Jefferson Music Weblog

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2010-02-17T13:46:00.001-08:00

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Paul Weller                                         "This will be our reply to violence:
Music Specialist                                    to make music more intensely,
Jefferson Elementary                            more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before."
(763) 506-2968                                                                              -Leonard Bernstein
www.anoka.k12.mn.us/jeffersonmusic

See/Hear your child!

2009-03-19T06:22:00.000-07:00

I have been hard at work creating a multimedia website for each grade level. On this Jefferson Music Network you will be able to see and hear your child sing and play instruments. In order to keep this information somewhat private, access to this site is by invitation only. If you would like to be able to access your grade level's website, please visit http://jeffersonmusic.ning.com and click on your grade level. You will be asked a few simple questions to create an account and then your membership will be sent to me for approval.

I hope to see many of you there soon!

Choir Festival

2008-04-28T07:30:00.000-07:00

On Friday the Jefferson Choir took a trip over to Sand Creek Elementary School to participate in the Choir festival. It was a fantastic day and our Conductor Susan Zemlin from Blaine High School was AMAZING and had great things to say about the songs we were singing. The day was long and there was a lot of standing and singing, but the students did a wonderful job...I am so proud of them. I can't wait for our Jefferson concert on May 8th! It should be spectacular!

Homework this week

2008-04-22T12:05:00.001-07:00

1st Grade:
Please be looking for homework coming home from your students this week. We have been working on singing Sol-Mi melodies and the students just completed writing their own melodies and placing them on a 2-line staff. Please have your child sing it and sign it with their hands for you (encourage the use of a light high voice). Then sign it and have them bring it back to the Music Room.

2nd Grade:
Please be looking for a homework assignment coming come from your students this week. We have been working hard on reading, writing, and signing Sol, Mi, Do. The assignment was a transcription of a song they have been singing.

Recorder Choir Update

2008-03-12T13:44:00.001-07:00

In case you haven't heard, this year I started a recorder choir at jefferson for the 5th grade students who wanted a bit more challenge with the recorders. It has been going very well and the students are enjoying stretching their musical wings. This week we began learning the Alto recorder. The alto recorder is bigger than the sopranos we play in class and it plays in a different key than the soprano. It's a bit of a mind bender, but the students are picking it up really quickly.

Things have been busy!

2008-03-04T11:36:00.001-08:00

It's been a while since I've posted any news from the music room so here's what's been happening in Feb:

1st Grade:
Just finished writing 16 beat compositions using High and Low. They are now able to read/sing/ and play music off of the 2-line staff!! How Exciting!

2nd Grade:
Has just learned the entire Pentatonic Scale (do, re, mi, sol, la) and is busy singing/improvising/composing/ and playing around with our new sounds

3rd Grade:
Is having fun singing and playing around in La, based pentatonic (minor mode). Soon we will add low Sol to our note pallette. Be looking for a new composition coming home soon!

4th Grade:
Is progressing nicely with their recorders. We now know 4 notes: GA CD and have started our "recorder karate" belt testing. Be sure to encourage your child to bring their recorder home to practice. The more they practice, the better they sound!

5th Grade:
Just finished a large project where they created a dance, recorder improvisation and added it to a known xylophone song. It was amazing to see the wonderful and creative ideas that they came up with!!! I wish that I could put the video up online, however I am restricted due to data privacy laws here in the district.

Jefferson 4/5 Choir:
I am really impressed at how quickly the choir is learning their music. Not only did they impress me by how well they are READING the choral octavos, but they are watching me while I direct! They are truly a musically gifted group! I am really excited for our workshop with Cantus next week. If you have not visited the Cantus website, do it now and get a taste of the musical excellence that will be at Jefferson next week.

Recorder Choir:
recorder choir is busy working on new songs that they will be playing on the choir concert in May. They are also preparing a couple of really neat xylophone ensemble songs. One group has even taken on the challenge of learning the Alto Recorder

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Choir Schedule update

2008-02-19T08:41:00.001-08:00

Please note that there has been a change of date for the Cantus Workshop. It is now going to be Thursday March 13th 4pm-4:45pm. Please make this change on your calendar and download a new copy of the schedule from the website

This is a VERY important event for the choir, so please make sure that your student can attend.

Website updates

2008-02-01T06:56:00.001-08:00

I have made a few updates to the Grade level pages on the website. Here's what I have added:

a list of songs that we listen to in class as well as links to purchase these songs via iTunes
more information on the homework that comes home and how I grade each assignment
a few more recordings of classroom performances for you to listen to.

I hope you enjoy these changes!

A new year

2008-01-29T13:48:00.001-08:00

Greetings everyone!
it's been a while since I've given you an update about what is going on in the music room here at Jefferson, so hold on to your hats:

1st Grade
are having a great time learning new songs and poems and using the instruments to accompany their singing. They have just learned about a quarter rest so be looking for an assignment coming home soon with this new bit of knowledge in it.

2nd Grade
are busy learning about high, mid, and low which will turn into Mi, re, and do of the pentatonic scale very soon. We are using the song "let us chase the squirrel" to make this conscious. Be looking for a short assignment coming home that will address this song.

3rd Grade
have just learned low la to add to our pentatonic knowledge. Low la is central to songs in the minor mode (sad sounding) and many other great songs that we have in the music room. They are busy learning a xylophone piece that uses the new note in triple meter.

4th Grade
are busy playing up a storm with their recorders. They have learned A C' and D' and are playing many of the songs they learned in 1st and 2nd grade because A C' and D' are also mi sol and la of the pentatonic scale. Soon I will be handing out their recorder "books" so they can study at their own pace.

5th Grade
a very exciting week for 5th grade as well. We are video taping movement pieces that we created using a xylophone song, recorder improvisation, and a dance that they made up themselves...be looking for it on the website soon!

Phew, that's a lot of stuff going on. Keep checking back often for more exciting news from the music room.

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FREE concert!

2007-11-12T11:29:00.001-08:00

Mark your calendars now.

The world famous St. Paul Chamber Orchestra to perform free holiday community concert Dec. 19
The following event is co-sponsored by Blaine High School and endorsed by Anoka-Hennepin orchestra teachers. Anoka-Hennepin families and community members are encouraged to attend this free event.

The public is invited to attend a free holiday community concert performance by the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra on Wednesday, Dec. 19 at 7 p.m. at Blaine High School.

The orchestra, conducted by Mark Russell Smith, will perform the following musical pieces:
“Brandenburg Concerto No. 3” (Bach)
“Dumbarton Oaks” (Stravinsky)
“Air” (Bach)
“Christmas Concerto” (Corelli)
“Winter” from The Four Seasons (Vivaldi)
“Emperor Waltz” (Strauss, arr. Schoenberg)

Tickets are free, but reservations are required. Call 651-291-1144 or visit: www.thespco.org to make reservations. The Blaine High School auditorium has approximately 900 seats, so make reservations as soon as possible.

Blaine High School is located at 12555 University Ave. in Blaine.

Levy Information DIscussion

2007-10-03T06:44:00.001-07:00

We here at school are trying our best to keep our parents and community informed about why the levy is important and what a yes or a no vote will mean. We want you to make an INFORMED decision, so please plan to attend a levy information meeting. There are lots of rumors floating around and mis-information. Please take a few moments to learn about the levy.

There is a Levy information meeting on Monday October 8th at 7pm at Eisenhower Elementary.

Learn how the levy and bond questions will affect your school
Learn what a "yes" and a "no" vote will mean
Ask questions
get information on voting.

Thank you for your support of your child's education.

Levy Information

2007-09-19T11:24:00.000-07:00

This is VERY important information. Please share it with your friends and neighbors. If you have any questions about the Levy, please call or email me.

Why are there four questions on the ballot?
Citizens want choice. That’s what the School Board learned when a referendum levy of just one question failed in 2001. Following the failed levy, the school district surveyed voters and found that choice was important to them. Having four questions allows citizens to choose the level of support they feel is most appropriate.

Questions 1 and 2, which provide revenue to keep current educational programs intact, must pass before Question 3 can pass. Question 3 reinstates free transportation for students who encounter traffic hazards on their walk to school, reduces high school activity fees by half, reopens closed swimming pools and reinstates swimming instruction in middle schools. It also provides support staff to keep technology running in the schools and assist teachers in integrating technology into their teaching. Question 4 provides updated computers for student use and improves the student to computer ratio from nine students per computer to five students per computer.

Just Married

2007-09-12T10:28:00.001-07:00

This past weekend was very exciting for Mr. Weller. He tied the knot with his lady love Elissa. It was an amazing celebration filled with friends, family, and (of course) lots of great music. Now he's back at work ready to tackle the school year with his full attention.

Another new year approaches

2007-08-21T16:24:00.001-07:00

Greetings to one and all!
I can't believe that it's almost time to start school again. This is going to be an amazing year and I am anxious to get started!

Here's some news about Mr. Weller as we begin a new year together:

I'm getting married on Sept. 8th (yes, I know it's terrible timing, but there's a story)
This summer I completed my 3rd year of Orff-Schulwerk training and am now a fully certified Orff-Schulwerk teacher.
I also completed my Master's Degree last June at St. Mary's University
Third grade music classes will be twice a week for 30 minutes this year instead of once a week for 60 minutes.

The last point is the one I am totally excited about (well besides getting married, of course). This means HUGE things for your children at Jefferson. Now that I see them twice a week (just like I did in 2nd grade) they will be able to continue the breakneck pace of learning this language of music that they have had for the past 2 years. I had found it frustrating in the past to see my 2nd graders further along in the curriculum and far more competant than the 3rd graders by the end of the year...just by the sheer fact that I saw them more often. A huge THANK YOU goes out to the 3rd grade classroom teachers who agreed to the crazy schedule I developed.

That's it for now. Be sure to come and see me at open house!
Mr. Weller :)

Choir...one more thing

2007-05-03T07:39:00.000-07:00

The Jefferson Choir will be performing one more time this year. We have been asked to sing at the Volunteer breakfast on Friday May 11th. Please arrive at school at 8:45am and we will go and sing a few of our songs for our wonderful volunteers!

2nd Grade Demo Concert May 3rd

2007-04-12T16:20:00.000-07:00

Arts and Academics night is fast approaching us. As has become tradition, the 2nd grade classes will present a demonstration concert. This concert is more of a demonstration of what we do in class than an actual performance...the idea behind the performance is to show parents and community members what we accomplish in the music room in 2nd grade. It's a fun time for me because I get to let the kids show off what they know and it's fun for the kids to share their experiences in music class.

So mark your calendars now for May 3rd and plan to attend to see what your child has been up to.

Choir

2007-02-07T11:39:00.000-08:00

The Jefferson Choir this year is starting off strong! I am so excited to have over 90 kids participating! We barely fit into the music room. It's going to be a powerful sound.

New Email Contact List

2007-01-15T14:21:00.000-08:00

Welcome to a new year in the Music room!! Forgive me for not updating the blog in a while. I have developed one new way of keeping in contact with all the parents...an email contact list. If you would like to put your email on this list, just follow this link. Please know that your email address will be kept confidential and only be used to inform you of homework assignments, class news, etc.

Still looking for comments and feedback from parents on this blog to help me know if it is a useful tool for communication. You can email these comments to Mr. Weller or you can just click the "comment" link below this blog post.

Thanks!

Your Child's Precious Music Time

2006-11-08T07:16:00.000-08:00

This year is a music study year in District 11. That means we are taking a look at our curriculum and asking important questions about what works, what is important, and what we would like to change. At the first meeting, we discussed music instructional time across the District. Here's what we discovered:

There is currently:
36 hours a year for elementary instruction
75 hours a year for middle
150 hours a year for grade 8
255 hours a year for HS

In one year of high school there is more instruction than in 5 years of elementary. One year of instruction in grade 8 is as much as 4 years of elementary. These numbers are amazing! Imagine trying to teach a subject in a little less than a 40 hour work week. As I told the kids, I see you as much the entire year as your classroom teacher gets to see you every week.

American Educator Article

2006-10-19T07:22:00.000-07:00

This month in the American Educator Magazine the cover story is all about "Why Music is an Essential Liberal Art". It's a fantastic article about why music is improtant in EVERY child's education and how it's being neglected in the educational system. I urge all of you to read this article!

Here is a small exerpt from the article:
"Why should young people study music? One answer presents itself on the basis of what I have said so far: Music has a central place in the lives of young people. For many, music is their life. Teaching music to the young is therefore much more than conveying historical information and technical facts, or helping students develop their musical talent. It is more than the effort to make them competent and aesthetically refined. In getting young people to engage in a serious study of music, we are giving them an opportunity to know themselves better by becoming more precisely aware of the amazing power that music has over them. Also, as we shall see, we are giving them an opportunity to deepen their knowledge of the natural world—and of our connection to it—by becoming more aware of the mathematical order that underlies music."

1st Grade Assignment

2006-10-11T11:55:00.000-07:00

1st Grade Parents should receive a Green letter this week about a music assignment that I have given your student. Your student will need to perform the 4 poems for you or someone at home while keeping a beat. Please make sure you sign and put your child's name and CLASSROOM TEACHER on the form and return it to school.

Also, I have noticed a mistake in one of the poems. Please use this version of Oliver Twist:
Oliver Twist you can't do this,
So what's the use of trying,
Touch your knees, touch your toes
Clap your hands and away we go!

Thanks for your involvement in your student's music education!

2nd Grade Assignment goes home

2006-10-05T14:58:00.000-07:00

This week and next, your second grader will be bringing home a music assignment. It's a quick performance opportunity that will allow you to see what they are doing in music class. You will recieve assignments like this periodically throughout the year. This assignment asked the students to compose a 16 beat rhythm composition. Please listen to them perform it for you and check off the three items on the letter that came home. It needs to be signed and returned to me by October 18th for full participation points. If you need a new copy of the letter, you can download it here

Week Two Comes to a close

2006-09-15T06:59:00.000-07:00

Here it is Friday of Week 2 already! In Many ways it seems like we never left. I am impressed with how much stuff the kids remembered over the summer. Now we can start building upon that knowledge and learning more stuff.

1st Grade has been working very hard on keeping a beat while singing, saying poems, and listening to music. They also have started learning about elemental form (patterns in music) and splitting things in half (both of which are math concepts taught in their classroom).

2nd Grade has been reviewing the new concepts they learned last year such as quarter note and 2-8th notes and Sol & mi. Next week we will be extending this learning to include writing, reading and improvising with these things

3rd Grade has been exploring movement with props in preparation for improvisation later on in the year. They also have been taking rhythmic dictation of 8 beats and writing the rhythm of known poems on their own.

4th Grade has been extending their vocabulary of movement/dance terminology and created dance sentances which were performed in class. In addition to that, they also reviewed rhythms and took 8 beat dictation and wrote down known poems.

5th Grade reviewed a song from last year and played it on the barred instruments as well as writing down rhythms from last year. Next week they will be improvising with the song "who has seen the wind" on the recorders.

First day of School!

2006-09-05T07:55:00.000-07:00

Today is the first day of school, and as I sit here waiting for the first class to arrive, I am energized and excited about the prospects of a new year. This summer I finished Level 2 (out of 3) of my Orff-Schulwerk training and I am now trying to process all the new information and put it into my classroom this year. It is a daunting task! But the ultimate benefit will be the students as they become more creative this year and hopefully more knowledgable.

Don't forget to bookmark this site so you can return to it often. I will try and update it once a week to let you know what is going on in the music room. it's s fun place! Happy First day of school!

A wonderful Two weeks

2006-05-06T14:46:00.000-07:00

It has been an exhausting, but amazing two weeks here at Jefferson. Last thursday was the second grade demonstration concert and the week before was the Jefferson Choir Concert. Both events went VERY well. The choir did an amazing job at their concert on April 27th. I am continually amazed by this group of musicians and am sad to be losing so many this year as the fifth graders graduate to Middle School.

The Second Graders also had a chance to shine this past week. During their demonstration concert they showed their parents and others the amazing things they had been learning that year. I was so proud of them all and the wonderful job they did! I hope that many of you were able to attend. I hope soon to have a few pictures up on the website of this presentation, so if anyone out there has 2 or 3 really nice photos they would like to share with us, I would love to see them.

Choir Concert Next week

2006-04-20T07:48:00.000-07:00

Next week on Thursday April 27th at 7:00pm the Jefferson Choir will be performing in the Gym. They have been working very hard and are sure to put on a great show.

Parents of choir members, a note went home today about reherasals next week along with a permission slip for the Choir festival at Eisenhower. Please get this permission slip back to me as soon as possible and take note of the time change in rehearsals next week. 8:15am instead of 8:30am. Thanks for everything you do!

4th Quarter already

2006-04-05T06:11:00.000-07:00

Wow, I can't beleive that it's 4th quarter already. This year went by so fast! Each year I have more and more fun with my studnets and we create better and more advanced music. My main project this year was to create a grading rubric to go along with the report cards. It is almost finished. WHen it's done I will put it on the Music website for all to see. That way you will know and understand how I grade in the music room. Be looking for that sometime towards the end of the 4th quarter.

Jefferson choir
The choir is still going strong at 75 kids!!! This is probably the best year yet! I am very excited to share our music with you on April 27th. The choir is actually singing in 3 parts this year! Not just 3 part cannons but 3 different harmony parts. Way cool!

No Choir March 14

2006-03-13T19:08:00.000-08:00

Due to Mr. Weller being ill there will NOT be choir rehearsal on Tuesday March 14th.

Recorder songs now online

2006-03-10T07:36:00.000-08:00

Students can now download the music for their recorder karate songs. Only the first 4 songs are up right now, but soon all the songs will be available. I hope this will help cut down on copying costs as the packets get larger and larger and more expensive to reproduce. Let me know if you have any questions about downloading these songs. They are in .pdf form so you will need an acrobat reader Enjoy!

The Songs we sing

2006-03-08T19:51:00.000-08:00

Ever wonder about a song that your student has been singing or he/she can't remember the words for? There is a VERY cool website that has a searchable index of most of the folksongs we do in class. It's The American Folksong Collection developed by Holy Name University...one of the most renound Music Education schools in the country. Check it out! By downloading a simple plug in called Sibelius Scortch, you can hear the songs right on the webpage. If you have questions, or problems, let me know. Enjoy!

This week in music...

2006-03-08T07:33:00.000-08:00

1st Grade - is learning more about So-mi melodies. We are singing, reading and soon will be playing them on xylophones and metallophones. Also they just learned about the quarter rest.

2nd Grade - continuing to read, play, and sing pentatonic songs and melodies. Today we will be improvising our own melodies and writing them down using the words to our song "Mr. Rabbit"

3rd Grade - is adding low la and low sol to their penatonic scale. Now we are able to sing songs in minor and have added new ideas to our bag of ostinato tricks. We also leanred a dance from Isreal called Te Ve Orez (tea and rice). It is a social dance that involves quick steps and partner switching.

4th Grade - is doing great work with the recorders! They can read GAC'D' off the staff with no problem and we have just added B this week! We also leanred a dance from Isreal called Te Ve Orez (tea and rice). It is a social dance that involves quick steps and partner switching.

5th Grade - began recorder testing this week. I use the Karate method of testing where students can earn belts I hope to have more information on this site soon. 5th grade is also learning the Isreli Dance and having lots of fun.

New website section

2006-02-27T07:12:00.000-08:00

I have just added a section on the music website that deals with recorders and what we do with them in the music room. Included is a list of songs, and a grading rubric. There will be more added to this page as time goes on, but take a quick look at it to see what your child is doing with his/her recorder.

Wonderful Jefferson Students!

2006-02-24T04:47:00.000-08:00

I'm sure by now, you have heard about the excitement in the music room. 2 weeks ago there was a break-in in the music room. The theives broke a window to get in and managed to take a few things and make a huge mess. A few personal items were taken, but the rest the school's insurance will replace. The students at Jefferson have been amazing! I recieved many cards and letters and pictures with apologies from students saying how sorry they were about what happened. The best gift was from a 5th grader who wrapped up her own guitar and gave it to me as a replacement for the one that was stolen. Such a wonderful heart in that student. Happy friday everyone.

End of Second Quarter

2006-01-30T05:58:00.000-08:00

Well, the second quarter has ended and half the school year is over already. Here are a few highlights from quarter 2:

1st Grade
We just started learning about sol and mi, our first notes on the staff, and we are able to read high and low sounds off of a 1-line staff both playing and singing the sounds. We also are continuing to work with quarter and 8th notes.

2nd Grade
Second quarter was a very full quarter for us. We learned a new note "do" which has given us so many more songs to learn and pretty soon we will be adding "re" to our scale. Using a new song "who's that tapping at the window" we learned all about the half note, ties, and used our new house "do". Also, we have done some improvisation, filling up 8 beats of music with rhythm.

3rd Grade
In 3rd grade we have been hard at work listening, singing, and moving to different meters in music. Meter is all about how the music feels. Sometimes music can be felt in groups of 2 and sometimes in groups of 3. We have also been improvising on the Pentatonic Scale (DRMSL) with our song "cat's sleep".

4th Grade
Recorders, Recorders, Recorders..although we have not learned too many actual songs, 4th grade has been hard at work learning A C' D' the first 3 notes on the recorder. we have started slow to allow everybody the chance to understand how to make a beautiful sound.

5th Grade
Counting music, reading off the staff, and improvisation are all excitiing tasks that 5th has been doing this quarter. Next we will be adding low E and D to the recorder and learning new songs.

Jefferson Choir is shaping up

2006-01-12T07:34:00.000-08:00

To date I have 68 kids signed up to sing in the Jefferson choir!! Almost 20 more than last year. I am very excited to see the rise in interest and I am anxious to get started. Speaking of starting, don't forget that choir starts next week on tuesday right after MLK day off. Be at school a little before 8:30 so that we can get started right away.

First entry and Choir applications go home

2006-01-08T07:05:00.000-08:00

This is the first post in what I hope will become a dialoge between me and parents and students. It is called a Weblog or blog for short. I think it is a fun and quick way to give out information and for you to see what is going on in the music room each week.

I am sending home the application for the Jefferson choir today. The choir is for 4th and 5th grade students and you can find out more about it at the Choir page. These forms are due by January 13th