Lower Grade Music Newsletter: January, 2011
Dear P.S. 58 Families,
Throughout the month of February, students in grades Pre-K through 2 will be working on the following:
Pre-K cycle: Students will continue to identify individual tones and dynamics
Students will continue to identify dynamic and pitch contrasts
Introduction to improvisation through movement and percussive instrumental play.
Kindergarten: Kindergarten students are expressing and discussing how music makes them feel through song, dance and visual art. Throughout February, students will be exposed to a variety of vocal and dance pieces by African-American composers, and begin discuss how music is created, and the motivation behind the musical composition.
First Grade: To compliment Black History Month, this month’s focus will be on famous African American musicians. We will be listening to and learning songs from various musical genres, including jazz, hip-hop and rap. The emphasis of this month will be on the value of lyrics in songs. Students will also brainstorm ideas for songs in groups, and begin a song-writing project.
Second Grade: Second grade students will also be learning about famous African American musicians, and were introduced to this unit through the story “When Marian Sang,” the story of Metropolitan Opera star Marian Anderson, by author Pam Nuñoz Ryan and illustrator Brian Selznick. We will use this story as an opportunity to begin our opera unit, during which time we will learn about opera from every angle, including production. More information about a very special collaboration will be forthcoming.
