Upcoming Performance Dates:

Thursday, December 10^th 7:00 pm- 4^th and 5^th Grade Chorus Holiday Concert

Chorus students should report to the music room at 6:45 pm on December 10^th. Students, please wear a white shirt, black pants/skirt, black shoes and socks. Vests will be provided for the performance.

The following is a list of the remaining rehearsal dates before the concert:

Monday, November 23^rd-           4^th grade only

Wednesday, November 25^th-      5^th grade only

Monday, November 30^th-            4^th and 5^th grade combined

Wednesday, December 2^nd-        4^th and 5^th grade combined

Monday, December 7^th-              4^th and 5^th grade combined

Wednesday, December 9^th-        4^th and 5^th grade combined

Thursday, December 17^th 7:00 pm- 3^rd Grade Holiday Music Program

3^rd grade students should report to their classrooms at 6:45 pm on December 17^th. Students, please wear nice clothing in any of the following holiday colors; red, green, yellow, white, blue, gold or silver. The story of “December in Our Town” revolves around children collecting canned goods for a food drive. I am asking third grade students to bring in one canned good for a prop in the show. After the performance on the 17^th, we will be donating all of the canned goods to a local food drive. Please have your children bring in their canned goods to Mr. Enders by Friday, December 11^th.

Here is what we are working on in music class this week:

In 5^th grade the students are learning a four part canon, “For Thy Gracious Blessings”. They are also adding an instrumental accompaniment to the canon. With multiple parts layering on top of each other, we are working on counting rhythms and listening for other parts. Students are also reviewing line and space notes in order to perform each part. We are also exploring chromatics since some of the parts involve flats.

The 4^th grade students are continuing to learn the basics on their recorders. They are exploring the notes A and C while improvising simple quarter and eighth note melodies. We are adding these to the song “Apple Tree,” and next week we will be adding a dramatization with the story “The Giving Tree” by Shel Silverstein. The students are also working on a three part round, “For Health and Strength”.

The 3^rd grade students continue to ready themselves for their upcoming performance on December 17^th. This week we are adding movement to “La Fiesta,” our song for the celebration of Las Posadas. Students are learning about the different principles in the song “Kwanzaa Celebration.” We are also working on our speaking parts incorporating appropriate volume levels and expression.

The 2^nd grade students are adding instrumental ostinatos to the speech piece “A Turkey Named Bert”. We are also learning the Virginia Reel which is a familiar folk dance to the tune “Turkey in the Straw.” It’s great seeing how well the students are moving with their partners to perform this dance!

The 1^st grade students are creating their own dance to the song “Shoo, Turkey”. They are also composing their own two note melodies for the speech piece “Five Fat Turkeys”. They are exploring the use of ‘sol’ and ‘mi’ to create their own tunes for this piece.

Kindergarten students are up to letter G in our animal songs with “Grumpy Gorilla.” We are also using maracas and rhythm sticks to create questions and answers in “The Turkey Went for a Walk.” Students are also learning how to independently sing their favorite dishes for Thanksgiving in the song “Turkey and Stuffing”.