Ludwig van Beethoven

Did you know that Beethoven became deaf at the age of 32? But that didn't stop him from composing music. He composed some of his most famous works after he became deaf! Think about when things get hard for you? It might be easy to give up, but you might just find your greatest successes after the going gets tough.

solfège

Our first graders are beginning to learn a little solfège. Ask them to show you the hand sign for so, mi, and la. Be prepared to be impressed!  

Let's Keep the Beat

One of the very first skills we start to develop is to find the beat of a song, and show that with our bodies (stepping our feet, tapping our hand etc). This practice begins on day one of Kindergarten and does not stop. We are constantly focusing on this skill. Not only is it essential for other musical skills to build on it, but it appears that other skills rely on one's ability to keep the beat. A recent study found this: "There is increasing evidence that rhythm abilities track with reading performance and that language disorders such as dyslexia are associated with poor rhythm abilities."

It might be worth a second to check this out. Music education is important! 

Teddy Bear Picnic - Kindergarten ONLY

Kindergarten Parents,

Please remember that we will be having our Teddy Bear Picnic on Wednesday, February 4 and Thursday, February 5 (Depending on which day your child attends music). Your child will need to bring their favorite teddy bear along with them to music! We will be singing Teddy Bear,

We will be doing a full day of fun activities that your child can do with his/her bear that reinforces what we have been learning about in music! Thanks for your support. 

- Mrs. Frame

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

This week we learned about another famous composer - Mozart. We listened to and danced to a portion of the Overture to "The Magic Flute". Did you know this was from an Opera? The opera tells a story.

The Magic Flute tells the story of an adventurer, Tamino, who is sent by the Queen of the Night to rescue the queen’s daughter, Pamina. Tamino finds Pamina and (of course) falls in love; in the mean time he learns that the queen is the true villain. Before he can claim his beloved he must undergo three ordeals, which he survives with his strange sidekick, the half-man-half-bird Papageno (played by Schikaneder in the original production). The mystical plot resounds with Masonic imagery and lore, yet it also functions as a quintessential Romantic comedy, with both men finding partners and the villain getting her comeuppance. (source)

Want to listen to Mozart's Overture to "The Magic Flute" again? Click here.