Carnival of the Animal Resources

Big Note Pieces for Beginners:
http://www.ecrater.com/p/19367972/aquarium-carnival-of-the-animals-beginner

Mallet Chants

We have been performing with our barred instruments in music class the last few weeks.  We use some great chants to help us remember how to play our mallet instruments respectfully and responsibly.

Pick up mallets and hold them tight.

One in left and one in right.

Wrap your hands around the stem.

In the middle, away from the end.

Arms are crossed across our chest.

Do this when it's time to rest.

Students now it's time to play,

Move to Play Position right away

Find your letter and gently hover

just a few inches over.

Knuckles up, fingers down,

Now let's make a beautiful sound.

Gently wiggle with your wrist.

Knock, Knock, Knocking with your fist.

Play it in the middle please

Strike the bars with gentle ease.

Our mallet time comes to an end.

Now we give our turn to a friend.

Chant for removing bars from the instruments:

Check your bars when we begin.

One hand goes on either end.

Gently wiggle and lift slow.

Place it down where it should go.

Kansas City Symphony - Young People's Concerts - Symphonic Species

Each year, fourth grade students in our district have the privilege of traveling to Helzberg Hall to see the Kansas City Symphony perform a Young People's Concert.  This year, the theme of the concert is Symphonic Species.  The Kansas City Symphony developed this program in partnership with the Kansas City Zoo.  Each piece on the program portrays a different zoo animal.

Polar Bear Photo by Kevin Ward via flickr	Composition Title:  Finale from Symphony No. 82 , "The Bear" Composer:  Franz Joseph Haydn (1732 - 1809).  Haydn also created the "Surprise Symphony." Finale from Symphony No. 82, "The Bear" got its nickname because it resembles the music that was used to accompany dancing bears at fairs and festivals.   Watch Finale from Symphony No. 82, "The Bear" on View Pure http://viewpure.com/klLx1EyVfCo
Big Cats - Sumatran Tiger, Cheetah, Lion, Amur Leopard Photo by Eric Kilby via flickr	Composition Title:  Overture to La Forza del Destino Composer:  Giuseppe Verdi (1813 - 1901). Watch Overture to La Forza del Destino on View Pure http://viewpure.com/vPFePkmdrEo
African Elephant  Photo Untitlted Ross Huggett via flickr	Composition Title:  Montagues and Capulets Composer:  Sergei Prokofiev (1891 - 1953).  He also composed Peter and the Wolf. Watch Montagues and Capulets from Romeo and Juliet on View Pure http://viewpure.com/p1_JUTAO0SA Start at 1:53 for Elephant.
Monarch Butterfly PhotoWilliam Warby via flickr	Composition Title:  Dance of the Reed Pipes Composer:  Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840 - 1893).  He wrote the Nutcracker and the 1812 Overture.  Our students learned about him during the 2013-2014 school year. Watch Dance of the Reed Pipes on View Pure: http://viewpure.com/hGwjHRfcsMQ
Penguin Photo Antartica Bound via flickr	Composition Title:  Emperor Waltz Composer:  Johann Strauss, Jr (1925-1899) Watch Emperor Waltz on View Pure: http://viewpure.com/LAVvBF7m260  Another piece written by Strauss was The Blue Danube.  Watch this on View Pure: http://viewpure.com/IDaJ7rFg66A

October 2, 2014
Today in music, we listened to Dance of the Reed Pipes.  As we listened, we prepared ourselves to write a Dear Diary entry for the Kansas City Symphony Writing Challenge.

Focus Lesson:  I can listen to and describe music.

Monarch Butterfly PhotoWilliam Warby via flicr

Composition Title:  Dance of the Reed Pipes Composer:  Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840 - 1893).  He wrote the Nutcracker and the 1812 Overture.  Our students learned about him during the 2013-2014 school year. Watch an Orchestra play Dance of the Reed Pipes on View Pure: http://viewpure.com/dntCj0KWZs8

• Listen to Dance of the Reed Pipes

• Class Discussion -  2 minutes
• What instruments did you hear or see?
• What was the mood of the piece?
• Was the music fast or slow?
• Was the music legato or staccato?
• Write a Dear Diary Entry
• Explain project - 2 minutes
• What should be included? 
• Name
• What is the animals favorite instrument?  
• How did the animal get to Kauffman Center? 
• What challenges did the animal face?
• What did the animal pack for lunch?
• When you get your paper...
• Go to riser spot
• Materials - riser helper will pass them around
• Stay at your seat; raise your hand if you need something
• This is an individual activity with no talking

• When you are done
• Essay goes on the black teacher chair.
• Complete a drawing for the drawing challenge

Band Of Angels - Financial Assistance for Students Needing Musical Instruments

Band of Angels is a Kansas City program to collect used music instruments and help make those instruments available to kids in need so they can join band and orchestra programs.  

• If you are a student needing financial assistance to get a musical instrument, please click here for an application.
• If you have a used instrument that you would like to donate  - please click here.

Carnival of the Animals - Grade 2 - Final Projects

Second Grade students have been learning about Carnival of the Animals as part of our curriculum.  After listening to several exerpts from Carnival of the Animals, each classroom is composing a piece of music that represents an animal.

Because Second Grade is taking a field trip to the zoo soon, we took a virtual field trip using the zoo map on the zoo website.  Next, we explored a few animal options and voted on a favorite animal.  We thought about the facts we knew about the animal such as speed, size, and habitat.  This helped us make musical choices.

Over the next three music classes, students created a piece that had a Introduction, ABA, repeat signs, an ostinato, and a Coda.  We created this by telling a story that matched the form.

Grade 2 - Polar Bear - Moderato  

Introduction:  Once upon a time, there was a happy Polar Bear.

Students chose the Wind Chime to represent the arctic wind.  The Finger Cymbals and Glockenspiel represented the snow and ice.  

A:  The polar bear goes hunting for a seal.

Students chose the triangle to play a steady beat to represent snow.  The tubano drums play a steady beat to represent the polar bear walking around.  The jingle bells play a rhythmic ostinato.

B:  The polar bear hears a crack and falls through the ice!

Glissandos on the met allophones represent the polar bear sliding on the ice.  Guiros portray the cracking of the ice.  Rainsticks provide sound effects for the swimming polar bear.

A:  The polar bear goes back to hunting for a seal.

(See A section above.)

Coda:  And then, the polar bear catches the seal and eats it!
A Rachet represents the polar bear catching the seal and temple blocks represent the polar bears teeth biting his catch.

Grade 2 - Cheetah - Presto  

Introduction:  Once upon a time, there was a sad cheetah who lived in Africa.

Students chose Tubanos to represent Africa.  They chose sand blocks to make the sounds of grass.

A:  The cheetah goes hunting for some food to make him happy.

Students chose Tubanos played with wiggling fingers to represent the cheetah running.  Cabasas were used to make grass sounds.  Bass xylophones were chosen because they were made of wood and remind us of trees.

B:  The cheetah catches his prey and eats it!!!

Students chose to continue the Tubano sound with wiggling fingers that turn into a loud BOOM when the cheetah catches his prey!  The maracas add tension to the chase.

A:  The cheetah goes back to hunting for more food.

(See A section above.)

Coda:  And then, the cheetah growls and goes to sleep.

Students chose a guiro to represent the growl of the cheetah.  Glockenspiels make the sound of a lullaby and wind chimes complete the piece as the cheetah falls asleep.

Grade 2 - Giraffes - Moderato  

Introduction:  Once upon a time, there was a quiet, happy Giraffe that lived in Africa.

Students chose the hand drum to represent hooves walking. They picked a rhythmic ostinato with 6 steady beats followed by a rest to present the giraffe walking then stopping eat eat leaves.  

A:  The giraffe stops, lifts his neck and eats some leaves from the tree.

Students chose a xylophone to represent the wood of the trees.  They made an up pattern to present the giraffe's neck being lifted.  Lummi sticks play to represent 2 bites.  Sandblocks represent the giraffe chewing the leaves.

B:  The giraffe looks around to see if it is safe and all is well.  Then it gets a drink of water.

The Wind Chime represents the wind.  The rest represents the giraffe looking around.  The glockenspiels, rainsticks, and student-made shaker represent the water as the giraffe gets a drink.

A:  The giraffe goes back to eating leaves.

(See A section above.)

Coda:  And then, the giraffe hears another giraffe eating.  The giraffe turns around, looks, and finds a friend!

Two xylophones, two cabasas, and two pairs of lummi sticks represent the two giraffes eating leaves.  The triangle represents their happiness at finding a friend.

Grade 2 - Snakes - Moderato - 

Introduction:  Once upon a time, there was a scary, piano snake that lived at the zoo.
Students chose maracas and snake gourds to represent the snake and a glass xylophone to represent the glass cage.
A:  The snake wakes up, and slithers around his cage.
Students chose sand blocks and hand drums (played with scraping) to represent the snake slithering.
B:  The snake slides into his water bowl for a swim / bath.
Students chose rainsticks and glockenspiels to represent the water and swimming.
A:  The snake goes back to slithering around his cage.
Students chose sand blocks and hand drums (played with scraping) to represent the snake slithering.
Coda:  And then, the snake eats a mouse for dinner!
Students chose a Tubano (wiggling fingers) to represent a mouse running through the cage and a Tone Block to represent the snake catching the mouse.

The Great Composer Quiz Show

Last week, students in Grades 3 - 5 got to play the Great G.F. Handel Quiz Show.  This is a engaging activity that could be reconstructed for any composer and various other music topics.  I

Materials Needed:

• Biographies of Handel (or composer of your choice).  MakingMusicFun.net has great options!
• Index Cards
• Writing Utensils
• 4 Envelopes: Labeled with Categories (Life Facts, Music, Famous Friends, Jobs, etc.)

Students entered the room and were given brief instructions.  They were given 10 minutes to read a biography of G. F. Handel.  As they read, they looked for an interesting fact.  On their index card, students wrote their fact in the form of a question.  One side of their index card had the question and on the back side they wrote the answer.  Students then placed their card in the envelope labeled with appropriate category for their question.  They could then choose to keep reading and write more questions.

After 10 minutes, materials were collected.  Students were allowed to keep their biography papers.

Students were divided into 2 teams.  A students from Team 1 would select a category.  The teacher drew the first index card and read the question.  The student was given 10 seconds to answer without help from their team.  At 10 seconds, the teacher would say "Team."  Students on Team 1 can raise their hand to answer.  If they answered right, they earned a point.  If they answered wrong, the question went to Team 2.

Everytime a student got the question correct, a student would push play on my iPod so that  "The Hallelujah Chorus" would be heard for a few seconds.  Students got a kick out of this and it allowed them to hear Handel's music a few more times.

File Folder Music Learning Center

Last week, Kindergarten and First Grade students had the opportunity to experience File Folder Centers as a way to enhance their learning of musical concepts.  The students appeared to enjoy the opportunity to work on these centers and it an ideal way to teach students even when I had lost my voice!

Students sit in a large circle on the floor.  I had two sets of each of the following centers created and spaced evenly around the outside of the circle.  I paired students together with a student that was sitting next to them and they began working on the center.  I set the timer for 3 min.  When the timer went off, students rotated by sliding on their pockets to the next center clockwise (we have practiced clockwise rotations a lot this year as we play instruments so this was easy for them).

Handel Puzzle	Print a picture of the composer. Cut out long strips. Put the strips in an envelope. Provide a picture of the completed project if you want to give students a hint.
Handel Coloring Page	Find a coloring page with information facts about Handel. Print pages. Put in a file folder. Provide crayons.
String Instrument Sort - Grade 1 Left side shows starting folder.  Right side shows completed folder.	Cut out pictures of string instruments.  Place in an envelope or pocket (mine is orange chevron) Write the names of string instruments on the file folder. Students take the pictures out of the pocket and set them under the name of the instrument. You could provide a picture of the instruments under the names if you wanted students to be able to self-check.
Color the Instruments - Grade K	Print coloring pages of Percussion Instruments (or any family). Provide crayons. Students color the page.
Sort the Instruments - Kindergarten Kindergarten students in our district need to be able to classify percussion instruments into three categories: shakers, scrapers, and strikers. Step 1 Step 2 Step 3	Write these words on separate papers or strips:  Shakers, Scrapers, Strikers.  Place these inside a file folder. Turn a hand drum upside down.  Inside the drum, place small percussion instruments such as jingle bells, sand blocks, finger cymbals, shakers, maracas, and tone blocks. Students lay the word strips/papers out on the floor. (Step 2 Photo) Students play the instruments and lay them down next to the word strip/paper that classifies that instrument correctly(Step 3 Photo).
Play Handel Music	Write out music using alphabet notation.  I chose this piece because we were supposed to learn about Handel.  For extended rhythms, I chose to have students play the note more times (i.e. Dotted Half Notes on a letter C would be written and played as CCC). Provide a xylophone or glockenspiel and mallets.

Grade 4 - Cumberland Gap - Sourwood Mountain - Alexander's Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day - TahFaTeh

Grade 4 will be learning about Tah Fa Teh.  We will be singing Cumberland Gap and Sourwood Mountain (songs that they sang for their fourth grade concert and third grade concert, respectfully). The two songs go together great as a Partner Song and also showcase TahFeTeh rhythms.  If singing as a partner song, we start with the Refrain of Cumberland Gap, sing a verse, and end with the refrain of Cumberland Gap.  This aligns with the entire version of Sourwood Mountain.

We will add Alexander's Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day from Artie Almeida's Mallet Madness book with modified rhythms.

Cumberland Gap

Lyrics:

Refrain:

Cumberland Gap, Cumberland Gap.

Everything I own is packed upon my back.

Cumberland Gap, Cumberland Gap.

Walking to Kentucky through the Cumberland Gap!

Verse 1:  Cumberland Gap is a mighty fine place, 

three kinds of water to wash your face.  (Repeat)

Verse 2:  Cumberland Gap with its cliffs and rocks 

Home of the panther, bear and fox.  (Repeat)

Verse 3:  Daniel Boone at Pinnacle Rock.

Had a coonskin hat and old flintlock.  (Repeat)

Cumberland Gap Game -

1. Students sit in a circle.  Hands are places palms up on their knees.  Their right hand is on top of their neighbor's left hand.  
2. Teacher demonstrates how to gently use the right hand to cross over and tap the left hand of the person next to them.
3. Students practice passing the clap around the circle gently to the beat.  Students may need to start with count in numbers if necessary or saying the names of the person who should have the beat.
4. Sing the song.  Whomever is tapped on the word "gap" after "walking to Kentucky" is out and "takes a walk" out of the circle.  The teacher may decide to give instruments to students who are out and they may keep the beat.

Sourwood Mountain

Additional Lyrics:

My true love lives over the river.

Hi dee rin kum diddle dum day.

A few more jumps and I’ll be with her.

Hi dee rin kum diddle dum day.

Ducks in the pond, fish in the ocean,

Hi dee rin kum diddle dum day.

I’ll swim along if I get the notion.

Hi dee rin kum diddle dum day.

Sourwood Mountain Orff Parts

Bass Xylophone

Xylophones/Metallophones

 Woodblocks

Grade 2 - Carnival of the Animals

For the past couple of weeks, second grade students have been learning about a composition called The Carnival of the Animals by Camille Saint-Saens.

Carnival of the Animals Lesson Plan - Day 1

I can…

• tell the title of the composition.
• tell the composer of the composition.
• describe how the music sounds like the animal it represents.

• Greeting Song and Warm Ups
• Link to the last class.  "The last time we came to music, we listened to…
• Today's Mystery Music…

More Videos

Elephant - Piano Performance with Live Elephants

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBdogeZfVxk&list=HL1398980185

Elephants Walking in the Savannah

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BugUayYqtE0

Carnival of the Animals Lesson Plan - Day 2

I can…

• tell the title of the composition.
• tell the composer of the composition.
• describe how the music sounds like the animal it represents.

• Greeting Song and Warm Ups
• Link to the last class.  "The last time we came to music, we listened to…
• Today's Mystery Music…

Aquarium!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyFpZ5MZ7kk

All Carnival of the Animal Videos

Aquarium Photo by  kia's r kid  via flickr	Aquarium https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyFpZ5MZ7kk
Elephant Photo by GôDiNô via flickr	Elephant String Bass Performance - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KV--SyCo7aA Elephant - Piano Performance with Live Elephants https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBdogeZfVxk&list=HL1398980185
Kangaroo "Kangaroo Boxing" by Scott Calleja via flickr	Video with Image of Camille Saint Saens https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFjBIk-9OIw
Lion Arno Meintjes via flickr	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KL1M7v1lgYM
Swan "Swan" by Sergiu Bacioiu
Tortoises "Aldabra Tortoise" by David Stanley	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPHqJTpgo-U