Parent Teacher Conferences and Updates to What's Happening!

Hello!!

We have been so busy at The Wheatlands in the last few weeks that I haven't gotten a chance to update you all on what we have been working on or let you know about Parent Teacher Conferences.

Report Card Hint:
First, however is a hint about the report cards.  We are aware of a glitch in the system and if you can't see your child's music grade, please make sure you go to Marking Period 1 (MP1).  Apparently the system was defaulting to the wrong quarter, which is why some of you couldn't see your child's grade!

Parent/Teacher Conferences:
I am certainly available if you have any questions about what we do in music class here at The Wheatlands during Parent/Teacher Conferences.  I will be available the following hours to talk to you:

Wednesday:   7:30-8:15 A.M.
                      3:45-5:30 P.M.
Thursday:      7:30-8:30 A.M.
                      2:00-5:00 P.M. and 6:00-7:30 P.M.
Friday:          8:30 A.M. - 2:00 P.M.

What Are We Working On?:
Here's a bit about what we are working on in music class for each grade level...

1st Grade: VETERAN'S DAY!!!!  We are so excited to present our 11th Annual Veteran's Day performance next Tuesday at 9:30 and 2:00 in the gym at The Wheatlands.

2nd Grade: Right now we are learning a bunch of things in 2nd grade about the String and Percussion families of instruments.  We are also working in centers about lines and spaces on the staff, Solfeg, reviewing rhythms, AND learning about skips and steps on the staff.

3rd Grade: We are about to be embarking on a look at the Woodwind family, and we are finishing up learning about the spaces on the staff.  We are also looking at the symbols that make up written music as well.

4th Grade: We have mastered our space notes on the staff, have been reviewing the Brass and Woodwind Families, and are currently playing some improvisations on the xylophones and glockenspiels.

5th Grade: MUSICAL!!!!  As all the 5th grade parents should know, we are working on our 5th grade musical, Snow Biz! right now and having an absolute blast getting to know it!


So there is music at The Wheatlands.  I'm sure that I'll see some of you this week sometime, so have a lovely first week of November!

5th Grade Ostinato Fun!

In fifth grade, we are getting back to things by creating rhythmic ostinatos!!  The basic idea is that it is a repeating rhythm, and with these guys, they had to create it and layer it one on top of another.  I've included a link to some that are already done, and be on the look out for the rest of 5th grade to be coming your way soon!!

The Crazies
The Loco Animals

Hard at Work Coming Up With Ideas

Writing Out Rhythms

Onto the 2nd Week!!!

Oh man!!  I can't believe that we are already starting our second week of school!  Last week flew by and we did lots of different things.  On our first day at school we had an all-school assembly to talk about "The Wheatlands Way" and really focused on leading the pack and excellence being a habit here at school.

Mr. Gerard Making Sure We Understand The Wheatlands Way!

During the first week in music class we do a few things.  On the first day, I always like to play a game of some sort and ask the kids their favorite thing they did that summer.  It is always fun when they get to share things like that with me!

On the second day that week, each class got to watch the Miss Rains expectations video.  To save my voice I made a video with a tour around the music room and my recorded voice to remind kids about the expectations in music class.  There were even guest appearances in the video by a few Wheatlands celebs like Mr. Gerard to model what not to do with problems like finding trash on the floor or having a broken pencil.  They helped us learn how to be a problem solver and not a problem maker!  Overall, it's looking like it is going to be a great start to the year in music!!!

Watching the Tour of the Music Room!

Our video also includes a song about Not Tattling!!

FIRST POST OF THE 2014-2015 SCHOOL YEAR!!!!

Welcome Back Wolves!!

I am super excited for another year of music to start up at The Wheatlands!!  Can you tell??

I have a confession to make... Sunday night, I will be a mess... an absolute mess... I won't be able to sleep, I won't be able to think straight, and it's all because I'm SO EXCITED!!  I love starting out a new school year and love getting to meet new wolves!  Several of you, I met at sneak peek, and I look forward to having you in class.

That first week back is one of my favorites, getting to see old faces of kids that I've known since first grade, being back in my favorite place in the world, and getting to share my love of music with all these little crazies!  First grade may be my favorite this first week because it is siblings of families I've had for years and new students who haven't experienced the craziness of Miss Rains.  I love the smiles on all of their faces when I ask them what they did this summer and they get to tell me about trips to grandparents,  walking around Disney World, and my favorite... sleeping in.

Please check back as the year goes on for more information about what we are doing in music class and about the curriculum here at TW.  I am currently working on transferring all of the curriculum data from my site on the old Oswego page, so the goal is to have all the curriculum information on here for you before Curriculum Night in case you are curious about anything!  As always, please let me know if you have any questions, and please let me know if you want to come in and help in any way and you are musically inclined!

Get ready to LEAD THE PACK... because Excellence at TW... is habit!

5th Grade Talking About Music

5th grade is working on a project where they are talking about music in an intelligent way.  We can say that we like a song or don't like a song all we want, but I'm trying to get the kids to give a reason for their opinions.  Some terms that we are talking about in music are:

Tempo
Melody/Harmony
Lyrics/Meaning
Instrumentation
Voice
Genre

The project has the kids working in edmodo which is an online message area where they can get their songs and whatnot.  They are creating two parts, one for a formal audience (adults) and one for a kid audience.  The formal part has them writing three paragraphs, one about each song and the facts describing those songs, and one about their opinions and comparing the two songs.  Their second part will have them creating a recording about their two songs and presenting this information in a fun way (newscast, interview, song, etc.).  Check out these 5th graders hard at work!

An update for Music!

My head is EXPLODING with the 3rd grade musical stuff, but that doesn't meant that we aren't doing awesome things in other grades right now at The Wheatlands.  I'll be back to posting pictures and videos soon, but I thought I'd still let you know what we are doing!

1st Grade
These little guys are having a BLAST in music right now because we are doing some of what is called MALLET MADNESS!!!  This is basically the loudest, most fun, most crazy thing that we can do in music.  It is a rotation where all the kids are playing instruments at the same time.  Then when I say "1-2-3-4", they follow with this chant... "Put your mallets on the floor... 5-6-7-8, hurry up and don't be late!"  That lets them rotate to a new instrument.  We are learning how to play drums and xylophones and how to hold out mallets, and now we are getting ready to play different rhythms on the instruments using our new found mallet techniques!

2nd Grade
I am soooo proud of our 2nd graders here at TW because we are researching in 2nd grade music and creating a Powerpoint about a culture different from our own.  Groups are researching Hispanic, Indian, Asian, Native American, Middle Eastern, and African cultures to learn about the culture in general but most specifically the dancing, music, instruments, and celebrations in these cultures.  I can't wait to post some of the great Powerpoints up here for you to see because they have been doing some great work!

3rd Grade
The musical is NEXT week!!!  April 10th and 7P.M. get ready to hear the awesomeness that is the 3rd graders!!

4th Grade
These guys have been working hard at learning how to read the notes on the staff to prepare them for.... wait for it.... 4th grade parents are about to kill me.... RECORDERS!!!!  By next week, the 4th graders at TW will have recorders in hand and so will begin the last weeks of school with me hearing over one hundred children come before me to play "Hot Cross Buns".  If you at any time feel like you would like to experience the most loud, joyous, crazy, insane thing you've ever heard... all fourth grade classes are in music from 12:35-1:35.  Feel free to join us... if you've taken some Advil and have invested in earplugs!  They love them though, so get excited for 4th grade.

5th Grade
5th grade has entered my absolute favorite part of the year because we are getting to the practical applications of music.  This unit we are doing right now has us listening to popular music and really talking about it.  For example, we listened to the song "Roar" by Katy Perry today in one class.  Now you can say "oh, that's the song 'Roar' by Katy Perry" and yeah... that's okay, but I want the 5th graders to be able to say things like... "The song 'Roar by Katy Perry is a female vocal solo.  During the chorus of the song, she is joined by people singing harmony under the main melody line.  The instrumentation of the song includes guitars, drums, and various electronic instruments.  I like the song because of its fast tempo in the background and because it is part of the pop music genre."  Wow... could you imagine if all of them could talk this intelligently about what they are listening to?  That is our goal with the main project we will be doing with the classes for the next month!

Anyways, I hope you have an awesome weekend and I hope you all had a GREAT first week back after Spring Break!

Note Names Are Easy!! I Promise...

This is a post for 4th grader mostly, but parents too!  Music is its own language, and sometimes it can be really hard for students to understand.  I know that as parents, you want to help your kids as much as possible as well.  That's where this comes in.  This video talks about how to name the notes on the staff.  It gives a few different strategies for them to figure out where a note is on the staff.  Use this to reinforce what we've done in music or as a parent, to learn about the music that your child is learning!

Note Names on the Staff

Then you can go along to the music games page on the top tool bar.  If you scroll down to note names there are a few games that you and the kids can play to reinforce what we've been doing in class!

Honor Choir is in Full Swing!!

Honor Choir is a 4th and 5th Grade Group of students who practice and sing at The Wheatlands!  The kids are already working on plenty of songs and they are doing a FANTASTIC job this year!!!  If you check up on the top tool bar, you'll see a spot for Honor Choir.  This is for a page that has some videos and things for the kids in choir to check out.

This week the kids had a visitor from Bednarcik come see them.  Josh Brooks is the general music teacher and choir director over at the junior high and likes to come check out his upcoming singers!

Mr. Brooks working with the choir on warming up their voices!

These ladies are ready and listening to Mr. Brooks explain things.

5th Grade Creating Rhythms!

I am the first person to tell you that technology can help so much in education!  The iPads that the teachers got at The Wheatlands are so helpful in so many ways, and I thought it would be cool to share with all of you an awesome video to help our 5th graders out.  In 5th grade we are learning about creating rhythms on the staff.  This can be super hard, but we are doing the sheets in class to practice together on the iPad, and now I've recorded an extra video to help the kids out, or for you to help your kids out.  So, here is the sheet for 5th grade to practice:

5th Grade Creation Practice

And here is the video to help kids figure out how to complete a sheet like that:

Creation Help Video

If you or the kids need help remembering how many beats each symbol get, you can click above to the School Music site under 5th grade rhythm and study that way!

Rhythms are AWESOME!!!

Both first grade and fifth grade are working on rhythms right now, which is so much fun.  They are at total opposite ends of the spectrum though, with first grade just learning about rhythms and fifth grade trying to remember all the symbols they've learned since first grade!

I always start out rhythms with the famous Wheatlands rhythm story.  This silly story I made up my first year of teaching is a tradition at The Wheatlands... in fact, when 5th graders saw this on the board:

They were more excited than the first graders were!!  If you have a first grader, ask them to tell you about these silly characters and their story, because it is something that sticks with them all the way to fifth grade.  First graders were also working on learning about some very hard musical vocabulary: beats, measures, and bar lines.

He's waiting for his partner to tell him where he should place the symbol.  Which beat and measure should it fit in?

Fifth graders are really working on being able to remember how many beats each of the symbols receives.  That is probably the hardest thing for fifth grade because at his point they know 11 different symbols and have to be able to say how many beats each symbol gets, what its musical name is, and how to clap it!  We played the game "Shut the Box" to help them practice the numbers of beats.  They roll a pair of dice with symbols on it and have to add the symbols together to "shut out" certain numbers on their board.  They had a blast!

These boys already started, deciding to add some different colors to their boards.

These ladies are just starting their game!

Back to Music in January!!!

Wow!!  The year is already half over!!  I can't believe how fast the first part of the school year goes every year, but now we are here.  I wanted to give you all an update for what is happening in music at The Wheatlands now that we're back in school.  I can get back to posting fun pictures and songs as we get back into this fun part of our learning for the year!

1st Grade
These kids are about to start learning about rhythms.  They are learning to write and dictate basic rhythm symbols in first grade, and I like to do it in a different way with different centers for the kids to work in.  Rhythm is something that you learn a bit about and then it is really about practicing what you learned, so students are going to get a chance to work a lot independently and with a group or a partner doing different games with rhythms.  They are going to have a blast.  If you don't understand what rhythm symbols are or don't have a music background, check out the School Website link to see what 1st grade rhythms are going to look like!

2nd Grade
We are going to start off the semester learning about Patriotic Music.  They are going to learn about different marches that represent our country, learn about the history behind the Star Spangled Banner, and also catch a glimpse into different parts of our country while we learn about Patriotic music.  Goals they have for this unit include being able to tell what makes a song Patriotic (words said, familiar melodies), where and when patriotic songs are most likely heard, and what to do during the Star Spangled Banner.

3rd Grade
African American Spirituals are what we are talking about in 3rd Grade right now.  This is definitely a unit that brings up a lot of good discussion, and I encourage you to talk to your child about some of the things that are brought up in music class when we are learning about these songs.  For example, the first activity that we did was that I had students write on a post it note, something that they think is different about them from everyone else in their class.  They didn't put a name on the post it, but I read them out loud and generalized the statement (if one said my brother Bob and I like Disney Infinity, I just said who likes Disney Infinity) and had students raise their hands to show that they had this "difference" too.  They learn that the things they think make them different aren't as different as they think they are... leading to how people are similar in so many ways.  This unit brings up a lot of talk about learning from people who are different from us and embracing the history of different groups of people.

4th Grade
SEA SHANTIES!!!  This is a favorite unit of mine because the students get to explore a group of songs and a lifestyle (shipboard life) from the 1800s.  We talk about how songs are passed through generations, how songs can tell stories, and so much.  Sea Shanties were work songs that were created a long time ago, so in the end, the students get to pick a random topic to create a silly sea shantey and perform it for the class.  I love showing kids how music fits in our history!

5th Grade
Fifth Graders are working on reviewing their rhythms and note names from previous years.  This is a huge undertaking because they have been working on these things since first grade, so they have a lot of knowledge in their heads!  We are going to add one new rhythm symbol and do lots of games and fun activities to remind us of what each symbol means.  The best thing you can do to help your child with this unit is to help them remember how many beats each symbol receives.  You can find a handy chart on the school site above to help your child study!

Honor Choir!!!!!!
My favorite thing every year!!!  Honor Choir starts up this week!!!  If you can't already tell... I'm a little excited to have my 126 kids come and sing with me each week.  I will be sending out an e-mail to Honor Choir parents reminding about dates and attaching a calendar if you lost it.  It is also attached below for you to print out as well.  1st-3rd grade parents, this is something you can look forward to in 4th and 5th grade for your student to be a part of!

Honor Choir Calendar

That's it for now, I hope you hear plenty of stories and learn tons from your student when they tell you about the fun things we are doing in music class this month!!

Let it Go and Let it Snow

There are many things that make me giggle as a music teacher.  This week is a random week in music with holiday craziness.  The kids are singing some holiday/winter songs and then working on a very fun "Madlibs" type of activity.  I've attached it here, in case you want to do one as a family.  They have been HIGHLY amusing!

Let it Snow Remixed

The best thing while doing this was that the kids have been asking to hear "Let it Go" yet again.  I'm sure that you've all heard about this song, because I'm pretty sure that I showed all the classes the scene from Disney's FROZEN.  Tony Award winner, Idina Menzel, sings it in the movie, and it is an amazing show of vocal music!  After showing them the clip last week, I've gotten the children a little obsessed.  I thought you would enjoy this clip of one class singing while working on their Mad Libs... totally unprompted!

Let it Go by 4O

Fall Conferences

Fall Conferences are upon us, and you may not know this, but Specials teachers are here during that time each year as well!  I have gotten several compliments on the blog this year and parents finally getting to see some of the things we are doing in music class, which I know can lead to even more questions!!  One of the best resources for the music room is to click on the School Webpage link above, where you can find information about the curriculum and testing and everything we do in music.

However, I know that some of you would also like to see these things in person and be able to ask questions about what your child is doing.  For that reason, here are my Fall Conference times where I will either be in my room or helping Mrs. Seiple in the LRC with the book fair!!  Feel free to stop in and say hi and ask questions!  I will be putting some of our blog pictures up in my room for you to check out as well!

Thursday: 2:00PM-5:00PM and 5:30PM-8:00PM

Friday: 2:00PM-4:30PM

Veteran's Day!!

As many of you know from having student here at The Wheatlands for years, we do a special Veteran's Day assembly featuring our first graders.  The first grade team is AMAZING at putting this whole thing together, and I get to help them with some of it by working on some of their songs during music class.  Click below to hear a preview of one of their songs:

Veteran's Day Preview

The Veteran's Day assembly is at 9:30AM and 2:00PM on November 11th.  A note was send home via the newsletter, but I thought I would post it here on the blog about inviting Veteran's to view our celebration.  If your child has a friend or family member that is a Veteran, we would like them to come be our guests of honor!  AM Kindergarten, 4th, and 5th Grade students will be doing the assembly at 9:30AM and PM Kindergarten, 2nd, and 3rd grade will be attending the assembly at 2:00PM.  If you would like to attend, please fill out the form linked below and have your student bring it back no later that November 1st to their teacher.  Also, if you would like to support our troops in a different way, we always collect no perishable items for our Veteran's to send out on behalf of The Wheatlands Community.  Suggested items include: Candy, treats, packaged snacks, hygiene items like deodorant and toothpaste, baby wipes, and small entertainment items like paperback books.  Send these items with your student on that day or bring it when you come to the performance!

We Would Like to Bring a Veteran!

(form to return)

Teacher Wish Lists!

The PTA mentioned a great new website called Teacherlists.com.  Click the link below to get to my wish list for the music classroom.  We can post things that we need for our classrooms much like the apple trees during curriculum night.  The music room can always benefit from these things as well, since we see all the students at The Wheatlands.  Please check out the list online and pledge some items if you would like to be so generous!!  You can send any items in with your child on their music days (these are listed on the right if you don't know your child's music day) if you have chosen to pledge something.

I appreciate your support!!

5th Grade "Railroad" Songs

In 5th grade we are learning about different songs of the American Railroad.  The songs include many different things that talk about what happened in the 1800s in our country, but the greater purpose is why they created these songs.  A lot of the songs talked about a rough life and death while working on the railroads, and the workers would create these songs to help them work as well as express their feelings.

The point of this project was to show how the arts have a place in our culture to express the feelings of the times, including complaining about things that are currently happening.  Think about the major events of our country and how many musical artists created songs to go along with it - Princess Diana's passing resulted in "Goodbye English Rose" from Elton John - "Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning" came out of the events of September 11th.  So I told the kids that they had free reign to use a song to complain about something, which resulted in what you have here!  Each song has some information about their topic as well as poking fun at the subject.

So here is the endless parade of songs about everything from school food to One Direction to Justin Beiber to homework!!

5th Manny

5M Beiber Fever, 5M Homework Haters, 5M Squeakers, 5M Team Boys Rule For Life, 

5M Team Drama Queen, 5M The Pink Dragons, 5M Worst Justin Beiber

5th Maginity

5Mg Fat Cats, 5Mg Fuzzy Teddy Bears, 5Mg Mosquito Boys, 5Mg Silly Band Bros, 

5Mg The Hunky Cats, 5Mg The Barney Dislikers, 

5th Nagel

5N Annoying Siblings, 5N Burger King is Bad, 5N Cool Kids, 5N Plunger Hippies, 

5N The Candy Crushers, 5N The Clean Freaks, 5N The Singing Gods

5th Ricca

5Ri 1D Stinks, 5Ri Siblings, 5Ri The Masterminds, 5Ri The Railway People, 

5th Rogers

5Ro Miley Went Crazy, 5Ro One Direction Hatas, 5Ro Packers Mania, 

5Ro School Food, 5Ro Annoying Brothers, 5Ro Fierce Four,

5Ro Justin Beiber

An Update on the Academic Side of Music

I know that so many are reading these posts and checking out all the fun pictures of what we have been doing in music class, so I wanted to let you know where we are headed next with our your for the grade levels!  Please remember that you can always click on the School Music Page tab above to get more information about the music curriculum!!

1st Grade
These guys have been working hard at learning about the steady beat and are now working more on learning about the opposites in music:  Fast/Slow, High/Low, Going Up/Going Down, Speaking/Singing, and Loud/Soft.

2nd Grade
After a successful reminder of the steady beat, the second graders are tackling two new rhythm symbols this year: the half note and half rest, which both receive two beats each.  Check out the rhythms we know!

3rd Grade
After finishing their group "raps" to review our old rhythms, these guys will soon be learning about three new rhythm symbols: the whole note, whole rest, and dotted half note.

4th Grade
Showing off their dance moves, fourth grade proved that they had a good handle on the steady beat.  Now we are moving on to the hardest rhythm symbols at The Wheatlands: the syncopation and the triplet.  These two symbols are the hardest to learn, but the 4th graders have already proven that they are up to the challenge.  We have already been exceptionally impressed by a few classes!

5th Grade
You are in for a treat when I post what fifth grade has been working on.  They are finishing up a project and reviewing their facts before moving on to what is probably the most exciting musical unit of fifth grade..... the MUSICAL!!

As always, please let me know if you have any questions about things you see here or things having to do with our curriculum in the district.  Enjoy keeping up with what we are doing at The Wheatlands!

Technology is AMAZING!!

I love all the positive feedback that I've been getting about the music blog!  Parents have told me that they are super excited to get to see what their students are doing in music class, and they like that connection to the school.  I am especially excited that technology can bridge that gap between the classroom and the home.  Every day I'm trying to add more games, videos, activities, etc. to the blog for you and your children to explore, and they are super excited about sharing it with you.

One thing that I came across was an idea that would help us out in music class for a lot of our projects... more technology!!  Do you have an old iPhone 3 or above sitting in your home?  Or are you planning on getting the newest iPhone 5S coming out this fall?  If you have one sitting at home, we can use it in music class!

This technology would allow the students to more easily:

1. Audio record their projects and compositions.
2. Play games for review in small groups or with a partner for differentiation.
3. Listen to music in small groups.
4. Compose and create music through various music apps.
5. Research different music and cultures that we study throughout the year.

If you have an old iPhone sitting at home please consider donating it to music!  You can erase all data and all account information on the device or bring it in and I'll show you how, to protect your privacy.  The Sim card can be taken out and it will work just like an iPod touch and will be used on the school's secure wireless network.

Contact Miss Rains if you would like to donate!!

Songs of the American Railroad

The 5th Graders are starting to learn about songs of the American Railroad in music.  It is very cool to hear about the history of our country through music.  We're going to learn about different cultures that helped make the railroad (Chinese, African American, Irish) and learn about how songs can help us work and also help make light of a bad situation.

Classes this week were able to read some poems/songs that were created during this time and talked about the different things they learned through these odd poems.

These guys read about the Wreck of Old 97

They laughed about Poor Paddy on the Railway

These students talked about the "Terriers" who drilled their way through mountains for the Railroad

Stay tuned for more about our American Railroad unit and the fun things that we are doing in music class!!

First Week!!

Hello!!

 This week was a hot one at The Wheatlands, but we made the best of it in the music room. As I do every year, we start the first day of music sharing about our summers and playing a review game in 2nd through 5th grade. 1st graders sang their names and danced to a silly song as they got to come to music for the first time with Miss Rains!!

 The second day of music for everyone this week is probably my least favorite, but the most important day... rules. Not much changes through the years, but I always like the kids to know what my expectations are in music at The Wheatlands.

M- Make respectful choices in dealing with others.
U- Use classroom materials with care.
S- Share your knowledge.
I- Intelligently listen.
C- Choose to have a good day.

 We went through each of those ideas step by step, throwing in some funny stories and anecdotes to make the kids giggle a bit. We also got to watch a fun music rap about tattling...

It goes through questions the kids should ask themselves if they are thinking that they are going to tattle:

1. Do I need to tell the teacher right now?

2. Is somebody in danger (or about to do something dangerous)?

3. Is this problem my business?

4. Am I trying to help or hurt?

All in all it was a great start to this school year in music and we are ready to have a great year!  Stay tuned for more as we start off the school year including 1st grade's first chance to play instruments next week!