Good King Wenceslas

Our 2nd-5th grade students are building their music literacy this year through a curriculum called Conversational Solfege.  This program is going to help our students hear, read, write, and create their own rhythmic and tonal patterns and songs.

Because this is a new program to our school this year, all students in grades 2-5 will start out on Unit 1, learning about rhythms in duple meter.  To start, we needed to build our repertoire of songs in duple meter.

One of the songs fourth and fifth graders learned for this purpose was "Good King Wenceslas."  For added fun, we sang this song on the neutral syllable "bum" and added motions.

Once we were comfortable with singing the song in unison, we sang it as a round - first in two parts, then four, then eight!  It was challenging, but we loved the effect that happened at the end (stay tuned - we will show you at our Holiday Programs in December!).

Once we knew the song really well, students were able to decode the rhythmic patterns that they heard in the song, singing with rhythm syllables.  We're off to a great start!

Hear Mrs. Hyland's fourth grade class sing this song in the video below.  Check out our Holiday Program in December to hear it as a round!

Chorus Sign-ups

Chorus sign-ups are underway!  Our Memorial School Chorus is open to students in grades 3-5.  Students meet after school on Wednesdays every week to learn songs and prepare for performances.  Our students perform several times throughout the year, including at our school-wide Veteran's Day assembly, Christmas programs, Winter Concert, Evening with the Arts, and Spring Concert.  For more information, please see the attached flier.  Return all Chorus sign-ups by Monday, September 25th.  I hope you'll join us!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iDvsT_rA8yO4Gw3Q_fiFBMGYiR0Aa6REcviSUOZ2T_8/edit?usp=sharing

Ricka Bamboo

2nd graders started off their year with the echo song "Ricka Bamboo."  This song helped us practice matching pitch and singing with the correct vocal placement, which was an important refresher after a long summer.  After we were familiar with the echoes in this song, students sang a line as a solo to help them further build their independence as musicians.

See the lyrics to the song below:

Oh Ricka Bamboo (oh Ricka Bamboo)
What do I see? (what do I see?)
It is a bird (it is a bird)
High in a tree (high in a tree)
It's red and gold (it's red and gold)
And purple too (and purple too)
That's why it's called (that's why it's called)
'Ol Ricka Bamboo ('ol Ricka Bamboo)

Hear Mrs. Curci's class perform the song in the video below:

The Littlest Worm

3rd graders started off their year with a new echo song called "The Littlest Worm."  Echo songs are a familiar form of song for our third graders, and they are a great way to help students match pitch and sing with proper vocal placement.  This song was a good way to refresh our singing voices after a long summer.

Students enjoyed this silly song about swallowing a worm.  See the lyrics below:

The littlest worm (the littlest worm)

I ever saw (I ever saw)

Was stuck inside (was stuck inside)

My soda straw (My soda straw)

The littlest worm I ever saw,

Was stuck inside my soda straw.

He said to me (he said to me)

"Don't take a sip (don't take a sip)

'Cause if you do ('cause if you do)

You'll really flip" (you'll really flip)

He said to me, "Don't take a sip,

'Cause if you do you'll really flip."

I took a sip (I took a sip)

And he went down (and he went down)

Right through my pipes (right through my pipes)

He must have drowned! (he must have drowned)

I took a sip and he went down,

Right through my pipes he must have drowned!

And now he's gone (and now he's gone)

This is the end (this is the end)

He was my pal (he was my pal)

He was my friend (he was my friend)

And now he's gone, this is the end,

He was my pal, he was my friend.

Hear Mrs. Adler's class perform this song in the video below:

Welcome Back!

Our music rooms are ready, but they are missing one thing... the musicians!  I can't wait to welcome you all back to school on Wednesday!

Campfire Songs

Are you going camping this summer?  You're in luck!  Our K-3rd graders have ended the year learning some campfire songs to share with you on your next camping trip!  Even preschool was able to get in on some of the fun!

Why do we sing campfire songs?  Students pointed out that it helps us pass the time when we don't have technology.  Campfire songs also help us bond as a family or group of friends and can keep us from getting scared of the dark.

Miss Dagenais brought her guitar in for this unit.  A guitar is a great instrument to bring to the campfire because it is portable.

What makes a good campfire song?  A campfire song is a song that we are all able to sing together.  Echo songs are great because the group repeats after the leader.  Only one person needs to know the words but everyone can join in.  Repetitive songs are also great for the campfire.  After just a few verses everyone can join in on the fun.  We also decided that silly songs are the best for a campfire.  After all, they are for entertainment!  Some songs are meant to tell stories.  Though these are usually longer and only sung by one person, they can keep everyone entertained around the fire.

Hear the songs that we have been singing in class and print out the lyrics to bring to your next campfire.  We hope you enjoy singing these songs with your family and friends!


Kindergarten:


1st Grade:


2nd Grade:



3rd Grade:

Singing Games

Our Primary School students have been relaxing after all of their hard work preparing for Memorial Day programs by playing some singing games.  These games are helping us practice some of the skills we have been working on this year, like singing in tune.  They also help us work together as a class and include everyone in our fun!

Kindergarteners sang "At the Bottom of the Sea."  Some students were seaweed while others were fish.  More and more students joined in until everyone got to be a fish!

1st Graders sang "Old King Glory."  We started out in two circles and kept pulling students into the outside circle until there was only one student left in the center.  They were the winner!

All Primary students sang "Razzama Tazzama."  Hear our 2nd graders sing it in the video below.