Auditions for "The Big Chill"

Attention 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade parents and students,
Auditions for solos and speaking parts will be the week we return from Christmas break: Thursday, January 6 in the morning 7:00-7:40 and afternoon 2:45-3:15. Students only need to come to one of the audition times. Please e-mail me (aodom@rock-hill.k12.sc.us)if your child is interested in the auditions.

"Arf!" Performance Date

Our Kindergartners, 1st, and 2nd graders will present the musical, "Arf!" on March 29 at 7PM in the Sullivan Middle School Auditorium. Auditions for speaking parts and solos will be after Christmas Break. The time and date for auditions will be announced after Christmas Break. This will be a fun musical tribute to "Man's Best Friend"!

Mark Your Calendars for February 15

Our 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders will present the musical, "The Big Chill" on February 15 at 7PM in the Sullivan Middle School Auditorium. Auditions for speaking parts and solos will be after Christmas Break. The time and date for auditions will be announced after Christmas Break. I think this is going to be a wonderful showcase of the talent at IHES!
(Stay tuned for more info to come on the K, 1st, and 2nd musical production in March!)

Do You Hear What I Hear?

No, I'm not talking about recorders though they are coming along nicely!

Take advantage of the many concerts and plays in our area that celebrate this magical time of year. The Blumenthal Performing Arts Center has a variety of events for all ages:

http://www.blumenthalcenter.org

Also, our own Rock Hill Community Theatre is presenting a Christmas play (starring some of IHES's own!)this weekend celebrating the life of Vernon Grant:

http://www.rockhilltheatre.org

Did you know we have a Performing Arts Center in Rock Hill?:

http://www.yorkcountyarts.org

We are very lucky to live in a community that loves and supports the arts!

Herringo's House of Tunes Open in Rock Hill for music lessons!

Herringo's House of Tunes (owned by Jason and Jessica Herring) has opened across from Northwestern High School! They offer private voice and instrumental lessons. Kindermusik classes are offered to children birth through age 7. I will be teaching Kindermusik on Monday and Thursday nights at Herringo's beginning in January. I hope some of our IHES families will take advantage of this wonderful opportunity. The Herringo's House of Tunes web-site is www.herringoshouseoftunes.com. The e-mail is info@herringoshouseoftunes.com, and the phone number is 324-9526. The Kindermusik web-site is www.ourmusictime.com

Check out these wonderful opportunities in our town!

Inventors!

The 2nd and 3rd graders have been diligently working on their task of creating and constructing original instruments. I am amazed at their creativity, and their ability to work in teams to design their masterpieces. From recyclables, the students have demonstrated a wonderfully creative way to reuse items in our everyday lives! I know the Earth is smiling as much as we are in the music room!

'Tis the Season

We begin the journey through the last few weeks of school in 2010! You can feel the excitement of the children as they anticipate Christmas traditions and a visit from Santa Claus. The music room elf, Elfred, has returned again this year to keep tabs on behavior in the music room. The children are delighted to see our little elf friend who came to IHES music room for the first time last year!

The season being joyous, yet busy has led to the decision to wait until after Christmas to do some performances. In February the 3rd-5th grades will perform the musical show, "The Big Chill", which highlights the anticipation of snow days from both students and teachers. In March, the K-2nd graders will perform another show, "Arf!". The students will represent different breeds of dogs in this cute, heartwarming show. I think the mid-winter performances will add some excitement to a dreary time of the year. Show dates will be announced soon.

Of course, we will need lots of help with costuming and creating props for each of the shows. Do you have a talent in those areas? Please consider lending your skills to make these shows unforgettable for our students. You may contact me via e-mail: aodom@rock-hill.k12.sc.us or voice mail: 985-5669.

Let the Christmas countdown begin!

Mrs. Odom

This Week in Music

The special area schedule is adjusted for the next two weeks due to PASS testing for the 3rd-5th grade students. Special areas will only meet with two classes in the afternoon each day of testing, because we help to monitor and administer the tests. I will not meet some classes for a couple of weeks, but I will see others a time or two. Therefore, each class will be working on different lessons based on how often I see them.
Remember that next Thursday, May 20 from 5:30-7:30 will be our Night of the Arts.

May Music

Wow, is it really May??

Kindergarten:
-"Cobbler, Cobbler": rhyme for experimentation with vocal timbre and pitch range
-"Shoe a Little Horse": So-Mi melody in 6/8 time with a instrument and movement game

1st Grade:
- "Little Red Caboose" -Reinforcing pulse and experiencing AB form
-Notating so-mi-la on a 3-line staff
-"Drip, Drop"-so-mi-la melody, mallet technique on glockenspiels
-"All Around the Buttercup"- Song with a game which enforces pulse and AB form

2nd Grade:
- Review concept of Barlines and Time Signatures in music with speech activities.

3rd Grade:
- Continuation of learning and practicing movement for the Night of the Arts on May 20

4th and 5th Grades:
-Continue Mallet Madness Activities: "Crazy 8s" and "Peanut Butter Pie"

IHES Music Grant Funded!

The Rock Hill School District Foundation grants recipients were announced on Wednesday, and the grant I composed for our music classroom was fully funded! The grant is entitled: "Up, Up, and Away Wii Go". Next year our music room will have the Wii gaming system complete with 4 controllers to use the Wii Music Software as part of our curricullum to reinforce the skills and concepts students learn in music. I am excited and believe that this will be a wonderful incentive for the IHES students and engage them in music lessons even more next year! Check out the activities available in Wii Music online at any web-site which sells Wii games.

Music This Week

Here's what we're doing in music this week:

Kindergarten:
-Review "One Potato, Two Potato" and keeping a steady beat with our rhythm sticks
-Learn a hand clapping game to accompany the nursery rhyme, "Pat-A-Cake".

First Grade:
-Discuss the use of themes in "Peter and the Wolf" to represent the characters in the story
-Play a matching game between animals and instruments to explore which instruments would represent the animals best in the orchestra.

Second Grade:
-Label "Barline" and "Measure" in a musical context
-"Five Little Monkeys"- label "tempo" and "forte/piano"
-"A Thousand Hungry Savages"- prepare "rondo" form
-" Cut the Cake"- Singing game from Nova Scotia

Third Grade:
-Continuation of preparing for the May 20 performance of movements from "Carnival of the Animals"

Fourth and Fifth Grades:
-"Mallet Madness": rhythmic echoes, body director, and crazy 8's

Week in Review

Kindergarten: Students reviewed the song, "The Cuckoo", which is centered around the pitches for so-mi. They also enjoyed playing many different instruments for the rhyme, "One Potato, Two Potato". Students were required to play only when they spoke the number words or the word "more".

First Grade: Students viewed the movie of Sergio Prokofiev's, Peter and the Wolf. Over the next few weeks, we will study the musical themes, which accompany all of the characters in this tone poem.

Second Grade: Students notated a melody on a 5 line staff to accompany the children's book, Swimmy. They also learned a song based on the pitches, so-mi-do. The students enjoyed playing an instrumental accompaniment to the song.

Third Grade: Students began choreography on their classes' movement from Carnival of the Animals. The choreography will be practiced over the next few weeks, and then presented on May 20 at the IHES Night of the Arts.

Fourth Grade: Students continued using the classroom instruments during Mallet Madness, which allows students to experience playing each instrument in our music classroom. Students practice correct playing technique, sharpen their aural and rhythmic skills while having fun!

Fifth Grade: Students completed the study of Ludwig Von Beethoven with the conclusion of Beethoven Lives Upstairs. Students began Mallet Madness this week in class and will continue in the next few weeks.


**Remember to check out the musical items available for purchase from Music in Motion to help our music program.

Dear IHES Parents,

We have had an incredible year in music! The students have grown so much in terms of their musical development. Students have used a variety of musical instruments and have studied various composers and famous musical works. I certainly want the learning to continue over the summer months; therefore, you and your child(ren) have the opportunity to purchase home instruments, books, and DVDs before the school year ends.

IHES Music has partnered with the Music In Motion Company in order to bring music education into your home. The web-site, www.musicmotion.com, offers thousands of music related items. The IHES Music program will also benefit as a portion of the sales will come back to the music classroom to purchase supplies and instruments for our classroom. If you chose to order online, please use the following affiliate code when checking out: AL1048.

Below I have also included another document (Music in Motion Order for Parents) highlighting instruments, books with CDs, and DVDs which we have used in the music classroom this year. The prices for these items include tax and shipping. I will place a bulk order (reducing your shipping costs) for those items on April 30 in order for you and your child(ren) to receive them in May. You may send your order form (or e-mail me your order) with a check made to IHES for your order by April 30. I hope you will take advantage of this great opportunity to bring music into your home!

Musically Yours,

Mrs. Odom

http://www.box.net/shared/cdb3t982ox

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Earning Money for Music Supplies with Great Quality Music Products

Dear Parents, Students, and Friends,

We're trying to raise money for India hook Elementary School Music! By simply shopping with Music in Motion on the web-site: www.musicmotion.com, you'll help us earn a percentage of each sale. Just use our affiliate code AL1048 when you check out, so that our group gets credit for the sale. Thank you for your support!

Music in Motion has a huge selection of over 5000 music education resources and gifts for all ages, including:
- Books, CDs, & videos on composers, instruments, music history, & theory for all ages
- Hard-to-find gifts for musicians of every age--fashions, mugs, stationery items, & novelties
- Extensive children’s resources on music and the arts
- Music and movement games
- Posters
- Software
- Folk and ethnic instruments
- Incentives
- Equipment
- Awards
- Creative dramatics resources such as musicals, puppets, hats, and masks
- and much more!

Happy shopping, and don't forget to enter our affiliate code AL1048 when you place your order!
Thanks for your support,
Mrs. Odom

Spring has Sprung!

I hope everyone had a wonderful spring break with their children! I had a terrific time with my boys, Bailey and Carter, who are 16 months old now. They continue to love their Tuesday evening Kindermusik classes, and I have already enrolled them in 2 sessions in the summer. If you are interested in enrolling your child(ren) in Kindermusik for the summer, please go to the web-site, www.ourmusictime.com

Kindergarten and first graders are both beginning to work more extensively with the xylophones, metallophones, and glockenspiels.

Second Graders are learning about musical phrase length, extensions of ABA form, and notating do,re, mi, so, la on the musical staff.

Third graders are preparing for their performance on May 20 at the IHES Night of the Arts. The performance is a culmination of the study of animal vocabulary in French, the art work of the French composer Henri Rousseau, and "The Carnival of the Animals" by French composer Charles Camille Saint- Saens. Each 3rd grade class has been studying one of the 14 movements in Saint-Saens work.

Fourth Grade began "Mallet Madness" this week. "Mallet Madness" involves the entire instrumentarium in our music classroom. This week we worked on playing rhythms dictated by myself. When students became comfortable with echoing my given rhythms, they then took turns being the "teacher". I was very pleased with their ability to improvise rhythms for their fellow classmates to echo play on their instruments. We will continue with "Mallet Madness" activities in the coming weeks.

Fifth grade has completed Recorder Karate. I am so proud of all of the students who practiced and actively participated in belt testing! Some of the students will perform on recorders at the IHES Night of the Arts on May 20. The black belt song for "Recorder Karate" is Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" from his Ninth Symphony. This week we began studying about Beethoven's life by reading about him in The Lives of Musicians: The Good Times, The Bad Times, (and What the Neighbors Thought). We also began to watch the DVD Beethoven Lives Upstairs.

**I have posted a project on Donor's Choose.com to raise money to purchase more instruments for our music room. You may view and donate to the project by visiting this web-site:http://www.donorschoose.org/donors/proposal.html?id=374852&verify=-1351871806
Thank you for your support!

This Week in Music

I know it has been a few weeks since I have updated this blog. I apologize for not keeping everyone informed. However, have no fear; we have still been busy in music!

Kindergarten: We have started a study of Mozart with a focus on his well- known opera, The Magic Flute. This week and next, the students will act out the story of the opera; and then create a book which highlights the characters in The Magic Flute.

1st Grade: Students are learning songs with the pitches for so, la, and mi; and they have learned some games with movements to reinforce the placement of the pitches within in the musical scale.
Students are also learning to identify the following instruments by ear: triangle, cow bell, tambourine, hand drum, wood block, and guiro.

2nd Grade: Students are learning songs which include the pitches for do, re, and mi. This week they learned the song "Buggy Ride" which is based on do, re, and mi. In addition to singing those pitches, they are also learning to notate them on the musical staff.
The students have learned a rhythmic speech piece entitled "M-A-R-C-H" about the month of March. They are learning to perform the rhythm on the hand drum while speaking the piece and while internalizing the piece (speaking it in their heads).

3rd Grade: Students are learning about the French composer, Charles-Camille Saint Saens, and his famous work, The Carnival of the Animals. The students have been on a listening scavenger hunt as they listen to the movements of the music named after animals. Saint-Saens composed the music to mimic the sounds and movements of the various animals: lions, mules, hens and roosters, fish, turtle, birds, donkeys, elephants, Cuckoo bird and swan. There are also movements representing pianists and fossils. I think the students are enjoying their journey into this great work.

4th Grade: Students have learned a silly song, "Cheesy Feet" on their recorders. They are working hard to identify the notes on the musical staff and, and then relate them back to play their recorders. This requires a great deal of concentration, so please encourage your child to work very hard on their musical skills in music each week.

5th Grade: Our Recorder Karate is still going strong. Fifteen students have achieved their recorder black belts! Once students reach the black belt level, they are asked to become peer tutors to help their classmates master the Recorder Karate songs. They also are assigned a more complex piece of music for 2 recorders, Finale Maestoso, by Johannes Brahms. We will complete our Recorder Karate unit before spring break.

The First Girl Black Belt of Recorder Karate 2010

Congratulations to Kaycelyn Laymon for earning her black belt in Recorder Karate! She is the first girl to receive a black belt this year!

The First Black Belt of Recorder Karate 2010

Congratulations to Anthony in Mrs. Godfrey-Hill's class for earning the first black belt for this year's Recorder Karate!

2010 Summer Fine Arts Camps

I can't believe it's already time for summer activity information! The Arts Council of York County will be offering a huge variety of week long camps in all arts areas: visual arts, music, drama, and dance. The schedule and registration can be found by going to the following web-address: http://www.yorkcountyarts.org/images/schedule.pdf
I hope some of our IHES students will be able to take advantage of these fun, educational opportunities!

Valentine's Day is in the air!

We're still focusing on our standards with a little twist of Valentine's celebration this week!

Kindergarten:
- Listening to "America the Beautiful"
- Creative movement to Saint-Saens "The Aviary" from The Carnival of the Animals using scarves
- Singing game with "Wild Birds"
- Valentine song and rhythm game: "I Hope I Get a Letter!"

1st Grade:
- Introduction to musical form using shapes
- Playing so-mi pitches on the glockenspiel to accompany "Valentine"
- Valentine song and rhythm game: "I Hope I Get a Letter!"
- Preparing "la" through the song "Lucy Locket"

2nd Grade:
- Playing mi-re-do on the barred Orff instruments to the song "It's Mi-Re-Do"
- Valentine song and dance: "Do You Love Me?"
- Identifying and classifying unpitched percussion instruments into categories: metals, woods, and skins
- Listening to and identifying "America the Beautiful" as a Patriotic song

3rd Grade:
- Learning and dancing the "Doudlebska Polka", a Folk dance from the former county of Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic)
- Accompanying the song "Love Somebody" on barred Orff instruments and unpitched percussion instruments
- Introduction to low "la"
- Creative movement/exploration in response to the rhyme, "Letters and Shapes" (Students form different letters and shapes with their bodies as specified by the teacher.

4th Grade:
- Recorder- students learn and play a two measure melody for teacher (This helps me to assess student's understanding of music notation as they individually play for me)
- American folk song, "John Kanakanaka", with partner drum game.

5th Grade:
- Continuation of Recorder Karate
Several students have already passed off the Brown belt level of Recorder Karate, so next week 5th grade will have some Black Belt Stars! Students achieving the Black belt level will become peer teachers to help classmates with various levels of Recorder Karate.
Encourage your child to use the internet "Recorder Karate Dojo" on the Music K-8 web-site to practice. Students who are utilizing this resource at home are well-prepared for their "belt tests". A username and password for this resource were given to the students when Recorder Karate began in January. Please e-mail me if your child has misplaced the username and/or password, and I'll send it to you.

Snowy Week!

I was glad to see the snow this past weekend, but we were back to full speed ahead on Tuesday!
Here's what we're doing in A119 this week:

Kindergarten:
- Rhythm pattern play along
- "Here Comes a Bluebird" song and game
- Moving with Scarves to "The Aviary" from The Carnival of the Animals
- Begin a new song: "Wild Birds"

1st Grade:
- Performing rhythm patterns
- Song and movement activity, "Oliver Twist"
- Identifying "so" and "mi" on a 3 line staff
- Dramatic play using vocal exploration

2nd Grade:
- Focus on Hand Drum Technique
- "Jeremiah Blow the Fire"- rhythmic speech with hand drums
- " I Lost the Closet Key"- practice with "mi", "re", "do" patterns

3rd:
- Performing rhythm patterns including 16th notes
- "I'm Gonna Sing"- creating various rhythmic ostinati while singing the song
- SC Folk Song, "I Got a Letter this Morning"- playing on the barred Orff instruments while singing the song or the melodic ostinato

4th:
- Music Ace Lesson on the ABC's of the Musical Staff
- Begin "John Kanakanaka", a folk song. (Next week we will add a partner clapping game and advance to a hand drum game

5th Grade:
Recorder Karate!

Week of January 18 in music

Things are in full swing in music classes! I am constantly amazed as I witness the growth of the students' music knowledge and their willingness to try new things to create amazing music. Here's a "run down" of this week's lessons:


Kindergarten:
- More rhythmic dictation using "ta", "ti-ti", and "rest"
- Review movement activity with "I Can't See the Wind"
- Read poem, "If Things Grew Down", and adding instruments and voice effects to suit the words

First Grade:
- Singing and movement with "The Old Gray Cat"
- Game: "Bounce High, Bounce Low" to prepare introduction to "la"
- Iconic notation of "so" and "mi" in the song "Baker's Hat"

Second Grade:
- Echo singing on "Do, mi, so, and la"
- Singing, Movement, and playing instruments with the song, "Donald Duck"
- Creating rhythmic body percussion ostinatos to accompany, "Let's Go Play in the Snow"
- Introduction to the Swedish Folk Song, "Ritsch, Ratsch"

Third Grade:
- Labeling the sixteenth note, and performing rhythmic phrases which include sixteenth notes
- Continue working on "Movement Canon"
- Finding Form in Patterns

Fourth Grade:
- Students have the opportunity to play phrases on the recorder for the class to echo on their recorders
- Using a felt staff and notes to show understanding of the location of the notes B, A, and G on the musical staff
-Playing patterns using B, A, and G after identifying the phrase on the musical staff

Fifth Grade:
- Recorder Karate Yellow and Orange Belt testing- Come and see the "Recorder Karate" bulletin board outside the music room. It marks students' progress through the belt levels of "Recorder Karate

**DVDs of the December 15th Christmas Program are available for purchase for $10. You may e-mail me your order, so the DVD will be ready when the money is sent in to school.

This Week in Music

Here's what we're doing in music this week:

Kindergarten:
- Rhythmic dictation using "ta", "ti-ti", and rest
- Movement with scarves to show the tempo of "I Can't See the Wind"

First Grade:
- Rhythmic dictation using "ta", "ti-ti", and rest
- Echo singing patterns using "so" and "mi" pitches and hand signs
- Identifying "so" and "mi" from the song, "Snowflakes", using iconic notation
- Pantomiming playground activities while singing "What Shall We Do When We All Go Out".

Second Grade:
- "So, La, Mi" game: The students echo all of the patterns sung by the teacher except for "So, La, Mi"
- Identifying "So", "La", and "Mi" with in the song "Taxi" (review)
- Adding accompaniment on Metallophones and Glockenspiels to the song "Taxi"
- Learning a dance to accompany "The Noble Duke of York"

Third Grade:
- Adding Accompaniment on Xylophones and Metallophones to the song "Three Little Monkeys"
- Introduction to canons with the rhythmic piece, "Movement Canon"
- Rhythmic Training with mini canons

Fourth Grade:
- Playing "Ds are Dangerous" with accompaniment C.D.
- Music Ace Lesson 1 and Game- Introduction to the staff, clefs, and ear training exercises

Fifth Grade:
- Recorder Karate Yellow Belt Song: "Gently Sleep"
**Practice tracks can be accessed through the web-site: www.musick8.com under "Recorder Karate Dojo". Students must have the username and password given to them at school to access the practice tracks.

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and is ready for 2010! Things are back in full swing in the music room! Here is what we're working on this week:

Kindergarten: Rhythmic reading, singing about their favorite presents on sol and mi, creating music to accompany "A Weather Story"

1st Grade: Playing the bass metallophone and bass xylophone with the song, "Lucky, Lucky", Learning and singing "Teddy Bear" with movements, Signing sol and mi

2nd Grade: Singing "The Noble Duke of York" with movements, Signing and notating "Taxi, Taxi" on the musical staff, Playing a game in which they say what they like about winter while bouncing a playground ball to the half note pulse

3rd Grade: Singing "Three Little Monkeys" and creating a rhythmic "B" section, Working in pairs to compose a melodic ostinato to accompany a song about snow

4th Grade: Learning and playing "Rockin' Robin" on the recorder with accompaniment, Using the Music Ace computer program to strengthen music literacy (This will continue throughout the semester.)

5th Grade: Beginning "Recorder Karate". Most students have already earned their white belts! Students earn "belts" to put on the end of their recorders as they learn different skills on the recorder. In order to "belt test" and earn a certain level of "belt", students must have their "Recorder Karate" folder they received this week and have their own recorder in class. Instructions for using the computer for practicing for "Recorder Karate" were given during class this week. The web-site contains accompaniment tracks just like the ones they will play with when they "belt test". The web-site is www.musick8.com. Students were given the username and password to access these resources.