Monday Funny.

A silly bit of music humor for your Monday!

Band and recorder

It's getting to be about time for band to begin.  Before then, however, there are a couple of things the kids need to to accomplish.  Before I can give them their instruments, they need to know the note names as well as basic rhythm notation.  

In grade 5 we have learned about the hand staff, learned the mnemonics to help with the notes of the lines and spaces of the treble clef, and played Grand Staff Twister.  We also went to the computer lab and played some games on musictechteacher.com.

What they need to do is pass a little quiz on the the notes.  If they go to musictechteacher (link on the sidebar) and click on quizzes, they can do a lot of game practice with the note names.  They had a great time with it on Tuesday, and were excited that they can do these games at home!

I'm including here a little graphic of the treble and bass clefs for them.  They can remember the mnemonic for treble:  The lines, starting from the bottom, make the sentence "Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge."  The kids also liked "Elephants Get Big Dirty Feet."  :)  The spaces from bottom to top spell FACE.

The traditional bass clef mnemonic for the lines from top to bottom is "Good Boys Deserve Fudge Always", but I kind of like "Granny's Brains Don't Function Anymore".  Hehe.  Sounds like me...  The mnemonic for the spaces is "All Cows Eat Grass."  

If using the mnemonic helps--I say go for it.  If it slows them down and they can figure it out faster without it, that's great, too.  The important thing is that they be able to look at the lines and spaces and know exactly what the note is without thinking about it too much.  For the most part, the kids will be reading in treble clef, but trombone will be in bass, and since we don't have private classes for each type of instrument, all the kids will be learning that clef as well. 

Below you'll find the treble and bass clef notes for reference.  The top one is the treble clef.

I'd encourage you to have your kids work on these games every day for a time until they have the notes learned.  I'll be quizzing them next Tuesday, in the hopes that we will be able to at least put instruments into their hands to experiment with by next Thursday.  The kids are really excited, and I want them to finally get their instruments, but they will only be frustrated if they have to learn how to make a nice tone, learn how to finger the different notes properly, and also have to learn the notation at the same time.  The more they practice these concepts at home the more successful they will be, and I want them to LOVE playing in a band! 

If you have not paid your rental fee yet, please do so ASAP.  Your child will not be able to bring an instrument home until the fee has been paid.  Some of you have gotten in touch re: a payment plan, and that is fine.  We just need to work something out.  :)  

If you have any questions or concerns, please let me know.

Thanks!

Lynn

Welcome to Hollister Elementary's online music spot!  Here you will find useful information about music classes at Hollister this year.  I'm excited to share the year with your children, and I'm looking forward to getting started this week!

If your kids are anything like mine, you might miss the occasional form or letter home.  I'll keep a list to the side of this blog of all notices, so if necessary you can print them off and send them back without any trouble.

I'll try to keep this blog updated with things that we're doing in music this year.  If you have any questions about music, please feel free to call at the school or pop me an email.  I'm only at Hollister a couple of mornings a week, but I want you to know that you can reach me, even if I'm not there.

Grade 4 and 5 will be doing recorder once a week starting in October, with a bit of a break to learn Christmas pieces.  We'll be continuing recorder all year.  Doing so will make your purchase of the recorder worthwhile, as they'll learn enough to enjoy playing them at home.  Playing the recorder regularly will increase the confidence of grade 5 students who are in band and give the grade 4s a head-start for next year, and your children will be well prepared for grade 6 music when they go to the intermediate school.  We'll be using the Recorder Karate method, which will keep the kids motivated to practice lots and earn belts and beads to decorate their recorders.  Be prepared for lots of recorder tootling this year at your house!  Recorder Karate sheet music and accompaniments can be found online, and the links are provided on the sidebar.  If you do not have access to a computer, please let me know, and I'll be sure to provide your student with paper copies.

Please check in backpacks for an information note about recorder.  If it is not there, you can view and print a copy of the "Recorder Order" form listed in the "Notices Home" section of the sidebar.

The grade 5 students will also have the opportunity to learn an instrument in the band.  I will be in touch with Mr. Sweet to be sure that the transition goes smoothly.  Be assured that it will be the same rental system as always, but I will be in contact with him tomorrow to get an accurate count of available instruments and will send a note home as soon as I can.  In the meantime, we will be reviewing notation so when the kids get their instruments they will have a good base to build upon.

The biggest concerns for the kids have been, "Will we still have instruments this year?" and, of course, "Will we still be doing a Christmas musical?"  Yes and YES!  I am currently looking for a suitable musical to teach the children, and I know I have a lot to live up to!  Please know that your kids will all have the opportunity to shine.

My hours at the school are from 8:30 until noon, but if I am not booked at another school, chances are I'll be hanging out at Hollister after my "official" hours, so please feel free to stop by and say hi!  I'm looking forward to meeting all of you.

Sincerely,

Miss Lynn