January Experiences with Music

The stillness and quiet of winter makes for a mood of tranquility and reflection. And so the students' music activities seem quieter right now.

Elaine's and Anita's classes are learning how to read the staff by preparing a musical interlude for every page of Audrey Woods' book "The Napping House". They also get to see what a two-part score looks like when they play the glockenspiels on the rests of the xylophones' melody (a small motif from Brahm's lullaby). Of course, we want to share this work, so the classes get to decide whom to invite to music class for a musical rendition of this story.

Susan's class also is reading the treble staff (higher end of the piano keyboard).
The "Yantzee River Song" is slow, peaceful and includes the gong (finally, the gong!) played ever so quietly at the end of an 8-beat phrase. Atty went first and played so beautifully, as did the rest of Susan's class on the other pitched instruments. Erin led the non-pitched block section in carefully placed patterns that only hint at bamboo swaying and clinking against each other. The students will add streamers to this lovely piece of Chinese folk music in an improvised movement sequence as we play.

Reneta's class listened to Dvorak's "New World Symphony" second movement (largo)
in preparation for the March 11th Ann Arbor Symphony Youth Concert. In true S/K fashion, one of the students- Mike- grabbed his recorder and figured out the melody and played it. This piece is gorgeous in its crescendoing tugging at one's heartstrings. The composer was at the same time homesick AND fascinated by American folk music and Native American flute playing. To listen to this while sitting quietly watching snowflakes fall may bring you back to childhood and quiet stillnesses of winters past.

Intery Mintery

Intery, mintery, cutery corn
Apple seed and apple thorn
Wire briar timber lock
Five geese in a flock
Sit and sing by a spring
O-U-T and in again
- Mother Goose turned haunting

All SK musicians came together this week for a mini-performance of the above rhyme.
Oliver G., Grace, Sophie and Oliver S. chose sound effects instruments for the awakening of the dancing dead, who were portrayed by the rest of Anita's class and Elaine's class. Susan's class accompanied the dancers on the Orff pitched instruments in an arrangement written by Doug Goodkin, music specialist at The San Franciso School (K-8). Alto recorder was played by Peter, Alec and Lukas, while the tenor recorder "moaned" eerily as played by Maria, Mike and Max. We performed for the staff and one parent and a set of grandparents who happened to stop by. Later in the year, we may orchestrate our own poetry choice, letting the muses carry us away in dancing and sound. Happy Haunting! (and recycling, too!)..................

Autumn Ponderings Musically Speaking

Renata's class has begun playing Vivaldi's "Autumno" from his Four Seasons music. This consists of looking at small motifs and linking them together. This class is also ready to share a three-voice recorder ensemble called "Dance Arabi" at the North African Dinner, with one student from Susan's class joining in. At the same time, Anita's class will be playing an ostinato (small pattern repeated over and over) on drums and tambourines while all the rest of the students will sing the words to this Egyptian folk song.

Ask your K-1 student to perform "The Ghosts Are Coming". This little activity moves forward study of rests, cresendos, diminuendo, and the feel of an 8-beat phrase.

Susan's class has moved from the old chestnut "Hot Cross Buns" to more satisfying fare: "Taco Shells" and "Recorder Fanfare" on soprano recorders. Stanley and Lucas then play a third higher and bring a nice harmony to our pieces. Later, everyone will learn how to do this. Susan's class is also beginning folk dancing and singing of rounds. "Ghost of John" is always a good one this time of year!

It's almost the end of September and Elaine's students and Anita's students are learning how to play the Orff instruments upward and downward. We sing "Hickory Dickory Dock" while playing the xylophones on the words "up" and "down", the gong on "one", and the temple blocks throughout the song with a very distinct "tic-toc".

Playing on key words like this is pre-rhythm study. In the middle of the school year these young musicians will internalize a 4-beat phrase and let the instruments "say" the words. Visualizing musical notes now is done with pictures rather than noteheads.
Look for a notation of "Mouse, Mousie" to come home soon. Ask your child to sing it to you while pointing to the "notes".

Mrs. Carpenter's class just received their recorders and will begin play this wind instrument on September 28. Recorders at Summers-Knoll School are used as part of the whole ensemble of pitched and unpitched instruments. Recorders can be used as the voice would be used- as the melody.

Reneta's class is learning the new fingering to use on the larger alto recorders. Mike, Max,Peter and Maria have had some experience with these. I know that Alec and Parker will be able to pick up the new fingering somewhat quickly. The current song we are working on-"Knoll Island"-is brown belt worthy! Instead of karate belts, these students can be awarded recorder belts for successfully playing certain pieces.
Let's hope those recorders are filled with lots of color and jewels by May.

Ensembles Make Harmony By Working Together

We are moving, playing our pitched instruments in C pentatonic (Ask your child about burgers and fries if they are in Mrs. Carpenter's or Renata's classes), warming up soprano recorders in Renatta's class and working on music literacy with rhythm.

We will be attending one UMS concert this year as a school. Susan's classes and Renata's classes will also be attending the Ann Arbor Symphony's Youth Concert in March. I'll let you know more about that soon.

We will "play" new instuments on Wednesday that are really old and well-weathered: railroad spikes! Anita's class and Elaine's class are taking turns being the beat leader.

Soon we will learn a piece of music from Northern Africa. We'll share at our dinner in October. It's so good to be making music with these young musicians! -Jan

Reflections Night Fast Approaching

All of our students at Summers-Knoll School are ready to share singing, playing of Orff instruments- including recorders in 4 voices (sopranino, soprano, alto, tenor),
movement and rhythmic speech. We look forward to reflecting back on music class materials from this school year and treating our audience to harmonic sounds.

The Kindergartners and the First Graders are singing an ostinato (harmony) in our song about riding horses to Mexico, They then can try their hand at singing the melody in an African folk tune while the older students sing two ostinatos. They do quite well.

The Second and Third Graders have been blasting off with their soprano recorders.
We have only two more notes to learn to play. They will be playing the "Blues" for you on Thursday night. This week the group revisited, practiced, and polished a pitched percussion accompaniment for Miss Elaine's class. They truly learn quickly.

The Fourth and Fifth Graders grab challenging music-making opportunities and play well as an ensemble. At Reflections Night, you will see the use of Amazon Rain Forest Masks made in Art class to help tell the myth, "Papagayo, the Mischief Maker."

Children don't really own music until they have created some. Improvisation is a step in that direction. Miss Elaine's class has changed the lyrics to one of their songs that will be shared on Thursday. Mrs. Carpenter's students will be writing their own canons after next week by improvising first. Will's students will be sharing some improvisations on Thursday within the piece "Up, Down, Side to Side."

Ostinatos, Rounds, and Two-part recorder ensembles Keep Music interesting

It's Spring (No snow on April 1, we hope), and all classes are moving forward musically speaking quite quickly.

Elaine's class recently put together a musical rendition of the children's short story "Caps For Sale", with Ian in the lead role, Melissa, Nicholas, Freya, Emma, Emmie, David and Amelia doubling duties as both monkeys and sound effects for caps flying out of the trees, Quinn playing bass xylophones, Troussant playing glockenspiel, Stanley playing alto xylophone, and Noah playing three non-pitched instruments to represent the sun, scolding monkeys and the peddlar's walking feet. All musicians chose what instrument to play for their assignment. Quinn had a choice between a simple bordun, an alternating hand bordun or a crossover bordun. She chose the hardest- the crossover bordun! We begin preparing for a presentation of "Tikki Tikki Tembo" this week. This is a delightful Chinese folktale for which we will use shadow puppets and a shadow screen. Of course, singing voices and instruments will augment the story-telling. Embedded in the learning of songs and music are music theory lessons this class can grasp. And they do grasp quickly and eagerly!

Susan's class is playing recorders, learning soprano recorder parts of ensembles they will soon play with Will's class, who are learning more challenging soprano recorder parts and also alto recorder ostinatos to compliment the second and third graders' parts.

Having just seen Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra at Hill Auditorium this month, Susan's class has learned two blues recorder pieces, with Peter trying his hand at improv on his instrument, just like the jazz musicians did. Meanwhile, Will's class has picked up quickly on a jazz piece I learned at the National Orff Conference. We've got some "hot" improv musicians- Maria, Megan, Zara, Shea and Sara gave it a go and have some good sounding phasing. Improvization is an integral part of the Orff pedagogy that Summers-Knoll students encounter in the music class. Students get a chance to apply rhythmic patterns studied, along with melodic ideas. We hope to share both Susan's and Will's pieces at Reflections Night in May.

Stay tuned for an invitation from both Shan and me for a fun-filled evening of movement and music! Get out those tennis shoes and comfortable clothes. Details soon.