Dear Parents,
Welcome to another fabulous year of making music at Burning Tree! This monthly newsletter
will keep you informed about exciting news, upcoming dates, and content in your child’s weekly
general music classes. The intent is to help keep families involved in students’ music education
and encourage discussions at home about music.
Noteworthy News!
♫ Burning Tree was one of 11 elementary schools in MCPS selected to participate in a
technology pilot of a program called Quaver. As participants in the program, we will have
access to music reading games, videos and other technological resources. More details will
come soon about the pilot, but in the meantime, check out the all-access site at
http://quavermusic.com.
♫ Follow us on Twitter as @BTESmusic to see your kids making music at school!
♫ Chorus for all fourth grade students begins next week! Rehearsals are during the school day
and do not conflict with other instructional time. There will be a Combined Choral/Instrumental
Music Concert for parents on Thursday, January 21, at 7:00 p.m. More details coming soon!
♫ We are still in the process of selecting a show for the Spring Musical. It is so exciting that so
many fourth and fifth graders want to perform and work on crew this year! Details were sent to
BTNet last week. Special thanks to Yeages Cowan for volunteering to serve as the PTA Musical
Liason this year. Look for a big announcement in early October and online PTA ASA
registration to open in late October. Stay tuned!
♫ The music room welcomes any parent volunteers wishing to help, both working with students
during classes and assisting with administrative tasks. If you are interested in volunteering,
please email me at [email protected]. We would love to have you!
Making Music!
The following is short, at-a-glance, curriculum summary of the first four weeks of general music
instruction. As always, if you have any questions, feel free to email me to discuss any of the
concepts in more detail.
Week
1
Kindergarten
First Second
Grade Grade
Listen to and
perform singing
games and finger
plays
Perform a
steady beat
through
locomotor
and nonlocomotor
movement
Move to
demonstrate
a steady beat
in various
meters
Third
Grade
Fourth
Grade
Fifth
Grade
Identify forms
containing
contrast and
repetition
(verse/refrain)
Sing a threepart canon
using good
vocal
technique
Identify
specific
instruments by
sight and
sound
Week
2
Week
3
Week
4
Sing songs that
use the voice in a
variety of ways
Follow
musical
cues in
singing
games
Sing in tune,
using
appropriate
vocal
technique
Sing within a
limited vocal
range
Identify
repeated
and
contrasting
sections
heard in
music (A
and B)
Classify
classroom
and
orchestral
instruments
according to
methods of
sound
production
Explore steady
beat through
playing
classroom
instruments
Identify
repeated
and
contrasting
sections
heard in
music (A
and B)
Sing a
variety of
songs and
tonal
patterns in
tune
Identify forms
containing
contrast and
repetition
(verse/refrain
and
cumulative)
Identify
contrasting
and repeating
phrases
within a
given section
of music
Perform roots
of chords as
accompanimen
ts while other
students sing
contrasting
parts
Conduct music
with meter in
two
Identify
contrasting
and repeating
phrases
within a
given section
of music
Perform roots
of chords as
accompanimen
ts while other
students sing
contrasting
parts
Perform an
ostinato to
support a
given melody
Perform
rhythmic and
melodic
ostinatos
while other
students sing
or play
contrasting
parts
Perform roots
and thirds of I,
IV and V
chords in 12bar blues
songs
I look forward to this year, my seventh at Burning Tree, being the best yet! Have a wonderful weekend!
Alison M. Siegel
General/Vocal Music Specialist
Burning Tree Elementary School