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Hopkins students are currently working on playing instruments and their music literacy skills. Please review below to see what is going on with your grade level.
1st grade students: Students in first grade are working with playing the xylophones to help with their recognition of notes and rhythms. Students have been playing songs such as "Doggie, Doggie," "Bee Bee Bumble Bee," "Lucy Locket," and other three note songs. All of these songs use simple quarter-note and eighth-note rhythms. For this, students do not need to have any homework, but may be working at home with recognizing space in-between objects.
2nd grade students: Students in the second grade are beginning to work on pentatonic songs (five-note songs), along with half-note, and whole note rhythms, including the rhythms learned in first grade. Some songs they are working on include "Mary Had a Little Lamb," "Button You Must Wander," "Teddy Bear," and "Rocky Mountain." They do not currently have any homework, but by spring break, students will be asked to compose their own five-note song using all the notes and rhythms learned.
3rd grade students: Students in the third grade have finally begun their recorder and are working hard on one of their first three belts. These songs are simple three-note songs that work only with hooking-up music literacy skills to fingers, tonguing, and breath support. These songs are (starting in order) - "Hot Cross Buns," "Gently Sleep," and "Merrily We Roll Along." Students should be practicing 20 minutes a week or more; they should be asking for parent initial for their log sheet.
4th grade students: Students in the fourth grade are working on recorder and are devoted to playing an entire D minor scale. Students in the fourth recorder unit should be learning "It's Raining," "Old MacDonald," and "When the Saints Go Marching In." These songs include four to eight note melodies and include dotted-half note, half-note, quarter-note and eighth-note rhythms. Students in fourth grade should be practicing at least 25 minutes a week with parent initial on their log sheet.
5th grade students: Students in fifth grade are working on finishing their elementary school recorder skills by learning difficult rhythms and how to use their fingering to help them play their final three songs. Most of these last three songs do not include any new notes, but they do include tricky finger changes. These songs include; "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star," "Amazing Grace," and "Ode to Joy." If a student in fifth grade completes the recorder karate program, they will begin work on Robert Schumann's "The Wild Horseman;" which includes four new notes, a new time signature, and tricky finger changes. Fifth grade students should be practicing for a minimum of 30 minutes a week.
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