April 3 - 17
FAMILY PLAY-A-LONG TO
"HAPPY" by PHARRELL WILLIAMS
#1 This track gives some instruction in how to play your wood, metal and scrape sounds that you gathered for last week's activities.
#2 This track is just our play-a-long track with no teacher voices cluttering it up!!
CLICK HERE FOR THE WORDS TO "HAPPY!!"
LESSON #2
All Grades
Many of you already know this song from Africa. Everyone in the family can do it and It’s a great way to get moving! Below is a sing-along recording with directions. Start by standing in a circle. This is a Call-and-Response song, so you will hear me sing as the caller, and then you repeat what I say. The last time you jump into the air with arms up! Once you know the words, choose a leader to stand in the middle of the circle to be the caller. At the end the caller can choose the next caller. Here is a link to more information about the song and what it means.
Kye Kye Kule from Ghana
(Chay-chay koo-lay)
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We are going to build on the activities that I gave last week. I would really like to know what you learned and discovered about sound waves. If you found places outside that echo email the location to me, (it’s on the main page here) and I will put it on a Google Map to share with everyone. We can add places to it as we go along and you can take walks to places other kids have found!
#1: Sound Waves:
Did you do the experiment with the ruler? What did you discover?
Did you find cool places that echo? Let me know by email!
Here’s a fun onew: Can sound waves travel underwater? What do you think? How would you find out in your own house? No looking it up!
#2: Home Percussion:
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Were you able to make or find some percussion instruments? I’ve already seen pictures of some of your creations, and they’re great! Please email me a picture of what you made and I will share them with everyone!
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Did you write some simple rhythms? If so, I would love to see what you wrote, so send me a pic!
I CAN: Write simple rhythms and perform them to music.
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Want to move?!? OK then, let’s move to “Happy”! (MUSIC ABOVE) There are parts of the song that have just a bass playing, (that’s me, by the way) then there is silence. During the bass parts, stay on one spot, play “Air Bass”, and sing the bass line. During the quiet part, dance!
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If you have the technology, record a video of you playing, singing and ‘playing’ the bass, and dancing! Show me your great performances!
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I CAN: Play percussion to accompany a song.
I CAN: Identify different sections of a song. (Verse & Chorus).
HEY GRADES 3, 4 and 5!!!
It’s OPERA TIME! We all know how opera singers ‘sing funny’, right? Here’s your chance to ‘sing funny’ and “Be a Star!” If you don’t know how opera singers sound, check out this video.
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Try opera singing instead of talking. For example, when you are asked to do something you don’t really want to, just sing back in Opera Voice, “Yes, I would LOVE to take out the trash, my dearest Papa!” ;-)
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Try it just saying your name, address and phone number.
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Find a book that you know and love, and sing/read from it.
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Have a conversation with your siblings or anyone whi is in the house. Adults can do it too!
This is just the beginning of a larger project, so please, give it a try and have some fun!
April 6 - 10: Two Activities
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#1: Sound Waves:
Want to know how sound works? Do these activities to find out!
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Find a ruler. Place it on the edge of a table with about half of it hanging ogg the end. Now pull down on the end that’s off the table, let go, and listen to it vibrate. What happens? Make it shorter and longer. What happens now?
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Let’s take it outside! Sound waves can bounce, it’s true! Can you make a sound wave bounce off a brick wall like a basketball? Walk around outside and find a large wall and stand away from it. Now yell a short word or sound. Can you hear it bounce off? What is that called?*
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Now over the next week walk around your neighborhood or anywhere you find yourself, and find all the places you can to make this happen. Write it down, or take a picture if possible. Save it for later for our next activity.
I CAN: Understand how sound is created.
I CAN: Demonstrate how a sound wave is a real thing (even though I can’t see it), and I can make it bounce.
#2: Home Percussion: There are three kinds of percussion instruments that we have been using in class. I know...you're thinking “Wood, Metal and Skins”, right? You are right!! Let’s try something new today
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Find or make three instruments that make sound in three different ways:
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Strike or hit
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Shake
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Scrape
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I’m not going to give you any ideas, you’re so creative, I’m sure you can come up with something really cool! Take the week to find or make them and play them to find out all the different sounds.
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Let’s take it outside! When you’re out walking around, maybe you can find something that makes a cool new sound!
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(Grades 1-5) Make a rhythm that repeats every four or eight beats using ta, tika, and rest. Write them down. Have a family member join and play all three rhythms together.
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Take a picture of all three instruments together. We’ll need the picture later.
Next week I'll have new activities that will use everything you did with this activity, so get ready!!
I CAN: Demonstrate the difference between striking, shaking, and scraping.
I CAN: Write simple rhythms.
*It’s called an echo ;-)
