4th Grade

Cherry Blossoms - a Japanese song for fun to celebrate springtime

The cherry blossoms come once a year. A gentle promise of spring.

Their fragile beauty brings us joy, as the blossoms caress the sky.

Cherry blossoms come, chase away winter's gloom.

Is it mist or clouds? Flowers in full bloom.

Cherry blossoms in the morning sun.

Is it mist? Is it clouds? Flowers bloom.

On meadow hills and mountaintops, as far as one can see.

Look here, look now, they are fading fast.

Their beauty will cease to be.

Cherry blossoms come, chase away winter's gloom.

Is it mist or clouds? Flowers in full bloom.

Cherry blossoms in the morning sun.

Is it mist? Is it clouds? Flowers bloom.

Is there something in Spring that you love? Maybe you can say or write a few words about something like hyacinths, daffodils or tulips? Do you plant seeds in pots or gardens? Sing the words. Be inspired by the beauty of nature.

Lesson #1a optional 4.6.20 McKay

4th Grade Mirroring Activity

Find a partner to do this exercise with. If you can't find a partner, then just stand in front of a mirror while the music is playing.

One person moves their hands and arms slowly while the other person facing you tries to copy your movements, just as if you were standing in front of a mirror. This is best sitting down at first, then later, stand up. Finally, do it all over again but move about the room with your partner always in front of you.

We do lessons like this so that you will begin to hear the phrasing. If you move your arm slowly to the phrase and then change direction at the beginning of the next phrase, you are learning how to breathe in music. You sing and play better when you understand the phrasing, and it makes more sense to you and the listener. If it was a written composition for English class, you would learn to put a period at the end of a sentence.

In music, we take a breath at the end of a phrase.

Here is a fun website to play with pitch. https://musiclab.chromeexperiments.com/Song-Maker/

Lesson #1b 4.6.20 McKay

4th Grade Wild Bird Lesson

Wild Bird

Japanese Singing Game

4th Grade April 6th Lesson

Sing the song. Then, if you have a recorder at home

play the song on your recorder. Finally, play the following game with

someone at home. You do not need a recorder to play this game.

Players sit in a circle. They decide who the bird in the cage will be and have them sit in the middle with their eyes closed. (you can always pick the person who has the next birthday coming up to begin). Once the caged bird is seated with their eyes are closed, pick someone to be Wild Bird without giving it away. Wild Bird will fly around as everyone sings the song. When you get to the part that says: “who’s standing back of you?” - the wild bird stands behind the caged bird and will sing:

“If you guess my name I will fly away.” The caged bird has to guess who it is.

A A B A A A

Round, round the wild bird flies

A A-A A G- G A A-G E

Poor lit-tle bird in a cage don’t cry

A G A B A A-G E

Hide your eyes and soon you’ll be

A G A B A A A

With the wild bird fly -ing free.

A A - A A - A B

Who’s stand-ing back of you?

A A-G E

Can you say?

A - A A - A A B - B A G A

If you guess my name you can fly a -way.

*Is the game too easy? Then, make it more difficult by asking the person to pat a rhythm on a drum, box, book or plastic container turned upside down. This is called a variation. Maybe each player can come up with their own short rhythm and share it before the game starts. Then, the caged bird will have a better chance at guessing who might be playing their rhythm.

**Another idea is to set up stuffed animals or toys that represent the players in the game. The person singing can try to sound like that stuffed animal and the caged bird has to guess which animal.

In music, musicians are always thinking up new variations, or different ways to play or sing something.

I think variations are the spice of life!

Mrs. McKay

4th Grade Lesson #2 4.13.20

Music Theory

Lines and Spaces

The staff has five

It has five lines

Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge

E G B D F

Between each line, there is a space

F A C E space!

Draw five lines evenly spaced apart.
Place a treble clef on the staff.
Practice your treble clef by following the diagram in the top staff one image at a time.
On the bottom line draw a circle around the line: half way up into the space above and halfway down into the space below.
On the next line up, slightly over to the right, draw another circle the same way.
Keep going until there is a circle on each line.

Label the notes. The bottom note is “E”, the second one up from the bottom is “G”, the middle note is “B”, the second to the top line is “D”, and the top line is “F”.

Now, label the spaces:

Place a circle on the bottom space making sure it touches the line on top of it and the line below it.
Move to the right a bit and place a circle on the second space the same way.
Place a circle on the 3rd space remembering to move over a bit.
Place a circle on the 4th space, or top space, remembering to move over a bit.
Label the spaces beginning with the bottom circle
Bottom space is “F”,
Second space up is “A”
Third space up is “C”
Top or fourth space up is “E”

Review the poem/song from the beginning and place your pencil on each note as you sing. The circle represents the note.

I have included a worksheet. See if you can come up with a different acronym for the lines of the treble clef. For instance, the one we use, EGBDF (Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge) could be represented by Empty Garbage Before Dad Flips.

Penny Whistle ......... song for fun

Here is a fun song I like to bring out in the springtime. We may have sung it before.

Mrs. Alanko and I used this in a production of "Three Fairy Godmothers" several years ago. It was a song the "ladies in waiting" of the princess sang.

Penny Whistle

Give me a flower. Tell a little rhyme. Make a melody and sing it all the time.

Show me a penny. Listen to a loon. Whisper to the wind and play a little tune.

Shine up your penny, jump into the air. Whistle out a song to castles in the air.

Run in the grass then climb upon a dune. Touch a hanging cloud and play a little tune.

Penny whistle play a tune, play it for the babe with the silver spoon.

Play it for the stars and the man in the moon. Penny whistle play….. a tune.

repeat

Notice anything different about the penny whistle? How many tone holes does it have? Check out the air hole up by the mouthpiece. If you were able to turn it over you would see that it doesn't have an air hole.

I purchased a penny whistle, sometimes called a tin whistle, at the Fort Vancouver Historical site. When I played it, I could not produce a melody to save my soul!

Lesson #3 4.20.20 McKay

a. move and freeze

b. Cinderella composition

Move & Freeze

Pulse: beat

Finding the pulse, or the beat of the music, is one of the most important things to do when playing an instrument or singing a song. That’s why we have you moving so much! Find a space in your house where you can hear the music in this lesson while moving to the beat. Begin by standing. There are so many ways you can do this, and you can choose what you want.

Here is an example of ideas:

arm moves up and down tip toe

leg moves to the side and back jog

march move your elbows

walk move your hands

skip make up your own movement

use your fingers to tap your hands

bend your knees

gallop

hand clap with a partner

Have someone in control of the music. They will decide (without you knowing) when to stop the music intermittently throughout the song, when they do, you have to stop and freeze!

The Levan Polkka is from a larger work entitled “Things of Beauty” – Loituma

Lesson #3b 4.20.20

Cinderella and do re mi

This is a recorder lesson that can be done with any instrument. The recorder is what we normally use in class.

In this lesson:

do is G

re is A

me is B

Place a note on each line below each syllable of this jump rope chant. You can put G A B in any order you choose, but end on “G” because that is the first tone of the pentatonic scale G A B D E’.

When you end your song on the first tone of the scale, it sounds like “the end”.

Be careful not to switch notes too often or it will be too hard for you to play. You can repeat a note two to four times. An example is to start off playing “G” on all four syllables of Cinderella.

Cind er re la thinks she’s cute

____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____

All she wears is a bath ing suit.

____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____

If you can count to twen ty two

____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____

There’s one more turn a wait ing for you!

____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____

Don’t have a recorder? Think Hot Cross Buns:

Hot is “B” which is mi (in this song) Hot Cross Buns B A G
Cross is “A” which is re Hot Cross Buns B A G
Buns is “G” which is do One a penny, two a penny GGGG, AAAA

sing the mi re do to the same tune: .... Hot Cross Buns B A G

mi, re, do--.

do, do, do, do re, re, re, re,

mi, re, do--.

Now try to do Cinderella. If it is easier write do , re, or mi first, and then go back and put the recorder note in. You can then sing the song you create if you don’t have your recorder.

4th Grade lesson #4a 4.27.20

Melody/notes on staff

Canoe Song by Margaret Wise Brown.................................

My paddle's keen and bright

Flashing with silver.

Follow the wild goose flight

Dip, dip and swing.

Dip, dip and swing and back

Flashing with silver

Follow the wild goose track

Dip, dip and swing.

Sing the song with the recording and then play it on

your recorder.

Next, create your own staff paper. Write down five lines with four spaces in-between.

Below is a copy of the song we have performed in class.

I was showing you the letters of the notes and you were playing them from the board. Now, see if you can place the notes on the staff:

“B (on the middle line),

“A” (on the 2nd space up from the bottom)

“G” (on the second line up from the bottom)

low “E” (on the bottom line)

high E', (on the top space)

please remember that the second to the last note in the song is a low “B” and cannot be played on the recorder, we always played the high “B”, which is the same as the first note of the song.

B B A G E E

G G A B E'

B B A G E E

E E B E

See what this looks like on the musical staff, go to:

http://www.musicalaabbott.com/2013/01/canoe-song.html

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4th Grade Lesson #5a 5.4.20

This Little Light of Mine Spiritual

This little light of mine This little light of mine,

I’m gonna let it shine I’m gonna let it shine

This little light of mine Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine

I’m gonna let it shine

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

You can play this on your recorder. Clap the rhythm first.

ta ti-ti ta ti-ta—

ta ti-ti ta ti ta— _____________________________________________________

______________________________________________________

ta ti-ti ta ti ta— ______________________________________________________

ta ti-ti ta ti ta—

ti-ti ta, ti-ti ta, ti-ti ta-----

More info:

You will play the low D, which hangs in the space just below the bottom line of the staff.

The low D is three fingers on the top (left hand), and three fingers on the bottom (right hand)

The low E is three fingers on the top, and two fingers on the bottom (like in Canoe Song)

Now play on your recorder:

D D-D D E G

ta ti– ti ta ti – ta

This lit-tle light of mine,

B B –B B A G

ta ti - ti ta ti - ta

I’m gon-na make it shine.

E G -G G A G

ta ti - ti ta ti - ta

This lit- tle light of mine,

B B –B B A G

ta ti - ti ta ti - ta

I’m gon-na make it shine.

D D-D D E G

ta ti– ti ta ti – ta

This lit-tle light of mine,

B B –B B A G

ta ti - ti ta ti - ta

I’m gon-na make it shine.

G - A B-- B – B A-- B – A G

ti - ti ta, ti - ti ta, ti - ti ta-----

Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine!

more lyrics:

All around the town, I’m gonna let it shine

Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine!

Everywhere I go, I’m gonna let it shine

Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine!

Left hand always goes on top of the recorder.

Lesson #6a 5.11.20 ..........................................................................................................

The Little Birch Tree

Here is a beautiful song some of us already know. This is a traditional song from Russia. The birch tree is an important symbol in Russian culture. It means spring, light and beauty. Ancient Russians (the Slavs) believed that birch trees had special spirits that would protect them. People planted many of the trees around villages. There are a few different versions to the song. This is the version we sing at school.

Here is a recording of a choir singing the same arrangement that we do in class.

________________________________________________________________________________

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaGZsmsfKI0&feature=emb_logo

________________________________________________________________________________

Now, here are two recordings I made for you. The first one teaches you the four phrases of the melody. It will also teach you how to listen to the introduction and when start singing at the appropriate time.

Here is the piano accompaniment for you to sing the song with.

See the Little birch in the meadow,
See the leaves a dancing when the wind blows. Loo-li-loo, when the wind blows,
Loo-li-loo, when the wind blows.

From the little tree, take three branches, Make three silver flutes from silver branches. Loo-li-loo, silver branches,
Loo-li-loo, silver branches.

From a branch I’ll carve a balalaika,

With the flutes I’ll play my balalaika. Loo-li-loo, balalaika,
Loo-li-loo, balalaika.

As I play my tingling balalaika,
I'll remember you, my little birch tree. Loo-li-loo, little birch tree,
Loo-li-loo, little birch tree.

recordings to explore...

you might have to copy and paste these into your URL

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SeUh5uvK1U https://thefolkmusicexperience.weebly.com/the-birch-tree-from-russia

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hi0uGbarREA

Russia is the largest country in the world in terms of land area
The official language is Russian but there are many other languages spoken
The official money is called a ruble

The balalaika is the most popular folk stringed instrument in the Russia. It has three pairs of strings, but can be found with other numbers of strings. It is made in six sizes, from piccolo to double bass. A plectrum (or pick like a guitar pick) rapidly moves back and forth across one or more of the strings. The balalaika has frets like the guitar and banjo. The instrument is often played in an orchestra made up of balalaikas.

Lesson #7a 5.18.20

Here is the first line of the Little Birch Tree. The notes: B, A, and G in the first two measures should be familiar to you. We practiced the F# a little bit in class, and we have played the low E on the Canoe Song. Please watch the video on how to get ready for F# ( F sharp)

Link to video on how to play F#

Please be careful to use the correct fingering on the F#, because then your fingers are in the right place to learn more notes.

After you have watched the video, go ahead and try to play it. Do you see the repeat sign at the end of the phrase? It has two dots and two lines. That means go back and play it again.

That will be the first two phrases of our song.

Little Birch Tree Phrases 1 & 2 played on recorder

If you practice a lot, and then all of a sudden your recorder doesn’t want to make a sound, it’s most likely clogged up with saliva from your mouth. No worries, that is a simple fix. Hold two or three fingers over the air hole (located just below the mouthpiece). Pressing those fingers firmly to cut off the air hole, blow hard through the mouthpiece. You only need to do this once and the channel in your recorder should become unclogged.

Warning: This will be very loud so go someplace where you will not bother anyone. Ask your parents before you do this, because the noise is rather bothersome.

Lesson #8a 5.26.20...........................................................................................................................................................................

Melody:Recorder: Little Birch Tree: Phrases Three & Four

Last week we went over the first two phrases of Little Birch Tree.

This week we will go over the last two phrases. Grab your recorder and

Put your left hand on top.

Today we are working on phrase three and phrase four. Both phrases are identical, so I wrote one phrase out and put a repeat sign at the end of it that looks something like this (two dots and two lines) :ll (you go back and play it again)

Here is a picture of your fingering chart, and notice I have put the notes on the staff.

Begin by putting three fingers on the top of your recorder with your left hand. This will be a G. Now add three fingers on the bottom with your right hand, that will be a D. We don’t play D but it puts your fingers in the right place. Now, lift up finger #1 in the bottom right hand to make the F#. I showed you how to do this in the video last week. Click on the following link if you would like to see the video again.

F# Video

Now that you are fingering the f#, play

F# --- G A GG F# E :ll (repeat)

ta dot ti ta ti-ti ta ta

Notice that the F# is a dotted quarter note. You hold that note out a little longer. To be precise, it is 1 ½ beats. It is followed by the shorter eight note that has a flag on it. You can count it: ta dot ti ta ti-ti ta ta,

Practice phrase three and four at least seven times in one day. On day two, practice it again and then, go back to the beginning of the song and try playing the whole piece.

I have a copy of the whole piece for you here.

Two things:

I changed the time signature this week to 2/4. The top number means two beats to a measure. The bottom number tells you that a quarter note is going to get one beat
Remember, I have rewritten this melody to make it easier for you to play. If you want a challenge, and want to play it the way it was originally written, then on phrase two, play the high D’ for the third note only.

Challenge:

Play phrase one, then when you go to play it again, play phrase two this way:

Phrase 2 only - B B D’ B A G G F# E

I hope you enjoy this wonderful melody. You can go back to Lesson #6a on 5.11.20 and sing it again. Then, you can play your recorder with the recording of the music on that page.

How to play High D? High D is only one finger on your recorder.

Finger the high C

Then, take your thumb off.

Here is a short video demonstrating high D’

How to finger high D'

Fun Song: Meet Me At The Fishin' Hole ..........................................................................................................................................

Fun Song: Meet Me At The Fishin’ Hole

There are many days in music I loved to get out the guitar, tune it up, and sing my heart out on this song with everyone. It has a bluegrass feel to it. Bluegrass is a genre of american roots music that first came out of the Appalachian region in the United States in the 1940’s. Bluegrass music features acoustic string instruments (instruments that are string and not electric, such as the guitar in my room at school, a violin, a banjo etc.).

Vocabulary:

Genre in Music: classification of different styles of music.

Examples: gospel music, classical music, folk music, rock music, bluegrass music, country music, jazz music, and many more.

Seminole Road: old Indian trail of the Seminole Native American People

Click on the following link to hear the music. Find the lyrics below.

Meet Me At The Fishin' Hole - Recording

Tackle and pole an’ an old trail bike.

Seminole road on a full moon night.

Ev’rybody know when the catfish bite.

Meet me at the fishin’ hole.

Meet me at the fishin’ hole!

Big night crawlers in a Mason jar.

Bullfrog croakin’ at an ev’nin’ star.

No, nobody gotta look too far.

Meet me at the fishin’ hole.

Meet me at the fishin’ hole!

Bring your fam’ly. Bring your friends,

down that holler and up again,

out to the meadow where the river bends.

Party where the road ends!

Green moss swayin’ in a cypress tree.

Good times rollin’ in a cool night breeze.

Drink it all in like a sweet iced tea.

Meet me at the fishin’ hole.

Meet me at the fishin’ hole!

Whoa….. Whoa…….. Whoa…….

Meet me at the fishin’ hole.

Meet me at the fishin’ hole!

Bring your fam’ly. Bring your friends,

down that holler and up again,

out to the meadow where the river bends.

Party where the road ends!

Green moss swayin’ in a cypress tree.

Good times rollin’ in a cool night breeze.

Drink it all in like a sweet iced tea.

Meet me at the fishin’ hole.

Meet me at the fishin’ hole!

Lesson #9a 6.1.20 & ..................................................................................................................................................................

Lesson #9b 6.2.20

The Stonecutter: a musical based on an old Japanese folk tale. This particular version is by Randy DeLelles and Jeff Kriske.

Cast: Here is fingering for the F natural.

Narrator Playing the song on recorder is

Tasuka, the stonecutter not required, it’s only

Prince, Musicians, and Dancers for students who want

Cherry Blossom Dancers to challenge themselves.

Cloud Children You can sing the song or play it on

Choir recorder. It goes with the challenge song “Look

Instrument Players Into the Rose.”

During the singing of “Look into the Rose,” Tasuka enters from stage left and kneels at the base of the mountain. (stage left is the actor’s left when he or she is facing the audience.)

The Stonecutter

This melody is harder to play because of the F natural. The F natural is on the bottom space of the staff (on the word “the” and “beauty”). You are not required to play this on recorder, it’s only for those who wish to challenge themselves.

Once upon a time there lived a lowly stonecutter named Tasuka. Each day, for miles around, you could hear the sound of his hammer and chisel as he chipped away at the base of a great mountain.

Notice how they layer the parts: “mountain” starts first and continues playing while “chiseled stone” begins. Then, while they keep playing you add “each day and night “. Finally, you add “he hammered” (right after the word night) until all parts are playing at the same time. Notice the repeat signs - two dots, a skinny line and a thick line at the end of each line. The rhythms are ostinatos that repeat over and over again until you decide to stop. You can practice the rhythms separately.

Tasuka was content with his life and asked for nothing more. This pleased the great spirit who lived within the mountains.

One morning, as Tasuka worked, a magnificent procession passed by. A royal prince, clothed in splendid robes, led a group of musicians and dancers. Tasuka watched.

During the “Procession,” the prince, musicians and dancers enter from stage left and exit stage right. This piece is great for beginner recorder players.

Tasuka stood silently until the procession passed out of sight. “If only I could be a prince,” he thought. The great spirit heard him and granted Tasuka his wish.

During the “Spirit Motif”, Tasuka moves behind the mountain to put on the purple robe, and then returns to his place in front of the mountain.

Tasuka was very pleased to become a prince. He

enjoyed his newfound wealth and life of ease.

Each morning he sat in his garden among the

beautiful flowers and blossoms.

The first year I directed this musical, one of the student's Mom was born in Japan. She

would frequently travel there to visit. She gave me some possible translations for this song

that I penciled in, and also gave us instructions on how to make kimonos out of bed sheets.

Dancers come out on stage.

Make up your own

movements. We hold fans

while performing this piece.

Make a fan out of paper...

This woman is wearing a traditional

Japanese kimono.

But the afternoon sun withered the blossoms...

Tasuka felt the strength of the sun.

“If only I could be the sun,” he thought.

The great spirit heard him and granted him his wish.

Tasuka was very pleased to be the sun. And to show his great power, he burned the fields and scorched the land. He created a great drought.

The people prayed for rain. And soon a cloud came and covered the sun.

Tasuka saw the power of the cloud. “If only I were a cloud,” he thought. The great spirit heard him and once again granted Tasuka his wish.

Tasuka was pleased to be the cloud. With his new power he could create rain. But he was not satisfied with the gentle rain. He caused furious storms. Tasuka enjoyed making the skies flash with lightning and crash with thunder. Soon rivers overflowed and villages were destroyed and washed away.

But the great mountain remained. Tasuka saw the mountain’s strength and wished, “If only I could be a mountain.” The spirit heard him and granted his wish. But then, the spirit departed.

Tasuka was pleased to be, The great mountain. Now he was

greater and more powerful than the prince, the sun, and the

cloud. But one day, Tasuka stopped to listen. (pause) He heard

the faint sound of a hammer and chisel at his feet.

(Repeat: “The Stonecutter at Work”…………………….)

Tasuka realized the mountain was not the most powerful . . . and he trembled.