Music Week 13

This week is Thanksgiving. There were only two days this week so we mostly reviewed stations from a week a so ago. Happy Thanksgiving! See you on Monday. Don't forget, Winter Concert December 3 at 7:00pm.

Music Week 12

This week continued our preparations for our concert. Each grade level reviewed their activity for the concert. 4th and 5th grade video taped their performances. I recorded the song they sounded the best on. We should have the tape ready to view at the concert between grade levels. Concert is December 3 at 7:00pm.

Music Week 11

Last week we did stations. Students had 4 centers that focused on skills we had already learned. The idea of stations is to review, reinforce, and evaluate students' progress.

K-2 stations:

1-Rhythm sticks-students had to keep a steady beat
2-Listening station-students listened to music that had the following features: high/low, fast/slow, loud/soft, short/long
3-Instrument-Kindergarten had to practice holding and hitting boomwhackers, 1st and 2nd had to practice basic mallet technique on xylophone.
4-Dance, Dance, Revolution-students had to feel the beat of the song and step on the corresponding arrow to the beat.


3-5 stations:

1-Flash cards-review symbols and note durations
2-Write treble clefs and the names of the line and space notes for the treble clef
3-Instrument-3rd grade reviewed recorder songs, 4th grade reviewed piano skills, 5th grade used the ukulele
4-Guitar Hero/Dance Dance Revolution-3rd and 4th grade students had to step on the arrows to the beat of the song. 5th grade had to push the corresponding buttons. The buttons also corresponded to the frets that we were using on ukulele.

Music Week 10

This week 2nd thru 5th grade classes learned a Thanksgiving song called Hip-Hop Turkeys. Ask them to sing it for you if they haven't already.


Kindergarten began learning their song for the Winter Concert using boomwhackers.

1st grade began learning Rattletrap Car using xylophones. Rattletrap Car is a book about a family that tries to make it to a lake for a day of swimming but meet all sorts of trouble on the way. Students will be putting music to the action in the book.

2nd grade began learning Snow using xylophones and other sound effects. Snow is about exactly what it sound like. A little boy gets excited about seeing a few flakes of snow while all the adults believe nothing will happen.

3rd-5th grade continued on their respective instruments. 3rd grade will perform at the concert, however, 4th and 5th grade will be video taped and will be shown during the resetting between the grade levels.

Concert December 3rd at 7:00pm

Music Week 9

This week we reviewed our instruments in 3rd thru 5th grade. Some of the classes sang Mwa, Ha, Ha. It was a Halloween song that was not very scary. The kids had a really good time learning it.

The kindergarten students began learning how to use boomwhackers. 1st and 2nd grade continued xylophone skills. We also talked about how next week we are going to add music to stories.

Also, I am putting up a link to the recorder music so third grade students may practice at home if they choose to.

Music Week 8

K-2 talked learned a Halloween song. It was called "There was an Old Woman all Skin and Bones." We learned some movement to along with the words of the song. We had a lot of fun surprising teachers at the end of music class. I hope to teach this song to some of the older students next week.


My classes that come to me at 8:00 and the 5th graders had the opportunity to go to the computer lab and work on Brain Pop. We studied the lesson on the basics of reading music and took the quiz. At the end of quiz, students had to email their results to me. It was very similar to last week for 3rd and 4th grade. 4th grade this week had learned how to use the beat strips and rhythm markers. I played 9 examples of rhythms and the students had to figure out how to place them on their strip. Many classes found it very challenging. Next week, we will be back in the music room learning our respective instruments. We will be getting ready for our Winter Concert on December 3.

Music Week 7

This week the primary grades took their quiz on beat vs. no beat. All in all it was successful, however, I am a little concerned that some students did not quite grasp the concept. Part of it might have been the students not paying attention or they were too concerned with what their friends thought the right answer was. In the future, I will try to set up the assesment where the individual can worry about their answers.


3rd-4th grade classes had the opportunity to go to the computer lab to work on Brain Pop. It is an interactive sight that covers all subjects taught in school. I used it this week to supplement our note reading for each of the instruments. 5th grade began learning how to use the rhythm strips and beat markers. I clapped a rhythm and the students had to place the correct rhythm on the rhythm strip. We did nine examples and then worked on ukulele. Some of the 5th grade classes are ready to move on to the second string. I am hoping to have the first two strings learned by Thanksgiving.


We are going to have a Winter Concert on December 3 in the Williams cafeteria at 7:00pm. I will send more details out soon.

Music Week 6

This week the primary began preparing for their quiz. It is a small quiz (only 3 questions) that reviews if students can feel the beat of the selected pieces of music. What I have told the students is that if they can feel as though they could clap or pat their lap along to the music, then it most likely has a beat. If the song sounds like mostly noise, then it does not have a steady beat.

3-5 graders are making considerable progress on their respective instruments. I believe that third grade is finally start to get the hang of playing recorders. We go over the notes, count the rhythms, and try to put it together with the actual recorder. It has been a slow process. I can make some of the recorder material available in class. I also have a link to an online recorder page. 4th grade is also getting better with finger coordination on the piano. They have shown great improvement in the last few weeks. They are doing a better job of following the instructions in book on how to get your fingers set up without my help. 5th grade worked on a worksheet that helped them read notes on the treble clef staff. Eventually, 3rd and 4th grade will have a chance to do either the same one 5th grade has done or a slightly different one. 3rd-5th also finished working on rhythm sheet #2. Some of the classes began working on rhythm sheet #3.

Music Week 5

Last week the 3rd-5th grade continued to learn their respective instruments. However, the 5th grade classes from Wednesday-Friday missed their lessons due to being at Camp Crystal. Most of the classes have completed rhythm sheet #2 and will start sheet #3 next week. Once they have learned how to perform the eighth note, they will be able to play a new rhythm game.

The primary grades learned Howjidoo by Woody Guthrie. The students had to shake hands on the part of the song that said Howjidoo but they still had to shake hands on the beat. It was a good social activity. We also kept the beat to Sergei Prokofiev's march, For Love of Three Oranges. Students had to come up with different ways to move to the beat. For example, patting your lap, marching, jumping, etc. Next week, the primary grades will begin preparations for their beat vs. no beat quiz and will be learing some fall songs.

Music Week 4

This week in music the primary grades continued their discussion and activities related to beat. We learned a song called Can You Clap Your Hands? The students had to learn the words to the song and do the motions to song. After we learned all of that, I had the students play different instruments that were mentioned in the song. The students had to keep the beat together first as sections and then as a big group. Next week, we are going to continue that song but I will give the students the opportunity to rotate to different instruments.

3rd grade had their quiz on how to hold the recorder. Students were expected to hold the recorder with the left hand on top and the right on the bottom. Students were then to form the correct embouchure for the recorder and blow gently. It does not take a lot of air to play the recorder. We reviewed the notes B, A, and G and began learning Hot Cross Buns.

4th grade had their quiz on how to sit at the piano. These students were expected to sit up straight, gently curl their hand, and place it on the keyboard. They also began learning a song called My Dog Spike which when you break it down is Hot Cross Buns. This particular version of Hot Cross Buns utilized the black keys. I am expected the students to learn how to follow the directions on how to place their hands in the piano book. Eventually, I am expecting them to be able to set their hands without my help.

5th grade had their quiz on how to hold the ukelele or uke for short. The students were expected to hold the uke with the neck pointing to the left, place the left hand on the neck near the head of the uke, and place the right hand over the body on the strings near the sound hole. We reviewing the notes E, F, and G. These notes utilized the first string and the first and third fret.

All 3rd-5th grade classes also either began working on or reviewing rhythm sheet No. 1. This reviews quarter notes, half notes, and quarter rests. I expected the students to count and clap the rhythms.

Music Week 2-3

During week 2 of music I was sick and the students had to watch Stomp Out Loud.


Week 3 saw a return to the regular schedule. K-2 students began their unit on beat. We learned a song called See How I'm Jumping. Students had to pretend to be different types of balls (basketball, tennis, beach ball, etc.) and jump to different tempos and keep a steady beat. We then used rhythm sticks to find the beat to Shake Hands Mary and to the March from the Nutcracker Suite. I was very surprised that several of the kindergarten students were able to find and keep the beat to the songs.

3rd grade began learning recorder skills. They learned how to hold the recorder and how to form the embouchure for recorder.

4th grade began learning piano skills. They learned how to sit at the keyboard and how to place their hands on the keyboard.

5th grade began learning ukulele skills. They learned the parts of the ukulele(head, neck, body, strings, tuning pegs). This is a stepping stone for learning how to play guitar.

Music Week 1

This week was the first week of school. Mostly we talked about class expectations, procedures, and what students will be learning this year. For example, 5th grade will be learning how to play guitar, 4th grade will be learning how to play piano, 3rd grade will learn how to play recorders, 2nd grade will learn how to play flutophones, and 1st and Kindergarten will learn how to play xylophone and sing. All grade levels will do more singing this year, as well as, have an instrumental education. I hope at some point to do a unit on music appreciation, a unit on music history, and a unit on music composition. I also informed the grades 2nd-5th that they are eligible to sing in chorus is they choose to. I informed the 4th and 5th graders that they will be eligible to play in the band. I will have the information sent home next week and make it available here on the website. Finally, we did an introductory activity. Grades 3-5 learned the Alley-O which is a song about Columbus day and it has movement that involves tying the class into a knot. K-2 learned Engine, Engine No. 9. It is a song about the subway system in Chicago. The students also had to pay attention to when I played the temple blocks because that told them how fast they could move their feet.

Mr. Thomas Has Returned to Williams

Hello Williams community. Mr. Thomas is back to do music for the 2008-09 school year. I will be doing an offical update to the website very soon. I hope to have everything up and running by the end of the week. I will have chorus and band information available as soon as I find out the school schedules. I really missed the school and students and faculty. I am really happy to be back as your music teacher.