Pierce School Music - What's Happening in Music?

5th Grade

2/12/2020

5th graders have been analyzing form in music and breaking larger pieces down into smaller chunks. Analyzing music can often feel abstract. I work to make their experience of the music as physical and engaging as possible. Here, you can see a bean bag circle activity that combines feeling the beat and unusual meter of the jazz standard "Take Five" with the challenge of hearing the sections change from main theme, to improvisation, back to main theme. Students show their understanding and recognition of the sections by switching direction or pattern in response to the music. In the second video, you see a class composition of mechanical movements inspired by the "Viennese Musical Clock" by Zoltan Kodaly. The way that students are moving, and the order that the groups perform, that reflect the "rondo" form. Ask your student to explain rondo form and talk about why their group chose the choreography you see here!

2nd Grade

1/27/2020

Students in my 2nd grade classes have been singing, dancing and playing instruments each day in music. This week, they have been learning about Lunar New Year, singing "Gong Xi Fa Cai!", discovering traditional Chinese instruments such as the Erhu and Guzheng, practicing their rhythm reading skills, and learning to improvise on a pentatonic scale using xylophones! The class shown here is practicing a favorite mixer called "Sasha!". I love teaching mixers because they give students many opportunities to hone social skills as they work with a different partner each time the music and dance steps repeat. As you can see, this class loves dancing "Sasha!"

3rd Grade

1/27/2020

3rd graders have been challenging themselves by learning new notes on recorder and trying more complicated songs such as "Xin Nian Kuai Le", a well known Chinese melody adapted for recorder. Happy Year of the Rat! This class worked hard to coordinate their playing and singing of this melody and we felt proud of this arrangement they made at their last class.

5th Grade

1/27/2020

My 5th grade classes have been exploring and composing using two different digital platforms over the past few classes. They began by exploring the Chrome Music Lab which has many interesting and engaging applications for teaching about the science of sound and composition. They used Song Maker to create an original piece. Then, they began to explore the Tone Matrix, a pentatonic step sequencer. Through this program, they experimented with harmonic patterns, geometric shapes and got "pretty zen" as they worked. Ask your student to show these creative and fun tools at home!

Winter Chorus Concert

1/23/2020

Chorus students in grades 5-8 sang a beautiful winter concert in the end of January that showcased months of preparation and hard work. The 5th grade sang three songs, including a premiere of "This Is Who I Am" composed by Jim Papoulis. He created the song with Brookline students through a songwriting workshop generously funded by the Brookline Education Foundation. Our 6/7/8 group performed several challenging pieces including a contemporary a cappella piece, "High Hopes" by Panic at the Disco and a traditional Panamanian folk song. Thank you to all who came out to support our students in their music making!!

Celebrating Dr. King

1/17/2020

Students in grades K-8 participated in community centered assemblies to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Each grade contributed to our program in a special way. In grades K-2, Principal Miller shared the book "I Have A Dream", illustrated by Kadir Nelson and we sang freedom songs. In grades 3-5, we read "Sing A Song: How "Lift Every Voice and Sing" Inspired Generations". Following the read aloud, we all stood and sang that very song with an overwhelming sense of community and strength. Dr. King would have been proud. In grades 6-8, the Young Scholars shared poems, 6th graders shared biographical presentations on local activists and we had 3 amazing musical performances from Nyla, Avery, Eamon, Lillian, Audrey, Zanna, Mia, Jasmine, Lydia, Bea and Maliah.

Kindergarten

1/17/2020

Kindergarteners have been learning about eighth note and quarter note rhythms. They have played a game called "Frog in the Meadow" in which they created their own rhythmic patterns. Then, they practiced decoding rhythmic patterns with "building" these patterns with popsicle sticks. They have also been learning about Lunar New Year and discovering the rhythm of each animal name in the Chinese Zodiac.

1st Grade

11/26/2019

1st graders have been asking for song sheets to take home so they can practice words and sing for their families. Keep an eye out for this paper coming home to you from your classroom teacher! You should also be able to download and print the song sheet out from here as well. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

4th Grade

11/7/2019

4th graders love to dance and we spend a lot of time dancing and moving to music throughout the year. Folk dancing helps teach basic concepts of rhythm, repetition, musical cues, pattern, predictability, and anticipation. It also allows students a valuable opportunity to develop social skills and become more comfortable moving to music with friends in a way that feels both "expected" and FUN! Folk dance is also very multicultural. When students learn dances from around the world, they gain insight into different historical and social times and traditions.

3rd Grade

11/7/2019

3rd graders have been exploring the concept of form in music through listening and identifying patterns in what they hear. This week we used "Happy" by Pharrell Williams to identify a verse, chorus and bridge within a song. They demonstrated their understanding of the form by putting these cards in the correct order as they listened.