Spring!

Spring

by Antonio Vivaldi

Hello Crestview students,

I am sure you are noticing the signs of spring outside. Doesn't it feel great? I love how I can see the signs in my yard like some early spring greenery shooting out of the ground. The other day an amazing thing happened to show me that spring was really on its way..... We have an ornamental apple tree in our yard that grows tiny apples that aren't good to eat. The apples get really soggy and mushy but they hang on throughout the winter months. A week ago, all of a sudden, robins arrived in our yard. For two days the tree and the trees around our yard were full of robins eating these tiny apples. I counted about thirty robins in total! Wow!!! And after two days, the tree did not have a single apple left on it. Then the robins were gone. Flying off in search of nesting sights or more food. It was an amazing sight.

300 years ago, a composer named Antonio Vivaldi wrote a *violin concerto called The Four Seasons.  This is Vivaldi's most famous work of music that he composed. As you can figure out, it is made up of four concertos: Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. If you listen carefully, in each season or movement you can hear musical representations of nature: flowing creeks, singing birds, a sleeping shepherd and his barking dog, buzzing flies, storms, dancers, frozen landscapes and warm winter fires. 

*A violin concerto is music that is composed for a solo violin and small orchestra.

Some people believe that Vivaldi wrote poems to accompany each concerto. This is the poem that supposedly accompanies Spring:

Springtime is upon us.
The birds celebrate her return with festive song,
and murmuring streams are
softly caressed by the breezes.
Thunderstorms, those heralds of Spring, roar,
casting their dark mantle over heaven,
Then they die away to silence,
and the birds take up their charming songs once more.

Today, listen to Spring. If you need help focusing on the music, lie down on the floor, relax your body and close your ideas. See if you can hear the sounds of spring in the music.  Listen for the barking dog in the middle of the Spring concerto. You can hear the "barking" beginning at the 3 minute and 50 second mark in the video. Of course it isn't a real dog barking sound but repeated notes that are a little louder and accented, played by the viola. 

Once you have listened to Spring, complete the Listening Journal worksheet in Seesaw or in the At Home Music Learning package. Return your work to me through Seesaw, send an email to the address in the Music Learning package or save it to return to school at a later date. 

Music and Literature: Abiyoyo

Music and Literature

Abiyoyo

Pete Seeger was an American folk singer and activist. He was born in 1919 in New York City and died in 2014 in New York City. He was born into a musically gifted family and sang in bands and solo gigs throughout his life. He was a strong and active supporter of environmental causes.

Pete Seeger adapted a South African folktale into the story-song Abiyoyo. The original folktale involves an ancient monster who eats people. The village parents get the monster dancing, it falls down in a fit and then it is dispatched by the parents. Seeger’s story-song was based entirely on a footnote that he read about that tale. Like every fairy tale, this story has a villain and hero.  (Parents: I've previewed the video and I don't think the video has any scary images for the students to see or hear. If your child is especially sensitive and has an active imagination, please preview before letting your child view.)

After watching the video, please answer the questions below and post in Seesaw.

1. What is the name of the singer who is telling the story?
2. What is the name of the giant in the story?
3. What kind of stringed instrument is the singer playing? The story talks about a ukulele but the singer is actually holding a playing a different stringed instrument at the beginning and end of the video.
4. Post your answers on Seesaw.

Music and Literature: I See a Song

Music and Literature

I See a Song by Eric Carle

Eric Carle wrote the book I See a Song....but he didn't add words. So, someone decided to put music to it instead. As you watch the video, listen to the different pieces of music that are played. The songs are featured in this order:

Peer Gynt, Op. 23 Morning by Ibsen
Wagner, The Ride of the Valkyries by Wagner Concerto for Flute and Harp in C Major by Mozart Unknown harp music Cantata No. 140 Sleepers Awake by Bach Piano Sonata No. 14 in C Sharp Minor by Beethoven Tambourin by Leclair (performer Emilie Autumn Unknown music
Heartstrings from Songs from a Secret Garden Yanni, Santorini

Your assignment:

1. Choose one song from the above list and search for it on Spotify or watch a video below.
2. Listen to the entire piece.
3. Tell me the title of the piece you chose.
4. Tell me three things you noticed about the piece. For example, was it fast or slow; loud or soft; what was the mood of the piece or how did it try to make you feel; what instruments were used; if this piece was in a movie, what would be happening in this particular scene; why did you choose this piece; or tell me something else you noticed about the piece.
5. Post your answers in Seesaw.
6. Once complete scroll down to the bottom of this post and watch the final video.

Peer Gynt, Op. 23 Morning by Ibsen

Wagner, The Ride of the Valkyries by Wagner

Concerto for Flute and Harp in C Major by Mozart

Cantata No. 140 Sleepers Awake by Bach

Piano Sonata No. 14 in C Sharp Minor by Beethoven

Tambourin by Leclair

Heartstrings from Songs from a Secret Garden

Yanni, Santorini

If you made it to the bottom of the post, you can click on the video to watch an animated version of this book. But don't forget to do the assignment listed above first! I am looking forward to hearing from you.

Percussion Play Along Videos

There is a great site on YouTube that has Percussion Play Along videos. I have posted three of them here that coincide with your grade level but you are welcome to try out as many as you like. 

When you are done watching the video and playing along, send me a photo of the percussion instrument you used to play along with the video. These percussion instruments can be home made or real ones.

You will need to find something in your house that you can play like a percussion instrument. It will have to be something you can hit, shake or scrape. For example, you might use a pot with a wooden spoon, fill a small container with rice or beans (don't forget to tape it shut), tin can and cutlery, ice cream pail and chopsticks, etc. If you spend a lot of time making your percussion instrument, don't throw it away because you will have to use it again for another activity.

Kindergarten

Make sure you only play your instrument when the bee touches down on the flowers. Can you make it through the song without making a mistake? Good luck.

Sylvia Pizzicato Information

This song was originally composed by Leo Delibes. He was a French composer that was born in 1836 and died in 1891. That's a long time ago!! He studied music growing up and had a beautiful singing voice and could play the organ. He wrote music for the opera and ballet. 

Click on the video to hear the original music and see what this composer looked like. Check out his beard. I wonder what happened to it?!?!?

Grade 1 and 2

This will be a familiar song for the grade 1 and 2 students. Do you remember when we used this song to follow the patterns in the music with the parachute? That was so much fun! I hope you enjoy playing your instrument with this song. The original of the song is can be found underneath the play along video. 

To play the percussion version you can:

Option 1: Play your instrument as the frog hops on each coloured shape. You will need to shake, scrape or hit your instrument.

Option 2: Choose one coloured shape to follow. Only play your instrument when that colour appears. You will play much less so you will have to be ready for when your coloured shape gets "hopped" on.

Option 3: Find up to four of your family members to play this version. Each person chooses a different instrument and coloured shape to follow. Only play your instrument on your colour. Everyone shakes, scrapes or  hits their instrument on the purple shape with the "x".

Did you notice the ta's and ti-ti's behind the shapes?

Can-Can Information

Jacques Offenbach was born in Germany in 1819 and died in Paris in 1880. He learned to play the cello as a young child. When he was 14 years old, he was sent to a music school in Paris to become even better at playing the cello and learn how to compose music. As an adult, he performed on the cello all over Europe and began to conduct and compose music for the orchestra and operas. (An opera is a play that is set to music for singers and the orchestra. There are no speaking parts.)

Click on the video to hear the music again and see what this composer looked like.

Grade 3, 4 and 5

The original of the song is called Jazz Pizzicato by Leroy Anderson (See more information below). To play the percussion version you can:

Option 1: Play your instrument by shaking, scraping or hitting it as the chicken jumps on each egg. Shake, scrape or quickly hit your instrument when you get to the coloured grass at the end of the line. 

Option 2: Choose a patterned egg to follow. Only play your instrument when that patterned egg appears. You will play much less so you will have to be ready for when your egg gets "jumped" on. Shake, scrape or quickly hit your instrument when you get to the coloured grass at the end of the line. 

Option 3: Find up to four members of your family to play this version. Each person chooses a different instrument and patterned egg to follow. Only play your instrument on your patterned egg. Everyone shakes, scrapes or quickly hits their instrument during the coloured grass at the end of the line. 

Leroy Anderson Information

Leroy Anderson was born in the United States in 1908 and died in 1975. He was a very talented man. Growing up, he studied the piano and organ. While at Harvard University, he worked towards his PhD in languages and was fluent in nine languages. He conducted, arranged and composed music for dance bands and orchestras. He joined the United States Army and eventually became a chief for a Military Intelligence area. He composed and conducted his own music until near the end of his life.

He has received many awards for the music he composed, including a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His pieces and recordings were commercial successes. Some sold millions of copies and reached the No. 1 music charts on the radio. 

Jazz Pizzicato was originally created for only the string family instruments of the orchestra. Later he orchestrated it for the full orchestra (string, woodwind, brass and percussion instrument families). Leroy Anderson conducted the first performance in 1938. This was the first piece of his that was published so other orchestras could learn to play it.

Listen to Leroy Anderson's Jazz Pizzicato.

Cumulative Songs

It is fun to sing cumulative songs. These are songs where you keep adding elements/words every time you repeat the song. The grade one and two students have learned two cumulative songs in Music this last month. 

Rattlin' Bog

Green Grass Grew All Around

Try singing this new cumulative song I Bought Me a Cat. Here are the lyrics and the video. See if you can follow the words written underneath the video after you click PLAY. The highlighted words are the ones you will have to change for each verse. Good luck!

I bought me a Cat, 

The Cat pleased me. 

I fed my Cat under yonder tree. 

The Cat went "Fiddle eye fee, fiddle eye fee."

                               Hen           Chipsy chopsy

                               Duck         Splishy Splashy   

                               Goose       Honk honk

                               Sheep       Baa baa

                               Cow          Moo moo

                               Horse       Nay nay

There's a Hole in the Bottom of the Sea is another fun one. Try it!

Some other cumulative songs you might want to search for on YouTube are: There Was an Old Lady, An Austrian Went Yodeling and Open the Drawbridge.

First and Second Endings

Hello Grade 3, 4 and 5 students,

Please watch the following videos on how to use first and second endings when you are reading music. These videos will prepare you for the song Jolly Old St. Nicholas. Please look at your music booklet if you need to see a clearer version of the song.

Video #1

Video #2

Return to Seesaw and send me a message that you watched this video. If you have any questions about how First and Second Endings work, please feel free to ask and I will make sure I reply back.

Why We Learn to Play the Recorder

Here are some videos on why we learn to play the recorder at school and why it is amazing. Let me know what you learned. Enjoy!

Why We Learn to Play the Recorder

10 Reasons Why the Recorder is AWESOME!!