Week of 11/23 - 11/25:

3rd grade - This week, we will continue learning our spring program music.  After warming up with vocalises, we will begin learning divided parts (first and second part) in program song "Yankee Doodle's Pony".  We will then read through and rehearse "This Land Is Your Land".  Be ready to sing! 

4th grade - This week, we will conclude our note, rest, and common-time rhythmic unit. We will review the concept of time signatures, notes, rests, and rhythms associated with 4/4, 2/4, and 3/4 time signatures.  To test our knowledge, we will participate in cooperative learning activities "rhythmic cakewalk", and "tapping mailboxes".  Upon our return from Thanksgiving break, we will begin learning the lines and spaces of the treble clef staff.

5th grade - Our fifth grade and honor choir program is quickly approaching! Our fifth grade program will be held Thursday, December 10th at 6:00 p.m. in the White Gym; the Rebel Clef Honor Choir will perform first, followed by the 5th grade.  This week, we will continue rehearsing our program music, focusing on the words and choreography of our program pieces.  Make sure you bring a flashlight to music class a.s.a.p! 

Pegasus - 3rd and 4th grade Pegasus students meet from 9:35 - 10:35 on Wednesdays in the music room.  This week, in our Pegasus journals, we will complete a Thanksgiving writing prompt that will require us to study and interpret an image associated with the Thanksgiving holiday season.  Students will then share their pictoral interpretations with the class.

Rebel Clef Honor Choir - We will rehearse this Tuesday, November 24th, from 3-4 in the music room.  We will be rehearsing music for our upcoming Leadington Tree Lighting performance, as well as our December 10th program and Park Hills Chamber of Commerce performance. 

Honor Choir Dancers - we will rehearse Monday, November 23rd, from 3-4 in the music room.  Make sure you have a ride at 4:00.

08/17/09 - Welcome to Music at West Elementary! It's going to be a great year! We will be learning many special musical skills, and will be studying lots of fun and diverse musical subjects. My hope for my students this year is that I instill in them not only a love of music, but a desire to participate in musical groups at the middle and high school settings.

Every student will be involved in a music program. This year, the fourth grade students will perform Tuesday, October 27th, the fifth grade and Rebel Clef Choir will perform Thursday, December 10th, and the third grade students will perform Thursday, March 18th (mark your calendars now!!).  This year, we will also have a 5th grade recorder concert Monday, May 10th at 6:00 p.m. in the high school field house.  All other above mentioned programs will be held in the West Elementary White Gym, starting at 6:00 p.m.  I will be sending home memos regarding these performances at a later date.  Each student will have a very special role in the performance, for participation in programs will be included as part of your child's semester music grade.

As mentioned above, we will have a select, audition-only honor choir, the Rebel Clef honor choir. This choir is going to consist of a select group of fourth and fifth grade students who enjoy and have a strong interest in music, and who are leaders both in and outside the music classroom. Membership of this choir requires the student to audition; this audition will occur within the first few weeks of school. Interested students can complete their audition both before and/or after school, as well as during recess time. Membership of this choir requires members to attend a one-hour, after school rehearsal once a week. Tentative performances of the choir include an appearance at the Veteran's Day Banquet, Leadington Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony, fifth grade music program in December, December performances at local nursing homes, and performing at the elementary choir festival at Mineral Area College this Spring.

If enrolled in a third or fourth grade Pegasus (gifted)class, we will complete many enrichment projects, including an "About Me" pamphlet demonstrating our personal interests and/or hobbies, a "Million Dollar Project" that requires us to determine how we would each spend one million dollars, budget our money, and rationalize our spending decisions, as well as many other projects that enrich the elementary curriculum.

Again, welcome to my music classroom. This should be a very memorable and rewarding year for all. If there are any questions or concerns, feel free to call or email me. I look forward to working with each and every student here at West Elementary, and to teaching the joys of music.

~Ms. Parks~