Música 

(Music)

This is my last newsletter for 2021! Currently I am scheduled to return in term 1, 2022, but I will keep the school community posted on my comings and goings. You are welcome to subscribe to my YouTube channel - I will continue to upload videos of songs and music activities, and maybe even some scenes from Bombala!

Señora Carol will be taking Music classes from term 2 onwards, and she was very pleased to be able to come and observe the 4/5/6 classes last Thursday. She had a lot of questions and is excited about starting here at Newlands!

F/1

What amazing progress the children have made with their Spanish! I was surprised to see how much of the Chivita song they knew and understood. And how wonderful to hear from parents who remembered the song from their own childhood! You gave an enthusiastic and musical performance at the Fiesta on Friday evening which was so well received by our audience.

I have been speaking with some parents about the role of instruments in music lessons at the F/1 level. Early in the year there is a strong emphasis on whole body movement activities that develop listening and cueing skills (i.e. knowing / feeling when to start, when to stop), as well as a sense of finesse in their movements and actions (e.g. knowing how to play softer and louder) that directly translate to instrumental playing skills. In the last several weeks, the children have been working in parejas (partners) on the marimbas - this instrument is ideal because the action of holding onto the mallets enables them to create music using their gross motor skills. The left hand / right hand alternate action is also very good for their development.

Watch the video below for an example of how the children have to locate and play the notes C, D, E, F then G as I call each of them out. It's more challenging than they think! We have been progressing from this simple activity to the song C C C by Jon Madin, keeping it musical throughout the entire process.

2/3

We have been using the song Yonder Come Day as a starting point for aural and music theory skills. As we sing the song back (thanks to repeating it countless times, they know it very well now!), the children are challenged to work out whether the melody goes arriba or abajo with each note. Then we write the notes on the stave so that they can see how music notation works! They have also been playing the chords G and C on the ukulele, which uses a different type of symbol. Hope we can come up with a little performance of Yonder Come Day on different instruments for our last lesson!

4/5/6

Our last lessons together on Thursday were a lot of fun. Such nice memories of the "big kids" I will be taking with me when I move interstate!

I decided to finish with a one-off lesson of "Funky Town" on marimbas and other instruments. This song is always a hit - if I end up doing a lesson at my new school I'll be sure to let you know how it goes! Have a look at some of the progress they made:

Performance Assembly Wednesday 31st

Our last assembly for the term will be this Wednesday 31st March at 1pm. Once again, it will be live and will feature two to three songs from the choir, as well as a whole school performance of Here Comes the Sun. Aaaaand, maybe another go of Chivita if there is a popular request!