The students have really been awesome on ukuleles this year! To wrap up ukuleles this year, the students have worked together to create their own arrangements of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight." Each group discussed how the songs would begin, which instruments would play when, and how the songs would end. I am so thrilled with their whole class arrangements. Further, each students selected which instrument they really wanted to learn well, such as ukuleles, recorders, or xylophones. Some students even learned more than one part. But for the recording, they were able to decide what they felt comfortable to contribute. Great work, 4th graders!
0 Comments
With so much going on in the music room, it can be so hard for me to keep up with pictures and recordings! But here are some random things we've been doing!
The students in 4th grade (and the 3rd grade split kids) are learning about Harmony! Harmony can be summed up by two or more pitches (high and low sounds) put together that sound good. We are reviewing a few different ways of creating harmony, which were actually learned in 3rd grade. These include singing a song in a Round, singing Part Songs, and playing Chords. A round is one melody, sung together but starting at different times. A Part Song, is two different melodies sung together at the same time, and chords are 3 or more pitches played together that are usually played in the background, by pianos/guitars/etc. Below are some examples of the students creating harmony.
Since Thanksgiving Break, the 4th graders have been working on their own compositions. The students were asked to create their own piece of music that changed textures in some way. Check out the guidelines below. The texture chart seen above uses visuals to illustrate how the music may add sounds or take sounds away. For example, #3 demonstrates one part starting (red lines), and 4 more parts gradually coming in (green squiggle, blue swirls, etc.). #1 demonstrates parts adding in and then taking away. #4 shows how textures could change from section to section in music. So, their A sections might include certain textures, but their B section may change completely or change just a couple. The students did not have to follow a chart exactly, but could use these charts for ideas. Below are the results of their hard work!
Over the years, the students have learned how music consists of various sections or parts of a song. Traditionally, these sections have been referred to as the A sections, B sections, Introductions, etc. In popular music, they are called verses, choruses, etc. When you label all the sections of a song in order, musicians refer to it as the Form of the music, or how the music is organized by sections. Some songs only consist of A's and B's, referred to AB form, and some music may have many more sections.
This year, we are expanding our understanding to more than just AB form. Below are some pictures of the students working in groups to decipher the order of sections, or the form, with form cards. The 4th graders (and the 3rd grade combo class) have been working hard as they learn about textures in music. The music we listen to is full of various textures (or layers of sounds). Music composers get to make the important and exciting decisions of choosing instruments and sounds for their songs, and then ultimately they decide which rhythms and melodies will played by the instruments or sound makers. We've listened to several examples of music where the textures are changing throughout a piece. Pipedream, by Animusic, is one of those fun examples. Here are also some examples of a fun Halloween song we played together, which included various xylophone textures. Through this Halloween song, we discovered the challenge of layering various sounds together in an ensemble! But it was fun, and perfect for getting in the Halloween spirit!
Welcome back to the 2018-19 school year! This year, we have started with a focus on musical textures. Our goal is to analyze the musical textures (or layers of sounds) in several different pieces. Then, we will have ideas on how musicians layer instruments and layers together to create unique texture combinations in their compositions and arrangements. Once we analyze how professionals do it, then we can better make decisions on how we might choose instruments and textures for our own musical creations!
Once we create our own songs, we will perform, record, and post the compositions for you to hear! The 4th Graders spent the last few weeks composing music. This project required the students to create a piece of music that had 2 distinct sections, or an A and B sections. They could use whatever instruments they would like, but had to utilize at least one melody instrument to create a melody for one of the sections. The other section could be more rhythmic if they desired, utilizing unpitched percussion instruments.
Click the link below to listen to their compositions. Only RCS google accounts can access the google drive folder. https://drive.google.com/open?id=11lkNUnyGtpPnGVjZWrCHxaOjyVzhA27k After an exciting unit based on textures in music (or layers of sounds), the students had the opportunity to create their own piece of music that changed texture in one way or the other. Therefore, they could not just play a song with instruments that all played all the time. They had to decide how they were going to change the texture. Most groups chose to start with one texture, and add more and more as the song went along. Some groups decided to have different parts that included different textures. Either way, the students enjoyed coming up with their songs and performing for their classmates!
Halloween night puts together 3 different xylophone textures. 4 textures, if you include the singing. However, singing and playing can definitely be a challenge sometimes! They did great, though. I am very proud!
|
Archives
May 2019
Categories |