Art & Music
P.S.92Q Art and Music
Monthly Newsletter
Mrs. Davis and Mr. Eisenberg
| ART & MUSIC TEACHERS | ||
| Art | Ms. Davis | NDavis25@schools.nyc.gov |
| Music | Mr. Eisenberg | DEisenb@schools.nyc.gov |
What We Learned in March
In art class, students got ready for Spring and made some Springtime art projects. In kindergarten we learned the color order of the rainbow and created rainbows in many different ways. First graders learned to draw castles while second graders created their own scratch art paper. Third graders painted beautiful flowers and fourth graders made funky bunnies.
In keyboard/piano class, students learned to play Happy Birthday using only white piano keys (in the key of C Major) while using the 2 & 3-black-key groups to orient themselves & locate the correct white keys. Happy Birthday incorporates more melodic skips, including a large skip (leap) of an octave. Students also used the structure/musical form of the song to help them memorize it (4 phrases [i.e. musical sentences]: a, a’, b, c).
In dance class students in grades 2-3 are continuing to learn choreography for the spring show. These students are putting together all the dance moves they have learned in dance class for this show. Jazz was the dance of study this year and they are jazzing it up! Students in kindergarten are preparing for their step up graduation. We are finding songs and learning small dance movements to pair with the chosen songs. Students in grades 1 have been studying literature in dance. They were able to identify action words, verbs, and utilize action words in their dances. Students were able to make connections to the text as well as real life connections through dance.
Upcoming Student Learning in April
In art class, students will learn about silhouettes, sculpture in clay and paper, collage and stained glass windows. We will look forward to creating these projects and displaying them for our STEAM fair in May.
In keyboard/piano class, students will finish learning Happy Birthday on the keyboard/piano using mostly white keys. Students will use the 2 & 3-black-key groups as a guide to locate white keys in between and to the sides of the black key groups. Students will play the same white key/natural note in all 5 octaves of our student keyboards. Students will also begin learning the letter/pitch names of all the white keys on the piano.
In dance class the dance students are ending their literature in the dance unit and are beginning to explore across the floor movements. This unit focuses on creative expression and listening to a song and following the rhythm. Students will continue to explore dance in counts of 8. Students in grades 2-3 are continuing to learn choreography for their spring show.
*Parents please check out these fun art projects to do with your child at home. These are perfect Spring themed projects for your child to with you and are really fun. https://www.projectswithkids.com/spring-art-projects/
Please encourage your child to sing along with music recordings &/or videos, sometimes together with you, other times alone. They can sing or hum along with or without the words. Encourage your child to play piano keyboard using any of the apps & websites below. And encourage them to practice their chromatic scale, ascending & descending, as well as the all-black-key pentatonic scale and any melodies they can remember from class. They can also invent their own melodies & try to remember them to show me & their classmates, later, in school.
apronus.com/music/flashpiano.htm
recursivearts.com/virtual-piano
*How to help your child excel in dance?*
- Allow your child to rehearse their choreography at home.
- Ask your child to tell you what they learned in dance class and to show you.
- Log on to google classroom and view the videos of the dance with your child. I have posted videos in slow tempo, with music, and videos of them dancing.
- Lastly, enjoy some time dancing with your child! Have a 30 second dance party.
USEFUL LINKS
Students can use the following websites to review and learn piano/keyboard songs at home:
