Week of October 13th, 2014

This week in music class, we learned all about stringed instruments! We talked about the zither (or psaltry), the banjo, the ukulele, the guitar, and also took a fun field trip to the chapel so that we could look inside of the piano, where the kids were surprised to find...you guessed it...STRINGS!

We also had a lot of fun singing the song "Strum, Strum, Strum"--click the media player icon below

to take a listen to this neat "strumming" song! Make sure to check your child's cubby for a coloring sheet outlining some of what we learned. =)

Strum Strum Strum MP3

QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR CHILD TODAY:

1) What instruments have strings? Guitars, banjos, ukeleles, zithers or psaltries, harps, violins, pianos...what else?

2. Were you surprised to see the strings on the piano?

3.) Where were the strings on the piano? On the inside!

Week of March 24th, 2014

CLARA SCHUMANN

In honor of Women's History Month, Joyful Noise music students today celebrated the music of German born Clara Schumann, a very talented and famous female composer and pianist. She lived during the romantic era of classical music (she was born in 1819) and wrote many beautiful arrangements like the one linked below! 

Today, students discussed what her life was like, how she wrote songs on piano, and listened to her music while coloring a picture of her and a grand piano.  We also explored the keyboard and discussed the difference between white (natural)  and black (sharp and flat) keys, and what letters of the alphabet named the keys. I also discussed that it was challenging for Clara to be a female composer at a time when women weren't considered typical musicians. We discussed how that has changed in our modern lives, along with other roles (such as firefighters, police officers, and other things).

Clara Schumann: Three Romances for Piano and Violin, op. 22

This student made a "scary" face to show that he was playing "dark" sounds on the keyboard.

For him, that meant low, and jarring sounds created on the left side of the keyboard. When I asked what

"dark" sounds represented, he told me "leopards, lions and scary things." Love it!

QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR CHILD TODAY ABOUT MUSIC

1. What were some of the special things about Clara Schumann, the piano player? She lived in Germany; she played piano by candlelight sometimes; she was a woman composer which was unusual at that time; her father was a piano teacher!

2. What are the black keys on the piano? Sharps and flats

3.Did you color a picture of a piano today? For two year olds and up!

Is your child an infant or toddler? Ask if they played the keyboard! (Yes, they did!)

Week of July 16th, 2011

Piano Vs. Forte

Today in music class, we discussed the difference between the dynamics of piano and forte!

Piano, or playing soft, is symbolized by a lowercase “p” in music. Forte, or a full volume, is symbolized by a lowercase “f”. Today in music class, we focused on the actual volume of the dynamic versus its symbol, using pictures of items that are considered loud and quiet, and also singing songs and performing motions with our rainbow streamers to loud and soft sounds on the drum and ukulele!

The kids did a great job of illustrating how to use their voice with both dynamic markings, and we had fun brainstorming things that were naturally “piano” and “forte”.

Please feel free to download the picture worksheet below to quiz your child on which items could be considered which dynamic marking, and encourage them to continue thinking about things that could be categorized as such. Try encouraging your child to speak in a “piano” voice the next time that they need a reminder to control volume!

Our younger students 2 and under also enjoyed "singing" a book today: "I'm a Little Teapot", written and illustrated by Iza Trapani.

PIANO VS. FORTE SYMBOL WORKSHEET (Printable download pdf)