Erickson Elementary School Music Class Newsletter - October 2023 Edition


Erickson Elementary School 

Music Class Newsletter 

October 2023 Edition 

Dear Erickson Families: 

This school year has been off to an excellent start in music class! Students have spent a lot of time so far reviewing and learning about rhythms in music, learning songs to sing, and learning songs to play with the hand drums (grades 1-5), rhythm sticks (grades K-5), drum sticks (grades 4-5), and boomwhackers (grades 4-5). 

                                                      

Students in all grades are learning songs in preparation for our Veterans Day Assembly at Erickson. Click on the following link to access a Google Slides presentation with all of the music and recordings to practice with at home! Veterans Day Assembly Music

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Did you know that the Bloomingdale Public Library allows you to check out a wide variety of musical instruments to use at home? A lot of the instruments offered are used in our music class, and checking them out through the library allows your child to use a musical instrument at home without having to buy it! 

To learn more, visit the Bloomingdale Public Library website at the following link, and click on "Science & Music Kits": https://www.mybpl.org/node/511

See a flyer of the musical instruments offered at the following link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1I2m2KNbVG71z1bbNbTIzLS-uLMo2QjqO/view?usp=sharing

Each month, the music class newsletter will highlight a different grade level. I will include general information at the beginning of each newsletter for all, and highlight a grade level after that. This month, the music class newsletter will be highlighting 4th grade! 

4th Grade Music - October 2023

Rhythms and Countings        
4th graders have been studying the various rhythms that we see in our music and the countings that we use for them (what we say when we see each rhythm). We have been doing a lot of echo counting practice, practicing with virtual flashcards, and practicing with a Blooket quiz. Students have already or will be shortly taking the "Counting Test". Students are allowed to re-take this test if they do not receive a score that they are happy with! 



Singing
4th graders have been learning to sing the following songs in music class this month: 
- "Frére Jacques"
- "Old Joe Clark" 
- "Agent V7" 

Veterans Day Assembly Songs
- "The Star Spangled Banner" 
- "Fifty Nifty United States"
- "Erickson School Song" 

*Halloween-Themed Songs*                                                 
- "Skin and Bones" 
- "Bats" 
*Not all classes have had a chance to sing these songs yet* 

Playing Instruments
4th graders have been learning to play the following songs in music class this month: 

Drumsticks
- "Spooky Scary Skeletons" 
- "I Want Candy" 

*Boomwhackers*
- "Spooky Scary Skeletons" 
- "Monster Mash" 

                        *Not all classes have had a chance to play the boomwhackers yet* 
I have enjoyed getting to interact with and teach the students at Erickson and look forward to what is to come this school year! 

​​​​Best wishes,

Mr. Welch (mwelch@sd13.org)

​​Music Teacher | Erickson Elementary School​

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