In kindergarten, we have had great fun with vocal exploration through the ever-so-silly-sounding slide whistle, the magical musical microphone, and a tasty little tale about ice cream. We have been experiencing steady beat by moving with poems and recorded music, and by playing percussion instruments. We have also been learning about singing, speaking, calling/shouting, and whispering voices.

1st grade students have been practicing steady beat and were recently introduced to its iconic representation. They are now learning what to call this symbol when they read it in rhythm patterns. The children have also been 'monkeying' around with high and low sounds through poems such as Five Little Monkeys, movement activities including a Handy Dandy game that requires differentiation between high and low sounds, and playing around on the glockenspiel as they learn about the relationship between size and sound. You might want to see what happens if you ask your child if he/she 'must pay the rent'.

2nd grade has had both their coordination and their ability to focus challenged through music. Physically speaking, this was achieved through a rather silly and very fun steady beat activity with cumulative motions. Mentally, their concentration and musical independence have been stretched as a result of performing one part while another was going on at the same time. This concept (ostinato) will continue to receive attention throughout the year.

3rd graders are in the process of preparing for their November 6th music performance. Your child will be bringing home an informational letter with details about this program. Please fill it out, sign it, and return it to me by the requested date.

In 4th grade, the children have been working on their singing skills through a folk song and a drum piece. They have also been learnng about repetition and contrast, have created variations for a song, and have used manipulatives to represent the song's form and demonstrate recognition of each of its sections.

5th graders have been playing a partner game that utilizes drum technique, expressive speech, cooperation, and teamwork. This game will also provide opportunities for improvisation. The children have also enjoyed a Jamaican folk song whose form will be reinforced as they perform and then create a dance or set of movements that reflects the song's repetition and contrast.

Here we are, back at school already!  My summer break was most excellent, and I hope yours was too!  As much as I love my time off, it was so nice to see all of the children again!  Our first week in music was noteworthy, and I am looking forward to a great year with our GM students.  More to come before the month is through.....

Dear Chorus Parents,
In case you've heard your child talking about there being no chorus practice this coming week, what he or she is saying is correct.  We will not be meeting this week on Thursday, April 24th. 
Rehearsals will resume the following week on Thursday, May 1st. 

On May 1st, please be sure that your child is picked up promptly at 3:45 p.m., since I have to set up and get ready for the first grade PTA performance which is that same evening.

With a song in my heart,
Laurie Zarin

Aah...Spring is in the air!

In Kindergarten the children differentiated between sound and silence in an instrumental/speech piece that was shared through the urging of an insistant little leprechaun.  They have also experienced fast and slow through an action song whose tempo changes ranged from ridiculously slow to impossibly fast.  We are now learning about vibrations and the relationship between size and sound.

In 1st grade....Well, I can't say too much about that, since I don't want to let the cat out of the bag. Suffice it to say that the children have been working on their skills through the music that we are preparing for our upcoming PTA performance, which is on Thursday, May 1st, at 7 P.M.  Many thanks to all of the parents who have volunteered to help out!

2nd graders have been working with AB form, ostinati (repeated patterns that occur while something different is occuring), pentatonic pitch patterns, and instrumental technique through several fun and silly songs.  They have also performed rhythm patterns from notation, and improvised some of their own.

3rd grade students have learned about rondos and codas through a piece for big and small drums. They also figured out how to notate this entire piece rhythmically, and then did a great job performing it with rhythm syllables.  They have also begun to sing rounds.

4th and 5th grade students determined where repetition and contrast occurred in a challenging drum piece, and labeled its form.  This piece was based on a Benjamin Franklin saying and a playground chant, and required concentration, cooperation, teamwork, timing, and pacing. 

The children have also recently begun to play the recorder!  It is very important that they have their instrument at each and every music class.  Please support your child's progress by encouraging at least 10 minutes of daily practice at home.  With consistent practice, your child (and you) will notice an improvement in his/her playing skills, and this will further motivate the desire for continued development.  Ask your child about 'Practice Bugs'! 

Kindergarten has enjoyed vocal exploration with pathway cards and soft sculpture creatures. Pitch-matching skills have been reinforced while playing several singing games, and also through a vocal improvisation game. The children have also had great fun learning about mallet technique while exploring a variety of pitched percussion instruments. This improvisational activity required a great deal of focus, since they had to watch for signals that guided them on when and how to play. When we do this again, more signals will be added.

1st Graders have been focusing on the elements of rhythm, melody, and form. Rhythmically, they are becoming increasingly skilled at deciphering notated patterns, and have identified notated patterns that they have performed in songs. Melodically, they have learned about line and space notes, and have used manipulatives to 'notate' patterns heard aurally.  In the area of form, they have selected shape cards to represent sections of a song that are the same or different.

In 2nd Grade, the children have performed repeated rhythmic body percussion patterns as an accompaniment to a song (ostinati), and used their listening skills to aurally locate repeated melodic patterns. They have decoded rhythmic patterns in unfamiliar songs and on flashcards, and used their higher level thinking skills to determine the connection between a song's melodic direction and its accompanying body percussion motions.

3rd Grade students have had fun with a cup-passing game which incorporated a repeated rhythmic pattern. This game will be revisited, providing the children with progressively more challenging variations. The children also enjoyed a partner-changing game whose song provided the opportunity for careful listening. They are presently working on a hand drum piece that will be used to highlight AB, ABA, and rondo form.

4th Grade students recently performed four different speech patterns simultaneously (vocal ostinati), which was great for their concentration and musical independence. They are now involved with aural and visual recognition of melodic and rhythmic notation.

5th Graders have been learning about major scales through the use of pitched percussion. They have also been participating in a variety of movement activities to help them with the concept of meter and strong beats.

4th and 5th graders will be starting the recorder in March! At that time, they will need to bring their recorder, a pocket folder, and some notebook paper to each music class. 4th graders will also need a shoelace that can be attached to their instrument so it can be worn around their necks. More recorder-related info will be coming your way in future blogs.

Chorus Parents,                            

Here is a copy of the informational letter about your child's upcoming performance in this week's Talent Show.
WHO……………………The Garrison Mill Chorus                            

WHAT………………….Talent Show

WHEN……………………Friday, February 29, 2008/6:30-8 PM

WHERE…………………Garrison Mill cafeteria

ARRIVAL TIME………6:00 PM

MEETING PLACE……Music Room

OUTFIT…………………Blue jeans, class t-shirt, tennis shoes

                                *If your child does not have a class

                                 T-shirt, perhaps he/she can borrow

                                 one from a friend.  If that option

                                 doesn’t work, any GM T-shirt can

                                 be worn. (I have a few, if you would

                                 like your child to borrow one.  Just

                                 let me know).

We are looking forward to being a part of this year’s Talent Show, and have been working on a fun song to share with you!  If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Sincerely,
Laurie Zarin

Music Specialist

Happy January! 

In kindergarten, vocal exploration has had its 'ups and downs' as the children followed the light-up-in-the-dark propeller on a stick with their voices.  They have accompanied a song with original motions, created new silly rhyming text for another, and responded to a French lullaby through movement.  Pitch-matching and steady beat skills continue to receive attention through a variety of activities.

In first grade, the children have begun using solfege hand signs and syllables ('so' and 'mi'), and are in the beginning stages of singing from melodic notation.  Rhythmically, they are doing a great job reading rhythm patterns using stick notation/icons, and are about to to be introduced to the quarter and eighth note symbols.

Second graders have been having fun with rhythm.  For example, the children enjoyed playing Colored Hoops, a game where each of the three colors used, represented a different rhythmic note value. While background music was playing, the children walked around the room, and every time they stepped into one of the hoops, they had to perform that hoop's specified note.  The children are now rhythmically decoding familiar songs and aural patterns, and are about to create an instrumental accompaniment based on ostinati (repeated patterns).

In third grade, the children have been challenged by a rhythmic game called Read and Remember, where
they performed one pattern while looking at and memorizing the next.  Great Big House in New Orleans helped them visually identify repetition and mi-re-do patterns in notated music, and while enjoying its corresponding singing game, cooperation and teamwork were reinforced.  We will finish off the month of January with a French singing game that will focus on triple meter, phrase structure, and ABA form.

Fourth and fifth graders have participated in a Swedish folk dance whose tempo gradually accelerated to the point of being nearly impossible to move to.  What fun that was!  The children have also spent some time learning/reviewing how to identify the names of the line and space notes in the G Clef, and have been playing a number of games to reinforce this skill.  Recorder time is just around the corner, so please be on the lookout for a letter that will include important ordering information.

Noteworthy Information 
Dear Chorus Parents,
Here are a couple of changes in the dismissal time for our next two chorus rehearsals.

Date........................................................Dismissal 
Thursday, January 17, 2008 (this week )...............3:15 P.M.
Thursday, January 24, 2008 (conference week).......1:45 P.M.

After the 24th, we'll be back on our regular 3:45 P.M. dismissal time.

With a song in my heart,
Laurie Zarin

Chorus Parents:  Here is a copy of the letter about this Thursday's Krogering outing...

Hurray for the Garrison Mill Chorus and instrumental ensemble!  Their recent school and PTA performances were quite a success as they filled the cafeteria with melodious tones and beautiful sounds.  The children applied what they have been learning during their rehearsals, and their hard work and efforts certainly paid off.

So how about if we take them out for a road trip?  This week, on Thursday, December 13, 2007, after school, we have the opportunity to perform for Kroger, our Partner in Education.  This particular store is located at the corner of Shallowforkd and Johnson Ferry Rd.

Our concert attire will be blue jeans, the 5th grade Garrison Mill T-shirt, tennis shoes, and white socks.

You will need to arrange trarnsportation for your child to and from Kroger.  On Thursday, December 13th, the children will come to the music room as usual, but will be dismissed tdo leave for Krogers at 2:20 P.M.  Please pick your child up from Garrison Mill by the front doors at 2:25 P.M.  Allow approximately 10 to 20 minutes for the program.

* If you make arrangements for somebody else to provide transportation to and from the Kroger performance, please complete both sections of the following form, which gives the school permission to release your child to the care of whoever you have made the necessary transportation arrangements with.

* The bottom half of the following form must be completed by all parents/guardians. Please return this completed form to Ms. Zarin by Thursday, December, 2007.

Sincerely,

Laurie Zarin
Laurie Zarin
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

My child has permission to travel in a vehicle with _________________ on Thursday, December 13, 2007, so he/she can participate in the Garrison Mill Chorus performance at the Kroger which is located on the corner of Shallowford and Johnson Ferry Rd.  My child will leave Garrison Mill at approximately 2:25 P.M., and will return to a previously designated destination after the performance is over.         

I agree to release, indemnify, and hold harmless the Cobb County School District, its Board of Education, and its employees, agents, or assignees, as well as its approved adult trip supervisors ("District Indemnitees") from and forever promise not to sue them on any and all claims, demands, rights, causes of action, liabilities, losses, damages, costs and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees), whether known or unknown, that I, any other parent of guardian of the above-named student, or the student may have or may allege to have against the District Indemnitees or which may be brought against the District Indemnitees arising out of or in any manner relating to the student's participation in the field trips, including but not limited to the rendering of emergency medical procedures or treatment.   

Name of Student (Please print):   
            
Name of Parent/Guardian (Please Print):

Signature of Parent/Guardian:    

Date:                                                                                                                                                                                                

Chorus Parents,

Here is a copy of the letter I tried to send home with your child today (Friday, November 30th).  Unfortunately, there were technical difficulties, and the copy machines that my computer prints to had thoughts of their own and were not in the mood to cooperate.  I will try again next week so that you can have a hard copy to refer to.

DECEMBER PERFORMANCE DETAILS

• WHO...........................................Garrison Mill Chorus
• WHAT.........................................Winter Concert/PTA
• WHEN.........................................Thursday, December 6, 2007
• WHERE.......................................Garrison Mill Cafeteria
• CONCERT ATTIRE ...............Girls and Boys: Solid black pants; White long-sleeve, button-down shirt (Oxford style, if possible); Dark shoes (no tennis shoes, please)
• CONCERT TIMES....................8:30 A.M., 9:30 A.M., and 7:00 P.M. (7:00 P.M. is the approximate evening performance time.  Our evening program will actually begin as soon as the PTA meeting is over.  Please remember that parents are responsible for arranging transportation to and from the evening performance).
• ARRIVAL TIME..........................6:00 P.M. --- Pre-Concert warm-up, which will start promptly
• MEETING PLACE.......................Music Room
• MONDAY REHEARSAL............December 3, 2007        (2:30 P.M.-3:45 P.M.)
• TUESDAY REHEARSAL..........December 4, 2007         (7:20 A.M.-7:50 A.M. - morning rehearsal, with instrumental ensemble)
• THURSDAY REHEARSAL.......December 6, 2007           (2:30-3:30 P.M. --- Earlier dismissal  time)                              

Thank you so much for giving your child this musical opportunity. We are looking forward to sharing what we have learned with you.  Parents, siblings, friends, and relatives are welcome to attend.  I hope to see you there!

Sincerely,

Laurie Zarin

Music Specialist