Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Share Day coming in December!

Please encourage your child to think of a musical talent they might like to share with their classmates during our special "Share Days" in music class. The week before winter break all students in music classes grades 1-5 are encouraged to perform for their classmates. This could be in the form of a dance, singing a song, or performing a work on an instrument. Performance is an important part of any musical training and also may inspire other classmates to learn something new. It is also a wonderful opportunity for students to feel pride in their accomplishment and hard work! The next Share Day in music will be during each homeroom's regularly scheduled music classes the week of December 19th.

Monday, October 31, 2011

Garden of Hope

The entire student body, faculty and staff participated in this special event honoring those affected by cancer. Please see the link below for the slide show!


Garden of Hope

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Princeton Symphony Orchestra BRAVO

The fourth grade enjoyed a visit from the percussion trio of the Princeton Symphony Orchestra on Monday 10/24. As part of their BRAVO education outreach program, musicians of the orchestra travel to local elementary schools and share their talents and knowledge with children in second through fourth grade. Pictures to come!

Sunday, October 23, 2011

October highlights

All of the students in grades 1-5 have been exploring improvisation and composition. First graders are using autumn leaf colors to inspire their original speech pieces to be later turned into percussion arrangments. Second graders improvised original melodies using Sol Mi and La set to the nursery rhyme Bobby Shafto. This week they have had a great time moving like goblins to a drum beat and changing their shapes to look like frightened goblins. This activity encourages them to explore levels in vertical space (low, middle, high), their self-space (how small can they become? how much space can they fill with their bodies), and creative/dramatic movement.

Third graders are exploring triple meter through a Halloween-themed poem. We will set it to a melody in la pentatonic (a minor) and add movement and creative sound carpets for a final project.

Fourth and Fifth graders are busy working on group compositions using the C pentatonic scale and an established set of rhythm patterns for them to create, compose and notate on the staff. These compositions, along with the other grade level projects will be shared with their peers and recorded and uploaded to our BT music website as a podcast.

A new page and a new look!

Please stay tuned for more updates here and on the BT teacher websites!