October Update

The Music room has been rocking in rhythm!  All of the kids in grades Kindergarten-4th grade have been learning new rhythms.  The entire school district is changing the music counting system, and I am teaching the children to phase in the new counting names.  So they kids may come home saying "Du,  Du-De" instead of "Ta, Ti-Ti" like in the past.

The fifth graders have been coming up with dances to show the Rondo form they have been learning about.  In mixed groups, they have created amazing performances that they are sharing this week and the next.

Soon on the horizon?  The 2nd grade concert.  They will be showcasing the things they have learned over the past year and a half on their concert November 15th.  You will see the children singing, dancing, and playing instruments.  Each child will have a special part in the performance, weather it be a speaking part, an instrument part, a special prop to share, or a dance part.  I believe that each child has a musical gift, and the performances help them show off those talents.

It was fun to watch our fabulous Fry students perform in the past week at the Fry Idol night.  The auditions were fabulous, and I enjoyed seeing their talents shine.

Excited for School? I AM!

Welcome back to school, 2011-2012! Here's an important and time sensitive announcement for families of fourth and fifth graders~

Are you thinking of having your 4th or 5th grader join chorus?  There is a parent informational meeting at Waubonsie Valley High School for you to attend on Wednesday, August 24, at 6:00-6:45pm.  It will include a short performace from high schoolers, testimonials from 3 of our very own FRY students, and a chance to meet the teacher of your child's choir. (That's me--Mrs. Whitney!) The short presentation is packed full of information about the chorus program not only at elementary school, but how it develops into middle school at Scullen and the Grammy Award winning high school programs like Waubonsie Valley that our school district is so proud of.

Please be aware, this presentation is also happening at Matea Valley and Neuqua Valley High Schools as well, so if you are unable to attend at Waubonsie, you can catch it at one of the other buildings that same night. 

Information about joining chorus will be coming home with your fourth or fifth grader the first two days of school. 

I hope to see you there!
Mrs. Whitney

And We're Back in 5....4....3...

Just two weeks to go everyone!  Are you ready for a brand new school year?  I AM!

As always, I've already been to school in early August making preparations for the new school year.  Selecting music, setting up the classroom, hanging posters, and getting the calendar ready for a musical year are all tasks I like to take on way before school begins.  I'm excited to see the children again-who have grown up a bit over the summer- and challenge them with new musical concepts.  And of course, I can't wait to meet our newest students, the Kindergarteners. The remind me of how it all begins... fresh, wide-eyed, and ready to take on the world.

I'll be seeing you on August 22nd,
Mrs. Whitney

I Could Have Danced... All Day!

Ah.....Dancing!  The perfect combination of Music and PE, linked together for the children to learn.  Rhythm, steady beat, tempo, on/off beat, pattern, form; the list goes on.  Dance encompasses so many of the skills we teach in the music room that it would be a shame not to include this in our yearly lessons.

For the next two weeks, I take my students and combine with the PE classes so that we have anywhere from 50 to nearly 100 students in the gym dancing and learning together.  Mrs. Treptow and I have planned for the next two weeks to be a wonderful experience for the kids.  This will be happening from November 29th through December 10th.

We have all the children, kindergartners through 5th graders, meeting in the gym for Music and PE to experience many types of dance.  We teach social dance, circle dances, square dances, folk dances, country and line dances as well.  They are great exercise for the children.  Once they get moving, they keep moving until the music finishes!  And as teachers, we keep them moving right into the next song.

Chorus and Orff Ensemble are gearing up for the concert on  December 9th.  They are very excited to present their musical selections to the audience.  Look for another email to come home early the week of the concert with reminders for the concert.