MUSIC TO MY EARS!

Dear Parents,

We had a great week learning about different types of musical instruments.  We started off the unit by painting castanets.  We learned that castanets are a percussion instrument which consists of a pair of concave shells, joined by a string.  They are held in one hand and used to produce clicks for rhythmic accents. 

 We then made rain sticks by adding different colored tape and shapes onto a cardboard tube.  The children made a spiral out of aluminum foil and put it inside the tube along with rice.  We then sealed it to create our rain sticks.

 

 

This week we also started making maracas by blowing up a balloon and then covering them with Plaster of Paris and strips of newspapers.  We will finish them next week by painting them and adding beads and a dowel. 

We had a surprise visit by a Suzuki music student named Sophie who is a talented five year old musician.  She played a vignette by Bach.

In music class with Lisa, the children have been practicing making a shelf, holding the violin under their chin.  They learned the names of the different parts of the violin.  The children have also been practicing how to clap to the rhythm (watermelon, strawberry, and apple).

We look forward to continuing with our music theme next week.

Love,

Ms. Bonne and Ms. Barbara