Assembly coming up for grades 5 to 8, Grade 4 work

Grade 4

Students continue to enjoy working with Twinkle Twinkle. Because a parent made me aware that it can be difficult to support students at home when we are playing folk songs by ear, I think it prudent to return our focus to Smart Violin so that we are all working on the same material. This week I will introduce "Woke Up Early" on page 7. Students should practice this in addition to Green Light, Exercise in A Major, and the first 6 steps on pages 4 and 5 as appropriate (that is, if a child has mastered an exercise, she or he should not feel compelled to repeat it; she or he is welcome if motivated, and a child can also make challenges, trying to play it faster, coming up with new rhythms and the like).

We are still playing almost exclusively on the A and E strings in class (Twinkle, Twinkle, for example).

Students are working on note reading with Ms. Kenney in choir and some with their teachers outside of school. In January, we will have music stands in class. Students will bring Smart Violin to class. We will reprise the material we have learned thus far (giving some students another chance for mastery), moving fairly quickly to get to new material. At present, I draw the songs on the blackboard, using a story of a cat and a rooster and their journey. My goal is to help students become comfortable reading the shape of a melodic phrase so that when we take up note reading they avoid becoming stuck in reading note for note (much as we don't want students reading prose to become stuck sounding out every letter).

Grades 5 & 6

The ensemble sounded strong when we played without music for the Day of the Dead and when we performed for 4th grade. We will work on some of the songs we have less experience with--German dance and We Gather Together on pages 6 & 7 of Strings Extraordinaire. We will also continue working on an Irish jig by ear--I know it is a frustrating experience for some students (if they could just see the notes), but as a group they are doing well, and I think they will be well rewarded once their minds and fingers can retain the song. I intend that students will play familiar music such as Largo, Tumba, and Country Gardens as students and parents enter for the November assembly. They will also play new material if it is ready.

We may be joined by the 7th & 8th graders for these songs.

Ms. White asked me about the possibility of some strings students playing Bach's "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" with the choir at our Christmas Festival. I will play the melody for students tomorrow and pass out parts to students who want. The first violin part (and parts of the 2nd violin part) will likely challenge even our most proficient students. The viola and cello parts have their challenges, too, but they are free from the extended runs of triplets. As a first step, I'll ask interested students to take their parts (the violin parts have 1st and 2nd on front and back) to their private teacher to assess whether the challenge is a healthy one or too frustrating. If a small ensemble emerges, I will be glad to rehearse with them after school a time or two to prepare for our concert. I'm also willing to play along on first violin if that helps instill confidence in our students.

For students who like to or need to look ahead, know that we will play all of the Christmas music in Strings Extraordinaire when we return from Thanksgiving.

Grades 7 & 8

Hoping to inspire students to improvise on their guitars, I introduced vocal improvisation and scat singing, which a number of the students took too with great (and perhaps sometimes too much) enthusiasm as we provided festive and sacred music at the Day of the Dead altar.

As an experiment, I will provide chord charts for the classical and folk songs grades 5 & 6 will be playing at the November assembly. The guitars and violins, violas, and cellos blended well at Michaelmas, and I would like to see how they harmonize with other styles of music.

All students have received Rise Up Singing. Please send in cash or a check for $12. This book is your child's to keep. We will work on songs requested by students in this book, as well as working on other requests such as "Hey Jude," and, of course, more and varied children's songs for the nursery class.

For now, students should also keep the Backpacker's Songbook. It has a decent collection of Christmas music, which we will dive into after Thanksgiving.