Week of July 23rd, 2012

GRAPHING PITCH!

It was a fun mathematical music day today as we explored the relationships between size and pitch and graphed these ideas using a basic chart (show below with three categories: items with certain pitches, and items categorized generally as "low" or "high"). Children participated in graphing by using a sticker to represent their instrument. Our younger groups only categorized pitches (or musical notes) as high or low, but our older students also categorized them by their assigned name in the music scale (we did the C major scale which is all natural notes; C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C).

All of the students enjoyed exploring large and small cymbals, xylophones, desk bells, drums and boomwhackers of different lengths and tones. Our younger groups also enjoyed having the book "Wheels on the Bus" sang to them!

Also make sure to check out the download of the "Grandma's Glasses" mp3. It's a fun fingerplay that we enjoy doing that also illustrates manipulating the pitch of your voice from high to low!

The Three's Class Graph!

“These Are Grandma’s Glasses”

MP3 download (1 mb)

____________________________

SCHOOL AGE UPDATE: I apologize for a lack of content for our school age group in this blog! I was out of town last week on our typical music day and therefore, don't have an update on our class for you this week! I will let parents know, however, that this coming Thursday we will be continuing to learn our new prayer chants/songs and also experimenting with this week's lesson of pitch graphing. :)

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

REMINDER: No music class next week! I will be absent for my yearly vacation to Mackinac Island with my family! :) I will look forward to resuming normal music classes the week of August 7th!

Week of November 28th, 2011

Measuring Up!!!

We had so much fun today measuring instruments and height in music class! Before using "Boom Whackers", "Tap-a-tunes" and xylophones, we measured both younger students and the length of instruments to determine their pitch!

The children repeated the mantra "longer is lower" and "shorter is higher", and I demonstrated this by playing several instruments and comparing their length and pitch.

The first of these instruments was the slidewhistle. I showed children the slidewhistle with the slider all the way inside the instrument,which measured at nine inches, and then with it all the way pulled out, which measured around 16. The shorter the slide whistle was, the higher the pitch! The longer it was, the lower!

We also sang a favorite tune while tapping our boomwhackers that requires the children to "rest", or wait to play, on a particular beat.

You can practice this song at home to encourage your child's waiting, listening and rhythm skills!

Though it is sung to an original tune, you could even try it as a chant!

WHO'S THAT TAPPING AT MY WINDOW?

Who's that tapping at my window? (Tap-tap)

Who's that tapping at my door? (Tap-tap)

Who's that tapping on the ceiling? (Tap-tap)

Who's that tapping on the floor? (Tap-tap)

Thanks for reading the blog and have a fantastic Tuesday!

Please note that December's music calendar is now available for viewing and download at the website in it's usual location at: http://www.joyfulnoisekids.com/pdfs/musiccalendar.pdf

Also, I'd like to apologize for a video that I sent last week of the JN Four's class performing at the community center. The video accidentally had no sound and I'm in the process of correcting that right now. I will send a new link when it is finished! Thanks!

Miss Chantal

Week of August 29th, 2011

PVC PIPE FUN!

Today we enjoyed playing with a homemade instrument that I created from PVC pipe! It is like a cross between a pan flute and a xylophone, but

made with plastic pvc piping. The pipe itself is not great conduit for sound, but rather the air traveling through it makes a sound. Therefore, we played it by "tapping" the ends with the rubber spatula you see, which actually "bumped" air quickly through and out,creating a sound.

The kids had a lot of fun with this and we also refreshed on how length of tube and amount of air

relate to pitch. As a general rule, we know that:

BIGGER/LONGER/MORE AIR: lower pitch

SMALLER/SHORTER/LESS AIR: higher pitch

I also made a pvc flute and demonstrated playing that for the kids. It is so much fun to make instruments! Check out our pictures below, and also the impressive video below from Youtube of a high school student playing pop medleys with his home made PVC pipe instrument!

PARENTS CONNECT:

Check out this neat video of a highschool student playing his PVC pipe instrument!