Happy Halloween!

We've had so much fun singing and moving to Halloween songs!

Kindergartners were excited to finally be able to bring home their Halloween mobiles. After creating movements to represent Halloween characters, kindergarten students decorated mobiles with six creatures.

una calabaza-pumpkin
una calabaza con cara-jack 'o lantern
la bruja-witch
el fantasma-ghost
el gato negro-black cat
el murciélago-bat

The second graders added spooky voices to the poem "Spooks and Spirits" and turned it into a round. They then worked in groups to create movements for each character in the poem.







The fourth graders got some extra (fun) recorder practice as they sang and acted out the traditional folk song "Skin and Bones."



And, of course, the special teachers had a bit of fun for the Halloween parade!

Recorder Fun

The third graders are having a great time learning to play the recorder. They are focusing on playing the notes B, A, and G with no squeaking.

How do you prevent squeaking? First, make sure the proper holes are fully covered with your fingers. Second, make sure you are not blowing too hard. We want to play with warm air, not cool air, to produce beautiful music.

I directed students to the Recorder Karate website. Here they can log in and play along with all of their Recorder Karate songs. Please log on with your child and have a look around. Who knows, maybe you'll want to start playing too!

Peaceful Sights, Peaceful Sounds

Once again the Lower Division joined together to celebrate the International Day of Peace.

Students shared original poems about peace and all joined together to sing Pete Seeger's If I Had a Hammer.

After placing writings and illustrations out by the flag pole we all left the ceremony in silence.

Fun With Rhythms

The first graders have been reading, writing, and playing some great rhythms this year! Friday they worked in groups to figure out four mystery rhythms. The first graders then performed these rhythms for the class.

Untitled from Valerie Díaz Leroy on Vimeo.

"It Don't Mean a Thing if it Ain't Got That Swing"

We are certainly back in the swing of things! All students have been singing Pete Seeger's If I Had a Hammer in preparation for the International Day of Peace. Their homework has been to share with you that they are learning this song. Here is a link to lyrics and two videos to help you sing If I Had a Hammer together!

The kindergartners are having so much fun learning Spanish through The Arts. Last week we reviewed greetings and how to introduce yourself to a new friend. This week is all about los colores.

rojo
anaranjado
amarillo
verde
azul
morado
rosa
negro
café
blanco (white-which won't show up on this background)

Welcome back!

The campus is full of songs and laughter. It is so nice to have our students back! We began the year with our safety drills and discussing the rules of the music room. Please take a moment to review these with your child.

1. Please enter the music room quietly and make a circle.

2. When a teacher is talking please listen and show respect.

3. When a classmate is talking please listen and show respect.

4. Please raise a quiet hand to ask a question or to make a comment.

5. Be safe! Please do not run in the music room.

6. Please play the instruments only when asked.

7. HAVE FUN!

It already feels like this is going to be a wonderful year!

Celebrating The Arts

April is national jazz appreciation and national poetry month. This year Shorecrest made April Celebrate The Arts month! Though our Arts focus in Early Childhood and the Lower Division was last week, students have been taking in the Arts all month with museum visits. Here is a brief run down of the week/month. You may click on links in this post that will direct you to more detail of each activity.

Museum visits:

Early Childhood - Museum of Fine Arts
Kindergarten - Morean Arts Center
First Grade - Raymond James Art Collection J
Second Grade - Museum of Fine Arts
Third Grade -Architecture Tour of Downtown St. Petersburg
Fourth Grade - Ringling Museum of Art

Monday, April 11:

• Sneak peak of Singing in the Rain
• Vicki Scuteri Jazz Quartet featuring Vicki Scuteri (vocals/violin), Peter Suarez (percussion), Ben Winkler (piano), and Joe (bass)

Untitled from Valerie Díaz Leroy on Vimeo.

Tuesday, April 12:

• Vicki Scuteri Jazz Quartet featuring Vicki Scuteri (vocals/violin), Peter Suarez (percussion), Ben Winkler (piano), and Jen (bass)
• Picture Lady
  

Wednesday, April 13:

• Yum Yum Drums
• Tour of student artwork

Thursday, April 14:

• USF Jazz Quartet featuring Paul Keesling (drums), Masayoshi Ishikawa (piano), Richard Jimenez (bass), and Bradley Samore (trumpet)
• Tour of student artwork
  

Friday, April 15:

• Visiting artist teach-in
• EC-4th grade performances
• Picnic Lunch with families
• Tour of student artwork
  

Spring has sprung!

Welcome back. I hope you all had a fun and relaxing spring break. I took a trip to Amsterdam with my mom to see the sights and visit friends. I had a blast learning how kaas (cheese) is made and how klompen (clogs) are carved. My favorite part of the trip was our evening at Het Concertgebouw. We heard a concerto by Beethoven and Mozart's Symphony no. 40. It was a magical evening.

In the Studio

Second and fourth grader spent the month to February writing and recording songs in class.

The second graders sang and danced to the English folk songs The Noble Duke of York and A-Hunting We Will Go. Each student then wrote his or her own rhyming verse for A-Hunting We Will Go. One-by-one students recorded their song in Garage Band as their classmates illustrated pictures to compliment their own verse.

The fourth graders loved learning about the 12-bar blues. After a theory lesson, students played the 12-bar blues on the orff instruments. They had a blast creating their own rhythms to fit into the blues pattern.

12-Bar Blues
I I I I
IV IV I I
V IV I I

Once they were comfortable with the feel of the 12-bar blues, students wrote their own blues verse. The fourth graders chose to write both serious and funny blues verses. Students had to work quietly as they illustrated their songs so that classmates could record their song in Garage Band. What was the most difficult part of this project? Ask student and they'll tell you that it was listening to and analyzing their performances. Most students commented on how "funny" they sounded. They all sounded fabulous!

Heartwarming Performances

The third graders gave two moving performances of The American Dream by Roger Emerson and John Jacobson. Audiences learned about the many of the victories and struggles involved in the birth of the United States of America. Congratulations!

"We haz it folks!"

The fourth graders wowed audiences with their performances of "We Haz Jazz."

Not only did they light up the stage with their singing and dancing,

but they created the set as well!
When Thelonius Monk took the stage there was not a dry eye in the house!

The second graders are learning Fanga Alafia, a song from West Africa. During the instrumental break they practiced creating polyrhythms, the simultaneous sounding of two or more rhythms. Students broke into groups to create these rhythms and then performed them for each other in class.
The second graders will be singing Fanga Alafia for Grandparents and Special Friends Day.

And, here is a sneak peek at We Haz Jazz. The fourth graders can't wait until Friday!

Untitled from Valerie Díaz Leroy on Vimeo.

Breaking News for Rick Riordan Fans

If you love Rick Riordan and don't follow his blog you should. I just found out that book two in the Kane Chronicles will be released on May 3rd of this year. Yeah! If you head on over to Rick's blog, Myth & Mystery, you can follow a link to read the first chapter of The Throne of Fire for the next 24 hours only!

A Great New Year

Often, when returning from a long vacation, we have some catching up to do when classes start up again. My music student have not missed a beat since they've been back to school! The fourth graders are eager to perform We Haz Jazz at the end of the month. Students have seen singing, dancing, and acting up a storm in preparation. Below are pictures from our first "actors meeting." I was so impressed to hear the emotion in the fourth grade voices. They have truly taken on their characters!

Stack the States

As a young girl I traveled a lot with my mom. My favorite trips were to Ecuador and Japan. In high school we visited Europe a number of times. However, it wasn't until I hit my 30s that I began to explore the Unites States. This is when I realized my awareness of world geography is much stronger than my knowledge U.S. geography. Enter Stack the States. I came across this geography game over the break. The game helps players (young or old) identify states by shape, name, and bordering territories. It's available for the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Give it a try!

Images from http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/stack-the-states/id381342267?mt=8