NOTES FROM MR. JACKS
January
3rd and 4th Grade
It's been amazing to see our 3rd and 4th grade young musicians create some incredible movement sculptures over the past six weeks. Our students constantly impress me with their creativity and design. Given some basic parameters and careful guidance, our kids have had the opportunity to work in groups on this project to explore their ideas and share those ideas with others to choreograph some amazing movement pieces.
The next couple of months will be spent exploring some new pieces that I'm excited to introduce to our kids. The 4th graders will begin studying recorders some (though we won't prolong the experience too long!) and start getting them ready for 5th grade band! Pretty exciting!
Our 3rd grade will be hopping back on the xylophones and we'll be singing, playing and dancing our way through the next unit. It's gonna be a blast!
JJ
October
3rd & 4th Grade
I am thrilled with the progress our 3rd & 4th grade students have made in music. We began the year by stepping into fundamental skills such as body percussion, folk dancing, singing solfege and some rhythm games. Our kids are already playing 3 and 4 part songs now on the xylophones and we will soon be wrapping up the first part of this lesson and saving it until Spring. It’s a unit I wrote for Spring Time, and I can’t wait to see the kids continue to experience the unit unravel :)
Next we will be diving into Creative Movement which will tie into several future lessons. We will also begin some recorder studies in 4th grade. Students who find the recorder enjoyable and relatable will have the opportunity to incorporate the recorder in future lessons.
I also plan to bring another one or two folk dances into the classroom. It’s an important aspect of music education, and a really fun way to explore and define our relationship to beat and rhythm, phrasing and expression.
If you have any questions or just want to write a positive note, email me at jjacks@loomisusd.org :)
Thanks so much!
JJ
January
3rd and 4th Grade
It's been amazing to see our 3rd and 4th grade young musicians create some incredible movement sculptures over the past six weeks. Our students constantly impress me with their creativity and design. Given some basic parameters and careful guidance, our kids have had the opportunity to work in groups on this project to explore their ideas and share those ideas with others to choreograph some amazing movement pieces.
The next couple of months will be spent exploring some new pieces that I'm excited to introduce to our kids. The 4th graders will begin studying recorders some (though we won't prolong the experience too long!) and start getting them ready for 5th grade band! Pretty exciting!
Our 3rd grade will be hopping back on the xylophones and we'll be singing, playing and dancing our way through the next unit. It's gonna be a blast!
JJ
October
3rd & 4th Grade
I am thrilled with the progress our 3rd & 4th grade students have made in music. We began the year by stepping into fundamental skills such as body percussion, folk dancing, singing solfege and some rhythm games. Our kids are already playing 3 and 4 part songs now on the xylophones and we will soon be wrapping up the first part of this lesson and saving it until Spring. It’s a unit I wrote for Spring Time, and I can’t wait to see the kids continue to experience the unit unravel :)
Next we will be diving into Creative Movement which will tie into several future lessons. We will also begin some recorder studies in 4th grade. Students who find the recorder enjoyable and relatable will have the opportunity to incorporate the recorder in future lessons.
I also plan to bring another one or two folk dances into the classroom. It’s an important aspect of music education, and a really fun way to explore and define our relationship to beat and rhythm, phrasing and expression.
If you have any questions or just want to write a positive note, email me at jjacks@loomisusd.org :)
Thanks so much!
JJ
