Music at Marion Carson Elementary

A varitey of homeroom teachers (Div I) & Ms. Draper (Div II), our Music specialist.
As the great ancient philosopher and teacher Plato once said, “Music … gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind and flight to the imagination.”

"Santa's Stuck in the 50's!" -- Div II Dec 8 & 9th, 2009 Musical click here for a link to lyrics, photos and info!

"Mission It's Possible" -- Div II April 22 & 23, 2009 Musical click here for a link to lyrics, photos and info!

"A Holiday Moosical" -- Div I Dec 4, 2008 Musical click here for a link to lyrics, photos and info!

Choir -- check out this link for your lyrics

Orff the Wall Concert:
In celebration of music in education, CBE elementary schools participate in ‘Orff the Wall’ an annual musical event that showcases Orff-based music programs from across the city. ‘Orff the Wall’ promises exciting performances from students, and sometimes CBE staff.

The German composer Carl Orff (1895-1982) is widely known for his work in music education, particularly in exploration of the connections between music and movement. In his compositions he found a similar connection between the dramatic and the musical, couched in his very personal style of writing, with its insistent, repeated patterns of notes and compelling rhythms. [www.naxos.com/composerinfo/Carl_Orff/25615.htm]

This year (2008/2009) a number of grade 6 students from Marion Carson will be performing at the Jack Singer Concert Hall to well over 1000 people on April 14th, 2009 at 7:00 pm along with several other Calgary schools, to showcase musical excellence in the annual "Orff the Wall" concert. What a great way to demonstrate your musical aptitude! Well done Orffans! Tickets are available now (Jan/Feb/March 2009) from the office or from Mrs. Draper at a cost of $12:00, or $15 at the door. We hope you can attend! CBE spotlight (article).

What is ORFF?

Carl Orff, composer of the popular orchestral work "Carmina Burana" [since made even more famous in some beer commercials] developed a process for teaching children music. He sought to create a way in which all children could be involved in the making and learning of music. The process starts from the simple and builds to the complex so that regardless of skill or background, all children could be engaged in all aspects of music making.

The music program at Marion Carson, under direction of Melanie Draper, reflects intentional instruction based on the Orff process. All children are invited to participate in a multi-faceted program of study that includes: singing, movement and dance, instrument playing, just a touch of drama and much, much more. The students experience a wide variety of activities that foster skill development and understanding of key musical concepts such as: rhythm, expression, melody and harmony. Research supports our belief that the study of music prepares the child for learning in ALL areas. No other activity stimulates the math and linguistic centres of the brain than the "doing" of music.

Music Monday?

· Music Monday is a nation-wide simultaneous concert to celebrate music education in Canadian schools. Students and teachers from coast-to-coast take their music programs outdoors to perform the same song at the exact same time, uniting the country in song.
· "Sing Sing" by Serena Ryder -- free music download -- celebrate Music Monday on May 4, 2009

Honens International Piano Competition

· The Honens International Piano Competition, founded in 1991, is one of the world's great music competitions. Every three years pianists from all parts of the globe compete for cash prizes and an even more lucrative Artistic and Career Development Program to launch and sustain their careers. Honens discovers "Complete Artists" – musicians who add knowledge, audacity, risk, individuality and the widest perspective to all they create or perform. This competition is among the wold's most prestigious events of its kind. We were fortunate enough to have a world class artist, Daniel Wnukowski, perform for us at our school on October 16, 2009. Our Music teacher even played a duet with Daniel ... unfortunatley, the digital file is too large to stream on the web, but there should be a quicktime file of her playing at the school! Way to go Ms. Draper!

Div I Music Curriculum Overview

Div II Music Curriculum Overview

- currently not available on line, please consult music specialist/ homeroom teachers for the most current information

Grade 4 – Term 1
1. Throughout the school year the students work on these concepts: rhythm, melody, harmony, form, and expression.
2.Throughout the school year the students work on these skills: listening, moving, singing, playing instruments and reading and writing music.
3. Students practiced instrument skills and names of all instruments in the classroom.
4. Study of the composer Saint-Saens and his symphonic poem, Danse Macabre.
5. Partner games and songs and part-singing.

Grade 4 – Term 2
1. Throughout the school year the students work on these concepts: rhythm, melody, harmony, form, and expression.
2.Throughout the school year the students work on these skills: listening, moving, singing, playing instruments and reading and writing music.
3. Students were introduced to absolute note names.
4. Students have read, written, sung and played games and instruments with new rhythm tim-ri, as well as reviewing known rhythms.

Grade 4 – Term 3
1. Throughout the school year the students work on these concepts: rhythm, melody, harmony, form, and expression.
2.Throughout the school year the students work on these skills: listening, moving, singing, playing instruments and reading and writing music.
3. Students were introduced to absolute note names, note values and stem direction in music theory.
4. Students prepared songs for their Grade 4 assembly.
5. Students learned a challenging instrumental piece and explored different timbres using wooden mallets.
6. Students were introduced to the recorder and proper playing technique. They were introduced to the notes, B, A, and G.

Grade 5 – Term 1
1. Throughout the school year the students work on these concepts: rhythm, melody, harmony, form, and expression.
2.Throughout the school year the students work on these skills: listening, moving, singing, playing instruments and reading and writing music.
3. Listened and moved to Jazz music
4. Students practiced improvising and instrument skills
5. Part-singing

Grade 5 – Term 2
1. Throughout the school year the students work on these concepts: rhythm, melody, harmony, form, and expression.
2.Throughout the school year the students work on these skills: listening, moving, singing, playing instruments and reading and writing music.
3. Students were introduced to new rhythms, ti-tick-a and tick-a-ti as well as reviewing known rhythms.
4. Students sang several Ballads including Canadian ballads. They were introduced to the historical stories behind the songs.

Grade 5 – Term 3
1. Throughout the school year the students work on these concepts: rhythm, melody, harmony, form, and expression.
2.Throughout the school year the students work on these skills: listening, moving, singing, playing instruments and reading and writing music.
3. Sang Sea Shanties, which included more difficult playing of pitched and unpitched percussion instruments.
4. Played and sang songs with chord progressions of I, IV, V.
5. Played Boomwhackers
6. Studied music and life of Johann Sebastian Bach
7. Studied the rhythms ti-tic-a and tic-a-ti

Grade 6 – Term 1
1. Throughout the school year the students work on these concepts: rhythm, melody, harmony, form, and expression.
2.Throughout the school year the students work on these skills: listening, moving, singing, playing instruments and reading and writing music.
3. Part-singing.
4.Played authentic Jazz rhythms and improvised on instruments.
5. Practiced rhythmic piece with body percussion and percussion instruments.

Grade 6 – Term 2
1. Throughout the school year the students work on these concepts: rhythm, melody, harmony, form, and expression.
2.Throughout the school year the students work on these skills: listening, moving, singing, playing instruments and reading and writing music.
3. Students had the opportunity to play the Djembe drums.
4. The Underground Railroad was studied along with the life of Harriet Tubman, and students sang Spirituals.

Grade 6 – Term 3
1. Throughout the school year the students work on these concepts: rhythm, melody, harmony, form, and expression.
2.Throughout the school year the students work on these skills: listening, moving, singing, playing instruments and reading and writing music.
3. Students learned a body percussion piece called, “Stompin’.”
4. Students explored a unit on Spirituals, which included a study of African American slavery in the United States, and its music.
5. Students played Boomwhackers and Stomp materials to prepare for the Grade 6 Farewell Assembly.

Music Program of Studies [Fine Arts] -- Elementary (Alberta Education)

* free music clip art http://www.webweaver.nu/clipart/music/notes.shtml