Obwisana: A West-African Rock Passing Game

Hope you enjoy this video of Mrs. Astle's third grade students playing a traditional West-African rock passing game. We used some colorful beanbags instead of rocks, which creates a beautiful visual. We couldn't get all students' faces in the video, but you still can see their teamwork!

--Mrs. Melkonian

We are the World

This week, classes in grades 2-5 have enjoyed seeing video from the old and new versions of We are the World. Written 25 years ago to raise money for famine relief in Africa, Michael Jackson and Lionel Ritchie created a classic. After the devastating earthquake in Haiti, many superstars of today came together to re-create the magical moment in hopes of raising money for Haitian victims.

Enjoy the videos! What do you notice about the old and new versions? What are the differences and similaries? What has changed in the music after 25 years?

Mrs. Melkonian

Original "We are the World" Africa

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2W4-0qUdHY

2010 "We are the World" Haiti

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Glny4jSciVI

Black History Month Musicians

Happy Black History Month!

This month we are studying 7 VERY important black musicians who have made a huge impact on the world of music. They are:

1. Ella Fitzgerald

2. Louis Armstrong

3. James Brown

4. Billie Holiday

5. Aretha Franklin

6. Duke Ellington

7. Stevie Wonder

Please take a moment and click on the music player to the right to listen to a song performed by each of these influential musicians!

Who is your favorite? Why?

I look forward to learning more about each of these musicians and hope that we can be inspired by their incredible talents!

-Ms. Ginger

Mrs. Seilheimer's Second Grade Singers!

Even as they learn tonal patterns (do-mi-so), Mrs. Seilheimer's Second Grade Students want to wish you a very happy Valentine's Day!

More Field Trips!

Our students were fortunate enough to have two music field trips this week!

Friday, January 29, 2010

Thanks to a fantastic organization called the Great Lakes Caravan, our Fifth Grade Students got to be a part of an interactive performance by the Carpe Diem String Quartet. From Columbus, Ohio, Carpe Diem is a world class quartet that performs in a surprising variety of styles and genres. All Fifth Graders walked to the High School black box theatre to hear them, ask questions and interact. We heard classical, jazz, blues, a composition written by the violist and even the theme from the Simpsons. Fifth grade students, what was your favorite part of the performance?

Monday, February 1, 2010

All second through fifth graders took the long bus trip to Ann Arbor to see the legendary Ladysmith Black Mambazo perform at Hill Auditorium. From South Africa, this powerful acapella singing group has been in existence for over 50 years. They were brought into the international spotlight through Paul Simon's "Graceland" album and continue to travel around the world today. Though I didn't get to go along, I have been enjoying hearing students' reactions and reflections on the music. I have included some Ladysmith Black Mambazo songs on the side bar. Enjoy!

Music and Martin Luther King, Jr.

As we get ready to celebrate the birth of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., music classes have been preparing songs in his honor. Our students already know so much about the life and impact of Dr. King, but can now make connections to some important music of his time. Whether we are singing the simple words of Martin and his focus on love, caring and peace or the grown-up hymn "Lift Every Voice", our students are tying music to the Civil Rights Movement. Can you sing this song at home?

Woke up This Mornin'

Woke up this mornin' with my mind

Stayed on freedom

Woke up this mornin' with my heart

Stayed on freedom

Woke up this mornin' with my soul

Stayed on freedom

Hallelu, hallelu, hallelu, hallelu, hallelu-jah!

I'm gonna walk, talk, sing, shout

Hallelu, I got my mind on freedom!

Walk, talk, sing, shout

Clap my hands and keep my mind on freedom!

Walk, Talk! Sing, Shout!

Clap my hands!

Mrs. Melkonian

A Wonderful Concert!

Congratulations to the ENTIRE school on a fantastic holiday concert this past Wednesday night! It was truly an enjoyable event for me to see all of our students on the stage representing themselves so well. You sang and played beautifully.

A video of the entire performance can be found at:

http://uprepparents.com/

A very happy holiday and new year to our UPA families.

Love, Mrs. Melkonian

Request

Dear UPA Elementary Families,
For our upcoming Holiday Concert, we are going to celebrate family by including some of your favorite family pictures. All UPE students are participating in the show, so we hope to have as many families as possible represented. One photo per family, please.

Digital Photos may be sent to Mrs. Melkonian: smelkonian@uprep.com

Hard copies of photos may be given to your child's classroom teacher or put in Mrs. Melkonian's mailbox. Photos will be returned if they are clearly marked.

Thank you,
Mrs. Melkonian

Giving Thanks

I consider myself to be blessed beyond measure to come to work and make music with children everyday. While the world buzzes around us, I give thanks for the small, beautiful moments that happen in the classroom everyday. I give thanks for your expressive singing, your curiosity and your desire to learn.

Wishing all UPA families a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Mrs. Melkonian

AMPP Exhibitions

Hello Music Students and Parents!

The AMPP Exhibitions are taking place tomorrow in the gym during the students' regular AMPP time. This is where they will show off what they have been doing in Art, Music, Physical Education and Theatre (Performing Arts) for the past trimester.

The AMPP Exhibition schedule is:

12:30-1:25--Kindergarten and First Grade

1:30-2:25--Second and Third Grade

2:30-3:25--Fourth and Fifth Grade

Looking forward to seeing you there. All are invited!

Mrs. Melkonian

Music Field Trips

I am happy to say that three entire grades of our school were out of the building last Friday to experience LIVE music performances! Nothing makes me happier than seeing our students getting on busses and heading out. And that's because they're having wonderful learning experiences, of course! :)

All of our Kindergarten and First Grade students took the long bus trip to Ann Arbor to see Keith Terry and his Body Slammin' Band at the historic Hill Auditorium. Keith Terry is an expert in body percussion. He entertained our students with his stomping, patting, tapping and popping. Though I didn't get to go, I heard the performance was

wonderful and the day was a success all around.

The entire third grade class took the short trip down Woodward to the Max M. Fisher Music Theatre to see a performance by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Our students represented our school amazingly well as they heard the "Instrumental Safari" program in the beautiful historical hall. Some of the highlights were hearing parts of Saint Saens "Carnival of the Animals" and the March from "Raiders of the Lost Ark."

I hope everyone enjoyed the performances and got to share their experiences with their families.

Mrs. Melkonian

The DSO warming up

Jeremiah and Drew at the

Max M. Fisher Music Center

Life Doesn't Frighten Me

Just in time for the spookiest time of the year, both Mr. Wetherbee and Mrs. Wagner's classes have created sound poems to Maya Angelou's poem "Life Doesn't Frighten Me." They are on the music player just to your right. They have similarities and differences, but both convey the feeling of the poem. Enjoy them! Which one is your favorite and why?

Mrs. Melkonian

Sign Language

Hello!

I just added the song "All I Really Need" to the playlist so you can practice your sign language. Try teaching a few of the signs to someone at home!

Can you sing and show the sign language at the same time?

Have a great day!

Ms. Ginger

Take Time In Life

I have really enjoyed listening to my students in grades 3, 4 and 5, sing one of my favorite songs this week, "Take Time In Life." This song is a West African song from the country of Liberia and has a positive message for us all. Our students have stated what is means to them to "Take Time in Life" and I hope they are able to share the song with their families and friends. Many classes have asked to perform it for their teachers, and of course I always love when students want to share and show off their beautiful music!

Can you sing this song for someone at home?

I was passing by, somebody called to me

And they said to me, "you better take time in life."

Better take time in life,

Better take time in life,

Better take time in life,

'Cause you've got far way to go.

Drumming

Congrats, fifth grade students, on a fantastic start in drumming this year. In our study of Ghanaian drumming, we've learned how to hit the drum (very light bounces) and where to hit it (closed and open tones). We've begun with simple echo patterns as well as question and answer patterns. Your musical responses have been very creative, but most of all danceable, as all Ghanaian music should be!

Although I miss hearing you sing through class, our short African songs are sounding really nice. The "School Registration" song has been so much fun to sing and "Take Time In Life" will soon be ready for instruments.

What has been your favorite part of class so far this year?

Why I teach music...

Music is mathematical.
It is rhythmically based on the subdivisions of time into fractions
which must be done instantaneously, not worked out on paper.

Music is a foreign language.
Most of the terms are in Italian, German or French;
and the notation is certainly not English but a highly developed
kind of shorthand that uses symbols to represent ideas.
The semantics of music is the most complete and universal language.

Music is history.
Music usually reflects the environment and times of its creation,
often even the country and/ or racial feeling.

Music is physical education.
It requires fantastic coordination of fingers, hands, arms, lip, cheek and facial muscles,
in addition to extraordinary control of diaphragmatic, back, stomach, and chest muscles,
which respond instantly to the sound the ear hears and the mind interprets.

Music is all these things, but most of all, music is art.
It allows a human being to take all of these dry, technically boring
(but difficult) techniques and use them to create emotion.
That is one thing science cannot duplicate;
humanism, feeling, emotion, call it what you will.

That is why we teach music.
Not because we expect our students to major in music
Not because we expect them to play or sing all their life
Not so they can relax
Not so they can have fun.
But so they will be human
So they will recognize beauty
So they will be sensitive
So they will be closer to an infinite beyond this world
So they will have something to cling to
So they will have more love, more compassion, more gentleness, more good, in short, more life.
Of what value will it be to make a prosperous living unless you know how to live?
That is why we teach music.

(author unknown)

Welcome to the UPA Music Blog!

I am looking forward to a fantastic year with all of the UPA students! Please stay tuned to this blog for updates, pictures and videos of our students making beautiful music.

Here's to a wonderful year!
Ms. Melkonian