Music Program

Term 1 2019

Music Staff 

Jane McCracken: mccracken.jane.e@edumail.vic.gov.au 

In the music room our focus is on collaboration, creativity and looking at how we can use the musical elements, including rhythm, tempo, pitch, harmony, dynamics, texture, form and timbre to create interesting musical performances. Students from all year levels perform as a class group and to each other frequently and are actively taught how to encourage each other through giving positive feedback. This year we are lucky to have 2 music teachers and 2 music spaces, our regular music room and a room in the lower cloud which we share with the drama and LOTE teams.

Prep:

Our foundation students are concentrating on learning our classroom procedures in a fun and engaging way through singing songs, using body percussion and percussion instruments and movement games. They will be starting with the classics, including;

• Flea
• Who Stole the Cookie from the Cookie Jar?
• Musical Statues
• “Boots n Cats” beatboxing.
• & “The Music Room Rap”  
• One Little Owl 
• Dances such as The Chicken Dance and Old Brass Wagon 

Year 1 & 2

Year 1 and 2 will be working together in groups to create different kinds of musical performances, incorporating what they learn about singing, using musical instruments and body percussion and manipulating the musical elements to create effects.

They will:

• Collaborate to make a hip-hop performance including rap, beatboxing, movement and musical instruments.
• Cooperatively engage with one another through hand clap songs and movement activities.
• Develop recorder skills focusing on producing a good tone and the notes B, A and G.
• Write (using rhythm notation), arrange and perform a composition based on group members’ names.

For logistical and creative reasons we are dividing our Year 3 - 6 program into 2 learning streams “music technology” and “acoustic”. Each class will spend 2 terms on each program.  

Music Technology Stream for Year 3 - 6

The Year 3 – 6 students who have music classes with Jane are beginning the year with creating a backing track for a live or recorded performance which delivers a message, using the GarageBand app on their (or school) iPads. They will record their voices (beatboxing) using the audio recorder and add a chord progression using smart instruments along with sound effects and other sounds of their choice.

The students will then create and score a melody based on their name using a virtual piano or another instrument of their choice. The melody will be combined and arranged with others to create a more complex composition to be recorded and performed to the class.

We will also be considering the question “What makes music music?”. The students will manipulate the musical elements of rhythm, timbre, melody and form to create two pieces (one “musical” and one “non-musical”) designed to have the audience ask the questions “Is this music?” and “What makes this music?”. 

Acoustic Stream for Year 3 - 6 

Year 3 - 6 students who are working in the acoustic stream with De have begun the year with a range of activities designed to develop and strengthen key musicianship skills.

They have been working as a class choir, learning how to sing in unison, in harmony and with accompaniment. They have been participating in rhythm and percussion activities, learning how to read written rhythms as they strengthen their ensemble and teamwork skills. They have been undertaking dance activities which help them to experience the link between different musical styles and movement. Through targeted listening activities, students will be deepening their appreciation and understanding of classical music, or music from the Western Art tradition.