Symphony Choir

Welcome back everyone! Hope you all had a fabulous winter break!! We are back into the swing of things at LM and one of the groups that is getting on things right away is the Symphony Choir. We are 25 Grade 5 music students who have signed up for the music club at the beginning of the year or showed interest in having some musical enrichment opportunities. We are very excited to be a part of a 200 voice choir made up of students from the Pembina Trails School Division!!! We will be singing with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra on February 18th and we have a lot of work to do. We started talking about the choir, trying on sizes for shirts, and took a look at the songs that we will be singing. I am very excited about the music! One of the songs we will be singing is called "One Voice" written by Manitoba born Ruth Moody of the Wailin' Jennys. It is a really nice song and I thought I would post a video of them singing it for you.

Holiday Windows

Our 2014 Holiday Concert "Holiday Windows" was a big success! Thank You to everyone who worked so hard to make our concert so amazing. The kids all sang their hearts out and the dancing and recorder playing was beyond anything I could have imagined. So many staff and teachers helped and I am very grateful for all their hard work for our students. So now we have two weeks to relax and learn some new holiday music.

A Wish for Peace

This year our Grade 3-5 Choir will be singing "A Wish for Peace" at our Remembrance Day Service on Friday November 7th. In light of the tragic events in our country in the last week or so, this message is even more important as we gather to remember all the brave people who served and fought for our country as well as the many people in service today. Enjoy and believe that this song is helping us to instill in the children what we wish for our community and world around us. The choir may use this video to practice for our assembly next week.

Treble Clef Note Names

It's very exciting time in the music classroom and the Grade 4's and even the Grade 3/4's are anxiously awaiting their recorders this week. Up until this point, we have been working hard getting to know the treble clef note names so that we can read the music we are about to play on the recorder. This is like another language and it often hard to remember without constant practice and reminders. I have many websites on the right hand side column of this blog under "Favourite Music Links" that can help you practice the note names in a fun way. Soon reading the notes on the staff will be something you know how to do like reading a book or math. Here is also another link to check out with a list of games and some fun videos! http://www.midnightmusic.com.au/2014/08/30-fun-ways-to-teach-the-notes-of-the-staff-using-technology/

Orff

In our classroom I primarily use the Orff approach to teaching music. Many people ask and wonder what this means so I thought I would do a post on this today to clear up any questions people may have. It all started with a man names Carl Orff. He was a composer and had a vision for how to teach children music. The following are two quotes from the AOSA: "Carl Orff and Gunild Keetman conceived an approach to building musicianship in every learner through the integration of music, movement, speech, and drama." "In Orff classrooms, children begin with what they do instinctively: play, imitation, experimentation, and personal expression occur naturally as students become confident, life-long musicians and creative problem solvers. The Orff approach to teaching is a model for optimal learning in 21st Century classrooms." This approach can be used to teach all styles and cultures of music which is something I think is very important. Here is a 2 minute video showing an example of what you might see from an Orff based lesson. I hope this is clear and informative! Teaching music to the students of Linden Meadows is very special and important to me. I take it very seriously and I know everyday when I walk through the front doors...that I have the best job ever!! Sincerely, Mrs. Dueck

Welcome!

Welcome back everyone and welcome to our new students! I am excited for new beginnings here at Linden Meadows in 2014-2015 and look forward to new lesson ideas, choir, holiday concert, assembly performances, festivals and a mini musical. Make sure you come by and tell me how your summer went if I didn't get to hear in class.

Samba!

This week a few of the classes are learning a little bit about the music of Brazil! Since the World Cup is going on right now in the massively beautiful country of Brazil, we thought this was fitting. How fun it is to learn about a different type of music called Samba! We have learned that Samba is the national dance of Brazil and 4 dance steps to use when we are singing to our new song "And We Dance". The video is of John Jacobson, a music educator and publisher teaching the students the 4 dance steps. Some students requested I post the video so they can practice at home!