Music at the Marion School
Marion, MT
Select HERE for Sing along songs and fun music videos
Upcoming Videos for Classroom Activities
Parents can preview videos that we watch in class
What's Happening in Music Class?
January - Instruments: Recorder, Ukulele, Djembe, Conga, Bongo, Xylophone, auxiliary percussion, Songs
February - Music Reading: Intro to music literacy, Schoolhouse Rock
March - Small Ensembles, Lummi Sticks, Hawaiian, Northwest Indian culture
April - Composers, Sound of Music, and polish for performance
May - Classroom performances
Spring Concert
March
Primary
In the Primary years our focus is integrating students into the music classroom. We reinforce themes from the regular KG/1/2 classrooms through songs, movement, learning about instruments, culture, puppets, and silly play time. We introduce the concept of music reading, music vocabulary, and principles of time, melody, and rhythm. Since this is my first year in Marion, we are progressing with many similar activities thoughout the primary grades.
KG
March 2023 In the Kindergarten classroom we are singing: The Green Grass Grows All Around Hot Cross Buns and learning notes on the xylophone There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly Sur le Pont d'Avignon This Land is Your Land We are watching, Schoolhouse Rock numbers, Bottle Boys, Symphonies. We are also working on Lummi Stick hand clapping and moving with Jim Gill
Grade 1
March 2023 In the Grade 1 classroom we are singing: The Green Grass Grows All Around Hot Cross Buns and learning notes on the xylophone There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly Sur le Pont d'Avignon This Land is Your Land We are watching, Schoolhouse Rock numbers, Bottle Boys, Symphonies. We are also working on Lummi Stick hand clapping and moving with Jim Gill.
Grade 2
March 2023 In the Grade 2 classroom we are singing: The Green Grass Grows All Around Hot Cross Buns and learning notes on the xylophone There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly Sur le Pont d'Avignon This Land is Your Land We are watching, Schoolhouse Rock numbers, Bottle Boys, Symphonies. We are also working on Lummi Stick hand clapping and moving with JIm Gill
Elementary
In the Elementary grades we begin the wonderful journey of learning to play instruments. We begin with recorder, learning simple melodies and music reading. We integrate authentic music from Americana, Europe, west Africa, the Caribbean, and Asia with drums and singing in foreign languages as well. Small ensemble work with ukulele, recorder and percussion will be a focus in grade 5. Since this is my first year in Marion, we are progressing with many similar activities thoughout the elementary grades.
Middle
In the Middle School grades we continue with African and Caribbean drumming. We will be learning about rhythm, melody, harmony, and playing instruments: learning notes on the xylophone, rhythm on world percussion, and singing in multiple languages.
Grade 3
In grade 3 we are still learning to play recorder, beginning with the songs Hot Cross Buns and Gently Sleep. We will only be doing recorder the last 10 minutes of each class druing the rest of the year. We will be working from a book called Recorder Karate where kids earn their "karate belts" (white, yellow, black, etc) for each song they learn to play. We are singing the songs: The Green Grass Grows All Around This Land is Your Land The Ballad of John Henry Cindy We are also learning about drums from Africa and the Caribbean. Learning how to play the djembe, dununs, congas, and bongos. We are beginning to learn about music literacy with reading basic notes and pitches. We began to learn about Puget Sound Natives with a fun Lummi Stick game and movingn with Jim Gill.
Grade 4
In grade 4 we are still learning to play recorder, beginning with the songs Hot Cross Buns and Gently Sleep. We will only be doing recorder the last 10 minutes of each class druing the 2nd quarter. We will be working from a book called Recorder Karate where kids earn their "karate belts" (white, yellow, black, etc) for each song they learn to play. We are singing the songs: The Green Grass Grows All Around This Land is Your Land The Ballad of John Henry Cindy Madan from Mali We are also learning about drums from Africa and the Caribbean. Learning how to play Moribayassa (Mali, West Africa) and Guaguanco (Cuba). We are beginning to learn about music literacy with reading basic notes and pitches. We began to learn about Puget Sound Natives with a fun Lummi Stick game and moving with Jim Gill
Grade 5
In grade 5 we are still learning to play recorder, beginning with the song Hot Cross Buns and Gently Sleep. We will only be doing recorder the last 10 minutes of each class druing the 2nd quarter. We will be working from a book called Recorder Karate where kids earn their "karate belts" (white, yellow, black, etc) for each song they learn to play. We are singing the songs: The Green Grass Grows All Around This Land is Your Land The Ballad of John Henry Cindy Madan from Mali We are learning about drums from Africa and the Caribbean. Learning how to play Djembe and dununs (Mali, West Africa) and congas, cajon, bongos (Cuba). We are beginning to learn about music literacy with reading basic notes and pitches. And we began to learn about Puget Sound Natives with a fun Lummi Stick game.
Grade 6
For the month of March, we are learning about rhythm, world cultures, instruments from West Africa and Cuba. Students are playing "Moribayassa" from Mali and "Djole" from Guinea, as well as Guaguanco from Cuba. We are singing: "This Land is Your Land" and "The Ballad of John Henry". We are beginning to learn about music literacy with reading basic notes and pitches. And we began to learn about Puget Sound Natives with a fun Lummi Stick game. You can see some of the videos we watch on the video links page.
