The Bluffsview Beat: What’s Happening in the Music Room?

 

• I’m Back! I missed my Bluffsview family while on maternity leave, but was so thankful to have the time with our new family. Baby Benjamin is doing well and we are thrilled that he is so happy and healthy. Mr. Tipton was a wonderful substitute and I am pleased that our Bluffsview students made him feel so welcome. He spoke very highly of our students and staff every time I talked to him. Thank you for doing your best with Mr. Tipton as your guest music teacher.

 

• Concert Dates for 2015:
• Third Grade, January 29th at 1:30pm and 7:00pm
• Fifth Grade, March 26th at 1:30pm and 7:00pm
• Music Makers, May 11th at 1:30pm and 7:00pm

 

• Congratulations to the Fourth Grade on a wonderful performance as part of the Veterans Day Assembly.  I heard that you did a marvelous job!

 

• Cub Clubs will start in January 2015: If you are in 4th, 5th, or 6th grade and wondering about Music Makers, we will start once we return from Winter Break.  Listen to the morning announcements for the date of our first meeting.  I will also be starting a Ukulele Club this year as well.  More details on that in January!

 

Musically Yours,

 

Mrs. Daubney

“If you can Walk, you can Dance.  If you can Talk, you can Sing.” ~African Proverb

Welcome Baby Benjamin!

I have been on maternity leave this fall and am finally back at Bluffsview!  It was a blessing to be able to spend time with baby Benjamin, who arrived four weeks early and on MY birthday! He has visited school a couple of times already and has loved it!  Thank you to all the Bluffsview Bears who were so great for my substitute, Mr. Tipton, while I was gone.  It's wonderful to be back!

Feeling "Happy"

I've shared videos from the group, "Penatonix" before, but this one is relatively new.  This is their take on the popular song, "Happy" by Pharrell Williams from the soundtrack to the movie Despicable Me 2.

Speaking of Pharrell Williams, did you catch his interview on the CBS Sunday Morning show?  In his interview, he made a point of thanking all of the music teachers he had growing up, saying he would not be where he is today without their help.  To read more about his interview, click here.

As the school year comes to a close, I hope that you are "feeling happy" and can turn your thoughts and feelings into positive behaviors and actions.  Have a great last two weeks of school.

Music Makers present "At The Bandstand!"

Final Reminder for Music Makers!                               

 What:    Performances for “At The Bandstand!”

 
Date:     Monday, May 5^th, 2014
 
Time:     1:30 and 7:00 PM

Parents are welcome at both performances.  Call time for the evening performance is 6:45 PM.  Students should report to the music room and leave personal items with parents.

 Where:                Bluffsview Gymnasium

 Dress:

Music Makers T-Shirt, Jeans (rolled up or capris), Sneakers

            Boys: Sunglasses and hair gel (if allowed)
            Girls: High ponytail if possible or half-ponytail if not

4th Grade Instrument Project 2014

Fourth Graders recently discussed the science of sound and how it relates to instruments. All instruments can be classified scientifically one of four ways, based on how their sound is produced: Chordophones (vibration of strings), Aerophones (vibration of air), Membranophones (vibration of skin), or Idiophones (vibration of self).


Students have the assignment of constructing an instrument of their own, must be able to identify their instrument's scientific classification, and must complete written directions for the construction of their instrument.

Instruments and Written Directions are due:

Rankin – Monday, April 28^th

Wharton – Tuesday, April 29^th

Wright – Wednesday, April 30th

Students will be given time in music class to browse information on instrument construction as well as make notes for their ideas. In addition, the following websites have wonderful ideas to assist in this project:
How to make an African Drum
Artists Helping Children
E-How videos on instrument construction
How Stuff Works
Busy Bee Kids Crafts
Making Musical Instruments on essortment.com
Mudcat Kids
Family Crafts from About.com
Family Fun instrument crafts from Spoonful.com
Nancymusic.com
Rhythmweb.com Homemade instruments

I hope this list is helpful! AND I can't wait to see what instruments make their way into my room in the next weeks! Good Luck!

Vivaldi's Winter with Disney's Frozen - by The Piano Guys

Wow, I know that the Disney movie, "Frozen" is wildly popular because of it's story line and the excellent music.  Check out this video I found by one of my favorite groups, The Piano Guys: 

 



We frequently study the music of Baroque composer, Antonio Vivaldi, particularly his Four Seasons concerto.  The "Winter" section is used in Kindergarten and often in 6th grade.  What a creative way to mix up music that is from the early 1700's with the music of today!

For those interested, here is a full performance of the Winter section of Vivaldi's Four Seasons Violin Concerto:

3rd Grade Music Program Coming Soon!

It’s Almost Showtime!

 “Stone Soup!” 

Who: 3^rd grade students and families

 When: Tuesday, March 25^th at 1:30 and 6:30 PM

·      Call time for the evening performance is 6:15 PM. Students should report to the music room and leave coats and personal items with parents.

 Where: Bluffsview Gymnasium

 Dress: Students should wear jeans and a solid colored top.  Any color will work.  Shoes should be comfortable for dancing in.

Possible Calamity Day? Blizzard Bag Information!

Well, winter just keeps on coming!  In the event that there is a Calamity Day on Monday, March 3rd 2014, Bluffsview students will be responsible for completing make-up assignments.  In that case, students from the following classes will be affected:

Grade 3 - Monroe
Grade 1 - Sciulli
Grade 6 - Hale
Grade 4 - Wright
Grade 2 - Grabosky

Assignments will be uploaded to the Bluffsview webpage by noon.  But I have provided an additional link to the assignments saved in my Dropbox account.  To access the assignments, click on the link below.

Music Blizzard Bag Assignments

Students have TWO WEEKS to complete the assignments in turn them into me.

New Time for 3rd Grade Music Program

The previously listed performance time for the 3rd grade show was 7:00 PM.  Due to a conflict with a band concert that was scheduled on the same night, we have elected to move our concert time to 6:30 PM so that families with students in both performances can make it to the 7:30 PM band concert.

Thank you for your flexibility and understanding.

Welcome Back!

Welcome back after an extended winter break!  It's taken me a bit to get into the swing of things with all those "Wind Chill" days.  But - there's no time to waste because exciting things are happening in the Music Room!

• Fifth Graders are putting the finishing touches on their show, "Why Mosquitos Buzz in People's Ears" to be performed on Thursday, January 30th at 1:30 and 7:00 PM.  Based on the same West African folk tale as the award-winning book, the show is sure to be a hit.  Students are reminded to wear all black for the performance and to continue to work on your memorization in our last few weeks!

• Third Graders have started to work on their show, "Stone Soup!" which will be performed on Tuesday, March 25th at 1:30 and 7:00 PM.  This is also a famous folk tale.  More details to come on this performance.

• Not to be left out, the Music Makers will soon begin work on their spring show, which will feature some favorite hits from the 1950's and 1960's.  Their concerts will be Monday, May 5th at 1:30 and 7:00 PM.

• Coming soon to a Music Room near you.... The Music Olympics!  Be prepared for challenging events and fun!