This Week in Music Class

October 6, 2014 By

2013-12-31 18.00.10

This week the grade 7 and 8 general music classes are getting more comfortable with bass clef and starting a new folk song on the pianos! We’ll be learning the melody with the right hand, and the chords with the left hand! We’re also writing a second song. This one will include chords as well!

The 6th grade chorus is hard at work learning about musical terms through the 4 songs currently in our folders! This week we added D.S. al Coda to our list of things we can find and define in our music!

Take a peek at this cool find!! Possible historic find of pages from one of Mozart’s original scores! Written by Mozart himself!

CLICK HERE to read the article

Check out this clip of a portion on the music

Extra Credit: Watch the video and fill out the form below!

Mrs. Kelley

Filed Under: Composers, Extra Credit, Music Class

Welcome to Music Class – January 20

January 20, 2014 By

photoWow!! I cannot believe that we are starting Semester 2. A sad goodbye to my Semester 1 classes, and a warm welcome to all my new students!!

We don’t have a semester 2 open house, but I do have my Open House Information PowerPoint available for everyone to view. Please CLICK HERE to see the PowerPoint presentation with the basic class overview information that I presented in the fall, and as always, please don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions you have.

Students are required to bring 4 things to class.

  • A positive attitude… We will be doing new and different things, how you approach new and different things definitely affects how successful you are.
  • A PENCIL. All work should be completed in class and in pencil.
  • Headphones. They don’t need to be fancy or expensive, the dollar store ones work fine, but imagine a room with 12 electronic pianos all playing at once, and you’ll understand why we need headphones in class!
  • A Folder. The folder MUST be something that can be left here in class. All student work is done in class and students will have many reference sheets to help them. Folders will live here in the room and be available for students when they need them.

Extra Credit: This month’s extra credit is to bring in a box of tissues or bottle of hand sanitizer :) With nearly 250 students each semester, we go through a lot of tissues :)

Mrs. Kelley

Filed Under: Announcements, Extra Credit, Music Class, This Week In Music Class Tagged With: , , ,

This Week in Music Class – December 16

December 16, 2013 By

This week is a continuation of what we learned in guitar last week. Students are continuing to hone their skills on reading music and reading guitar TAB.  This week students have the choice to work on any of the 7 songs they currently have in their folders.

 

Music reading skills:

  • Skip to my Lou
  • Go Tell Aunt Rhody
  • Paw Paw Patch

Guitar Tab skills (these holiday songs are optional):

  • Let it Snow
  • Here Comes Santa Claus
  • Santa Claus is Coming to Town
  • Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

It’s getting to be that time of year where sniffles and sneezes are rampant… We’re starting to run low on the tissues and hand sanitizer that came in at the beginning of the year. I’m happy to give an extra credit grade to anyone who can bring in a box of tissues or bottle of hand sanitizer to share!!

This week’s Middle School Word of the Week is Primary. The main definition is first or highest in rank or importance.  Since we’re playing the guitar, let’s talk about the primary chords. The “Primary” Chords in music are the three most commonly used chords. Those are the I, IV, and V (or V7) chords. Meaning the chords that are built off of the first, fourth, and fifth degree of a scale. Right now in guitar, the students know the I and the V chords in the G scale, namely the G major and D7 Chords.

The G Chord

G-Chord-01

The D7 Chord

D7-Chord-01

Chord images found here: http://blog.learntoplaymusic.com/category/instruments/guitar/

This will be the last “This Week in Music Class” until the new year!! I hope everyone has a wonderful winter vacation!!

Mrs. Kelley

 

Filed Under: Extra Credit, Guitar, Music Class, This Week In Music Class Tagged With: , , ,

Wildcat Music in the News!!

October 23, 2013 By

Check out radio station WROR, 105.7’s Marching Band of the Week!!! Our very own (and very awesome… with the BEST COLOR GUARD EVER, even if they’re not on the video)… Wildcat Marching Band!!!! Yeah!!!

Extra Credit: Come and tell me what instrument the radio host learned to play while with the Wilmington Wildcat Marching Band 🙂 and you’ll get extra credit for watching the videos 🙂

Filed Under: Announcements, Extra Credit, Interesting Music News