Music

Today in music our F/1/2s sharpened their watching and listening skills. We played Beat Detective and then explored an imaginary zoo, where we moved like different animals. Could we move about and still watch the conductor to know when to stop? We sang ''I Would Like to Go to the Zoo,'' practising our singing voices and discovering how to follow musical cues to start, stop and change the volume of our sound.

Then it was time for the instruments, and making a musical zoo! We used drums for the slow, steady steps of elephants, claves for playful monkeys, shakers for slithering snakes, bells for crickets, and chimes for beautiful birdsong. It's super fun to have an instrument in hand and it takes a lot of self control to put it down. I was most impressed with the wonderful the way they watched the conductor and played their instruments carefully.

Our 3-6 class explored our ideas and opinions, going past our initial reactions and using musical justifications.  We worked towards identifying musical features such as the rhythm, tempo, instruments, melody and timbre to help us explain likes and dislikes. 

Students also had the opportunity to share their opinions with classmates, discussing what they noticed, how the music made them feel and who might enjoy a particular style. Most importantly, we practised expressing our own ideas, listening to different perspectives and understanding that it is ok not to agree with everyone. It's very important to think for ourselves!