Each year in fourth grade, students begin the school year by learning our Global Warm-Up, which says hello in eight different languages! It also helps students to jump back into the Orff-Schulwerk Method of Teaching used at Big Flats Elementary and re-familiarizes students to the xylophone, glockenspiel, metallophone, African drums, and other percussion instruments used in the music room. Orff-Schulwerk is a developmental approach to music education that combines music, movement, drama, and speech into lessons in a fashion similar to a child's world of play. For more information on Orff-Schulwerk, click here.
Throughout the process of learning this warm-up, students were actively involved in discussing and critiquing instrumental technique, rhythm accuracy, steady beat, the culture of the languages being used, as well as providing both whole group and self-assessments. These conversations during the learning process helped each fourth grade class come up with a list of music goal to complete throughout the school year. These goals ranged from being able to play more advanced things on the xylophone and becoming better singers, to being more proficient at reading the note names on the staff, and learning more multi-cultural songs in music class.
Check out Miss Hunt's class performing our Global Warm-Up Orff Ensemble! Listen as we chant in eight different languages!
This school year the fourth grade started out music class with a musical composition! This project took students three weeks and required them to create, perform, respond, and connect music to their pre-existing knowledge of music, as well as the new material we just learned. We started the year by reviewing our music vocabulary, note names, and instrumental technique. We then transferred all of that information into learning about African music, culture and composing. Through this process students then created their own version of a traditional African folk song called Funga Alafia!
In small groups, students composed rhythmic word chains (a four word pattern based on a topic of their choice), created a musical form (the order of music labeled with A for one section, B for another, etc.), choreograph movement for each section, as well as create a formation. Each groups goal was to create a performance that captivated the audience and signified African culture!
Click HERE to check out some examples of student compositions!
We also provided feedback as a class and completed a self-assessment worksheet. In the worksheet, students were asked to evaluate their own teamwork, singing, rhythm accuracy, and creative movement. This particular self-assessment gave insight into things that students would like to practice or get better at in the future, will spend more time working on those specific skills with them as well. Click HERE to check out some student self-evaluations!
Check out some of our final performances!
Check out some of our final performances!
2015-2016 School Year
In the 2015-2016 school, each fourth grade class was given the task of creating a school song for Big Flats Elementary. The students took on the roles of music industry professions, such a lyricist, musicians, video designers, dancers, and choreographers, and created a song and music video. Once all four class created a video, the staff voted on their top two choice, and the final two videos were presented to the student body. The school voted on their favorite song and the winner was Mrs. Arnold's Class' song, Falcon's Soar.
Throughout the whole process of creating the music video, each class was discussed and analyzed the purpose behind a school song, if the message behind the school song was coming across, and if elements of music were present in the video. Students were very insight in their responses and helped to guide the music and music video in a very creative and Big Flats pride driven way!
Take a look at the winning music video and our new school song!
The fourth grade students also performed and presented our new school song for the Board of Education! Check our the photo from our performance!
