming home in their binders next week! Please encourage your student to practice for 5 minutes each day using "soft air". If you see that their fingers are moving, but the pitch is not changing, then they are most likely not covering the holes completely with the pads of their finger tips! Here is a recording for the song "B A Superhero" that they can play along to at home. Encourage them to perform for your family!

November 3, 2017

5th Grade

5th graders have finished composing their Tone Poems and have been performing and conducting them in class. Each class created repeating melodic patterns and layered them to create a more complex work. Students were given a framework to help structure their piece of music, but all other decisions were their own. They chose the notes, rhythms, instruments, and made decisions about the arrangement as well. In the final lessons of this unit, each student was engaged in playing an instrument and the student conducting the piece changed each time. In each new interpretation, the students rotated through different sections including xylophone, metallophone and percussion. This required them to master each part and have an opportunity to improvise at times as well. I found the value in these performances to be much more about the process than the product, but many classes wanted to record and share a version of their work here. It's fascinating to see what choices they make when they have the conductor's baton in hand and are in charge of the ensemble. I was impressed by their flexible thinking, creativity, patience and discipline as we worked through each step.

November 3, 2017

2nd Grade

Students have been practicing rhythmic dictation in class. They hear a rhythmic pattern, and need to decide how to best notate what they hear. We used some Halloween themed phrases such as "Wolf howling at the moon", "Big, full moon", and "Jack-o-lanterns glow tonight". Students used quarter notes, eighth notes, half notes and rests to decode what they heard. Each student shared their work on their own whiteboard and checked in with neighbors to assess their progress.

October 26, 2017

4th Grade

"Sense is the song you sing out into the world, and the song the world sings back to you." In Nightsong, by Ari Berk and Loren Long, Chiro's mother sends him off into the night for the first time and he must learn to use his "good sense" to find his way back. 4th graders performed this story in class adding an actual song where Chiro uses his "sense" to sing out to the world. Students explore how music can help tell a story as they root for this brave little bat on his first adventure. They performed the song using xylophone, metallophone, chimes, drums and shakers.

October 24, 2017

5th Grade

"Camille Saint-Saëns’s Danse Macabre, is a work of full-on eldritch perfection". The Purest Halloween Music Ever Written, published in the Atlantic in 2014, gives an excellent interpretation of Saint-Saens's composition. I'll admit, I had to look up the meaning of "eldritch". Weird, sinister or ghostly... it is the perfect word to describe this tone poem. 5th graders are always struck by the intensity and drama of this music and find the story riveting. Through their listening and analysis, they discover the importance of using themes in music. They investigate why Camille Saint-Saens might have composed this music and discuss his choices in instrumentation including using xylophones as rattling bones, the oboe as the rooster crowing at dawn, the bass's plodding pizzicato footsteps and more. We read Danse Macabre by Anna Harwell

Calanza and discover Saint-Saens's connection with the French poet Henri Cazalis, and their adventure in the catacombs of Paris. Ask your student about the original tone poem they have composed in class these past few weeks. Each group is in the final stages of arranging and conducting their "Poem Project Composition" and they are chilling!

October 21, 2017

3rd Grade

3rd graders have begun to learn their first few notes on recorder and their excitement is truly a joy! The recorder gets a bad rap but it can lead to beautiful music and deep learning for our students. Their enthusiasm is one of the things that keeps me most engaged as an educator and musician. This week, we have been working on producing a musical tone through using gentle air and proper finger placement. Students have been playing along with "Flight of the Bumblebee" and "It Don't Mean a Thing" for lessons involving creative movement, critical listening.

October 19, 2017

4th Grade

4th graders have been learning a traditional dance from Gujarat, India, called Dandiya. This dance is designed to be done in large groups and is often done at Diwali celebrations and other special occasions and gatherings, such as weddings. Diwali (Deepawali) is the Hindu festival of light celebrated every year. The festival gets its name from the row (avali) of clay lamps (deepa) that Indians light outside their homes to symbolize their inner light. The class shown here is working on the timing of turning towards a new partner with each repetition of steps.

October 17, 2017

7/8 Chorus

7/8 Chorus students have had a strong start to the school year. Each rehearsal they work on vocal technique during our warm-up, they develop their music literacy skills through sight reading, and they work on several songs for their winter concert. In addition, they are embarking on a group project arranging a "mash-up" of pop songs that fit with a popular 4 chord progression. Each group of 8-10 students will work together making creative decisions and developing musical independence as they arrange their piece of music. Their projects will include both vocal percussion/beat boxing and an a cappella "backing track" that we learned as a group that will provide some harmonic and rhythmic stability. Ask your student about this work. They are very motivated and excited!

October 16, 2017

4th Grade

4th graders spent several lessons this month working with the songs "Canoe Song" and "Autumn is the Time". They learned to play different ostinato parts on xylophone, metallophone and glockenspiel. They chose to add drums, rainstick and recorder to certain parts as well. They tested out different ideas and critiqued their performance to make artistic, creative choices. 4G and 4H wanted to share their final arrangements.

October 10, 2017

Jim Papoulis Visits Pierce

Our Performing Arts Department was awarded the Brookline Education Foundation (BEF) 30th Anniversary Gift! This gift will fund an in-depth project with Jim Papoulis, a composer, conductor, and Brookline parent. Last week, Mr. Papoulis met with our 6th-8th graders for a songwriting workshop to gather ideas and input from our students on their thoughts about Brookline, their hopes, and their dreams. Papoulis asked questions ranging from "What is important to us as a community?" to "What is a song?". Pierce students provided personal, insightful and thoughtful responses. He took these student-generated ideas and began creating a piece for chorus and orchestra, which we will perform at the All-Town Choral Concert in January. These videos show a snapshot of his work with our 6th graders last week!

October 5, 2017

2nd Grade

2nd graders have been working with Aaron Copland's traditional song "I Bought Me A Cat". Students began by singing the song and working to memorize the sequence of cumulative lyrics featuring different animal sounds. You can hear a recording of the song in the video below.
Students decoded the rhythm of each animal sound on paper using quarter notes, eighth notes, half notes and rests. Finally, each child composed their own animal sound/rhythm and we used their ideas to create a new version of "Bought Me A Cat". The ideas shown here are from 2D. Next week, we will begin singing a parody of this song called "I Bought Me A Bat" just in time for Halloween!

October 2, 2017

Arts Night 2017!

On May 31st, students in grades K-8 gathered for Arts Night, a celebration of art and music at Pierce school. There were over 850 works of student art on display! Mr. Rae and Ms. Bellve did an incredible job curating the exhibit. Band students in grades 4-8 performed under the direction of Elton Xhoja and Chris Thoft-Brown. My chorus students in grades 5-8 performed as well. It was a spectacular night that highlighted the talent and hard work of so many Pierce students. Congratulations to all!

6/7/8 Grade Chorus singing "See You Again"

The video above was made by a dedicated parent and showcases parts of each Chorus performance. In case you missed the concert, this is a great summary of what students in 5th, 6th and 7th & 8th grade Chorus shared!

3rd Grade Spring Sing!

Congratulations on a wonderful spring concert 3rd graders! You sang and played so beautifully. Well done!

Memorial Day

Students in grades 1-8 gathered to learn about Memorial Day. Our two assemblies featured guests from our community who currently serve in the Coast Guard, Police Department and Fire Department and many who have also served in the military. It was an exciting opportunity to hear their stories about why they chose to serve our country and what they do each day. The 7th & 8th grade band performed two marches, students sang patriotic songs and we heard from many student in grades 4-8 sharing poems, personal essays and stories of immigration to this country. It was a powerful learning experience for all! Thank you to the many service members who shared their time with us on this day to help us all learn a little bit more about this important holiday.

The video above is a moving tribute created by 8th grader Sofia Ramon. She dedicated it to "everyone who gave their lives for our freedom." I was proud of this personal reflection and wanted to share it with our Pierce community.

5th grade

5th grade classes are learning about a style of marimba music from Zimbabwe. We don't have marimbas at Pierce, but we have xylophones which are close cousins! Here, a class is practicing a piece inspired by this traditional style. They created an arrangement that involved layering parts and staggering entrances of different voices. We felt very proud of this cooperative effort!

5th Grade

Anita's Rondo

Derek's Rondo

Check out some finished projects from our composition unit in 5th grade! Each piece was as unique as it's creator and we really enjoyed the opportunity to share these in class and give feedback. To hear these masterpieces, just click on one of the buttons to the left, and just press play once the link opens. As more students share their finished work, I'll continue to post compositions from all 4 classes. If your child wants to write more music at home, the site we used was www.noteflight.com

2nd Grade

Students are listening to the 3rd movement from "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" by Mozart. In these pictures, they are listening carefully and using a map that helps identify contrasts in the music and repeating patterns and sections. Each symbol represents 3 beats and we have waltzed around the room to practice feeling this pulse. They love the challenge of reaching the very last image just as the music ends!

3rd Grade

3rd graders have been working on many new songs in class. One favorite, Dot Spot Fever, is shown here by 3C. They asked if they could make a video of their playing, and although they mostly have their eyes in the music, you can tell they are feeling the groove of this rockin' piece! All 5 classes have been mastering the C Major Scale through various warm ups and games in class. Here is another clip of 3C playing a warm up that we do regularly to being class.

"Riffin' Recorder Blues" is one of our first songs with two unique parts playing in harmony! We will working on adding improvised solos and trading 8's next!

Here is another clip of 3C playing a warm up that we do regularly to being class. Recordings of all the songs we work on in class can be found in a google folder on the homepage of this site.

2nd Grade Welcomes Spring

Students in 2nd grade are practicing singing in a round with this lovely song, "Signs of Spring", by Elizabeth Gilpatrick .

"Days grow longer, warm with sun,
Let's get out and have some fun.
Bring your bat and glove and ball,
Bikes and roller skates and all.
Brisk the breeze and warm the rain,
Plant your garden once again.
Trees are greening, robins sing,
These are certain signs of spring."

Each class has also been singing, playing and dancing to songs from different parts of Africa. “Funga Alafia” is a traditional welcome dance from West Africa sung in the Yoruba language. The song is often sung with gestures that symbolize greeting people with your thoughts, with your words, with your heart, and then assuring them that you have no tricks up your sleeve, that you have come in peace. We have been layering different melodic and rhythmic patterns to create an accompaniment as we sing. This demands deep concentration, critical listening, rhythmic accuracy, and it's super fun!

The Fabulous Nellie Hill Visits Pierce School!

Nellie Hill is a professional drum circle facilitator based in Maryland. She believes in building community and understanding through shared music making. She is also the grandmother of two Pierce students! Nellie came with her car packed to the gills with drums and instruments from all over the world and generously spent an entire day working with students in grades 2, 4, 6, 7 & 8 at Pierce. Students practiced improvisation, call and response, and learned several songs from Kenya. We were so grateful to have her come and share her knowledge, expertise and JOY with us.

All Town Choral Concert

Our 7th and 8th graders performed at the All Town Choral Concert last night. They sang "White Winter Hymnal" and "Elijah Rock!". They also performed with the middle school choirs from Devotion, Runkle and Lawrence as well as the BHS Concert Choir and Camerata for two musical numbers at the conclusion of the concert. Here are two brief clips from the group numbers. It was an amazing opportunity for our middle schoolers to preview the many musical opportunities awaiting them in high school. We saw dozens of Pierce alumni performing and supporting us in the audience. Students from Pierce make up almost 1/3 of all the performing groups at BHS! I was overflowing with Pierce Pride! We hope you will join us for our next concert on February 1st, 6:30 pm, Pierce Auditorium. The 5-8th grade Bands will be joining the 5-8th Choruses for our winter program.

Music Choice Rewards

Students work hard to follow the rules of the music room each day. When they do, they earn stickers. When they reach a certain number of stickers, they earn a "music choice reward". These rewards span a wide range of special musical things including learning about a new instrument, having a classroom concert, musician visits, learning a new dance, playing a special musical game, etc. Our classroom concerts include performances of all kinds. One recent concert, featured several pianists, a performance on drums, a riveting rendition of a song from "Hamilton", a choreographed dance to Rick Astley (yes, really!), and much more! We even got to try a few dance moves and then practiced them along to some Beyonce. I love this opportunity for students to share what they are learning and creating outside of school.

Another favorite "music choice reward" can be found at incredibox.com This program combines composing, beatboxing, and animation. Students love trying to replicate the amazing beatbox samples that go with each character! Students below are creating and critiquing compositions.

Celebrating Martin Luther King Jr.

Grades 2, 3 & 4 gathered this morning to celebrate and honor Dr. Martin Luther King. We sang some of our favorite songs from the Civil Rights Movement including "We Shall Overcome", "Back of the Bus", and "This Little Light of Mine". This video shows the 3rd grade leading the song "What Can One Little Person Do?" Although I know we have a long, hard way to go working against racism and discrimination in this country and throughout the world, I can't help but feel that these children, singing from their hearts, would have made Dr. King very proud.

5th Grade

5th graders have been learning about Zoltan Kodaly and his piece "The Viennese Musical Clock". While listening carefully, they identified repeating sections of music to help work out the larger overall pattern of a rondo. We used paper squares to help keep track of each unique part. In a rondo, a recurring theme alternates with contrasting music in a predictable pattern. We often use letters to represent the different sections. Next, they will be choreographing movement to depict each section and "performing" their group's music in class as another way of showing their understanding of rondo form.

7/8 Chorus

All Town Choral Concert: January 11th, 7pm, Brookline High School Auditorium
Our 7/8 Chorus has been working hard preparing music for our two upcoming concerts. Our students will have the opportunity to perform both for and with students from Devotion, Lawrence, Runkle and BHS! The concert will be led by Mike Driscoll, the Choral teacher at BHS, and will feature performaces by the Camerata, Concert Choir, A Cappella groups, and Voices of Brookline. Our students will be performing two of their winter concert pieces as well. No tickets are needed and all are welcome!

This video is a snapshot of the work we do each day. Kenny Kozol, our K-12 Music Program Director, visited our rehearsal yesterday to work on the piece he arranged for us to sing. "Alegria Bomba Es" and "Ay Que Rica Es" ia a medley of two traditional Puerto Rican Bomba pieces. Bomba is an Afro Puerto Rican art form that comes directly from descendants of West Africa and is a celebrated and revered part of Puerto Rican culture. Kenny is a percussionist, and he worked with our students on a few rhythms to accompany the Chorus.

3rd Grade

Students in 3rd grade have been learning about the Nutcracker and exploring several different pieces of music from this ballet. They analyzed the form of the "March" and were delighted to discover that Tchaikovsky had composed this piece as a palindrome! In this rhythm stick activity, they are demonstrating their understanding of the form and their ability to perform specific rhythmic patterns that match different sections of the piece.

4th Grade

We are folk dancing in 4th grade! I love the groans and heavy sighs I get from many of the students in class when I say it's time to dance because by the end of the lesson, they are ALL begging to do it again! This particular dance is called "The Bridge of Athelone" and is an American version of a traditional Irish dance. Here, we are dancing to a jig called "The Blarney Pilgrim". Students really like this dance because they get to cast off and then go through the tunnel of partners.

Students in Chorus practice sight reading as a part of every warm-up. Here is a snapshot of the work we do in rehearsal to build our music literacy skills. We use Curwin hand signs that correlate with the solfege pitches in the scale.

6th Grade Chorus

Solfege syllables and Curwen Hand Signs are a way of giving a physical placement for a vocal pitch. "DO" is placed at a certain level on the body. The hand signs move up when the pitch goes up and down when the pitch goes down. The movements of the hands give a visual outline of the melodic contour of a song or musical phrase. They help reinforce pitch, intervals, and melodic patterns. In this video, students are practicing reading music independently in multiple parts. I absoutely LOVE their energy and every one of the mistakes I hear in this video. The students are fully engaged, willing to take risks, assessing themselves honestly, and challenging themselves to improve with every chance!

2nd Grade

2nd graders are practicing for their Winter Sing concert on Tuesday, December 13th, at 8:15 am in the Pierce Auditorium. Here is one class working out the details of the hand clapping pattern that fits with the song "Tue Tue" from Ghana. This song is sung in Ashanti, sometimes called Twi. It is a playful song that translates loosley to mean, "Sorry man, this small boy has made you fall flat."

5th Grade

Students are exploring the different ways that composers use motives when creating music. A motive, or motif, is a short, recurring musical idea, musical fragment or succession of notes that has some special importance in a piece of music. They used this captivating listening map to help navigate the first movement of Beethoven's 5th Symphony which features a very well known motive.

This pattern of "short-short-short-long" notes is used throughout the piece. Students loved the challenge of tracking how many times Beethoven uses this motive in the introduction alone. See if you can figure it out! We will continue to study this piece as we delve into the concept of style. Students will hear different versions of Beethoven's 5th interpreted as Disco, Metal, and played by a Marimba Band. We even have a version to analyze that is performed completely by power tools! These pieces provide a great platform for discovering how musicians, arrangers and composers can alter a piece of music to make it fit their own unique style.

3rd Grade

Exciting news for 3rd graders! We now have a google drive folder with all their favorite recorder songs available at this link: drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B4l8_8wtp3jqMDBnV1BzYWZSWTA?usp=sharing
Students can practice along with these recordings at home and put on performances for their families. These recordings can be highly motivational for our students so please share this folder with them at home. I will update the folder as the year progresses and by June they should be able to jam out to all their greatest hits. Enjoy!

2nd Grade

2nd graders are learning "Dreams of Harmony" and will sing it at their Winter Concert on December 13th. The song includes many of the languages that our students at Pierce speak. We will create a new verse to include even more of the languages represented by our 2nd graders. So far, our working list includes Hebrew, Arabic, Turkish, Bulgarian, Korean, Chinese, Japanese, Hindi, French, Spanish, Japanese, German and Italian.

4th Grade

4th graders spent time this fall learning and arranging the songs "Canoe Song" and "Autumn is the Time". They learned to play different ostinato parts on xylophone, metallophone and glockenspiel, and chose to add drums, rainstick and recorder to certain parts. They tested out different ideas and worked as a group to make artistic, creative choices. We recorded their final arrangements.

3rd Grade

3rd graders are learning how to read music in treble clef. Here they are practicing finding the notes on the lines and spaces by placing felt notes in specific patterns. They also practiced these skills by placing their bodies on a GIANT clef made from masking tape in the Amphitheater. They enjoyed building chords in such a physical way.

5th Grade

5th graders have been engrossed in their Symphonic Poem Projects for many weeks now. Students began this composition project by listening to a poem and discussing possible ways to interpret or portray the meaning of the poem through music. They worked off of shared list of ideas to create short, repeated themes that represented different aspects or characters of the poem. Working in pairs, they composed and then shared their musical ideas with the class. As we "auditioned" each theme, we chose a few that seemed to work well together and we used that material to build a larger composition on.

Once the group felt satisfied with their creation, they began to experiment with different ways of arranging and conducting their piece. These videos and photos show students engaged in working out these new ideas. 5W had music class on Halloween so we got to add costumes into the mix! As an extension of this unit, we explored "Danse Macabre" by Camille Saint-Saens. This piece is an exciting and dramatic work that provides an excellent example of a symphonic poem from the Romantic era.

As we learned and rehearsed our layered themes, students began to select different instruments to add that enriched the texture of their pieces. For example, a gong, played as an introduction to signal that a clock was striking midnight. Or a rainstick to introduce the idea of dry, crackling leaves skittering down the sidewalk. A thunder tube, played softly, added an "ominous vibe". Their creativity was endless!

2nd Grade

Students learned a passing game sung to an Apache melody called "Hey Ya Na". They worked together to coordinate the rhythm of the song with passing their shakers around the circle. The game took great concentration and coordination.