10/30/2010

Rehearsing at Ms. Fay's

Take a look!
We had a Great Time!!
Thank you everyone for your positive mood, the fun we had and the delicious deserts you brought!!!



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10/18/2010

Rehearsals! Sneak a Peak!

Welcome again to our weekly "sneak a peak at the rehearsals" photo show!


Enjoy our young elementary actors while they're learning all about the musical world!


1st, 2nd and 3rd graders learning choreography for the "Be our Guest" scene

it's all about balance!


4th graders at the first row!


let's learn a little can - can steps!

on the stage now! let's learn how we...fall!


...well, acting is real fun!

hm...master.. it would be a good idea if you calmed down a little bit?

Waltzing all around the music class!








10/12/2010

Music History: Violin instrument analysis

The parts of a violin


The violin is the first of the symphonic orchestra instruments we learned while breaking down a romantic symphonic orchestra.
It belongs to the "string family" and it has 4 strings tuned in perfect 5ths (G,D,A,E).
It is played with a bow made of grey male horse hair.
Please check the music notes I gave you for more information.
Below you can find a usefull link for violin players:

Rehearsals - Drama Class

4th graders learning a scene
Hello again!


Drama classes have begun and we all enjoy our new exploration of the theatrical world!
We learn how to speak clear and loud, how to breath properly in order to sing and act at the same time and how to move on the stage.
Acting is our main goal and there are so many new things we are excited to try for and have fun with, such as: 
-how can we alter our voice? 
-how we perform cogently enough the character we are impersonating?  
-how we control our stress on the stage?


Enjoy us in the rehearsals of the Beaty and the Beast during our Drama Session:


1st, 2nd and 3rd grade learning a choreograhy








Stay tuned!

Every week we will have more snap-shots from our theatrical progress!

9/29/2010

1st and 2nd grade introduction to note values!

Note duration is a basic element in music. Without knowing how long we have to play or sing a note we can't perform or compose any music.


Kids in 1st and 2nd  grades are very young to understand the meaning of common or combound fractions or decimal numbers.


So, this week we were introduced to the "musical magical train". We had tickets for our seats, in fact note value tickets and we pretended to be "fatty whole", Mr.or Ms. Halfnote and other funny note characters.


You can take a look to our tickets:




and:


Ask your child to explain you how we played this game: in this way he/she can remember it again and comprehend the note values.


Music Books!

Hello everybody!!


We are very fortunate in having some really special books in our library for music.


Mr Coyle, although he is very busy,  did as a favour and prepared a list 


with these music books for our convenience:


80 Music

781 General principles & musical forms


782 Vocal music


783 Music for single voices; the voice


784 Instruments & instrumental ensembles


785 Ensembles with one instrument per part


786 Keyboard & other instruments


787 Stringed instruments


788 Wind instruments



534 "Sound & related vibrations" 




Analytically:





The Usborne Internet-linked introduction to music    
   [ Book ]  780 OBR    O'Brien, Eileen, 1955-
Published 2000
Reading Level: 6.0  Interest Level: 3-6
The science book of sound    
   [ Book ]  534 ARD    Ardley, Neil.
Published 1991
Reading Level: 5.4  Interest Level: 3-6
Things hoped for    
   [ Book ]  FIC CLEMENTS    Clements, Andrew, 1949-
Published 2006
Reading Level: 5.0  Interest Level: 5-8
Sound and music    
   [ Book ]  534 ARD    Ardley, Neil.
Published 1984
Reading Level: 3.9  Interest Level: 3-6
How music came to the world : an ancient Mexican myth    
   [ Book ]  398.2 DBE    Ober, Hal.
Published 1994
Reading Level: 2.2  Interest Level: K-3
The magic school bus in the haunted museum : a book about sound    
   [ Book ]  534 MAG    Beech, Linda.
Published 1995
Reading Level: 4.2  Interest Level: K-3
The heart of the wood    
   [ Book ]  [E] DAV    Davol, Marguerite W.
Published 1992
Reading Level: 4.9  Interest Level: K-3
Little Bobo    
   [ Book ]  E ROM    Romanelli, Serena.
Published 1995
Reading Level: 3.5  Interest Level: K-3
The singing man : a West African folktale   
   [ Book ]  398.21 MED    Medearis, Angela Shelf, 1956-
Published 1994
Reading Level: 4.9  Interest Level: K-3
The Usborne story of music    
   [ Book ]  780 MUN    Mundy, Simon.
Published 1980
Reading Level: 6.3  Interest Level: 5-8
Fun-to-sing songbook    
   [ Book ]  784.6 NEL    Nelson, Esther L.
Published 2004
Frog went a-courtin'    
   [ Book ]  782.42 ROJ    Langstaff, John M.
Published 1983
Reading Level: 2.7  Interest Level: K-3
Who were the Beatles?    
   [ Book ]  782.4 EDG    Edgers, Geoff.
Published 2006
Reading Level: 5.5  Interest Level: 3-6
Join the band!    
   [ Book ]  784.4 PIL    Pillar, Marjorie.
Published 1992
Interest Level: K-3
Brother Billy Bronto's Bygone Blues Band    
   [ Book ]  PB BIRCHMAN    Birchman, David Francis.
Published 1992
Reading Level: 5.5  Interest Level: K-3
Froggy plays in the band    
   [ Book ]  E    London, Jonathan, 1947-
Published 2002
Reading Level: 2.7  Interest Level: K-3
Like me and you    
   [ Book ]  782.42 RAF    Raffi.
Published 1994
Reading Level: 2.9  Interest Level: K-3
Sitting on the farm    
   [ Book ]  782.42 KIN    King, Bob.
Published 1992
Reading Level: 1.6  Interest Level: K-3
Spider on the floor    
   [ Book ]  782.42 RAF    Russell, Bill, 1905-1992.
Published 1993
Reading Level: 1.5  Interest Level: K-3
Take me out to the ball game    
   [ Book ]  782.42 KOV    Kovalski, Maryann.
Published 1992
Reading Level: 1.7  Interest Level: K-3
There were ten in the bed    
   [ Book ]  782.4 CAL    Calitri, Susan.
Published 2003
Thump, thump, rat-a-tat-tat    
   [ Book ]  PB BAER    Baer, Gene, 1927-
Published 1989
Reading Level: 1.8  Interest Level: K-3
Tiny's hat    
   [ Book ]  E GRI    Grifalconi, Ann.
Published 1999
Reading Level: 1.9  Interest Level: K-3
The zebra-riding cowboy : a folk song from the Old West    
   [ Book ]  782.42 MED    collected by Angela Shelf Medearis ; illustrated by María Cristina Brusca.
Published 1992
Reading Level: 4.5  Interest Level: K-3
The cat came back : a traditional song   
   [ Book ]  E SLA    Slavin, Bill.
Published 1992
Reading Level: 1.9  Interest Level: K-3
The itsy bitsy spider    
   [ Book ]  782.42 TRA    Trapani, Iza.
Published 1993
Reading Level: 1.3  Interest Level: K-3
Mary had a little lamb    
   [ Book ]  782.4 TRA    Trapani, Iza.
Published 1999
Reading Level: 3.6  Interest Level: K-3
The Penguin Quartet    
   [ Book ]  PB ARRHENIUS    Arrhenius, Peter.
Published 1998
Reading Level: 4.9  Interest Level: K-3
There's a hole in the bucket    
   [ Book ]  782.42 WES    Westcott, Nadine Bernard.
Published 1990
Reading Level: 1.4  Interest Level: K-3
The Usborne book of easy guitar tunes    
   [ Book ]  787.8 DAN    Danes, Emma.
Published 1995
Reading Level: 8.5  Interest Level: 5-8
What instrument is this?    
   [ Book ]  784.19 HAU    Hausherr, Rosmarie.
Published 1992
Reading Level: 5.5  Interest Level: 3-6





Please  go ahead, take a look and enjoy!