November
October had a lot of drama activities for the grade ones, and the rhythm activities were less of a focus than was intended. So, we will pick up with the rhythm activities in November.
We will read and write rhythms, figuring out how many syllables goes with our different rhythm symbols.
We will create rhythm patterns by using our creativity. Then we will draw pictures of our rhythms. We will then change those into words, figure out how many syllables the word has, and then change it into rhythm notation. The children will be able to perform their rhythms using the words or the rhythm syllables, and will be able to understand the relationship between the two.
We will also reinforce the steady beat, and how that relates to our rhythms. The children will be able to keep the steady beat of their patterns, switching between the rhythm of the words, or keeping the beat. We will use our trusty There are No Bananas In The Sky to explore the concept at its inception.
October
We are continuing our exploration of rhythm in October. We will be playing rhythms on various percussion instruments around the music room, and reviewing how to hold and play those instruments from our Kindergarten days.
We are also expanding our knowledge of various rhythms. Last year, the students learned one beat rhythms of a quarter note (tah) and two eighth notes (ti-ti). In grade one, we learn the one beat silence (shh), and about sixteenth notes. The children will learn to say, play, read and audiate those rhythms.
We have learned a silly poem called “There are No Bananas in the Sky.” We will be replacing the silly words of that poem with non-pitched percussion sounds. For example, we will use a shaker for the word “banana”, turning the poem into a rhythm piece.
In October we will also explore Drama with our game Magic Spell in which the children pretend to act and move like various animals.
We will also learn a song for the CBC Music Class Challenge called Pour A Little Sunshine In My Cup. This song also meets our school goal of being a good friend to each other.
September
The grade ones are beginning the school year with Rhythm.
We are going to talk about syllables and how they relate to rhythm (one syllable is a sound).
We are going to start with talking about our own names, and how many syllables our name has. We will use our names in a clapping game.
Then we will learn to notate a varying amount of syllables per beat to learn notation of words with 1-4 syllables.
We will learn and review how to play the non-pitched percussion instruments in the music room. These include the tambourine, maracas, triangles, guiros, cabasas, hand drums, claves and woodblocks.
Then we will play some songs and games using the non-pitched percussion instruments.