Music Assignment - Unit II

Music assignment - May

Hello Families,

Thank you again for sending in photos and videos of your children’s work. I can’t say enough how pleased I am at what they created at home and under the circumstances. The videos were particularly amusing. Thank you to each of you for supporting them in this learning activity. Please continue to email me your photos at kmccormick@sd79.bc.ca

The Unit “Musical Junk Art” pieces offers modes and ways of experiencing and learning, providing your children opportunities to think and feel as they explore, problem solve, express, interpret, and evaluate the process and the results. 

I remind you to make certain to reinforce their knowledge of the categories of musical instruments as students will be introduced to the various types of instruments as they move forward in their arts education. 

Again, categories of instruments can be organized for primary students into strings, keyboards, wind (wood and brass) and percussion.

Some students remembered to identify the category of their work. Congratulations!

Unit II, Music Interpretation

Beginning next week, Monday, May 11, 2020, and over the following 2 weeks, students will be expected to listen to one of the following pieces of music and interpret their understanding of what the artist is communicating. 

Students are expected to ‘tell the story’ of what the music says to them through a work of art (drawing, painting, sketch) or a written paragraph, 2-4 sentences, that you may scribe for them if need be. 

This Unit is open ended, however questioning strategies and comparison of types of music (Beethoven’s 5^thvs. Beethoven’s Fur Elise) will help students focus and understand the variation of musical composition including the use of instruments, the tone, beat and rhythm, and the effects music has on them, conscious or otherwise. It also supports their understanding of various ways of storytelling and communication that is found throughout history and cultures. 

This activity asks children to explore and express their imaginations as well as supporting them making connections to the world around them.  If you or your child prefer to interpret a specific piece of music that is not suggested here, please feel free to do so, however I ask that it not have lyrics and that you title the response whether it be written, sculpted, painted, danced or drawn. 

Pieces suggested for this Unit are; 

Beethoven’s 5^th Symphony

Beethoven’s Fur Elise

Vivaldi’s Spring 

Enjoy! I know they will do a fantastic job.

music note II

from Ms McCormick - April 30

Hello Families, 

Ms. M here. Mr. Smith and I are well, and we send our best to each one of you.  You can't imagine just how much we miss your beautiful faces and all the wonderful play and learning we do in our music classes. I can see everything getting better soon, however; patience, grace and courage are the words of my day. 

I want to thank parents for supporting your children in creating musical instruments and sending me photos and videos of them. They are fantastic and I look forward to seeing more come in next week. One student created a stringed instrument using his Lego box, with pegs and strings, we saw shakers and auto harps and stringed instruments from Kleenex boxes, another student created a guitar with flames and one ambitious boy created a full 1 Man Band that included a drum set, 2 stringed instruments a flute together with percussion shakers. He even played We Will Rock You on them. Wow! 

They all rocked!!!! Congratulations. 

Keep them coming.

We will be moving forward in a week (I'll email the lesson for you to review) to a simple Unit where each of us listens to Vivaldi's Spring and then Vivaldi's Winter.  Music can provoke and ignite our imaginations and kindle the intellectual, physical and spiritual creativity in each of us.  I'm hoping that you, parents will enjoy doing this with your children and scribe their thoughts in a few sentences and email them to me. 

It will be interesting to see what Vivaldi inspires in my students.

I will be emailing the learning outcomes for both Units along with criteria for assessment to support you in supporting your children. Don't worry, however. As I said in my 1st email, we have covered a great deal of the curriculum to date and I've seen maturity, learning and development in each student. 

Please remember to email your number if you have any questions and or concerns and I will call you. 

In the meanwhile, know that you are on my mind and I wish for nothing but love and good health to all.

Kathryn