Chipper Chopper Joe

Click HERE to view Ms. Swanson's class performing "Chipper Chopper Joe" on Orff instruments. Orff Schulwerk, or simply the Orff Approach, is one of several developmental approaches used to teach music education to students that is used daily in the Peck Place music classroom. It combines music, movement, drama, and speech into lessons that are similar to the child's world of play. 

In the Orff Approach, students play rhythm patterns first by using kinesthetic movements, before transferring them to instruments. For example, before playing the "chip chop chip chop" pattern on xylophones, students were asked to clap the rhythm while singing the song. 

Another important aspect of this lesson is audiation. Audiation is a key component of the Gordon Music Learning Theory. It takes place when the students hear and comprehend music in their heads. You will see an example of audiation in the video during the "B" section. The students "think" the song in their heads, yet are still able to play their instruments parts accurately and in tempo.

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Folk Dancing!

There is a lot of folk dancing going on during these cold winter months here at Peck Place School! Students in second grade have been working on the "Virginia Reel", a dance that is performed in an "alley" formation. Click HERE to view a performance of the dance by Mrs. Haskos' class. This dance features a step called "cast off" in which partners turn away from each other and walk down the outside of the set, or formation.

Students in fourth grade have been building upon their knowledge of folk dance steps from previous grade levels through square dancing. Square dancing is performed in a "square" formation and requires a much quicker transition between steps, which are given by a "caller". Click HERE to view a performance of "Simple Square" by Mrs. Tickell's class.

Dance and movement are important parts of the general music curriculum. Dance traditions are passed down through generations to celebrate important occasions from diverse cultures. Folk dancing requires rhythmic competence, challenges students to be aware of their bodies physically, and requires them to use their brainpower to keep complicated sequences of movements in their memories.

Grade 6 Reader's Theater

Congratulations to students in Grade 6 on their wonderful Reader's Theater performance on Wednesday afternoon. Through a generous grant from the Jamie A. Hulley Foundation, students had the opportunity to work with Ms. Sarah Guterman for the past two weeks on this project. Each class created a sound carpet incorporating movement, singing, and percussion instruments to complement a work of children’s literature. 

Panther Chorus at Qunnipiac

Congratulations to the Panther Chorus members who braved the icy conditions to sing at the Quinnipiac University Women's Basketball game last Sunday. Their performance of "The Star-Spangled Banner" was fantastic and I am very proud of their hard work! Click HERE to view the performance.

Holiday Lights!

Thank you to all the parents who came to view our performances this week. I am so proud of all the students at Peck Place School for their amazing singing and their diligence in preparing for the winter concert season. You can check out the 1st and 2nd grade performance of "Holiday Lights" HERE.

Halloween Parade

Thank you to those who came out to see our Halloween Parade! For those of you who missed it, click HERE to view a great video of the 5th and 6th grades doing the Monster Mash. If you have another version that you would like to share, please send it to me so I can put it up on the blog.

Grade 6 - Hambone

Students in Grade 6 have been working on improvisation for the past couple months. Improvisation is the process of creating an immediate musical composition without any preparation. Students learned an Orff arrangement of Hambone, which is based on a style of dance music from West Africa called Juba dance. During the B section, students were given the opportunity to improvise and create their own music. In each class video below, you will see three different students share their improvised work, while the rest of the class accompanies them:

Ms. Laden's Class
Mr. Palluzzi's Class
Mrs. Richard's Class