Hello Douglas Road Music Students!

(If you still haven’t done the assignment due May 1, scroll down past this blog and see the assignments in Week of April 26th to May1st! Remember that music assignments need to be done too, just like your other school assignments! But don’t worry;  they should be fun!:-) )  If you’re finished last month’s assignments, the next ones are after the Music Monday announcement from Ms. Kwok, below, and the Star Wars video.. AND on the Assignment Tab above. 

News Flash! There’s a new, cool music-making app for you to try! Go to Creative Composer (tab above) and check it out! It’s super easy and super fun! This could be what you choose to do for your Music Assignment #4 (Musical Weekly Five Activity). 

Or you can just click on the link here: https://musiclab.chromeexperiments.com/Song-Maker/

Monday, May 4th, was Music Monday. On this day, hundreds of thousands of children, youth, teachers, parents and community members across Canada join to celebrate the power of music, and to advocate for equitable access to quality music education for all Canadian students.

Listen and sing along to the song “Hymn of Freedom”, the 2020 Music Monday anthem, composed by Oscar Peterson and with lyrics by Hariette Hamilton. There’s even a version of the song sung and played by Burnaby Music Teachers (including Ms. Kwok!)  See  Music Monday tab, above 

Celebrate Music Monday by singing this song, or spend time listening to or singing another song together with your family, or even play a song on an instrument for them to hear. Use this week to celebrate music and its power to bring people together.
– Esther Kwok

Monday May 4th was also Star Wars Day! (“May the Fourth be With You!”) For fun, watch this video by Jimmy Fallon, Roots, and some other very special guests. It’s Great!

Assignment #3: For May 4th- 18th:

First: Take some time to find out about where your parents come from. And their parents ? And THEIR parents (your great grandparents)? Ask someone to tell you a story of your family’s history and how they came to be living here, in Burnaby. (Remember, many  First Nations people living here have parents and grandparents who are from HERE and their ancestors have lived here, for thousands of years!) 

Second:  (you have two choices):

1. Retell the story that your parents told you – in a song! or a poem!

2. Find a song that your family (your grandparents or your great-grandparents) used to sing, or a dance they used to do, and  learn to sing it or play it or dance it. Look it up online if you need to. Maybe learn to play it on the recorder, if you have one at home, (or on another instrument) or just sing it by yourself or sing along to a recording of it! (Maybe your parents can sing it or do the dance with you!)

Third: Find some way to share the song or dance,  either an audio recording or a video recording or by writing it down – i.e. write down the words, or the steps, if it’s a dance. And send it to me (click contact above, or if you submit assignments on Teams, do it there)

Always, if you need help or you’d like some support or some pointers, please contact me. Click the contact button above! (Don’t forget to check for the response! 🙂 )

Assignment #4:  Choose another activity from the Musical Weekly 5 Activities.  Click on the tab and follow the instructions. Try something new. (If you’ve found a game or app or music learning activity that you like that you think will fit into those 5 categories, please let me know)! Tell me which activity you did and what you learned from doing it. If you are like the other students who have tried some of these, you will find out that they’re really fun to do! 

Assignment #3 and #4 are due May 17th at 11:59.p.m. 

Speaking of where we come from and where we are now, here’s a song I wrote about all the people in Canada! Enjoy!

Ms. Lea