Week of March 16th, 2015

THE PICCOLO!

This week in music class we learned all about this beautiful woodwind instrument with thirteen keys--the piccolo! The children learned that woodwind instruments need air blown through them to create sound, and we experimented with the keys on the piccolo, and how they move. I also showed them how to put the two pieces of the instrument together, and how the cork grease (which looks like a tube of chapstick!) lubricates the joints as you put them together.

We discovered that the piccolo is just like the flute, only smaller, and more high-pitched! We also learned that the piccolo can be made of wood or metal (mine is made of metal, but higher quality piccolos are often made from wood, or a mixture of both).  Piccolos usually play the melody of an arranged piece of music in a group setting, like an orchestra.  

Beyond the instrument, I also showed children how a music stand works, and explained a little to them about how I read music (I played Vivaldi's "Allegro" for them with sheet music on a music stand). We passed around the small velvet hard case that the piccolo goes in, and threes and up also watched an excellent video from Gudrun Hinze (first piccoloist for Gewandhaus Orchestra of Germany) playing a Daniel Dorff song entitled "Tweet". It really reminds you of lovely birds--check it out below!

Additionally, the children enjoyed coloring a piccolo information sheet. Look for that in cubbies, and don't forget to check out the video of the two's class below, as well as your weekly extender questions!

QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR CHILD

1) Does the piccolo sound high or low? (Very high!)

2) How many keys does the piccolo have? Thirteen!

3) What is the piccolo made of? Metal or wood!