Half way through the year already! Where has the time gone?
Things are going well in the music room so far this month. 😃
All of your scholars should be able to tell you the definition of a composer. Ask them if they can say it in a complete sentence.
We have been enjoying learning about Mozart, our January composer of the month. Usually 1st and 2nd are the ones enjoying the majority of the music history, but this month Kindergarten has joined us.
I employ a fun method to introduce our scholars to opera in Kindergarten.
Initially, we compare opera to a play and talk about the similarities (telling a story, on the stage at a theatre, costumes and props).Then I tell them the key difference is that in opera there are no speaking voices, only singing voices. To demonstrate this, I do a one woman show, dramatically singing a book to them about a duck who looses his new blue socks. It's hilarious and probably my favorite activity of the entire year. I am usually able to have them listen to a clip of "real opera music" composed by Mozart after we stop laughing. Ask your scholar what an opera is.
Starting next week in all grades, we will be listening to selections from The Magic Flute and reading the story. Additionally, we are continuing our ear training with solfege patterns and our reading and writing of grade level rhythms. Spring Concert prep has begun as well (Thursday April 2nd!!!).
Last week in 1st and 2nd grade we had a great Socratic discussion to determine what an ostinato was. They did a great job coming up with the definition themselves! Ask your scholar to perform an ostinato for you and then tell you what it is. Here is a hint: it means "stubborn" in Italian.
And, as promised here is a link to my Mozart playlist on spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7sZFidVYXyCm9pd4Y1BYjB
