Y4 Recorders from April 18

Dear Year 4 Parents

As part of the music program in Year 4 this year we are going to begin a Unit of Inquiry that explores the knowledge, skills and attitudes that are required of a successful performer. Students will be learning the recorder for this unit and we will be using resources which will include “Recorder Karate”. This takes the children through various levels or “belts” which provide a form of incentive for the children to work and gain success at their own pace. As the children achieve each level they will receive a “belt” which will be a colored ribbon to tie onto the bottom of their recorder.

We are asking all children to purchase their own recorder and put their name on it. Students will be taking their recorders and music home to enable them to discover the value of practice! We will be encouraging them to practice little and often. Five or ten minutes of thoughtful practice every other day will be enough. Music lessons are on the following days and so students will need their recorders as follows:

4HJ  Day A, C
4BM Day C, F
4CM Day C, F
4ML  Day C,F
4AK  Day C,E

Recorders can be purchased from the NIST school shop – at a price of 200 baht – cheaper than in regular department stores and music shops and a good Yamaha brand. Alternatively, a number of stores in Bangkok, such as the Yamaha store on Floor 9 in Emporium Towers and other music stores in the large shopping centres also sell recorders. The brands that I would recommend are “Yamaha” or “Aulos”. Please ensure that the size is a descant or soprano recorder. You should expect to pay around 250-300 baht.

Mr Craig and Mr Mark will be starting the Recorder unit from Monday April 18 (immediately after the Songkran holiday) and so students should have their recorder ready to start then. If there are any problems please do not hesitate to contact us.

Sincerely,
Craig Chambers    cchambers@nist.ac.th Mark Bourgeois mbourgeois@nist.ac.th

NIST Year 4 Music Teachers

NATURE can inspire people to express their CREATIVITY.

Our new central idea for Year 3:

“Nature can inspire people to express their creativity.”

Check out these two videos:

1. How Nature Inspires Music – This short film explores how nature and a love of the outdoors influenced the composer in writing his music.

2. Music From Nature – This video shows how the composer created his music using things you can find from nature.

3. Graphic Symbols

How would you describe the sounds that you see in the pictures?

CRASH…………………..SPLAT…………………..???

Graphic symbols_Page_1Graphic symbols_Page_2

 

 

Which sounds from nature would you link to these sounds that you see?

 

 

 

Which Musical instruments would you play to create the sounds that you see?

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NFOaUTbhjM

What can you hear?
How would you draw the sound?
Which Instruments can you use to make the sounds?

Describe sound

COMPOSING music using Garage Band

Year 3 students writing their own unique stories on paper…

writing our own story

writing our story 2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

…and then COMPOSING the music for their stories using the iPad’s Garage Band app.

garage band


Story and song now finished!!! Wow!! Now time to reflect on what you did

Questions to be thinking about for your reflection

Composers choose and organize sounds to communicate ideas and moods

Name of my Song

Instruments/Loops used

Does the music reflect my story?

What did I need to change?

How did my audience respond to my music?