In 2nd-5th grade we learned about songs of cowboys and the Wild West. There is a rich history of music and melodies that come from the time of cowboys moving cattle along the dusty trail. In second grade we learned two songs, "Lone Star Trail," and "Ragtime Cowboy Joe." When learning about "Ragtime Cowboy Joe," we discussed what the genre of ragtime was watched several videos of player pianos and ragtime music.
Maple Leaf Rag
Player piano playing "The Entertainer."
Third grade learned two cowboys songs named, "Railroad Corral," and "Texas Cowboy." 4th and 5th also learned cowboy songs and talked about Will Rogers and his rope tricks. Ask your child what their favorite cowboy song was.
In first grade we learn about pitch and how it can move from high to low and low to high. I often use songs to teach different musical ideas and knowledge. I used a song about a frog called, "The Little Green Frog," to teach about pitches that go from low to high. We then learned a song called "Leaves" to learn about songs that have pitches that go from high to low. First grade did a wonderful job singing and moving to these newly learned songs.
Can you name all 50 states? Can you name them in alphabetical order? That is something that the song, "The Fifty Nifty United States," helps our 3rd-5th graders learn. It seems like a very daunting song but they learn it very quickly and it becomes one of their favorite songs to sing. Below is a video of the song.
The composer of this song may come as a surprise but the Georgia native, Ray Charles, We talked about who Ray Charles is and some of his big hits. Hopefully this song will help our kids know the names of our states and hopefully next our capitals.
Last year the wonderful CFES PTO came to me and asked if there was something I would like for my classroom. I told them that I would love to have a classroom set of djembes and they made it happen.
We are already using them in our classes and below you can see a short video of 5th grade using them along withe song, "Haida."
It's going to be a great year in music. I am going to try very hard to keep my blog updated this year with what is happening in music class. If you have any questions or comments please feel free to contact me.
