Winter Concert Songs

Don't forget that the Williams Elementary Music Department Winter Concert is next Thursday, December 11 at 6:00pm in the Williams Cafeteria. Parents, please arrive by 5:30 so we may line up and get started on time.

Here are the links to the songs. Keep in mind that they may cut in and out on some of the parts but it most cases, most of the song is there:


Kindergarten-Let's Build a Gingerbread House
http://www.musick8.com/html/current_tune.php?numbering=122&songorder=6

1st Grade-Hannukah
http://www.musick8.com/html/current_tune.php?numbering=122&songorder=11

2nd Grade-Don't Forget to be Thankful
http://www.musick8.com/html/current_tune.php?numbering=122&songorder=4

3rd Grade is a recorder song. No link necessary, we will work on it in class. 

4th Grade-Here Comes the Snow
http://www.musick8.com/html/current_tune.php?numbering=122&songorder=3

5th Grade-Let's Make it Shine
http://www.musick8.com/html/current_tune.php?numbering=122&songorder=1

Williams Elementary 2014 Holiday Concert

Season’s Greetings to all Williams Elementary Families:

We will have our annual holiday concert Thursday, December 11, 2014 at 6:00pm in the cafeteria. The entire school will be involved in this production.The chorus will sing and the band will play a couple of songs. Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 5th will present class songs. 3rd grade will play recorders. I ask that all students who are performing please be here no later than 5:30pm so we can stage everyone and can get started on time. Also, please wear a Williams t-shirt or a red or green polo shirt and jeans. The concert should be over by 7:00pm.  

Thank you in advance for all your help to make this concert possible.

Sincerely,

Mr. Thomas

Music Teacher, Williams Elementary

Class Updates

The year has being going extremely well. Here is what our classes in the Williams Elementary Music Department have been up to:

Kindergarten-The kindergarten classes have been studying beat. Beat is the pulse of the music. The students have listened to various songs and have tried to identify the beat. We use stuffed animals that are called the beat buddies. If a song has a beat, then students respond by moving the beat buddy along to the pulse of the song. We began studying Hispanic Heritage month and the Kindergarten students learned how to do a simple version of the tango.

1st grade has also studied beat as well. We also expanded and started reviewing rhythms. Students should be able to identify quarter notes, half notes, and quarter rests. They should be able to clap rhythm lines and maintain a steady beat while doing so.

2nd grade classes have studied beat and rhythm but we have added the Orff xylophones. Students learned about Ostinato, pitched vs. unpitched instruments, metal vs. wood instruments.

3rd grade classes have studied recorder. So far they have learned how to play notes B, A, G. They began learning how to read the treble clef staff, should be able to recognize time signatures, and measures. I am really happy that they can read the notes on a treble clef staff.

4th grade classes began playing piano. Some of our students have a background in piano, however, many of our students do not. Those students have been able to catch on very quickly on how to read music for the piano, the finger numbers, and play simple songs successfully. Don't forget that we had a quiz and if you received a note about making up the quiz please do so by October 16.

5th grade classes began playing guitar. So far they have learned how to play EFG and BCD on the first two strings of the guitar. The plan is to introduce a couple of chords in the next few weeks and to try to finish being able to play individual notes on all six strings by the end of the semester. I have made a study guide to help them with the first two strings. If they can practice it, then they will learn faster. Even if you don't have access to a guitar outside of school, then looking at the sheet and following the instructions on how to complete the worksheet will help.

I will try to make piano and recorder study guides for the 4th and 3rd grade students.

Finally, to wrap up Hispanic Heritage month, all classes will study Tito Puente. Tito Puente is an American percussionist who's specialty was timbales. We have watched a couple of videos and even tried dancing a little salsa and mambo.

I hope to get some podcasts up our class activities in the next few weeks.

Finally, the band and chorus blogs are going away. In order to help me manage websites more efficiently, I have created their own page on the main music page. The information will still be the same but it will just be on their respective pages on this site.

Quiz Make Ups

Attention Williams Elementary 4th and 5th grade parents and students:

Recently we took quizzes. If your child did not do well on the quiz, you should have received a copy of the quiz with a note attached. Please be mindful that your child needs to make up the quiz by October 16. That is the last day for the grading window. Once it passes, I can not go back and edit the final grade for the 1st Nine Weeks of school.

Band and Chorus Announcements for the Week of September 15

Wildcat 4th and 5th grade band start tomorrow, Tuesday September 16.

There is no chorus this week. We will resume chorus practice September 24.

Club Sign Ups

We are signing up for clubs tonight at open house!

Band-Open to students in 4th and 5th grade. Admission is based on audition. Returning students do not need to audition. In the audition, students will try out several instruments. Whatever instrument student sounds the best on is probably what the student should play. No experience is necessary. Students may rent the instrument from Hoggtowne Music (or any reputable music store) or may purchase from a pawn shop or use the instrument of an older sibling. Students will need to purchase the music t-shirt. Band meets Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1:45-2:30. Students will need to have all books, instruments, music stands, and cleaning kits by September 19, 2014.  

Chorus-Open to all students in 2nd-5th grade. Admission is based on interest. Students will sing a variety of music in different styles and different languages. Students will need to purchase the music t-shirt for concerts. Chorus meets on Wednesdays from 12:30-1:15.

Music Clubs

The sign ups for Wildcat Chorus and 4th and 5th Grade Wildcat Band will take place at open house. The Williams Elementary Open House is currently scheduled for September 4, 2014. You may download the interest forms from this page ahead of time, however, they will not be accepted until September 4.

Welcome to the 2014-2015

Welcome back everyone!

For those of you that are new to our school, welcome. My name is Mr. Thomas. I am excited to be your music teacher here at Williams Elementary. This year we have many educational and fun things planned in music.  K-2 will work on fundamentals of singing and learning rhythms. They will also learn about some basic fundamentals of music such as high and low and fast and slow. 3rd grade will focus on playing recorder, 4th grade will focus on playing piano, and 5th grade will focus on playing guitar. Each grade level has a method book specific to what they are learning if you wish to purchase the book. Please click on the books we use link to learn more. Books and other musical equipment can be purchased at Hoggtowne Music or Great Southern Music or any other reputable music store. I have posted their links at the bottom of the page as well. 

We also have extracurricular activities in music. The Wildcat Chorus is open to students from grades 2nd-5th. The band is open to students in 4th and 5th grade only. We will also have Zumba Kids for the kids in the morning before school starts as well.

Just like last year, I have integrated technology into my classroom. 3rd-5th grade students will be given the chance to interact on an educational media site called Edmodo. Students will be given questions about music or performances and will have the opportunity respond. It is similar to Facebook but it is for the classroom and will be moderated by me. We have several performances planned for the year including the Holiday Concert, Black History Celebration, and many others.

My grading scale and class expectations are posted on the bottom of this page. Please remember grading starts the first day of music.

 

I look forward to working with you and your children this year. Please feel free to stop by the music room any time if you have any questions or concerns or would like to volunteer. 

Sincerely,

Mr. Thomas

Music Director, Williams Elementary

Dedication Ceremony

We will have a dedication ceremony in honor of Ms. Schofield May 28. We are asking the whole school to learn a song called All We're Meant to Be. Please click on the podcast link and it will take you to the song and lyrics. 3rd-5th grade students have already received the link. The folder is called Dedication Song. 5th grade will have this song as well as their promotion song to learn. Thank you for your help as we try to finish up the school year. If you have any questions please feel free to email me or call the school.

5th Grade Promotion Song

5th grade parents: Please click the podcast link on this page to access the lyrics and song for this year's promotion ceremony. The folder says 5th Grade Promotion 2014.

Attention 5th Grade Parents

5th grade students have been working on their own blues song since the end of February. Students came up with topics for their class, wrote lyrics, and are now in the process of recording. I have posted a copy of the rubric on this page as well as in this post. Please be mindful of this for grading purposes. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me.




(50pts) 1. Did you write your own lyrics?
(50pts) 2. Does the content of your song:

• Stay on topic with the class topic
• Use appropriate language
• If you talked negative about someone else or used inappropriate language your score will be lowered

(25pts) 3. Did you record your song?

(25pts) 4. Did sing along with the chord progression on your recording?

Grand total: 150 pts

Edmodo

Attention 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students and parents:

Please check your edmodo accounts. There are a couple of assignments available to be completed. Each individual assignment will take less than 5 minutes to complete. Please complete the most recent assignments. You may do the old assignments if you choose.

Black History Celebration

The Williams Elementary Black History Celebration will be Thursday, March 6, 2014 at 6:00 pm in the cafeteria. Participating students need to arrive at 5:30. Everyone is welcome. Volunteers are always appreciated.

The overall focus this year is on the continent of Africa. We are doing this to commemorate the life of Nelson Mandela. As you many you are aware, he passed away in December. However, K and 1 have simple songs related to the Blues and a Spiritual.  

The tentative plan so far is this

K-Get on Board

1st-Good Morning Blues-lyrics should be coming home

 

2nd-Acting out the West African Folk tale Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears. 

 

3rd-Boat Song-folk song from Nigeria and will also play recorders. I have sent the music home on Edmodo. If students don't have a recorder, they can "air" recorder their part at home. Please ask them to log in and study the music. Also, there was supposed to be some poetry reading. 

4th-Video presentation. 

5th-Presentation on Mandela. Also, Mrs. Cation will ask specific students to talk about the artists that they studied this month. 

Chorus may sing a song

I may also have my little drumming group play. 

Thanks for all of your help and support. If you have any questions please let me know.  

Edmodo.com

Parents,

We are using an educational software called Edmodo in grades 3-5. It is a free site similar to Facebook but for educational purposes. Many of the middle schools and high schools use this site for doing online classwork. I thought it would be a good idea to help the kids get familiar with it now so the transition will be easier as they move on to secondary school. Some of the classes have already been using Edmodo throughout the year. This has allowed me to interact with students on musical topics or get students caught up on anything they missed in class. I am currently using it to help students retake quizzes that they did not do well on. I have added the link in the links list. In order to use it, your child must have a valid email address, preferably yours, and a group code for their class which they can receive from me. The group codes are good for about 10 days or so and then Edmodo will automatically lock the group. There is also a parent's section to help you keep up with your child's assignments as well. Remember, this is only for 3-5 grade students. Students that choose to participate must remember that this is not Facebook and casual chatting is not allowed. If you have any questions please feel free to call me or email me at thomasmv@gm.sbac.edu.

Special Ensemble Forming

Hello Williams Community,

 

 

I would like to do a special ensemble for the closer at the black history program. I have enough instruments for 16 students. The only stipulation is that they have to be able to come to the concert on March 6 at 6:00pm and be able to practice in the morning on Tuesdays and Thursdays. That would mean eating breakfast quickly and practicing from about 7:20 until about 7:40. I would like to extend this opportunity to all of the 3rd-5th graders.

If we can start tomorrow we would have only 8, 20 minute rehearsals until the concert.

Please call Mr. Thomas at 955-6719 or email at thomasmv@gm.sbac.edu

Quiz Alerts

Attention Grades 3-5 will have quizzes in the upcoming week for the music appreciation lessons they have worked on.


3rd Grade: Name 3 facts about Scott Joplin

1. Born-Died
2. Most Famous Song
3. Fact of your choosing

4th Grade: Name 3 facts about Thomas A. Dorsey

1. Born-Died
2. Most Famous Song
3. Fact of your choosing

5th Grade: Kings of Blues Quiz
10 questions multiple choice, true/false, listening examples

Music Research Article

Here is an article that you may find interesting. It is about music education and brain research.


http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2013/11/25/13music.h33.html?tkn=LUOF1I6iXi44%2BqCOr2tPwghYJaG8gNTBzMgj&cmp=ENL-EU-NEWS1

Music and Art T-shirts

Attention,

The Williams elementary art and music department are selling t-shirts. There is a specific music t-shirt and a specific art t-shirt available. The forms are available via this website. Please download and return the form with money to either Mrs. Cation or Mr. Thomas.

Please note: If you are having difficulty seeing either picture, you will be able to see the form fully once it is downloaded.

Here are some of our students enjoying our newly purchased percussion equipment. Thank you DonorsChoose.org and Zumbathon participants!