Recently in music, first graders completed their study of both “Carnival of the Animals” and percussion instruments. We learned about the composer Camille Saint-Saëns (he loved a good joke!) and what makes an instrument a percussion instrument (they make a sound with a hit, shake, or rub). Lower Elementary students have been busy composing rhythms and then performing them for each other. Third and fourth grade rounded out the fall season by learning about the Rondo form. Using a funny Thanksgiving song, plates of “Thanksgiving food” turned into a rhyme chant, and a self-composed song on instruments, they created a Rondo using the form A (the funny song) B (food rhythms) A C (instruments) A.
