3rd Grade

Quarter 3:

Music Listening:

The 3rd graders will be learning about the life of Ludwig van Beethoven. We will discuss how he was a very gifted child musician and travelled all over Europe. He studied with the famous Joseph Haydn, who was also a mentor to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Beethoven lost his hearing at a young age. We will listening to several pieces including, "Fur Elise", "Moonlight Sonata", and "Symphony No. 9 (Ode to Joy)". It is amazing how even though Beethoven had lost the ability to hear, he was still able to compose some of the most beautiful and famous music ever written.

 

Music Theory:

This quarter, the 3rd graders will focus on understanding and performing music in parts as well as identifying the form of songs; for example, students will identify the A section (main theme), B section (secondary theme), and perhaps a C section (tertiary theme); following that identification, the students will either chant, move or sing in various groups simultaneously representing these multiple parts.

The 3rd graders are also continuing the master the identification of treble and bass clef note names. We will introduce the concept of time signature this quarter: time signatures organize music into equal numbers of beats in each measures. The students enjoy being challenged with "music math": a game where they must tell me the sum or difference of beats of notes that is presented on the board.

 

Sight-Reading:

The students continue to identify the notes of the C pentatonic scale in random orders using the solfege hand sign method.

Concert Prep:

Our spring concert will be held on Wednesday, May 7 in the CPA gym. More details TBD.

 

Quarter 2

Weeks 1 and 2:

Music Theory: Identifying bass clef notes

Music Listening: Classical Period of Music Overview, Mozart Biography, Listen to "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik"

Concert Prep: Rehearse, memorize, and polish concert songs for performance on December 11.

Weeks 3 and 4:

Music Theory: Identifying bass clef notes continued

Music Listening: Dalcroze/Orff Listening and Movement Piece: "Let's Take a Walk", Listen to Mozart's "Rondo Alla Turca" with classroom instruments, Listen to Edvard Grieg's "In the Hall of the Mountain King"

"Monster Mash" with Boomwhackers

Concert Prep: Rehearse, memorize, and polish concert songs for performance on December 11.

Weeks 5 and 6:

Music Theory: Grand Staff

Music Listening: Listen to Mozart's "12 Variations" with classroom instruments and sing with solfege, Listen to Peter Tchaikovsky's "Nutcracker Suite"

Concert Prep: Rehearse, memorize, and polish concert songs for performance on December 11.

Weeks 7-11:

Concert Prep: Rehearse, memorize, and polish concert songs for performance on December 11.

Play music games

Listen to remaining movements of Tchaikovsky's "The Nutcracker"

Quarter 1

Weeks 1 and 2:

• Movement – 

• Down to the Baker’s Shop – identify ABA form

• Notation/Melody – 

• Week 1: Melodic Training using Sol-Mi-La cards; echo and sing 4 and 8 beat patterns

• Week 2: - Mystery Melody with various Sol-Mi-La patterns

• Notation/Rhythm – 

• Week 1: Rhythmic Training using ta, ti-ti, ti-ri-ti-ri, whole note hold it, and sh (quarter note, pairs of eighth notes, groups of 4 sixteenth notes, whole notes, and quarter rests) 

• Week 2: Mystery Rhythm with varying patterns (use percussion instruments to demonstrate understanding)

• Theory – 

• Week 1: “Music Alphabet, Types of Notes and Rests”, pgs. 1-2

• Week 2: “Drawing the Treble Clef and Treble Clef Lines and Spaces”, pgs. 3-4

• Boomwhackers/Science of Sound:

• Week 1: Introduce music staff with boomwhackers, “Boombox”: perform twelve, eight-beat “boxes” of patterns with the boomwhackers.

• Week 2: Identify high/low sounds due to the size of the instrument

• Music Listening:

• Week 1: Introduction to the Baroque Era

• Week 2: Strings Family Focus and “Four Seasons: Spring” by Antonio Vivaldi

Weeks 3 and 4:

 

• Notation/Melody – 

• Continue reviewing Sol-Mi-La, by add new note “Re” (one step below Mi) in daily Mystery Melodies

• Notation/Rhythm – 

• Continue reviewing quarter notes, pairs of eighth notes, half notes, whole notes, and quarter rests in daily Mystery Rhythms

• Rhythm Boom cards: flashcards with rhythms

• Theory – 

• Week 3: “Treble Clef Lines and Spaces”, pgs. 4-5

• Week 4: “Treble Clef Lines and Spaces”, pgs. 6-7

• Boomwhackers/Science of Sound:

• Boomwhacker version of “Minuet in G”, by J.S. Bach

• Music Listening:

• Week 3: Woodwind Family, Listen to “Little Fugue in G Minor”, by J.S. Bach

• Week 4: Brass Family, Listen to “Prelude and Fugue in C Minor”, by J.S. Bach

Weeks 5 and 6:

 

• Notation/Melody – 

• Pentatonic Scale: Do, Re, Mi, Sol, and La; Penta - 5 notes, Tonic - Sound

• Students will sight-read varying examples of the pentatonic scale.

• Notation/Rhythm – 

• Continue reviewing quarter notes, pairs of eighth notes, half notes, whole notes, and quarter rests in daily Mystery Rhythms

• New rhythmic symbol: whole rest (4 beats of silence)

• Theory – 

• Week 5: “Treble Clef Lines and Spaces”, pg. 7

• Week 6: "Drawing the Bass Clef"

• Music Listening:

• Week 5: Keyboard Family, Listen to "Pathetique" by Ludwig van Beethoven

• Week 6: Percussion Family, Listen to "Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra" by Benjamin Britten

• Concert Preparation: Continue to practice our holiday and winter songs for our concert on December 11! :)

 

Weeks 7 - 10:

• Notation/Melody – 
• Pentatonic Scale: Do, Re, Mi, Sol, and La
• Penta - Five, Tonic - Sound
• Students to sight-read varying patterns of the pentatonic scale.
• Notation/Rhythm – 
• Daily Mystery Rhythms include of variety of the following rhythmic symbols: quarter note, pair of eighth notes, quarter rest, half note, whole rest, half rest, and groups of four sixteenth notes.
• Theory – 
• "Bass Clef", pgs. 10-12
• Music Listening:
• G.F. Handel: Listen to "Water Music"
• Domenico Scarlatti: Listen to the "Cat's Fugue"
• Baroque Composer Jeopardy: Bach, Vivaldi, Handel, Scarlatti
• Science of Sound:
• Identify the terms;
• Pitch
• Volume
• Sound Waves
• Concert Preparation: Continue to practice our holiday and winter songs for our concert on December 11!