What Are You Going to Do with All that Space??

I get asked this question frequently when people walk into my room for the first time.  My response is usually we are going to move!!  A big part of the Orff-Schulwerk Method is movement.  Movement can be anything from square dances to abstract interpretations of a piece of music to using our body to "feel" musical concepts.  In all grades this week we are doing a bit of steady beat review.  Steady beat is a foundational concept for music and movement.  It's the pulse of the music; sort of like a heartbeat.  

In 4th grade, we played a name game in which students kept the steady beat with tennis balls. They had to bounce the ball to the half note beat the whole entire time we played the game. Using the ball helped us to feel the beat and respond to it with our bodies in a new way.  And, for the most part, the tennis balls didn't get loose in the room!  

Don't you just love all that concentration??

Sing to the LORD a new song!

The exuberance of Psalm 96:1 is captured by the brand new 5th Grade Chorus.  Mrs. Ashley Childers (the Middle School and High School Chorus Teacher) and I team teach this group.  One of their responsibilities is to lead chapel.  The 5th graders in chorus will be speaking, reading, praying, and leading worship in just a few short weeks.  It was so awesome to see these kids singing praises to the Lord today, I just had to video a little of it.  Here they are, singing the end of a popular FPD chapel favorite, "Never Give Up!"  I am so excited to see how the Lord uses this team this year.  Prayer for the 5th Grade Chorus is always welcome! :)

Thank You!!

Mrs. Brittain's 3rd grade class helped me put together a special "thank you" video postcard for all the wonderful friends of FPD that helped make our new music room possible!  Thanks to all of you who support music and the arts at our school!  

Welcome to a New Year in the Viking Music Room

It is so wonderful to come back to school and see all the children after a fantastic summer!  I also had the opportunity to complete the final level of my Orff Schulwerk training.  I am now a certified Orff Schulwerk teacher.  I'm excited to share what I learned with the kids!

Three summers, two weeks each summer, and lots of learning!

We are starting off the year with names games and steady beat activities.  However, the biggest news is the music room itself.  We have official "moved in" to our brand new space in the Fine Arts Building addition.  The room will also be used as a rehearsal room for other performing arts, as it is the same size as the stage.  At 2,200 square feet organizing the room was no small feat!  Here are some before and after pictures of our new space.  You are all invited to come sing, dance, play, and create with us in the Viking Music Room!

The before...

More chaos...

The very first class to have music in the new room!

A view of one half of the clean, organized room.  There is a large rug on order that will bring lots more fun color!

50 States in Rhyme!

It's been a tradition at FPD for the 2nd grade classes to sing "The 50 States that Rhyme" for the End-of-the-Year Celebration.  This song names all 50 states in alphabetical order!  Since there are so many words, I'm positing the video here for any kids that would like to practice at home.  

It's a fun song, but it will twist up your tongue :) 

50 States that Rhyme (YouTube link)

QuaverMusic.com Update

***UPDATE ABOUT USERNAME*****

I just found out from Quaver that in a few weeks they will be changing the log in process so that only ONE person can be logged on under a username.  The "fpdmusic" username will still exist, however, if two students try to log on at the same time with it, they will be kicked out of the program.  

Again, this is a purely if your child wants to type thing.  I'm not requiring anyone to make an account. However, if your child is really into the composing aspect of the Quaver Music website, I would suggest maybe having him/her sign up for a private account.  You as the parent will receive an email that requires you to approve their sign-up.  It's very, very well monitored.  

You can read more under the FAQ section found on the Quaver homepage. 

QGrooves NEW Loops

I was so excited to see a few kids had gone on to the QGrooves site and made some songs!  This morning, I purchased about a dozen new loops for everyone to use.  They are under Latin, Funk, Electro, Pop, and a few in Hip Hop.  You might have to search for the loops I bought--I didn't get everything in every category.  I tried to go for the ones that had the highest popularity ratings.  

Happy composing!  

www.quavermusic.com