Fifth graders have kicked off our new year by learning how to read notes in the treble clef. This musical notation is the way that musicians are able to translate sheet music into a song.
First, students learned some strategies to read the notes. They learned that the treble clef is also called the G-clef, because it wraps around the G line. From the G, we can use the musical alphabet to find any other note.
They also learned some fun acronyms to remember the lines and spaces. Some favorites for the spaces were "FACE" and "Fat Albert Causes Earthquakes." Some favorites for the lines were "Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge," "Even George Bush Drives Fast," "Elephants Go Bouncing Down Freeways," and "Every Good Boy Drives Ferraris." Many students came up with their own acronyms.
After learning the strategies, students worked in teams to play several games to practice, including Cupcake Wars and Treble Clef is Out of This World.
Next, students will be reading music themselves to figure out the names of some mystery songs which they will play on the Boomwhackers.
