Music at Swanton School
Swanton School students Aaron and Grace playing with Mrs. Ewell and Mrs. Messier during the "Shamrocks and Thistles" presentation of Irish and Scottish music presented to the school community on Wednesday, March 17th.
Music Notes
News from the music department at Swanton Central School
From Mrs. Ewell:
Students in grades K-6 have been busy with a variety of activities in music class. Kindergarten students have been working on Spring songs and a singing game called Circle Round the Zero. This is a fun game that gives everyone a chance to choose a partner. It contains repeated patterns and a catchy tune to strengthen music skills. Students in Grades 1 & 2 have been working on songs for the April 6th Concert. Grade 1 learned Nana, Thread Needle (an African-American call & response song), We Have a New Goat (an Israeli folk song), There Come Our Mothers (a South African folk song), and Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Tree (an American song). Grade 2 learned Get on Board, Little Children (an African-American Spiritual), Sweet Potatoes (a Caribbean folk song), Flea! Fly! (a playground chant), My Mama's Callin' Me (an African-American folk song), and Old Dan Tucker (an American folk song).
Grade 3 students have been working on rhythm skills by playing the singing game Concentration and playing rhythm patterns on the hand drums. They practice half notes, quarter notes, and eighth notes by choosing patterns from a chart of menu items from Mrs. Ewell's Eatery. Each food item has a note pattern. Students can choose and combine various menu items to create new patterns to play. Students in Grade 4 recently completed an integrated arts unit inspired by James Rumford's book Silent Music. This Red Clover book describes the life of Ali, a young boy who lives in Iraq. He copes with the stress of war by practicing Arabic calligraphy, whose letters remind him of music notes. Students learned how to draw a dozen common music symbols while listening to traditional Iraqi music, then created visual art using the symbols. This became their Silent Music.
In Grade 5, students are singing classic American songs including This Land is Your Land (with the 3 "missing" verses that Woody Guthrie wrote but have been deleted from the song by music publishers) and Amazing Grace. They learned the story of John Newton, a former slave ship captain, whose eyes were opened to the suffering of the slaves he transported and sought redemption by becoming an abolitionist and writing the beloved song. Grade 6 is moving toward the end of a year-long study of genres such as Folk, Blues, Jazz, and Classical. We are currently listening to Country music by such performers as Hank Snow, Johnny Cash, and the Dixie Chicks. Sixth graders are also working on a 4-part drum ensemble (as are 5th graders) to accompany an African song Take Time in Life.
Lastly, the Grade 5 Xylophone Group is preparing 3 songs for the June instrumental music concert at MVU. They are playing Orff arrangements of Engine, Engine, Icka Backa Soda Cracka, and Old Blue.
I would also like to add that the addition of a classroom set of hand drums has substantially changed the way students learn about music. The weekly opportunities to listen, create, and play has strengthened skills in many ways and provided opportunities for students who don't play traditional instruments. The PTO's generous gift of funds with which to purchase the drums will be a lasting gift to the children of Swanton.
back to top
From Mrs. Messier:
Instrumental music students in grades four through six had a wonderful first concert in the school gymnasium on January 27th. The concert, which involved about 90 students, featured Beginner Band, Advanced Band, Xylophone Group, Beginner Strings, and Advanced String Orchestra. The students are already hard at work preparing for the June 4th Instrumental Music Concert, which will take place at 7 PM at MVU.
In January, band students started using SmartMusic in their instrument lessons at school. SmartMusic is a computer program that provides instant visual feedback for students during their practice. With the use of a microphone and the Internet, students read the music that is directly from their lesson books right on the computer screen. After playing into the microphone, the screen lights up like a video game and tells the student if they played their notes correctly by highlighting notes in green. If the notes have been played incorrectly, the notes on the screen will be highlighted in red. The students then can redo their efforts until they play all the notes and rhythms correctly. It has been fun to use this practice tool in lessons and I have seen progress in students’ playing as a result of this tool. This program is available for students to purchase for home use and there are a few students who are using it successfully at home. SmartMusic is currently only available to Swanton School’s band students right now, but the program should be available to string students by the beginning of the next school year.
The Advanced String Orchestra students are preparing for an upcoming string festival in May. This is the first year of what I hope will be an annual event between the St. Albans City School and Swanton Central School, both of which have string students in the instrument music programs. Swanton’s students will be spending a day in St. Albans rehearsing and preparing music in a combined orchestra with St. Albans students. After a day of rehearsing and making music, students will share their musical program with students in St. Albans before heading back to Swanton. There will also be a performance in the evening for students to share their work with family and friends.
On Wednesday, March 17th, students in kindergarten through sixth grade attended a musical performance by Mrs. Messier on violin and Mrs. Ewell on harp and piano. The program, “Shamrocks and Thistles,” featured traditional music from Ireland and Scotland. With the help of Swanton School’s computer support technician, Mr. Garrow, the performance was accompanied by a slideshow of Mrs. Ewell’s trips to these countries. Fifth grade violin students Aaron Evans and Grace Coburn played on one piece during each of the four performances that day. This program was one of several cultural assemblies at Swanton School this year.
Lastly, the Instrument Petting Zoo for third graders will take place in May. At the Instrument Petting Zoo, all third grade students will hear demonstrations of band and orchestra instruments. The demonstration will include flute, clarinet, alto saxophone, trumpet, trombone, baritone horn, snare drum, bells, violin, viola, and cello. After hearing what each of the instruments sound like, students will have a chance to try out each of the instruments, if they wish. This is a great opportunity for students to learn what instrument they may be interested in playing in the future.
We are off to a musical start to 2010!
Vocal Music
by Mrs. Ewell, Instructor
back to top
The vocal and general music program in Swanton Schools provides
students in all grades opportunities to sing songs, play instruments,
listen to many kinds of music, learn musical skills and music history,
practice performance skills, and make connections with other areas of
learning and their lives outside of school. Lessons are often linked
with social studies, literature, or science units. The music department
is well-supplied with songs and instruments from all over the world,
and ethnic music is an important part of the curriculum. Life-long
appreciation and understanding of music is a priority, and the skills
Swanton students acquire in music class will have positive benefits in
other areas of their school careers.
Instrumental Music
by Mrs. Messier, Instructor
back to top
The instrumental music program is designed to provide opportunities for participants to learn about many aspects of music primarily through instrumental music performance. Interested students usually rent instruments and take small group lessons for one year before joining Advanced Band. There are two instrumental music concerts each year. Lessons are available on flute, clarinet, alto saxophone, trumpet, trombone, baritone horn, percussion, violin, viola, and cello. Participation in instrumental music at Swanton Central School will help prepare students for future involvement in instrumental music in middle school, high school, and beyond.
