We still have so much to look forward to and accomplish this school year. Our spring semester is filled with lots of musical opportunities and new concepts. We will welcome the Omaha Symphony to SPSL on Feb. 9th to perform our Pk-3rd grade students. The program is entitled “Mozart’s Missing Memory” and is part of their Mission Imagination concert series. If your student would like to make their own instrument to play along with the symphony, please bring them to their homeroom teacher no later than Feb. 8th.

Our 2nd and 4th graders are gearing up for their spring musical, “Off Their Rockers” and it is definitely going to get the audience moving and grooving. Please keep an eye out for information on the performance on March 21st as we get closer to the big debut.

3rd grade has begun 2-part singing with a particular emphasis on canons/rounds. Ask you student if they know what a canon is! They are also going to add 16th notes to their rhythm repertoire and continue to build on their solfege ladder. In the spring, they will begin their recorder unit.

1st grade is working on building songs using rhythm and pitch. They have begun their introduction to solfege with So and Mi. We will use them to learn lots of new songs both vocally and using instruments.

Kindergarten has begun their Orchestra Unit and we will be learning about the 4 instrument families and which instruments are in each. This will help them prepare for the orchestra performance on Feb. 9th, where they can see all of the instruments with their own eyes!

We have begun preparations for our Christmas programs in Kindergarten, 1st grade and 3rd grade! We do take breaks from the holiday preparations to continue with other music goals, but the performances also come sooner than we think. The 1st/3rd grade musical, “Once Upon a Christmas Light” will be December 14th at 7pm and the Kindergarten program will be on Dec. 21st at 11:15am (dismissed following their performance).

A letter and scripts have gone home with all third graders with information about morning rehearsals. Since it is their first experience backstage and in many cases, using mics, morning rehearsals give us the time and space to learn the ins and outs of being on the stage. If you lose your rehearsal schedule, please do not hesitate to reach out and I am happy to email you a copy.

2nd grade has been busy learning about dynamics and more rhythmic vocabulary. This builds upon their knowledge of the musical elements that they touched upon in 1st grade. They have loved singing the Forte/Piano song from Music K-8.

We are also having fun in each class tying in lots of fall rhythm activities and I know they are looking forward to playing “Pass the Pumpkin” in the coming weeks, as it is a favorite from year to year!

It has been a busy and fun start to the year with lots of instruments, singing and games!

Kindergarten is halfway through their farm unit where we focus on one animal each class with a new instrument. We also sing songs and play games based on the day’s animal. One of my favorite games is “Hunt the Cows.” Lots of laughter and giggles filled the room as we searched for the missing cows, but kept falling asleep. Ask your kindergartener to tell you what instrument was played to wake us up again!

First grade has been busy reviewing how to play barred instruments and using the to play ostinatoes along with songs and rhymes. They also learned about glissandos and played along with the rhyme “Hickory Dickery Dock.” Independent singing is a big focus in 1st grade as students are asked to sing their names, favorite color, etc. in a response. We read the book “Your Name is a Song” to prepare us. All of them have been doing a great job with this and it is always lovely to hear their voices shine! Soon they will begin preparing for the Christmas musical and getting t show off their beautiful singing even more.

Second grade has been reviewing solfege (Mi-So-La) and rhythms (quarter note/rest, eighth notes) from last year in preparation for learning some new additions this year. We are also doing a mini unpitched percussion unit this is always a hit (get it…)!

Third grade has been busy learning about whole notes to add to their rhythm knowledge and we have also been doing a lot of barred instrument accompaniment. They loved playing “Fuzzy Wuzzy” on the xylophones. We are currently doing a script read through for our Christmas musical in preparation for in-class auditions next week. All 3rd graders will have a part in the musical and they will get a chance to share with me whether they want a big speaking part or something small. However, we have been talking about how ALL roles are important and that we must all work together to make the show a success.

If you would like to support our music classroom by donating something from the Amazon Wishlist (linked on the right on my page), we would greatly appreciate your contributions to aid in our musical endevors!

This year we will put our super powers to work in the music room by playing instruments, improving our musical knowledge, playing musical games and performing. It is going to be an awesome year with lots of fun along the way!

This is my 5th year at SPSL and I am thrilled to teach our youngest music learners in grades K-3, while Mrs. Parker with teach grades 4-8 and Pre-k. We did make one big change this year with 1st/3rd grade performing their musical in December instead of the spring.

Important dates to plan for this year for K-3 Music:

Hello!

This time is fast approaching for many of our wonderful programs here at SPSL and although it is a very busy time, it is also a very exciting time.

The 5th/6th musical “Frozen Jr.” will be on Nov. 10th and all students will get a chance to see the amazing show during the school day on either Nov. 9th or 10th.

2nd and 4th grade are gearing up for their musical “The Grumps of Ring a Ding Town” and they have learned all of the the songs so far. Next on their plate is learning all of the choreography. 4th grade begins their morning rehearsals this week, so we can practice their acting/stage directions. Costume information will be shared out soon for both 2nd/4th grade

Kindergarten Christmas will be on Dec. 20th and we have been having such a fun time learning all of their songs. They are loving learning how to play the kazoo and have lots of other surprises in store for you!

Pk-2 is also getting ready for their performance on Dec. 20th and their songs for “Cookies and Cocoa Christmas” are going to be so precious.

1st and 3rd grade is continuing their regular music curriculum by continuing to play instruments and learning about rhythm (notes/rest values) as well as building their knowledge of solfege (Do, Re, Mi’s). I will be announcing their spring musical to them right before Christmas break.

Busy weeks ahead for all of us, but it is wonderful to see them share their gifts with the SPSL community!

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I am so excited to be back for another year of teaching music at SPSL. This marks my 4th year here and there hasn’t been a dull moment yet! I am so proud of all of the work we have done and I look forward to all of the exciting things we have in store. I will be teaching the Tues/Thurs Pk class this year as well as all students grades K-4. 3rd and 4th grade will also get to have Mrs. Parker once a week in addition to seeing me once a week.  This year is going to be filled with lots or singing, instruments, fun and of course wonderful musical performances!