4th & 5th Grades:
SNOW DAY #4 & #5: EXPLORE DIFFERENT MUSICAL GENRES:
What types of music do you like to listen to? Did you know that hip hop, rock, jazz and blues, R & B, and rap all have African roots? Many genres of music have many influences from different cultures. Learn more about music you like to listen to AND explore something new through BrainPOP or the Carnegie Hall Music Explorerʼs series. Click on the images below and start your musical journey by exploring one from each. Then explore the Instrument Families page. Listen to at least one instrument from each family. Before listening, can you predict which instruments will sound lower or higher based upon their size and length?
What types of music do you like to listen to? Did you know that hip hop, rock, jazz and blues, R & B, and rap all have African roots? Many genres of music have many influences from different cultures. Learn more about music you like to listen to AND explore something new through BrainPOP or the Carnegie Hall Music Explorerʼs series. Click on the images below and start your musical journey by exploring one from each. Then explore the Instrument Families page. Listen to at least one instrument from each family. Before listening, can you predict which instruments will sound lower or higher based upon their size and length?
Brain Pop: Tim and Moby share their love of music with these different musical genres. Click on one and learn the history and elements that make each musical genre unique.
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Musical Explorers: Click on this world map and discover the stories of artists and background of different genres of music from all over the world.
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SNOW DAY #2 and #3: CREATE YOUR OWN MUSIC!
If you made some instruments at home, you can use them to play along with music you make using Chrome Music Lab. Here are a few favorites, so have fun exploring!
If you made some instruments at home, you can use them to play along with music you make using Chrome Music Lab. Here are a few favorites, so have fun exploring!
SNOW DAY #1: Making Instruments at Home
This week's lesson focuses on the Science of Music or the Science of Sound. In particular, we will explore the music element of Pitch: how high or low a musical sound is. Gather some empty bottles and water to create your own pitches and composition. You can also play along with the Grascals' Boil Them Cabbage Down performance video by improvising on your newly created instrument, JAMM stringed instrument, sing along, or use body percussion and other found instruments to add to the band.
This week's lesson focuses on the Science of Music or the Science of Sound. In particular, we will explore the music element of Pitch: how high or low a musical sound is. Gather some empty bottles and water to create your own pitches and composition. You can also play along with the Grascals' Boil Them Cabbage Down performance video by improvising on your newly created instrument, JAMM stringed instrument, sing along, or use body percussion and other found instruments to add to the band.
Making Music at Home with Bottles and Water!
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Play Along with Boil Them Cabbage Down
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Additional Resources:
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SNOW DAY #2: ALASKA FLAG SONG
In 1926, Territorial Governor George Parks thought having a flag would help Alaska become a state. He persuaded the Alaska American Legion to hold a contest open to all Alaskan children grades 7 – 12 to design Alaska’s new flag. Benny Benson, a seventh-grader at a territorial school at Seward entered his flag design and won! You can read more about this incredibly resilient young man here. You can also see the submission of flag designs from other students in the Alaska Digital Archives. If you were to design a flag representing Alaska, what would it look like? Give it a try!
Two years ago, the Dippers, a group of students from Sítʼ Eetí Shaanáx̱ Glacier Valley Elementary School came together to help draft and pass a bill that would make the 2nd verse of the Alaska Flag Song official. They believe the adoption of the 2nd verse is important because it is inclusive of all cultures and honors Benny Benson, an Alaskan Native who designed the Alaska flag when he was thirteen years old. Unfortunately, the pandemic prematurely shut down much of the legislative work, and the bill never moved through the necessary committees. Learn more about these students incredible work here.
Learn how to sign the first verse of the Alaska Flag Song with music teacher, Robin Hopper.
In 1926, Territorial Governor George Parks thought having a flag would help Alaska become a state. He persuaded the Alaska American Legion to hold a contest open to all Alaskan children grades 7 – 12 to design Alaska’s new flag. Benny Benson, a seventh-grader at a territorial school at Seward entered his flag design and won! You can read more about this incredibly resilient young man here. You can also see the submission of flag designs from other students in the Alaska Digital Archives. If you were to design a flag representing Alaska, what would it look like? Give it a try!
Two years ago, the Dippers, a group of students from Sítʼ Eetí Shaanáx̱ Glacier Valley Elementary School came together to help draft and pass a bill that would make the 2nd verse of the Alaska Flag Song official. They believe the adoption of the 2nd verse is important because it is inclusive of all cultures and honors Benny Benson, an Alaskan Native who designed the Alaska flag when he was thirteen years old. Unfortunately, the pandemic prematurely shut down much of the legislative work, and the bill never moved through the necessary committees. Learn more about these students incredible work here.
Learn how to sign the first verse of the Alaska Flag Song with music teacher, Robin Hopper.
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Cup Game Tutorial and Online Guitar :
Here are some online resources to bring music into your home while online. The cup game is one of our 5th grader's favorite thing about music, so let's join in! Remember you can always slow down a Youtube video by going into "Settings" and clicking on "Playback speed." Remember to set it back to Normal speed or all of your Youtube videos will play that that slower speed! |
Learn the steps to the Cup Song
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Try Playing Along with Anna Kendrick - Pitch Perfect "When Iʼm Gone."
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WEEK OF MAY 4th: STAR SPANGLED BANNER - OUR NATIONAL ANTHEM
Why are most of the lyrics of the Star Spangled Banner framed as questions? The answer lies in the story behind the Star Spangled Banner, which was written in 1814 by Francis Scott Key. Key allows us to relive a crucial battle between the United States and Britain through his eyes. His poem, which later became the lyrics of our national anthem, asks whether the US flag at Ft. McHenry in Baltimore will fall or surrender to the British during the War of 1812.
This weekʼs lesson is about giving meaning to the words of our anthem, which we hear and sing all the time at sports events. In the videos below youʼll visit Ft. McHenry and see the "ramparts" that Key writes about. Then challenge yourself to learn how to sign the Star Spangled Banner as you sing along. Iʼve included the lyrics sung by Juneauʼs own Anna Graceman, and what is considered one of the best performances of our national anthem sung by Whitney Houston.
Remember national means "country" and anthem means " a song that is identified by a group of people or cause." Most countries have a national anthem. Research a country that youʼre interested in. How does its national anthem differ from ours in sound and lyrics?
Why are most of the lyrics of the Star Spangled Banner framed as questions? The answer lies in the story behind the Star Spangled Banner, which was written in 1814 by Francis Scott Key. Key allows us to relive a crucial battle between the United States and Britain through his eyes. His poem, which later became the lyrics of our national anthem, asks whether the US flag at Ft. McHenry in Baltimore will fall or surrender to the British during the War of 1812.
This weekʼs lesson is about giving meaning to the words of our anthem, which we hear and sing all the time at sports events. In the videos below youʼll visit Ft. McHenry and see the "ramparts" that Key writes about. Then challenge yourself to learn how to sign the Star Spangled Banner as you sing along. Iʼve included the lyrics sung by Juneauʼs own Anna Graceman, and what is considered one of the best performances of our national anthem sung by Whitney Houston.
Remember national means "country" and anthem means " a song that is identified by a group of people or cause." Most countries have a national anthem. Research a country that youʼre interested in. How does its national anthem differ from ours in sound and lyrics?
Teen News: History of the American National Anthem
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Smithsonian: Battle of Ft. McHenry through
Francis Scott Keyʼs Eyes |
How to Sign the US National Anthem
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Lyrics to the Star Spangled Banner
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Whitney Houston 1991 Superbowl
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WEEK OF APRIL 27TH: AXIS OF AWESOME CHORDS
Last week we learned that many folks songs are made up of three chords: I, IV, and V chords. This week we take it a step further and learn that by adding just one more chord, you have access to hundreds of popular songs, which use this chord sequence: I, V, vi IV. Have fun playing along with the Axis of Awesome (clean version) who shows you just how many pop songs follow this sequence. First watch the tutorial to learn how to play along using Virtual Guitar Online and then dive in! Mix the chords up into a different sequence and start composing your own music. Click here for more resources, including mash-ups, song banks, and beatboxing!
Last week we learned that many folks songs are made up of three chords: I, IV, and V chords. This week we take it a step further and learn that by adding just one more chord, you have access to hundreds of popular songs, which use this chord sequence: I, V, vi IV. Have fun playing along with the Axis of Awesome (clean version) who shows you just how many pop songs follow this sequence. First watch the tutorial to learn how to play along using Virtual Guitar Online and then dive in! Mix the chords up into a different sequence and start composing your own music. Click here for more resources, including mash-ups, song banks, and beatboxing!
Axis of Awesome Chords Tutorial
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Axis of Awesome Play Along
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WEEK OF APRIL 20th: CELEBRATING EARTH DAY
This week we are celebrating Earth Day on April 22nd, a day that should be celebrated every day! Join me in singing, "This Land is Your Land." You can find the lyrics here. Before joining in on the sing-along, check out this tutorial on Virtual Guitar Online to that you can accompany me on guitar. Itʼs easy to learn and can open the door to composing your own pieces of music. Checkout the additional videos on What a Wonderful World, Our Planet, and Chasing Coral - all songs about preserving our beautiful Earth.
This week we are celebrating Earth Day on April 22nd, a day that should be celebrated every day! Join me in singing, "This Land is Your Land." You can find the lyrics here. Before joining in on the sing-along, check out this tutorial on Virtual Guitar Online to that you can accompany me on guitar. Itʼs easy to learn and can open the door to composing your own pieces of music. Checkout the additional videos on What a Wonderful World, Our Planet, and Chasing Coral - all songs about preserving our beautiful Earth.
WOODY GUTHRIE (1912 - 1967):
Woody was very curious and a keen observer of the world around him. He loved to draw and paint. During his childhood in Oklahoma, Woody experienced great loss: his older sister Clara died accidentally, his mother was put in an institution, and his family was financially ruined. Yet Woody is considered one of the most significant American singer-songwriters of folk music. He wrote hundreds of songs including country, folk, and, ballads, childrenʼs songs and improvised works. This Land is Your Land is one his most recognized songs and a Glacier Valley favorite.
Woody was very curious and a keen observer of the world around him. He loved to draw and paint. During his childhood in Oklahoma, Woody experienced great loss: his older sister Clara died accidentally, his mother was put in an institution, and his family was financially ruined. Yet Woody is considered one of the most significant American singer-songwriters of folk music. He wrote hundreds of songs including country, folk, and, ballads, childrenʼs songs and improvised works. This Land is Your Land is one his most recognized songs and a Glacier Valley favorite.
How to Build a Chord
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Virtual Guitar Online Tutorial
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This Land is Your Land Sing-Along
with chords |
What a Wonderful World sung by
Louis Armstrong |
Our Planet
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Chasing Coral: Tell Me How Long
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WEEK OF APRIL 12th: Major Scale and Folk Song Structure
Weʼll celebrate Alaska Folk Festival by singing a folk song and form our own band by playing instruments from home.
Weʼll celebrate Alaska Folk Festival by singing a folk song and form our own band by playing instruments from home.
- Challenge yourself to build a major scale by adding more bottles of water from last weekʼs experiment on pitch.
- Keep the 1st, 4th and 5th notes of the scale to form the foundation of most folk song chord structure.
- Accompany and sing "Sheʼll Be Cominʼ Round the Mountain," a Call and Response song in which the first phrase is followed by a second phrase that is different, yet completes a thought. For example "Sheʼll be ʼcomin ʼround the mountain when she comes" (Call) and "Toot, toot" (Response).
- Check out Virtual Online Guitar and aWERTYon and try accompanying the sing-along!
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Building a Scale
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Folk Song Chord Structure
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Additional Resources
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Laugh and Learn about Scales
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WEEK OF MARCH 16th: Irish Music and the Jig:
This week we will focus on the Irish jig, which is a popular and traditional dance form sung and danced in 6/8 meter, a compound meter, which means the each beat divides into three parts. The most common structure of a jig is two eight-bar parts, performing two different steps, each once on the right foot, and one on the left foot. Try your hand at dancing a jig, playing a jig, listening to a jig or playing along with a jig.
This week we will focus on the Irish jig, which is a popular and traditional dance form sung and danced in 6/8 meter, a compound meter, which means the each beat divides into three parts. The most common structure of a jig is two eight-bar parts, performing two different steps, each once on the right foot, and one on the left foot. Try your hand at dancing a jig, playing a jig, listening to a jig or playing along with a jig.
Listen to Irish Music: These links introduce you to traditional Irish instruments; the famous Irish band, the Chieftains; and a fiddle lesson for JAMM students who would like to try their hand at learning by ear and watching his fingering. There is so much great Irish music out there so this h
Listen to Irish Washerwoman performed by Boundary Water Boys
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Riverdance: Irish Step Dancing
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