Hello TES Families,
We have had a very busy season on the music side of things these past couple of weeks and there is still more to come, so please enjoy some lessons highlights and photos below!
Listening:
For our younger grades, listening time has been kept as small, focused chunks of listening for various topics we have covered in class. As soon as we learn a new rhythm or tonal pattern, we are listening for it in our songs to see if we can identify our new music vocabulary by ear. Upper grades, have more targeted listening time, and have been working on identifying things like tempo, dynamics, timbre, meter, and more!
Moving:
These last couple of weeks in particular, students have LOVED using our giant stretchy band for movement activities. Stretchy bands are a great way for students to move to a steady beat together and to feel the spaces in between beats. We have also continued our work with folk dances, particularly with older students who are working to expand their movement vocabulary for more advanced dance styles!
Singing:
This has been a big few weeks for singing. I must give one final dose of praise to our incredible Grade 2 students who recently performed their show based on the book The Day The Crayons Quit. As I have spoken with students throughout the week, it is evident they are very proud of themselves and I couldn’t agree more! Grade 4 students also have a show coming up this week on Thursday, May 21 at 6:30 PM. All of our students work so diligently on their singing voices and even for grades that aren’t performing concerts soon, we still make sure to sing songs and read tonal patterns in all levels!
Instrument Performance:
We have been able to do a lot with instruments lately as well. In most grades, we have been working on ostinato activities (ostinatos are musical patterns that repeat to accompany a song). This has allowed us to use hand drums, xylophones, metalophones, maracas, and more! And beyond this, grade 3 students will be attending a field trip this Wednesday, May 20, 2026 with the Rhode Island Philharmonic. Here, students will play along with the orchestra on their recorders to show off their instrument skills!
Music Literacy:
Finally, in all we do, music literacy is embedded in some capacity. Our youngest grade levels have begun writing simple rhythm notation and know how to read simplified melodies on a musical staff. Older students build on those skills and learn an expanded rhythm vocabulary so they can read, write, and identify more complex rhythms. These kids work very hard and they sound amazing doing it!
If you want to see some of our work in action, feel free to see the photos below!
All my best,
Mr. Chippo
