A Glimpse Into Quarter 2, Week 1 (10.25 - 10.29)
Dear Spartan Families,
The last week of October marks the first week of Quarter 2 - a time of renewal from Fall Break and a return to Music classes! The Music team at Western Hills has been preparing our scholars for a Winter Concert to remember. Young, bright minds are taken through lively and focused rehearsals when in the Music classroom, while also engaging in their usual curriculum. Soon, you will be seeing more communication from myself to assist your child in practicing their concert music at home. The Winter Concert is on the evening of Friday, December 3. Please see your Family Handbook for Concert Dress guidelines. If you have any questions, I can be reached at kiana.burciaga@greatheartswesternhills.org.
Joyful Learning In the Music Garden
🎵 Kindergarten 🎵
The October Composer of the Month is Joseph Haydn!
As we complete our unit on Loud and Soft Singing Voices, we enter our Beat unit. Kindergarteners will encounter new songs to practice a steady beat with such as Walk Daniel and I Climbed Up the Apple Tree. The word "beat" is a secret term that is not used in lessons until the scholars experience "beat" kinesthetically, aurally, and through writing practice. Such a special way to learn an important musical term! We are also continuing our learning of our third concert piece, Pie Jesu.
🎵 First Grade 🎵
The October Composer of the Month is Felix Mendelssohn!
We have wrapped up our unit on 1 V.S. 2 Sounds on a Beat! This is a great accomplishment for our first graders. They have experienced one and two sounds on a beat in different activities and many folk songs, including Rain, Rain, Bobby Shafto, and We Are Dancing in the Forest. This week, we move into our unit on the solfege syllables, so-mi. We are also wrapping up our learning of our second concert piece, Snowfall Lullaby.
🎵 Second Grade 🎵
The October Composer of the Month is Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel!
Our second graders have now encountered the new solfege syllable, do, after analyzing the folk songs Bow Wow Wow and Rocky Mountain. We are now moving into our unit on the half note. We first experienced the half note in the new song, Let Us Chase the Squirrel. Second graders are also wrapping up their practice of the two-part harmony in their Swedish-English piece, Who Can Sail Without the Wind?. Soon, we will be beginning our third concert piece, Shalom Chaverim.