Songwriting

In Year 6 we have been writing songs. We began by choosing a chord progression and then we layered our lyrics on top.  Finally we chose instrumentation that was suitable to our genre of music.

Here's a sample of Ella's work!

Congratulations Vocal Ensemble

On Friday the Vocal Ensemble traveled out to Rouse Hill Anglican College to participate in the Anglican Schools Choral Festival.  They represented our school superbly and sang absolutely beautifully.  Congratulations to all the members of the Vocal Ensemble on your hard work and dedication!

Enjoying some morning tea after our long bus trip.

Rehearsing our two songs on stage: 'How Can I Keep From Singing?' and 'Viva La Vida'

Rehearsing for the combined choir item with the other primary schools.

Rehearsing the combined choir item with everyone!

Recital Nights

All are welcome to attend our Winter Recital nights next Monday (6pm and 7pm) and Tuesday (6pm and 7pm) in the Loquat Valley School hall .  Our instrumentalists have been working very hard to prepare two wonderful nights of entertainment.  See you there!

Kindergarten - Duration

Kindergarten have started on a new unit on duration.  So far we've learned the difference between beat and rhythm.  We've learned that beat is a constant pulse (it stays the same) and rhythm is a pattern of short and long notes (it changes).  Ask your kindy child to see if they can remember the difference!

We're now being introduced to note values.  Ask your kindy child if they can tell you the names of the notes below!

Year 3 - Instruments of the Orchestra

Year 3 have been reflecting on their learning about the instruments of the orchestra.  We did the thinking routine "I used to think...But now I think..." to help us to identify the things we had learned so far in our unit.  Here are some of our answers:

"I used to think that the piano wasn't part of the orchestra, but now I think that the piano is part of the percussion section because it is hit" - Olivia

"I used to think that the orchestra was made up of random instruments, but now I think that it is made up of families of instruments" - Ciara

"I used to think that there was only one drum in the orchestra, but now I think that there can be lots of different drums in the orchestra" - Jaime

"I used to think that the woodwinds were a big deal, but now I think that the strings are more of a big deal" - Eimear

"I used to think that orchestras were boring, but now I think they're exciting!" - Lila

Keep up the great work, Year 3!

Senior Choir Concert

Kindergarten - Celebrations

The Kindergarten students have been creating their own celebrations with Mrs Cutmore and Miss Glyde.  In music class, we chose pieces of music to play at their celebrations.  First, we discussed different choices of music. After that, each student chose a piece to play at their celebration justified their choice. Have a look at some of our choices below:

Year 1 - So and Mi

This week in Year 1 we composed our own so-mi songs.  We wrote them down and sang them with our hand signs.  We're getting really good at so-mi!

Year 2 - Recorders

Year 2 will be playing recorder in Music class for the remainder of this term.  Please bring your recorder and yellow book every Tuesday!

Year 2 - Reading Music

Today in Year 2 we practised reading and writing the notes on the treble clef. We made posters for the classroom to remind each other how to remember the notes.  Have a look at two examples below:

Year 3 - Instruments of the Orchestra

The students in Year 3 each became an 'expert' on an orchestral instrument of their choice and made a PicCollage to present their findings.  Have a look at some of the posters we made:

Year 1 - So and Mi

This week Year 1 composed their own pieces using the notes So and Mi.  We notated these as a class and performed them using our voices and xylophones.

Year 5 - Elements of Dance

Today Year 5 learned about the elements of dance.  We focused on the element of dynamics. We created movement phrases and filmed them on our iPads.  We then made a copy of our movement and slowed it down.  We reflected on how the dynamic of the movement changed when we altered the timing of the movement phrase.  Have a look at an example below:

Year 1 - Pitch

This term Year 1 is enjoying learning about pitch.  We've been using our voices, bodies, pictures and a variety of classroom instruments to demonstrate the pitch of a variety of songs.  Most recently we've started using hand signs to match the pitches that we sing.  Have a look at them below:

Parents, ask your children to see if they can sing the song 'Starlight, Starbright' using our hand signs!

Year 2 - Time Signatures

Today Year 2 learned about time signatures. We learned that 4/4 means 4 crochet beats in each bar and that 2/4 means 2 crotchet beats in each bar.  At the end of our lesson we had free rhythm writing using our new knowledge of time signatures.  Have a look at some of our work below:

 

Kindergarten - Celebrations

This term Kindergarten are learning about celebrations with Mrs Cutmore and Miss Glyde.  In music we are integrating with this unit to learn about the use of music in various celebrations.  Today we reflected on the music that was used in our school ANZAC day ceremony on Friday.  We discussed why each piece of music was included in the ceremony and how each piece made us feel.

One of the things that we learned was that the instrument below was originally used to play the Last Post even though the trumpet is often used now.  We tried to remember its name.  Parents, perhaps you can ask your Kindy child if they can remember the name of this instrument? B....

TELC

This week we enjoyed our first music lesson for Term 2! We were investigating high sounds and low sounds by moving, singing and playing instruments.  At the end of our lesson we sang the song below.  Maybe you could sing along at home?

Year 3 - Instruments of the Orchestra

This week Year 3 began their inquiry unit on orchestras. We began by doing the thinking routine 'See, Think, Wonder' about this picture:

We came up with lots of questions to be answered throughout the term... How many instruments are there? Why are there so many violins? Who is the man at the front? Where do orchestras perform?...and many more.

We investigated some orchestral instruments and even had a go of the timpani!

Year 5 - Dance

Today Year 5 began their dance inquiry unit for Term 2.  We watched a variety of recorded dance performances and discussed what they might be communicating.  We then used body shapes to represent a variety of emotions.  We used the element of space to explore these shapes and string a series of shapes together. Great work Year 5!

Year 5 - Cover Versions

Year 5 created their own cover versions of the chorus of Justin Beiber's song 'What Do You Mean?'  This task helped us consolidate our understanding of GarageBand as well as learning how to use a chord chart to play a piece of music.

Here are two examples of our work:

Year 6 - ANZAC Day

Year 6 are preparing an ANZAC Day assembly for Week 1, Term 2.  As part of this assembly we will be singing a song.  Below are the lyrics of the song for us to practise over the holidays!

Year 5 - GarageBand

Year 5 have been learning to use GarageBand! We have been exploring electronic music and learning about how we can use layers to create effective compositions.

Here's a link which explains some of the features of GarageBand for the Year 5 students who would like to hone their skills at home!

Year 4 - Designing Instruments

Year 4 designed their own orchestral instruments.  We decided how the instrument should be played, what it would be made out of and what section of the orchestra it would join. Have a look at some of the creative instruments we designed!

Congratulations Junior Dance

Well done to the Junior Dance group for a fantastic performance at Monday morning assembly! Your jungle theme was lots of fun and we loved your exciting dance moves!

Year 4 - Instruments of the Orchestra

We have been inquiring into how orchestras are organised.  We made PicCollages about orchestral instruments and then sorted them into sections.  Here are a few examples of our PicCollages: