Music

Distance Learning

Hello children!

This week’s key stage one songs are all very active, so make some room and get moving. If you have a shaker or can make one, it will make the song ‘Shake your Shaker’ even more fun. Try putting some dry pasta or rice into a pot with a lid; you could decorate it too.

It’s a trip down memory lane for the key stage two songs. Hopefully some of you will remember practising the song ‘Be the Change’ for Sing Up Day 2018. And here is a link to a video to help you learn I Can See Clearly Now: https://youtu.be/tLdiAct3vEU.

This week’s listening is a piece called ‘Fossils’. You can listen to it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TSkIG9lFvY. Can you spot the instrument that sounds the most like fossils or bones? Why might this instrument have been chosen? What other instruments can you hear?

Fossils is from a longer piece of music called ‘The Carnival of the Animals’ by Camille Saint-Saëns who was French. It is one of Saint-Saëns most popular works, but Saint-Saëns premiered his ‘grand zoological fantasy’ privately. It was written as a bit of fun for friends. Each of the music’s 14 movements represents a different animal, including a lion, donkey, and elephant, as well as fossils, an aquarium, an aviary and – Saint-Saëns’ little joke – pianists, possibly the most dangerous animal of them all… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0y1ntDP07rM

Music Activity: The main theme of Fossils (first played by the xylophone at the beginning of the piece) fits to the rhythm of the words “digging in the ground, digging in the ground, digging in the ground just to find some bones.” Say this phrase out loud. Listen again to Fossils, and chant along using these words each time you hear this rhythm.

The music here is short and detached. The musical word for this is staccato. Can you think why the composer has used a staccato sound here?

Make your own music using the rhythm of these words: “digging in the ground, digging in the ground, digging in the ground just to find some bones.” You could use instruments if you have them, but found objects such as pots, pans, pens, pencils or sticks work equally well. If you can use notes choose from D,E, F, G and A; begin and end your phrase on D. Experiment by using notes close to one another or far apart. If possible, record the result.

Have a good week. I will be in touch again soon, enjoy your week.

Miss Sadler.

Key Stage 1

KS1 Lyrics

Jumping Up and Down

Ants in your Pants

Shake Your Shaker and Stop

Key Stage 2

Miss Sadler Introduces….

Miss Sadler is making some videos to introduce you to various musical instruments.  The first video is all about the Saxophone.  You can watch it here:  

Music at Air Balloon

Air Balloon Hill has a thriving and busy music department. Children learn to sing and play in music lessons throughout the year and all children in year 3 have the opportunity to learn the violin for two terms.

The following after-school clubs run on a weekly basis:

Monday: Key stage 1 (training) choir. This choir is for children in years 1 & 2, there is no audition. Lots of games and singing for fun, new songs, old songs and very silly songs.

Tuesday: Key stage 2 (performing) choir. This choir is open for children in years 3 to 6, there is no audition. We sing a wide range of songs, and perform in school and city-wide events throughout the year. We also sing at two local care homes.

Thursday: Steel Pan Group.

Friday: School band. This club is open to anyone who plays an instrument. We perform in school concerts and take part in other events such as orchestral workshops at Bristol University.

The following clubs run at lunchtime:

Wednesday lunchtime: Recorder Club.

The following special music events happen on a yearly basis:

Christmas: Carols Around the Christmas Tree: join us for mulled wine, mince pies and sing some of your favourite carols and Christmas songs. Key Stage 2 choir perform in the Bristol Schools Christmas Concert at St George’s, Bristol.

May Day: Singing and dancing as part of a whole-school celebration.

Orchestral workshop: the band members join other children from primary schools across Bristol to play in a massed orchestra with help from the university PGCE music students.

Bristol Schools Big Sing: the Key Stage 2 choir join children from across Bristol to sing in a massed choir. Usually at Colston Hall, but due to the refurbishment is being held at UWE this year.

Summer Festival: Choirs from East Bristol (Columbus) schools come together to sing at St Ambrose Church, Whitehall.

Instrumental Concert: A school concert for children who play to show what they have been working on throughout the year. The band, recorder groups and KS1 Choir will also perform in this one!