To the whole cast and crew of the Music Man for a job WELL DONE :)
Monday, November 9, 2009
Starting Something New!
Though change can be jarring, starting something fresh and new can be a welcome change! Many of the grade levels have been finishing their own units in the music classroom, and we are already for something new and exciting.
3rd Graders have just finished their first piece of music, “Bounce High, Bounce Low.” The song has Quarter Notes and Eighth Notes, as well as the pitches Sol, Mi, and La. The game we have put with it includes bouncing, tossing, and passing the ball to the beat of the song. Every time we do the game, our beat improves! It is definitely a challenge to really feel that beat and do all those tasks, as well as sing at the same time. Way to go, 3rd Grade!
Next we will continue our exploration into the Madison Symphony Orchestra by listening to the music that they will play for us on Tuesday, November 24th, 2009. The theme of the MSO’s concert this year is “Invitation to the Dance.” If you can think of ways that music and dance go together, please feel free to brainstorm over the weekend and remainder of the week so that you can share some of your ideas with the rest of the class! There are a number of great activities that I am excited to do – I cannot wait until we get to conduct our own classes and be the 4th Grade Orchestra! ☺
The 5th Graders have also already started some early preparation with their Seasonal Sing-A-Long, which will take place on Monday, December 7th, 2009 at 6:00 pm in the Jack Young Middle School Large Gym. We have started stretching in class and doing vocal warm ups to help our bodies be fully prepared to do their best and sing their best! Packets have been made for both NF and GLW, so students may see Ms. Baus on either Friday afternoons (NF students) or Thursday afternoons (GLW students) if they would like to check out a packet and practice on the weekends. I’ve already had students taking advantage of this great opportunity, so thank you for your EXTRA hard work! ☺
Stay tuned for MORE information about the Seasonal Sing-A-Long if you are not a 5th Grade parent. (All 5th Grade parents should have received a GREEN SLIP with information – please contact me if you need additional information!)
Now that these activities have wrapped up, we will all be starting some fun seasonal songs and games! Each grade level will be presenting a Seasonal Program in mid-December. The program for Gordon L. Willson students will be on Thursday, December 17th, 2009 and the program for North Freedom Elementary will be on the following day, Friday, December 18th, 2009. The program will only last for one afternoon, so there will be pairing of a few grades. Kindergarten will perform with 1st grade, 2nd with 3rd, and 4th will be by themselves. (The 5th Grade has started on their fun Seasonal Sing-A-Long project and there will be MUCH more information on that in the upcoming weeks!) Each section of the program will have it’s own theme, but you will have to wait until the day of the show to find out! Maybe you can figure it out by the songs your students will be humming and singing on their way home from school ☺
Stay tuned for more updates as the season progresses and brings us new and exciting things – like below ZERO weather, snow, and blizzards! ☺ Stay warm and healthy!
Kindergarten
These students have been playing many games, reading poems and stories, and playing instruments that will improve our internal pulse and the feeling of steady beat. The steady beat is just like our heart thumping in our chests – something we can all feel! Feeling it on the outside of our body by patting, clapping, passing items, and drumming instruments helps us make that beat audible to us in everyday life. All music is based on steady beat and before we expand to the many worlds of music, steady beat has got to be #1 in our Vocabulary! The students are doing an exceptional job at their steady beat activities – everyday and every week I see large amounts of improvement!! Way to go Kindergarten!!!1st, 2nd, 3rd Grade
What an accomplishment – READING YOUR OWN MUSIC. It has officially started in all three of these grades and I could not be any more proud of them! After this week, 1st and 2nd grade will have both learned the song and game “Star Light, Star Bright.” This song has the notes Sol and Mi and in it, and uses many different rhythm patterns including Quarter Notes and Eighth Notes! Everyday we put another piece of the puzzle together so that we could learn how to read our rhythms, our notes, and then the words. Fantastic job!3rd Graders have just finished their first piece of music, “Bounce High, Bounce Low.” The song has Quarter Notes and Eighth Notes, as well as the pitches Sol, Mi, and La. The game we have put with it includes bouncing, tossing, and passing the ball to the beat of the song. Every time we do the game, our beat improves! It is definitely a challenge to really feel that beat and do all those tasks, as well as sing at the same time. Way to go, 3rd Grade!
4th Grade
Every week is a new project with the Madison Symphony Orchestra field trip only weeks away! This week we learned a ton about the Woodwind and Brass Family, and some of us even invented our own Woodwind and/or Brass instrument! I cannot wait to pick up their papers and see what these creative minds have all come up with!Next we will continue our exploration into the Madison Symphony Orchestra by listening to the music that they will play for us on Tuesday, November 24th, 2009. The theme of the MSO’s concert this year is “Invitation to the Dance.” If you can think of ways that music and dance go together, please feel free to brainstorm over the weekend and remainder of the week so that you can share some of your ideas with the rest of the class! There are a number of great activities that I am excited to do – I cannot wait until we get to conduct our own classes and be the 4th Grade Orchestra! ☺
5th Grade
Boy are we making some GREAT creations in our 5th grade classes at both GLW and NF Elementaries. This past week, the North Freedom 5th Grade class recorded their STMOP! compositions. As I work with the video camera, I will be posting their finished product up on my website under “Musical Videos” – check back to see if they are posted in a week or so! All of the compositions are one of a kind and 100% 5th Grade produced. Their notation and rhythms were worked on for about 3 class periods (1 and a half hours), and recorded/discussed within the groups. I am really proud of each and every group – everybody should walk away feeling great about their composition and their group’s performance of it!The 5th Graders have also already started some early preparation with their Seasonal Sing-A-Long, which will take place on Monday, December 7th, 2009 at 6:00 pm in the Jack Young Middle School Large Gym. We have started stretching in class and doing vocal warm ups to help our bodies be fully prepared to do their best and sing their best! Packets have been made for both NF and GLW, so students may see Ms. Baus on either Friday afternoons (NF students) or Thursday afternoons (GLW students) if they would like to check out a packet and practice on the weekends. I’ve already had students taking advantage of this great opportunity, so thank you for your EXTRA hard work! ☺
Stay tuned for MORE information about the Seasonal Sing-A-Long if you are not a 5th Grade parent. (All 5th Grade parents should have received a GREEN SLIP with information – please contact me if you need additional information!)
Now that these activities have wrapped up, we will all be starting some fun seasonal songs and games! Each grade level will be presenting a Seasonal Program in mid-December. The program for Gordon L. Willson students will be on Thursday, December 17th, 2009 and the program for North Freedom Elementary will be on the following day, Friday, December 18th, 2009. The program will only last for one afternoon, so there will be pairing of a few grades. Kindergarten will perform with 1st grade, 2nd with 3rd, and 4th will be by themselves. (The 5th Grade has started on their fun Seasonal Sing-A-Long project and there will be MUCH more information on that in the upcoming weeks!) Each section of the program will have it’s own theme, but you will have to wait until the day of the show to find out! Maybe you can figure it out by the songs your students will be humming and singing on their way home from school ☺
Stay tuned for more updates as the season progresses and brings us new and exciting things – like below ZERO weather, snow, and blizzards! ☺ Stay warm and healthy!
Friday, November 6, 2009
Come See the Baraboo Theatre Guild's Production of Meredith Willson's "The Music Man"When: November 5th, 6th, 7th @ 7:30 pm
November 8th @ 2:00 pm
November 12th, 3th, 14th @ 7:30 pm
November 15th @ 2:00 pm
Where: Al Ringling Theatre in Baraboo, WI
Ms. Baus plays clarinet in the pit orchestra.
Students from GLW, JYMS, BHS, ETC. are also in the production!
Come support your local musicians, actors, friends, and family in their show!
Congratulations!
Congratulations are in order for many of the students @ GLW and NF this week!
Kindergarten – Wow! Our singing voices are coming a long way from the first day of school. We have been learning a ton of new songs and games, and the more I see each and every one of you, the better you get at singing them, each and every time. ☺ What a great thing to be proud of!
1st Grade – You are now official masters of the quarter note and quarter rest! Our practice has really paid off, because each and every one of you has shown me your amazing skills throughout this week. Now it’s on to bigger and better rhythmic challenges like the eighth note! ☺ Keep up the fantastic work!
2nd Grade – Not only have you mastered the quarter note and the quarter rest, but you have also taken on the added challenge of the eighth note – great job! Though there is a lot we can do with those rhythms, we will go even farther yet into half notes, whole notes, and notes with dots. What are those? Stay tuned to find out!
3rd Grade – Moving houses isn’t easy, but these boys and girls have gotten great at it! Moving paper houses that is. ☺ Our friends Mr. Sol & Mr. Mi have moved from their houses on the hill to the music staff this week. We are really getting the hang of this skill, so we will begin moving Mr. La to the staff to join his friends. Once we’ve got this, reading music will be one of our strongest skills!
4th Grade – Fantastic audience members, boys and girls. This week, Mrs. Sorci came to play her violin and share her talents with us, as we are heading to the Madison Symphony soon. The students’ behavior was wonderful and the questions that were asked of Mrs. Sorci were well thought out. I really appreciate these 4th graders and their polite behavior to professional musicians – they will be so prepared for our trip and represent Baraboo in a positive way!
5th Grade – Students at both NF and GLW have finished their school songs, just in time for Homecoming! It is a wonderful feeling of pride to be done with such a cool project. I am so proud of the 5th graders for all the hard work that they have put in and the end result (for each school) is unique and entertaining. Have the 5th grade students share their work with you – you’ll be surprised how creative and fun their minds can be! ☺
Great work to all students this week – have a wonderful weekend filled with fun activities in Baraboo and stay warm! See you Monday!
Kindergarten – Wow! Our singing voices are coming a long way from the first day of school. We have been learning a ton of new songs and games, and the more I see each and every one of you, the better you get at singing them, each and every time. ☺ What a great thing to be proud of!
1st Grade – You are now official masters of the quarter note and quarter rest! Our practice has really paid off, because each and every one of you has shown me your amazing skills throughout this week. Now it’s on to bigger and better rhythmic challenges like the eighth note! ☺ Keep up the fantastic work!
2nd Grade – Not only have you mastered the quarter note and the quarter rest, but you have also taken on the added challenge of the eighth note – great job! Though there is a lot we can do with those rhythms, we will go even farther yet into half notes, whole notes, and notes with dots. What are those? Stay tuned to find out!
3rd Grade – Moving houses isn’t easy, but these boys and girls have gotten great at it! Moving paper houses that is. ☺ Our friends Mr. Sol & Mr. Mi have moved from their houses on the hill to the music staff this week. We are really getting the hang of this skill, so we will begin moving Mr. La to the staff to join his friends. Once we’ve got this, reading music will be one of our strongest skills!
4th Grade – Fantastic audience members, boys and girls. This week, Mrs. Sorci came to play her violin and share her talents with us, as we are heading to the Madison Symphony soon. The students’ behavior was wonderful and the questions that were asked of Mrs. Sorci were well thought out. I really appreciate these 4th graders and their polite behavior to professional musicians – they will be so prepared for our trip and represent Baraboo in a positive way!
5th Grade – Students at both NF and GLW have finished their school songs, just in time for Homecoming! It is a wonderful feeling of pride to be done with such a cool project. I am so proud of the 5th graders for all the hard work that they have put in and the end result (for each school) is unique and entertaining. Have the 5th grade students share their work with you – you’ll be surprised how creative and fun their minds can be! ☺
Great work to all students this week – have a wonderful weekend filled with fun activities in Baraboo and stay warm! See you Monday!
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Happy Homecoming, Baraboo, WI!!
This week will be full of excitement and activity as the Homecoming game approaches on Friday, and the pride and spirit emanate from the staff here in Baraboo!
One thing that is happening at both Gordon L. Willson and North Freedom Elementaries, is the final step in our school song process. We have been working very hard for the past two weeks – rhyming words, developing logical sentences, and piecing them together – to make each school their very own school song. Since it is Homecoming week, we hope to put the finishing touches on our song and make it just right so that we may teach it to those around us. Each grade in the school will be listening to it in music class, and we hope to have a time where our 5th graders can show off their hard work. GLW and North Freedom have a lot of pride, and their songs really show it off!
Other happenings in the music classroom tie into some of the amazing opportunities that our students have this semester. Fourth grade students will be venturing to the Madison Symphony Orchestra on the Tuesday prior to our Thanksgiving Break (Tuesday, November 24th, 2009). Though this seems a ways away—it is fast approaching! Our first month in school has flown by, so it is time to start learning about the symphony, and all the people, instruments, and music involved! This unit is very exciting and one of the most enjoyable things for our 4th graders to experience. Just last week, we were introduced to all of the families in the orchestra (string, brass, woodwind, and percussion), along with the VIP’s in the orchestra – The Conductor (AKA Maestro), and the Concertmaster. Each week we will take a closer look at the string instruments in the orchestra, as the strings are the instrument family that make the orchestra unique! This week we are learning about the smallest of the strings – the violin and viola. One of the Computer Lab assistants here @ GLW is a fabulous violinist, and will be coming into our classroom near the end of the week to show us her two violins and play small pieces for us to see. It’s a great time for us to practice our audience skills and ask her questions about the higher stringed instruments! Another thing for fourth grade parents/students to check out together is the page on my website marked “Musical Links.” From there, there will be links that I have posted specifically for fourth graders going to the MSO this fall. On days that we have time with the SmartBoard, I hope to spend time on these sites, but please explore them at home, as well!
Another trip happening in the very near future is with our Kindergarteners! They will be going on a day trip to the apple orchard and pumpkin patch, so we have been learning many songs and games about these plants. Our games will help us become more familiar with the numbers 1 – 10, as we will use a ton of counting apple & pumpkin games. As these plants become ready for harvest, we are also seeing the beginning of the fall season. Fall comes under other names, like autumn, so we will be talking about the leaves changing, squirrels scurrying around, and acorns being collected. All fun things happening in the world around us during the fall season!
This week 1st and 2nd graders will be really focusing their rhythmic skills. At the end of last week, I gave each class a small challenge, and boy did they do well! I hope to see this amazing performance again this week in class as we create more independence with our rhythmic recognition skills. Great job 1st and 2nd grade – I can’t wait to hear how well we do this week!
3rd grade keeps on meeting new people that move onto Farmer Brown’s hills. Last week we met Mr. La, who is now our highest neighbor on the hill. He is also the highest pitch in our voice and highest sign with our hands – be sure you remember where he lives! Last week we also saw the “Music Staff” in class, and began to move our characters’ houses (mainly Mr. Sol & Mr. Mi) onto the staff instead of the hill. We are doing a great job with this and will keep practicing this skill this week. Soon, we will get Mr. La onto the staff, too!
Hope everybody enjoyed a wonderful weekend – see you in class this week. Happy Homecoming! Bring your Thunderbird, Wildcat, and Steam Train spirit this week along with your excitement to learn!
Friday, September 18, 2009
It's Time for a Rhyme...
We have had a ton of really cool things happen this week. One of the things that I cannot stop talking about to other staff members is the school song that the 5th Grade is composing. Wow, are they a creative bunch of people! This week, we have listened to the High School Song (recorded by the Baraboo High School Band), countless times to internalize the melody that we are composing for and to get us infused with school spirit. As we were listening, we worked in small groups to come up with words that we would want in our school song and words that would rhyme to make up our lyrics. Next week we will all study our words and really think about what GLW and NF are about. We will pick the most appropriate words and try and shape sentences around those words before we sing the song. This is the last step and I am so excited to see what we cook up. As I type all of our rhyming options, I am blown away by how creative all the 5th graders are. Great job team ? keep those creative juices flowing!
Another exciting event happening in the music room is happening with the Kindergarten classes! Everyday, we each get a chance at singing into the microphone as they say ?Hello? or ?Good Bye? to me. They all have such beautiful singing voices, sometimes I have them sing both! Along with great Kindergarten voices, I have also been hearing great voices throughout the school. As I get to know these students better and I spend more time with them, I become even more excited with the year we have ahead of us.
In many of the other classes (2nd/3rd/4th grade) I have been telling one of my favorite fictional stories about my friend Farmer Brown. Farmer Brown lives in Denver, CO and he meets Mr. Sol, Mr. Mi, and many other interesting musical characters. The adventure has only begun ? we have many more people to meet as the year progresses, so stay tuned! Feel free to ask your 2nd/3rd/4th grade student who these people are and what they do ? maybe they will even sing for you!
Have a great weekend all ? if you like to cheer for the Packers, tune in on Sunday and check for Ms. Baus in the stands! I will be cheering on the Pack @ Lambeau with my Dad and my brother, Nick.
Another exciting event happening in the music room is happening with the Kindergarten classes! Everyday, we each get a chance at singing into the microphone as they say ?Hello? or ?Good Bye? to me. They all have such beautiful singing voices, sometimes I have them sing both! Along with great Kindergarten voices, I have also been hearing great voices throughout the school. As I get to know these students better and I spend more time with them, I become even more excited with the year we have ahead of us.
In many of the other classes (2nd/3rd/4th grade) I have been telling one of my favorite fictional stories about my friend Farmer Brown. Farmer Brown lives in Denver, CO and he meets Mr. Sol, Mr. Mi, and many other interesting musical characters. The adventure has only begun ? we have many more people to meet as the year progresses, so stay tuned! Feel free to ask your 2nd/3rd/4th grade student who these people are and what they do ? maybe they will even sing for you!
Have a great weekend all ? if you like to cheer for the Packers, tune in on Sunday and check for Ms. Baus in the stands! I will be cheering on the Pack @ Lambeau with my Dad and my brother, Nick.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Here We GO!
We're off to a great start to the week @ GLW and NF! In the past two, we have had a lot of time to get to know each other through fun "beat-keeping games" and chants, but it is now time to really get singing! I cannot wait to hear all your beautiful voices in the classroom and really get going!
Speaking of getting going--I was just in Madison, WI this past Sunday (September 13th, 2009), watching the 2009 Ironman. Boy do they know how to "Get Going!" My brother has just graduated High School and was ONE of THREE 18 yr. olds to finish this year's Ironman. I am so proud of him--what a great job! A classroom teacher here @ GLW also completed the Ironman this weekend. What a great accomplishment!
Seeing all those hard workers out on the course really makes me excited to start the week with every one of you. The focus and motivation those men and women had to do that Ironman just motivate me to get going with all of you. I hope to see you pumped and ready this week--your bright, smiling faces keep us going!
Have a great week & see you all soon.
Speaking of getting going--I was just in Madison, WI this past Sunday (September 13th, 2009), watching the 2009 Ironman. Boy do they know how to "Get Going!" My brother has just graduated High School and was ONE of THREE 18 yr. olds to finish this year's Ironman. I am so proud of him--what a great job! A classroom teacher here @ GLW also completed the Ironman this weekend. What a great accomplishment!
Seeing all those hard workers out on the course really makes me excited to start the week with every one of you. The focus and motivation those men and women had to do that Ironman just motivate me to get going with all of you. I hope to see you pumped and ready this week--your bright, smiling faces keep us going!
Have a great week & see you all soon.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Names, Names, EVERYWHERE
What a wonderful start to the year! This week was my first week with everybody @ Gordon L. Willson and North Freedom Elementary. I feel so lucky to be here in Baraboo, WI and every classroom has shown me how wonderful all the students here really are. We’ve had a fun (and challenging time for some of us!), learning new names and getting to know each other in the music room.
This year, we are really opening our ears to all kinds of music! Each class will start out with a small listening activity in which we describe the music we have heard. Last week, we listened to Patriotic Marches by John Philip Sousa (i.e. Stars & Stripes Forever and The Washington Post March). We will explore the musicians/artists that make the music, the composer of the pieces, and why the composer may have named them or what their intent during composition was. So much information packed into that first five minutes of class! Recently, I have been poking around bookstores in the Madison area and have found some fantastic CD’s for us to listen to. Ranging from Tchaikovsky to Gershwin, we will keep ourselves busy!
Also this Labor Day weekend, I have been finding some books to accompany our classroom activities. One of my favorite finds is called “The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Classical Music: A Guide to Composers and Recommended Recordings.” This book has about a page or two of each composer PLUS many pictures of them, their original writings, etc.! It is veeery cool, and I hope to show all of you the composers as we hear their different works!
As the Labor Day weekend comes to a close, I get excited for our next week together. The weather has been beautiful and I hope we have all been able to enjoy it to the fullest—see you soon!
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Strike up the Band--Beginning the 2009/10 School Year!
Here it is—the 2009/2010 school year has officially started! First of all, I want to thank everybody for coming here to check out the GLW and NF music blog that I will be posting on throughout the year. Be sure to stop back often—I hope to post different videos, links, pictures, etc. within this blog and my website so that you can see all the wonderful activities we’ve been doing in the classroom.
This year, we will be starting off with some really fun name games. Though some faces may be familiar, it is always a great way to begin the year. As we play these games, I love how I get to see all the different personalities, as well as learn everybody’s name. Don’t be surprised if you are asked to play them at home! Though you know each other’s names, they are still tons of fun and have some very catchy dance moves and rhymes.
As each grade begins their new units, I will keep this updated with links. Students and parents can then discover all sorts of new things to bring to the classroom! Keep your eyes open for a post a week. I will usually post on Friday afternoons as the week comes to a close, however, I will post during the week if I find exceptional information for you to explore. Be sure to stop back often!
Let’s have a great first week—I look forward to meeting you all, and having a wonderful year!
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