Choir reminders

This is a reminder that both choirs perform on Tuesday, December 14th at 7:00pm. Sixth Grade Choir should arrive in the music room at 6:30pm and Honor Choir at 6:45pm. Both choirs are also performing on Wednesday, December 15th at Crown Center. Honor Choir will perform at 5:00pm and 6th grade choir at 5:45pm. Students should wear their Honor Choir t-shirt, jeans, and tennis shoes.

Make a donation to help animals!

We will be collecting items up until this Friday, December 17th. Please drop
donations off in the music room.

Humane Society Wish List
XL Kong Toy
Liquid Laundry Soap
Humane Live Traps
Science Diet Maintenance Dog and Cat Food
Paper Towels
Gerber chicken and Gravy Baby Food
Bleach
Scotch Tape
Fleece Blankets
New and Used Towels
Newspapers
White and Color Copy Paper
Dog and Cat Treats
Dog and Cat Toys
Cat Litter
Clippers
Toilet Paper
Isopropyl Alcohol
Dawn Dish Soap
Pens and Pencils
Stamps
Post-It Notes
Dog collars and leashes, new or used (retractable leashes, too)
Plastic Kennels or Carriers, any size
35 Gallon Trash Bags

In-Kind Services Needed:
Mason
Professional Banner Printing
Brochure Printing
Floor Waxing Services


KSDS Wish List
Paper Towels
Puppy Blankets (37x37)
Kong toys, Black for strong chewers or BLUE for puppies
Clorox wipes
Clorox bleach
Cases of bottled water
Liquid hand soap
Colored ink pads
Heavy duty paper plates, cups, and plastic silverware
Swiffer duster refills
Big bath towels

Music Notes for December

Fifth Grade Music
Fifth grade students are busy discovering Native American culture through playing games and singing songs. We have listened to a traditional Athabascan bead-chant song, performed a Navajo singing game with drum accompaniment, and played a Comanche Hand Game song called “Eka Muda. We will soon play and improvise patterns along with a stick game from the Ute tribe. Within our unit, we have discussed the word texture in art and music, experienced some new rhythms, and connected to Social Studies class through discussion of Native Americans.

Fifth graders are also preparing for a performance in the D.A.R.E. graduation, which will be next Monday, December 6th at 7:00pm in the gymnasium. We hope you are able to attend this awesome event to honor fifth graders’ accomplishments in D.A.R.E.

6th Grade Music
Sixth grade students are currently in the middle of a rock unit. Within our rock unit, we have listened to, discussed, and sung rock songs from the 1950’s to now. We are currently working on playing mallet instruments along with a rock track. In the next couple of weeks, we will compose ostinatos along to accompany a contemporary rock song. Within our rock unit, students have been experiencing syncopated rhythms and repeating patterns in music.

Sixth Grade Choir
Sixth grade choir is looking forward to their next concert on December 14th at 7:00pm in the IS gymnasium (this will be a combined concert with the elementary school) and their performance at Crown Center on December 15th at 5:45pm. Crown Center information is due this Friday, December 3rd. Sixth grade students will also be performing at the Pleasant Hill Health and Rehab Center at 1:30pm on December 20th, 2010. Our final performance this semester will be for the school on December 22nd before we leave for holiday break.

**Honor choir will also be performing on December 14th at the IS, December 15th at Crown Center, and December 22nd for the school.

We look forward to bringing cheer to many people through the gift of music this holiday season!

Sing-cer-ely,
Mrs. Williams

No Honor Choir Rehearsal on 11-23 -10

Honor Choir Announcement:
We will not have rehearsal tomorrow, November 23rd.
Remember Crown Center forms are due no later than next Friday,December 3rd!
Our rehearsal schedule for the rest of the year is...
Tuesday, November 30th
Tuesday, December 7th
Tuesday, December 14th
Concert: Tuesday, December 14th, IS Gymnasium 7:00pm
Concert: Tuesday, December 15th, Crown Center
Honor Choir Party: Tuesday, December 21st!!!
Perform for school assembly: Wednesday, December 22nd.

Music Notes Newsletter for November

Music Notes for November

5th Grade Music
This is a reminder that all 5th grade students will be participating in our “Looking Glass into the Past” P.T.O. night on Tuesday, November 9th at 7:00pm. Students and parents will begin in the gymnasium where students will perform patriotic songs from 1850 – 1910 and a groovy dance from the 1970’s. Following this performance, parents and students will be invited to travel through time around the school to view artwork from the Middle Ages and inventions from 1940 – present. Since the P.T.O. night is an extension of elective class work, attendance is mandatory for all fifth grade students. If a student cannot attend, he/she can pick up a makeup assignment from the music room beginning on Tuesday, November 2nd. The assignment will be due to Mrs. Williams on or before Friday, November 12th, 2010. P.T.O. will be providing drinks and requests that 5th grade parents donate cookies to enjoy after the performance. 5A should drop off cookies in the art room and 5B in the music room on or before November 9th. We look forward to seeing you on November 9th!

6th Grade Music
Sixth grade students just completed their vocal unit in music class. We are now moving on to create ostinatos (repeating melodic and rhythmic patterns) to perform along with contemporary music. At the end of November, we will begin a guitar unit with our brand new guitars that P.T.O. provided for the Intermediate School! Thank you P.T.O.!

Sixth Grade Choir
Sixth Grade Choir gave an awesome performance on October 7th! We are now moving on to our new concert repertoire, which includes…
La Loo, La Low – a Christmas lullaby
Frosty Hand Jive – a fun choreographed snowman song, full of syncopation!
Christmas Time is Here – one of my personal favorites from “A Charlie Brown Christmas”
Carol of the Bells – Traditional Carol
Eja, Eja – means “Joy, Joy” in Latin, an upbeat song in a minor key that speaks of the joy of singing.

Sixth grade choir is looking forward to their next concert on December 14th in the IS gymnasium (this will be a combined concert with the elementary school), and their performance at Crown Center on December 15th.

Sing-cer-ely,
Mrs. Williams

Class updates

Fifth grade students are responsible for bringing a picture to class. Please see the link on the right regarding the assignment. Remember that our 5th grade P.T.O. performance is coming up on Tuesday, November 9th at 7:00pm in the IS gymnasium:).

Sixth grade students are having a vocal unit test this week and next week! Please see the test review on the right as well!

Awesome Concert!

Congratulations to all of the students who participated in the IS choir concert last Thursday, October 7th! I am so proud of your accomplishments! You were fabulous!

Honor Choir Party

In celebration of our awesome choir performance, Honor Choir will be having a party on Tuesday, October 12, 2010 from 3:30 - 4:30pm in the IS cafeteria.
Below is a list of items to bring.
Students with last names...
A - L: A favorite snack to share with others
M-P: A drink to share with others
Q&R: Napkins
S&T: Plates or bowls
U-Z: Silverware

We will NOT have rehearsal next Tuesday, October 19th due to parent teacher conferences. We will resume our normal rehearsal schedule on October 26th.

Crown Center Date

Our Crown Center date has been confirmed! Honor Choir will perform at 5:00pm and Sixth Grade Choir will perform at 5:45pm on Wednesday, December 15th. More information to come...

October Newsletter

Greetings from the music room!

Fifth grade students just finished with a rhythm unit that included playing with play-doh! Make sure to ask your child about this fun experience in the science lab! Students are now preparing for their fifth grade P.T.O. program which will be on Tuesday, November 9th at 7:00pm. Our theme this year is "Looking Glass into the Past,” and students will be working on different parts of the program in each of their specials classes (music, art, p.e., computer). Students will present their work from each of the classes at the P.T.O. program. For the music portion of the program, students will be performing patriotic boomwhacker songs and singing patriotic songs. Since it is an extension of classroom work and each students' contribution is important, students are required to attend the P.T.O. program. There will be a makeup assignment available one week before the performance if students choose not to attend.

Sixth grade classes are continuing to explore the voice in their vocal music unit! Students have been continuing to learn the song “Flight of the Grackles” in two part harmony. Sixth graders have also been using the scientific method in music class! We made “vocal models” out of a cup, a rubber band, and a straw. Students had to apply a steady stream of air to the rubber band, which caused it to vibrate, just like our own vocal cords. Students also tested to see if the thickness of the rubber band had an effect on the experiment. We will soon end our vocal unit and move on to an instrument unit.

Sixth grade Choir and Honor Choir will be performing on Thursday October 7th, 2010 in the High School Performing Arts Center at 7:00pm. The Middle School Choirs will be performing after our concert at 7:30pm. We hope you can make it for both of these fabulous concerts!

Sing-cer-ely,

Mrs. Williams

First Honor Choir Rehearsal!

Congratulations to all students who made the Honor Choir! Tuesday, August 31st is our first rehearsal from 3:30 - 4:30pm! Students will need to be picked up at 4:30pm on the Northwest side of the building by the music room doors. I will also be sending the Honor Choir handbook and a t-shirt order form home with students. Please make sure to return the t-shirt form and the signed handbook form to me by next Tuesday, September 7th, 2010.

September Newsletter

Music Notes Newsletter
Happy September to all! I’d like to share with you a bit of what is happening in the music classrooms…

Fifth grade students began the year talking about proper singing posture and singing the patriotic song “America.” We are now working on creating a piece of music in ABA form. The “A” section is the students’ names played in rhythm. The B section is each student’s own ostinato (repeating rhythm) composition. When we put the two sections together, it becomes a really fun piece of music! Students are playing their rhythms on various types of instruments such as the talking drum, conga, hand drums, buffalo drums, taos drums, shekere, cabasa, and gangokui. See if your child can describe some of these cool instruments to you!

Sixth grade classes are currently experiencing a vocal music unit! So far, we have discovered our individual vocal ranges and discussed and categorized different voice types through listening. We are just starting to delve into a piece of music titled “Flight of the Grackles” by Janet Gardner. We will discuss different elements of the music and then begin to sing the piece. All sixth grade students are invited to sing this song at our sixth grade choir concert on October 7th at 7:00pm in the HS auditorium! Other topics in our vocal unit will include the anatomy of the voice, the changing voice, and taking care of the voice.

Sixth grade choir students are really getting into their October 7th concert repertoire. We will be singing a variety of music include a piece in German, a piece in Latin, a Broadway show tune, and an African American Spiritual. In class, we have also been working on our sight reading skills, as well as proper posture, breath support, and vowel shapes.

Congratulations to students who auditioned for the Honor Choir! There were 85 students who auditioned this year, so I had a very difficult time choosing students. I would like to encourage any students who did not make the choir to keep working at singing. Try to increase your vocal range by doing roller coasters with your voice throughout the day. Challenge yourself in your music class to sing correctly and don’t be afraid to ask if you have any questions. To those of you who did make the choir, congratulations and I’ll see you at rehearsal on Tuesday!

I’d like to leave you with a quote that a colleague shared with me…
“There is a spirit in all music, the spirit has the ability to conjure up thoughts even pictures of something that happened or you wished would happen or you anticipate happening. Music has the ability to create ideas in you and me. It has the ability to encourage us to be creative.” Maya Angelou

Sing-cer-ely,
Mrs. Williams

August Newsletter

Music Notes

Welcome back to school, and welcome to a new year of wonderful music opportunities! I am looking forward to working with all students in fifth grade music, sixth grade music, sixth grade choir, and honor choir. We have many exciting programs ahead of us including choir concerts, P.T.O. concerts, community performances, and our awesome spring musical!

Please make sure to read the syllabus and choir handbooks that come home with your child on the first day of school. These will be helpful in describing the music course in which your child is participating, and will outline important performance dates. Please especially note that P.T.O. concerts are an extension of class work and are mandatory for all fifth and sixth graders on their corresponding dates. Fifth grade will perform on Tuesday, November 9th, 2010, and sixth grade will perform on Tuesday, March 8th, 2011. A makeup assignment will be available in the event that a student is not able to attend.

Remember that fifth and sixth grade students need to have a folder for music class. Colored folders on the school supply list are as follows…
5th grade
Armstrong-Purple Bradley-Red
Parson-Blue Lucht-Orange
Haight-Yellow Murray-Pink
Wilmoth-Green
6A-Purple
6B-Yellow

Also, if you have some extra pencils, the music room could use some!

If your child is interested in singing in our Honor Choir, have them sign up for a time on the music room door. Audition dates and times are listed below…

Tuesday, August 24th, 2010 from 7:00 - 7:50AM
Tuesday, August 24th, 2010 from 3:30 - 4:30PM
Wednesday, August 25th from 7:00 - 7:50AM
Wednesday, August 25th from 3:30 - 4:30PM

Get excited for a fabulous year!

Sing-cer-ely,
Mrs. Williams

Welcome Back!

Welcome back to the 2010-2011 School Year! I am so excited for music classes to begin! Please check out the updated information on this blog including open house letters, syllabus, choir handbooks, honor choir audition info., and performance dates. This is going to be an awesome year!
Mrs. Williams