EMF Explorers Week 1: Friday

Thanks for a great week!

EMF Explorers Week 1: Thursday

Another great morning with the EMF kids today!

We sang songs, moved to music, and had the opportunity to play percussion instruments.  Thanks to a break in the rain we were able to have a parade outside with singing and playing!  We visited the string section of the orchestra, and got to hear and learn more about the violin, viola, cello, double bass, and harp.  These visits are a consistent favorite activity for many of our campers!

Please remember that tomorrow we will meet at the regular time at The Music Academy of North Carolina.  Please note the directions in your parent letter, or see below if you are unfamiliar with the location.  Parents and families are invited to return early at 11:30 for a demonstration of some of the things we learned this week. See you tomorrow!

The Music Academy of North Carolina
1327 Beaman Place
Greensboro, NC 27408

EMF Explorers Week 1: Wednesday

Today we learned all about the percussion family!  We learned about the piano, timpani, bass and snare drums, xylophone, glockenspiel, marimba, tambourine, and more!  We played drums and rhythm sticks as well as tone bells during our singing activities.  We learned a two part song with a repeating "ostinato" pattern called "Dip Dip and Swing".  We read a great story having to do with the percussion family and practiced keeping the steady beat through a Spanish chant called "Bate, Bate".  We continued to work on and review tempos and dynamics.  We went on a "Bear Hunt" with our bodies and voices and learned a lot about how we can use our bodies and things in our environment to act as percussion instruments.  We finished our shaker art project, filling them with all kinds of cool sounding materials!  We had an awesome day!     

EMF Explorers Week 1: Tuesday

Today we learned all about the woodwind family and what makes an instrument belong to this family.  The students visited the orchestra and got to hear the flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon, contra-bassoon, English Horn and piccolo.  I showed them a  flute and we learned about its different parts.  We continued to learn about different dynamic levels as well as tempo.  Dynamic and tempo instruction was accomplished through guided singing and movement activities.  Students began making their shakers, which we will finish tomorrow.  Today we focused on decorating them!  Students got to hear the "Aviary" movement from Camille Saint Säns' "Carnival of the Animals" and we talked about how the flutes sounded like birds.  The children shared what the music made them imagine and envision.  We also read a story about L.V. Beethoven and his Heroic Symphony.  We had a wonderful day!

Explorers Week 1: Monday

Our first week of Explorers is off to a great start!  Each morning this week we will visit EMF orchestras in their rehearsals to experience different instruments and their instrument families.  We will listen and respond to masterpiece works by great classical composers, and learn about and explore different musical concepts. 

Music: Benjamin Britten’s “The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra”

Orchestra Visit: The Brass Family: trumpet, horn, tuba, trombone, and bass trombone

Activities: Singing and movement, playing the water glasses

Concepts: Introduction to instrument families, large and small instrument sounds, dynamics (loud and soft sounds)

Highlights (according to our campers):

My favorite part of today was…

·         Singing like a tuba

·         Seeing the French horn

·         Going to the music place [orchestra rehearsal]

·         Snack time outside

EMF EXPLORERS 2014!

Looking forward to our first day of EMF Explorers tomorrow!

-Miss Susannah
(Susannah Steele)

EMF Explorers Session 2: Thursday

This morning campers got a special treat when a wind quintet came to visit us in our classroom!  They showed us the different kinds of reeds, played examples of the various sounds their instruments make, and then performed a short piece.  During this demonstration and throughout the morning campers demonstrated their knowledge of the four instrument families through songs and games.

We also had the opportunity to play recorders, drums, and rhythm sticks, and campers worked on finishing their cabasas.  We also learned a bit about the responsibilities of the conductor, and practiced conducting a pretend orchestra while listening to pieces from Saint-Saens' Carnival of the Animals.  It has been a busy but fun morning!

Tomorrow we will be meeting at The Music Academy of North Carolina.  If you have not been there before, the directions can be found in your parent information letter, as well as at the address below.

1327 Beaman Place
Greensboro, NC 27408

Please arrive at the regular 9 am time.  The Music Academy will be offering very special musical activities along with some hands-on experience of a few different instruments.  We also invite all parents and families to join us for our end-of-camp sing-along at 11:30 am where we will demonstrate some of the new things we learned this week.