First Week Fifth Grade

For all those parents who wonder what their students are doing for the third quarter, other than recess, lunch, math, science, language arts and social studies, here is a place to find out.  This is the first week of music for fifth grade students at YMS.  The lions and tigers team, or "ligers" or "Oz" team will have music this week and gym next week and then will continue to alternate for the rest of the year.  The Panthers team has gym this week and music next week and will alternate for the rest of the year as well.  Yesterday was the first day of music class, because Monday, of course, was a holiday.  We jumped right into the musical fray, as it were, and we will continue at this pace for the rest of the school year.

Introductions were quickly and perfectly accomplished, expectations laid out, and then we began to sing, "Get on your feet".  We discussed the meaning of this song.  Most people get it right away, it is, yes, about getting out of your own way, letting the past go, and starting fresh.  Let's forget about the past, let's jump into the present and make it exciting and full of positive energy and full of learning and enthusiasm for a new day.  I love this song by Gloria Estafan and the Miami Sound Machine https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPOSGVUYgVQ because it is full of wonderful rhythms, it is great to teach the salsa with, and there are great examples of what one might do with different DYNAMICS in this piece.

After our discussion about new beginnings, and after showing the students how to read a song and how to understand repeats, and d.c. al fines and so forth, we then discussed the idea of dynamics. What are dynamics in music?  They are the loudness and softness of sound.  The students speak the definition as a chorus, using their voices at different dynamic levels depending on the word.  We discuss what types of dynamics you might use for different types of music, or different emotions..soft for sad or tired, loud for excited or angry.  Dynamics show emotion, expressiveness, and create contrast in a piece of music.

The project they are now working on is to show that they know what "pianissimo, piano, mezzo piano, mezzo forte, forte and fortissimo" mean.  They work with a group of four people (or fewer) to create a composition that includes all those dynamic levels.  They work in class and collaborate with their group, they practice it, and then they finally perform it for the class.  I look forward to working with them on these projects and I know I will enjoy their compositions.  They seem very enthusiastic about this endeavor, and the challenges that go with it, so I am sure they will show me very quickly how they have processed these terms and have learned how to use them in a piece of music of their own creation.