2013 - Moving forward as we honor our past

Lower Division students rang in the new year by paying tribute to influential American musicians. Class lessons translated beautifully to the stage as students performed for captive audiences.

The second graders loved learning about the origins of Country music with Quaver's help. In this episode students learned about Bill Monroe, a mandolin player and the Father of Bluegrass. The second graders loved watching video of Bill Monroe and his lightening fast fingers. We then watched a performance of Claire Lynch (singer, songwriter, and a teacher of mine) singing "My Florida Sunshine," one of my favorite songs. As they watched, the second graders started singing along with the chorus and were excited to learn that they would be performing this song for Grandparents and Special Friend's Day. I loved hearing conversations between child and grandparent about bluegrass music after their performance.

Grandparents & Special Friends Day 2013 from Charger Shorecrest on Vimeo.

The fourth graders wowed audiences with their performances of We Haz Jazz. During the show students explained the origins of Jazz music and the contributions of many Jazz musicians. Here is a highlight of the show.

We Haz Jazz - 4th Grade Program from Charger Shorecrest on Vimeo.

I am so proud of my students. Can you believe the year has only just begun?!

Third Graders Recorders

The third graders are having a blast playing the recorders.

They have learned how to properly play the notes B, A, and G and are working together to play "Hot Cross Buns."

I love watching my students help each other. I believe you have mastered a skill once you have the ability to teach it to someone else.

IMG 0165 from Valerie Díaz Leroy on Vimeo.

If you were wondering what hot cross buns are...

YUM!

Here is a link on how to make your own recorder case. All you need is a 1/4 yard of your favorite fabric!

If you would like to play along with the Recorder Karate songs, you may do so at this website. Please email me for the username and password.

Feeling Blue?

The fourth graders have a bad case of the blues. They can't help it! They've spent the last two weeks learning about the origins of the blues, how to build the 12-bar blues, and playing along to the blues. 

MVI 8572 from Valerie Díaz Leroy on Vimeo.

After playing the blues, students began write the lyrics to their own blues songs. Most people say you have to have lived a long life to be able to understand the blues. But, these fourth graders have some really sad tales to tell!

Colors All Around!

The kindergartners have had a really great start to the year reviewing all their Spanish basics. Our unit on colors kicked off with Jose-Luis Orozco's song "El Balie de los Colores." Students (and the teacher) had to work hard to sing color names fast enough to keep up with the song! We then explored our environment to find colors all around. The catch, students could only let me know that they found their color in Spanish.

It's Good to be Back!

I had the most amazing summer. Why? Because much of it was spent with your children, or in professional development workshops so I can better teach your children! Señora Bockman-Pedersen and I started off the summer with our first ever field trip to Puerto Rico. We had an amazing time speaking Spanish, learning about the culture and history of the island, and forming deeper bonds with Shorecrest families.

 My favorite part of the trip was hiking through Tanama Woods and zip lining for the first time. Thank you to all my former students who encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone and try something new.

Mrs. Bell and I taught two camps this summer-Beading and Sewing. It still amazes me how creative our students are. Though I spend much of my free time beading and sewing, campers dreamed up and completed projects that never could have come to my mind!

In between all of this I attended two music workshops in Tennessee. I studied vocal and instrumental music and received instruction on how to arrange musical groups, developing the voice, and over coming stage fright. It is so important to live in the same type of environment I put my students into every day. I hope to be the living model of what I am teaching and what I want your children to learn in my classroom. As an added bonus, I had the opportunity to perform at the world famous Station Inn with one of my favorite musicians, Claire Lynch.

I cannot wait for the year to progress so I can watch your children grown into even stronger and more confident musicians!

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!