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Hello 5th Grade Families,
For our last assignment of the school year we are focusing on our essential worker heroes. In 1996 John Williams composed the piece Summon the Heroes https://safeYouTube.net/w/ySPF for the Olympics as a way to honor our Olympic heroes. Right now the heroes of society are our essential workers-healthcare workers, first responders, grocery store workers, mail delivery people, food supply workers and more. Your assignment this week is to listen to Summon the Heroes and think of something you can do to thank some of our essential workers. Below I have listed several possible ideas for completing this assignment. Have a great week and stay safe! ~Mrs. Damon Summon the Heroes https://safeYouTube.net/w/ySPF Listen to the music written by John Williams and performed by the Boston Pops all at their individual homes on May 5, 2020. The music starts at 1:47. Before that is a wonderful introduction by Boston Pops conductor Keith Lockhart and composer John Williams. Identify the instruments you see and hear. It’s amazing how it takes so many different instruments working together to create this one piece of music! This piece starts with trumpets, followed by timpani and drums, then trombone, chimes, violins, french horns, harp, cymbals, cello, string bass, oboes, bassoon, contrabassoon, then a big trumpet solo at 2:54. I got to play this big trumpet solo in college. As the piece goes on also look for clarinets, flutes, and tuba. Make a card or picture to send to an essential worker while listening to the song. Possible ways to thank our essential workers: Call someone you know who is an essential worker and say thank you. Send a card or picture to an essential worker. Create your own musical composition about our essential worker heroes, make a video and send it to an essential worker. Remember, I love to see pictures and videos of your work. Please send them to jdamon@wsesu.org.
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Hello 5th Grade Families,
This week we are exploring the music of bird calls. Bird calls are music directly from nature and have also inspired many composers to write songs that sound like birds. Choose from the many options below to decide how you would like to explore the music of bird calls. The nature journal assignment ties directly into Ms. Carpenter’s art assignment for the week. Remember I love to see videos and pictures of how you chose to complete your assignment. You can send them to me at jdamon@wsesu.org. I hope you enjoy exploring the music of birds! ~Mrs. Damon Listening to Music Inspired by Birds: Bird calls are very musical and have inspired music for years. My two favorite songs inspired by birds are “The Ballet of the Chicks in their Shells” from Mussourgsky’s Pictures at an exhibition and the bird theme from Prokofiev’s “Peter and the Wolf”. When you listen to “The Ballet of the Chicks in their Shells” you can imagine them pecking inside their shell, finally breaking free and then excitedly running around. Listening to the bird theme from “Peter and the Wolf” makes you think of a tiny little bird who quickly flutters from branch to branch, soaring up into the sky and then settling back on a branch. “The Ballet of the Chicks in their Shells” by Mussougsky-https://safeYouTube.net/w/jNyG Bird Theme from “Peter and the Wolf” by Prokofiev-https://safeYouTube.net/w/ePyG Respond to the Music or Bird Calls You Hear Movement: Listen to the music above or go outside and listen to the birds around you. When you listen to music or bird calls imagine that you are a bird and move around the way you imagine a bird moving, dancing or “flying” around. Drawing: Listen to the music above or go outside and listen to the birds around you. Draw a picture of what you imagine when you listen to the music or the bird calls. Write Down Bird Calls-Nature Journal: Sit outside and listen to the birds around you. Choose one bird to focus on at a time and write down their song or bird call. You can either write it down using music notation or you can create your own way to represent what the bird call looks like to you. I have included pictures of both and if you scroll down you will find a video of me demonstrating how to do this with both music notes and an example of drawing what you hear. Website of Actual Bird Songs: www.math.sunysb.edu/~tony/birds The bird calls from this site were recorded in New York state but these birds can also be found in Vermont. Hi 5th Grade Families,
Memorial Day is coming on May 25th so this week in honor of Memorial Day your assignment is to sing some patriotic songs with your family. Mr. Damon (Guilford Music teacher) and I have made a video of patriotic songs that includes songs we often sing at assembly as well as a few common patriotic songs that may be new to you. Scroll down to find the sing-along. We hope you enjoy! ~Mrs. Damon List of Songs:
Lyrics: The Star Spangled Banner Oh, say can you see By the dawn's early light What so proudly we hailed At the twilight's last gleaming? Whose broad stripes and bright stars Through the perilous fight, O'er the ramparts we watched Were so gallantly streaming? And the rocket's red glare, The bombs bursting in air, Gave proof through the night That our flag was still there. Oh, say does that Star-Spangled Banner yet wave O'er the land of the free And the home of the brave? America (My Country ‘tis of Thee) My country ‘tis of thee Sweet land of liberty Of thee I sing Land where my father’s died Land of the pilgrim’s pride From every mountainside Let freedom ring Thank You, Soldiers When I lay my head down every night And go to sleep in peace, I can stay there knowing all is well While you’re standing on your feet. Keeping watch, protecting shore to shore In the air and oceans, too, Defending freedom at all cost For the red, white, and the blue. Chorus: Thank you, oh thank you Men and women brave and strong, To those who serve so gallantly We sing this thank you song. To the soldiers who have traveled on To countries far and near, In peace and war you paid the price For the cause you hold so dear. That we may wake each morning bright And know that freedom rings; Because of your great sacrifice, Your country joins to sing. Chorus-2 times America the Beautiful Oh, beautiful for spacious skies, For amber waves of grain, For purple mountain majesties Above the fruited plain! America! America! God shed his grace on thee, And crown thy good with brotherhood From sea to shining sea. This Is My Song This is my song, to people of all nations, A song of peace for lands afar and mine. This is my home, the country where my heart is, Here are my hopes, my dreams, my land so fine. But other hearts in other lands are beating, With hopes and dreams as true and high as mine. My country's skies are bluer than the ocean, And sunlight beams on clover leaf and pine. But other lands have sunlight too, and clover, And skies are everywhere as blue as mine. O hear my song, all people of all nations, A song of peace for their land and for mine. Let There Be Peace On Earth Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me Let there be peace on earth the peace that was meant to be As we sing together, children all are we Let us walk with each other in perfect harmony Let peace begin with me, let this be the moment now With every step I take, let this be my solemn vow To take each moment and live each moment in peace eternally Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me. You're a Grand Old Flag You're a grand old flag You're a high-flying flag And forever in peace may you wave You're the emblem of The land I love The home of the free and the brave Ev'ry heart beats true For the red, white and blue Where there's never a boast or brag But should old acquaintance be forgot Keep your eye on the grand old flag. Hello 5th Grade Families,
Your assignment this week is to play an instrument or dance along with famous jazz musicians. Use an instrument you made last week or create your own body percussion such as clapping, tapping your knees or shoulders. Listen to the music and use your instrument to keep a steady beat or create your own interesting rhythm to go along with the music. You can also dance or dance and play an instrument to the music. If you want a big challenge, try playing the beat when the band plays the “head” (the melody) and make up your own rhythms when they play improvised solos. Improvised solos are when the player makes up the notes as they go. They are following a bunch of different rules to help them know what notes will sound good. This is how the kids in jazz band are able to play such great improvised jazz solos. Jazz music was created just over one hundred years ago in the United States. Scroll down to find a list of jazz standards (favorite jazz songs) played by great jazz musicians. There are hundreds of famous jazz musicians and hundreds of jazz standards but I have listed just a few for you to choose from. I have included some current jazz greats and some jazz greats from the past. Have fun listening, playing and dancing along. Remember I love to hear your feedback so send me comments or videos of you playing and dancing along to the music. You can always reach me at jdamon@wsesu.org. -Mrs. Damon Current Jazz Greats: Wynton Marsalis (trumpet) and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra: C Jam Blues written by Duke Ellington-https://safeYouTube.net/w/uzqC Trombone Shorty (trombone): Where Y’at written by Trombone Shorty-https://safeYouTube.net/w/G7qC Trombone Shorty wrote this song as well as a book with the same title that I’ve read to the kids. Trombone Shorty at age 13 with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra: Second Line-https://safeYouTube.net/w/kAqC Natalie Cole singing: Orange Colored Sky-https://safeYouTube.net/w/XTqC Lady Gaga singing: Orange Colored Sky-https://safeYouTube.net/w/0crC Past Jazz Greats: Duke Ellington (piano player, composer and bandleader) and His Orchestra: It Don’t Mean a Thing if it Ain’t Got that Swing written by Duke Ellington https://safeYouTube.net/w/BpbC Benny Goodman (clarinetist and bandleader) and His Orchestra: Sing, Sing, Sing written by Louis Prima-https://safeYouTube.net/w/KvqC Louis Armstrong (trumpet and voice) singing: What a Wonderful World-https://safeYouTube.net/w/zDqC Ella Fitzgerald (listen to her vocal improvisation (scat singing)): How High the Moon-https://safeYouTube.net/w/tOqC Frank Sinatra singing: Fly Me to the Moon-https://safeYouTube.net/w/AFqC Hi Fifth Grade Families,
This week your assignment is to make your own percussion instrument. Percussion instruments are the family of instruments that make a sound by hitting, scraping or shaking them. All needed items can be found in your house or in your yard outside. People have been using percussion instruments for thousands of years with the materials they can find around them. Scroll down to find out how to make several different percussion instruments with the materials you have in your house and yard. After you have made your instrument use it to play along to your favorite song. Send me videos or pictures of your instruments to jdamon@wsesu.org. I love to see what you have created! Use this as an opportunity to be creative. If you can think of how to make an instrument I forgot or one you invented yourself-go for it! Use this as a chance to relax, get off the computer, go outside and be creative. You can scroll down to find videos on how to make the individual instruments. Don’t forget our weekly sing-along on Facebook Live every Thursday at 2pm. Send song requests to me at jdamon@wsesu.org. If you are not already part of our closed VES Music facebook page send me an email and I’ll send you an invite. I miss you all! ~Mrs. Damon Click here to hear a recording of percussion instruments. The first instrument to play is claves, followed by a guiro, then a shaker, drums and mallet percussion (xylophones). https://safeYouTube.net/w/ZmEA Claves-are the instrument used to play the Afro-Cuban rhythmic pattern also called a clave that is the backbone of several different types of music. Claves are two sticks you hit together. To create your own claves just use two sticks or two wooden spoons to hit together. Guiro(the Fish)-is a standard Latin American percussion instrument. Guiros are traditionally made of dried out gourds that have had cuts made across the top to create their characteristic scraping noise. We are going to make our guiros with pinecones and a stick. Click on the link to hear what a guiro sounds like. Maracas/Shakers-originate from many different African and Latin American cultures. Maracas were traditionally made of hollowed out, dried fruit that were filled with small pebbles and fitted with a handle. Shakers are basically maracas without handles. Take a small plastic container with a top, I am using a yogurt container, and fill it with many small items that your parents say is okay to use. Some suggestions are small pebbles, small legos, dried beans or rice or other small items. I am using plastic dice. Drums-can be found all over the world. Drums were traditionally made of a hollowed out piece of wood that had animal hide stretched over the top. We are going to make our drum using a plastic container with a top. I am using a yogurt container. If your container doesn’t have a top you can use tape across the top to create your drum head. |
Questions?Contact me anytime at jdamon@wsesu.org. Archives |
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