Music News

Term 2 Overview

Term 2 in the music room has started off well, with lots of singing and playing on instruments. Jane and David are really enjoying getting to know the students better and listening to their wonderful musical creativity.

Years 1 & 2 – we are learning more hand clapping games, including Miss Mary Mack, Down Down Baby, and Tic Tac Toe. It’s fantastic to see that many students are practising these in the playground and at home – developing the essential musical skills of tuning in to each other and keeping in time. In the music room we are also learning to play the melodies and accompaniment of the chants on keyboards, tuned percussion and ukuleles. To achieve this the students are learning how to read chord charts and locate notes on a keyboard by referencing the black keys.

Years 3 & 4 – we are singing rounds in order to develop skills of feeling how different melodies and rhythms fit together to create harmony and counter rhythms. It feels fantastic when the classes lock it in!

On instruments we are continuing work on riffs on guitars, basses, ukuleles and keyboards building up our fine motor skills, the reading of tabs and locating notes on a variety of instruments as well as embedding counting techniques. It’s fantastic to see so much progress. 

The Year 3's are also having a taster of woodwind instruments by engaging in a 4 week recorder course.

Years 5 & 6 - we are learning to play chords on keyboards, guitars and ukuleles using the correct technique and fingers. This makes it much easier, in the long run, to play harder and faster music.  We can play these chords with well know melodies, riffs, such as “Smoke on the water” and “It’s a long way to the top”. We are also practicing sing popular songs such as “Riptide” and “Golden Hour”.

David Rattigan & Jane McCracken