Grades 3, 4

Instruments of the Orchestra

On February 6, 2018, the grades three and four students from CJFS went on a field trip to a Calgary Philharmonic Concert at Jack Singer Hall downtown.   

In preparation for the field trip, the students studied four composers:  Johann Sebastian Bach, Ludwig Van Beethoven, Johannes Brahms and Benjamin Britten.

They also studied the four families of the orchestra:  string, woodwinds, percussion and brass.  The instruments are grouped in families because the instruments in each family have characteristics that are the same (in common).  The instruments in the string family all have strings.  Most are played with a bow or they are plucked.  You blow the instruments in the woodwind family and they used to be made out of wood.  Now only the mouthpiece is made out of wood.   Although you blow over the mouthhpiece of the flute and the piccolo, they do not have wood in their mouthpiece.  They are the only exceptions in the woodwind family.  The instruments in the brass family are made of brass.   You play the brass instruments by vibrating your lips.  You play the percussion instruments by hitting them or shaking them or scraping them.

We learned even more about the composers and instruments when we went on the field trip.  Check out more information about our unit on the CJFS website.

Jan.25, 2018

For part of October and November, the grade one to six students of CJFS were in the Learning Commons practicing the correct technique for playing the xylophones.  

We then connected the playing of xylophones to melody by playing songs.  The grade one and two students would play one note each of a five - note (pentatonic) song. The grade threes, fours, fives and sixes learned to play a simple melody.  The grade fives and sixes also learned 4 different parts to "Purcell's Canon".  Some of the grade fives and sixes performed "Purcell's Canon" at the Remembrance Day Assembly.  The students also connected singing, rhythm pattern and beat with the playing of xylophones.

In December, the students from grades one to six were in the Learning Commons for two weeks before the break.  Each grade group was building their skills on different musical instruments.

The grade one and two students played tone educator bells.

Grade three and four students played tone chimes.

Grade five and six students played handbells.

Each grade group learned the proper technique of playing their respective instruments as this is the basic idea of playing any instrument. They also played and sang Christmas songs.

 In the classrooms in January, some of the students memorized how to correctly play each of their respective instruments because they consistently referred to the rubric on a sheet of paper as they hclped and coached each other.

One new concept the students learned while they were playing each of the above instruments was the concept of harmony.  Harmony is when two or more notes of a chord are sung or played at the same time.

The grade one and two students mainly just learned to watch the conductor and play when they were signalled to play.

The grade three to six students learned which note to play on a specific number chord that was cued by the director.  (See below) 

The grade five and six students also began practicing the harmony  by singing sol-fege notes like do-mi-sol. 

On the instruments, we practice it by chording in the key of C.

I chord:     C chord (CEG=dms)
IV chord:   F chord (FAC=fld)
V7 chord:  G7 chord (GBDF=strf)

The students are connecting the understanding of harmony by chording with singing, melody (the tune), rhythm pattern and beat.

The  djembes (drums) are being rotated from class to class in grades 1, 2.  They are learning how to hold the drums, and basic patterns of playing them.

1. Palm -- Go, do hit in the middles
2. Fingers--on outside of drum goon, doon
3. They also played some simple patterns on them.