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                        2009-2010

This year GES students have had a wonderful start!  We are learning all about how music unites people all over the world. Music is a universal language and it can bring people together!!

Dear Parents,

GES is very fortunate to have music class as a planned part of your children's day.  Research clearly shows how beneficial music is in expanding brain power while creating an upbeat learning environment.

Music is a natural way to increase learning opportunities in all areas.  For the Kindergarteners, understanding rhythm lays the foundation for processing key beginning math concepts.  Singing rhyming and alliterative lyrics leads to phonemic awareness.  Hearing music from all around the world opens the door to multicultural awareness and interest in social studies.  So it's wonderful to start these concepts as early as possible!!

Below I have information about what each grade level will be doing in music class. Please continue to read all that we are doing and see how you can take part in helping reinforce these concepts at home!

Kindergarten Music News

Dear Family,

Welcome to GES Music Class!! Our music curriculum will have your child singing, dancing, trying out musical instruments, and keeping time with the beat!

In our first unit, your child will move to the beat at different tempos, learn about the violin, try playing different rhythm instruments, and begin working on good breath control and posture for singing.  Your child will learn traditional folk songs, musical games, and many poems. Sometimes we will stay in place, but more often your child will walk, skip, gallop, and dance his or her way through the unit!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Talley

First Grade Music News

Dear Family,

Your child lives in a world full of musical sounds.  From the steady ticking of a clock to the whistle of a passing train, rhythms and tones surround your first grader.  Children are naturally drawn to the simple melodies of familiar songs and the rhythmic beat of nursery rhymes.

This unit will introduce several important musical concepts.  Through listening exercises, games, and art projects, your child will learn about steady beats, melodic direction, and musical dynamics.  These building blocks can provide the foundation for a lifteimt of music appreciatetion.

Second Grade Music News

Dear Family,

What an exciting, musical school year your second grader has in store! This year your child will continue to learn new skills and concepts to form the foundation for a lifetime of msucial expression and enjoyment.

IN our first unit your child will learn some basics about beat, rhythm, and melody, including the pitches, mi and so. We will also explore loud and soft sounds and the tone colors of different instruments.  You can help your child discover these and other aspects of music in many ways, from attending concerts, or providing private lessons to singing, dancing, an instrument, or listening to your favorite music at home.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Talley

BreeanaTalley@gcboe.net

Fun music websites for kids

http://www.MusicK8Kids.com

http://www.dsokids.com

http://www.flashmusicgames.com

http://www.nyphilkids.org/main.html

Students love to play the Music Freeze game! Take any favorite song, let it play for the kids to dance to. Pause it at different times and they have to FREEZE!!