Meadowview September News

2010
Meadowview Intermediate
Dear Parents and Guardians,

I am anxiously looking forward to meeting my new students and to welcoming familiar faces back! It is always an exciting time of year.

I am at three buildings again this year: Cataract, Lakeview Montessori and Meadowview Intermediate. I see all students twice a week for thirty minutes. I start at Cataract and travel to Meadowview and Lakeview on Days 1 and 2. On Days 3, 4 and 5 I am at Meadowview all day. Please feel free to contact me at Meadowview 269-2187, extension #7119, at home 786-1859 or via e-mail cbright@spartan.org.

The music curriculum, based on the National Standards for Music Education, guides what children should know and be able to do in music. The nine standards are:

1. Singing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.
2. Performing on instruments, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.
3. Improvising melodies, variations, and accompaniments.
4. Composing and arranging music within specified guidelines.
5. Reading and notating music.
6. Listening to, analyzing, and describing music.
7. Evaluating music and music performances.
8. Understanding relationships between music, the other arts, and disciplines outside the arts.
9. Understanding music in relation to history and culture.

The first month of school we will be finding our voices again and tuning them up to be able to match pitches. We will use the solfege syllables to help us with that. We will be reviewing note names and values, tapping out simple rhythm patterns and working on mallet technique with the Orff instruments. I follow all the same homework and grading guidelines as stated in the student handbook. It is important for students to be prepared with assignments on music days. All district literacy initiatives are also supported in music classes.

This year the 5th graders will have a holiday program on Dec. 16th, at 7:00 P.M. at the high school. They will improve their recorder skills starting in January. The 4th grade will have a spring program on April 12 at 7:00 P.M. also at the high school. They will use their recorders beginning in November. An order form will be coming home soon for students without recorders if they did not get purchased at open house. Those forms and monies are due September 15th in the music room.

I’m looking forward to working with your son/daughter, strengthening their listening, singing, moving, creating and performing skills.

Musically,
Mrs. Bright