Music Matters @ NDE...

NDE Junior High CHOIR begins!

2010-01-27T23:48:00.000-08:00

Our NDE Junior High Choir began rehearsals this Wednesday, January 27th.

Rehearsals are Wednesday mornings beginning at 7:25 am until 8:00 am. We will meet in the Teacher's Lounge every week.

We are currently accepting applications for new choir members. Anyone (boys AND girls) in the 4th through 8th grade is eligible to join/sing in the choir.

No auditions are necessary.

There is a $75.00/semester fee. Registration forms can be obtained at the school office or on the music bulletin board in the hallway.

The choir is currently rehearsing the following songs for our upcoming Ash Wednesday school mass on February 17th:

No Greater Love
Break My Heart
Out of Ashes
This Is The Time
Change Our Hearts
Save Your People

January/February - Full of Fun and Facts

2010-01-20T15:03:00.000-08:00

The months of January and February give us a wealth of topics to draw upon in music class: Martin Luther King, Jr., Freedom, Peace, U.S. Presidents, Valentine's Day, Groundhog's Day, The Winter Olympics, The New Year, 100th Day of School, Chinese New Year, Winter, Friendship, and Love. Not to mention our regularly scheduled events, like our monthly school masses, the 5th Grade state reports, or the 2nd Graders preparing for First Holy Communion. Believe it or not, there is a song for just about every topic or event that is happening around here!

Here are some of the songs your children have been working on since we came back to school in January:

Our 5th,6th,7th, and 8th Graders learned "*Free At Last", a beautiful song about Martin Luther King, Jr. and learned to read the spoken word (rap) as it is rhythmically written out on staff paper in "*Martin Luther King" (MK8). We'll be adding "*Winter Games" to the 5th and 6th grade repetoire, just in time for our Winter Olympics.

In our preparations for what was to have been our January school mass we rehearsed a song in the traditional gospel/spiritual style entitled: "Don't Be Worried" In it, the words remind the listener to "put all your trust in the Lord", a reoccurring theme in many gospel/spiritual songs. Our classroom discussions regarding this brought us the underground railroad ... and lead me to return to them with "*Follow The Drinking Gourd", the traditional song leading many slaves to their freedom.

The 5th Graders, studying weather in science class, will soon learn "*The Water Cycle" in music class.

Our 1st and 2nd Graders found out George Washington "always put his country first", is on the dollar bill AND the quarter by singing two songs: "*George Washington" and "*Who Is On The Dollar Bill?" They also learned a little something more about Abraham Lincoln singing "*Abraham", a gentle, light rock song that gets us "thinking about the man who chose the path to set all of us free."

"*The Months Of The Year", "*The Groundhog Galop", and "*Uno, Dos, Tres" were three songs to help emphasis their learning in the classroom the months of the year, why we have Groundhog's Day, and help solidify their spanish numbering/counting.

Of course, Valentine's Day brings out lots of entertaining songs and we've already begun singing some of them: "*Valentine", "The Valentine Boogie", "*Wouldja Be My Valentine?", and "*Viva Valentine".

The 1st Graders are studying Penguins, so we just learned two songs to re-enforce our efforts:
*"They Are Penguins" & "The Penguin Polka".

*If you want to listen to or download any of these songs you may do so at this website:http://www.musick8kids.com/

Type in the songtitle in the SEARCH box and click ENTER.

Music Games & Music Educational Sites

2009-11-27T12:15:00.000-08:00

Here are some websites that will allow you learn about music and to play some fun MUSIC GAMES!

REPEAT THE MELODY...the keyboard will play a melody for you - all you have to do is repeat it!
http://www.dailygames.com/games/repeat-the-melody.html

THE SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY KIDS' PAGE...learn about the instrument families in the orchestra - play in their interactive music lab - find out what's happening at the SF Symphony for families like you!
http://www.sfskids.org/

Christmas Prayer Service - Dec 16th

2009-11-27T10:19:00.000-08:00

"Everyone" has been working hard on preparations for our annual Christmas Prayer Service, which will be held on Wednesday, December 16th at 11:00 a.m. at NDNU's Cunningham Chapel.

The entire student body has been preparing the following music for the service:

"Angels We Have Heard On High"
"Feliz Navidad"
"Joy To The World"
"Emmanuel" (by Amy Grant) You can listen to this song at www.lala.com (You need to join/be a member...but it's FREE!)

The 1st and 2nd Graders have been preparing "The Best Present of All".

The 3rd and 4th Graders have been preparing "We Shall Prepare" along with some American sign-language. You can listen to this song at www.SpiritandSong.com Click on the MUSIC ON DEMAND tab and then type the song title in the SEARCH box and CLICK!

The 5th and 6th Graders have been preparing "Shine, Advent Candle, Shine", with the 6th Graders singing and the 5th Graders creating an Advent Wreath as choreographed by Mrs. Pucci and Mrs. Seuss.

The 7th Graders are preparing a beautiful choral reading, which reminds us of the words the Prophets, who were anticipating the coming of Christ.

And of course, the 8th Graders are working diligently on their performance of the nativity. Narrators, Mary and Joseph, the Innkeeper and his daughter, the Angels, Shepherds, the Wisemen, the Advisors and all involved are striving to make this a meaningful prayer service for all who attend.

Mrs. Roger is choreographing both the Angels on "Angels We Have Heard On High" and Mary on "Mary, Did You Know?" (by Kenny Rogers & Wynonna) You can listen to this song at www.lala.com (You need to join/be a member...but it's FREE!)

Mrs. Susan Mitchell and I will be directing the performance of the 8th graders in the nativity scene and we look forward to working together again! Mrs. Pucci and Mrs. Richards will be working on costuming. So, you see, it takes many people to orchestrate this type of a performance!

We hope that you, the parents, will be able to attend our prayer service and begin your holiday season in the true spirit of the season!

6th Graders honor Veteran's at School Mass Nov. 6th

2009-11-21T08:17:00.000-08:00

Our second school mass was held at Cunningham Chapel on Veteran's Day - Wednesday, November 6th, 2009 with the 6th Grade preparing the celebration that not only honored our Veterans but also those serving our country today.

The liturgical musical selections for the mass included:

Entrance Procession: "When The Saints/This Train"

Psalm: "Lord, We Are The People"

Offertory: "Open My Eyes"

Communion Meditation: "*You Are Our Heroes" You can listen to and/or download this song @ www.musick8kids.com by typing in the song title in the SEARCH box and clicking ENTER

Communion: "Taste And See"

Closing Song: "God Bless America"

Thank you to all the parents who were able to attend our first mass! What a blessing it is to have you share your time with us as we gather together to celebrate mass.

Update! - Thanksgiving Family Mass, Nov.20th

2009-10-25T14:26:00.000-07:00

Counting Our Blessings

"Thank you" to EVERYONE who came together Friday (November 20th) at Cunningham Chapel to sing in our impromptu choir for our annual NDE Thanksgiving celebration! The mass was absolutely beautiful. Thank you for taking the time to make the Thanksgiving Family Mass very special for all who attended.

The music we sang at the Thanksgiving Family mass:

Entrance: We Are Many Parts

Psalm: I Will Lift Up Your Name You can listen to this song or download a mp3 available for $.99 at http://www.spiritandsong.com/ Click on the MUSIC ON DEMAND tab and then type the song title in the SEARCH box and CLICK!

Offertory: Servant Song

Communion: One Bread, One Body You can listen to this song at http://www.spiritandsong.com/ Click on the MUSIC ON DEMAND tab and then type the song title in the SEARCH box and CLICK!

Meditation: *Share Your Goodwill (Music K-8, Vol 11, No 2.)
You can listen and/or download this song @ www.musick8kids.com Just type the song title in the SEARCH box and CLICK!

Closing: Soon And Very Soon You can listen to this song or download a mp3 available for $.99 at http://www.spiritandsong.com/ Click on the MUSIC ON DEMAND tab and then type the song title in the SEARCH box and CLICK!

I really loved the inspirational reflection that Fr. Tom Splain read to us at the end of his homily and so I asked him for a copy of it at the end of mass. I thought I would share it (here) with you, so that you can share it also, with your family and friends. Happy Thanksgiving!

Mrs. Marconi

BE THANKFUL

Be thankful that you don't already have everything you desire.
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?
Be thankful when you don't know something,
for it gives you the opportunity to learn.
Be thankful for the difficult times.
During those times you grow.
Be thankful for your limitations
because they give you opportunities for improvement.
Be thankful for each new challenge,
because it will build your strength and character.
Be thankful for your mistakes.
They will teach you valuable lessons.
Be thankful when you're tired and weary,
because it means you've made a difference.
It's easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who
are also thankful for the setbacks.
Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles,
and they can become your blessings.

Author Unknown

THANK YOUs...Carlmont Tree Lighting Ceremony - 1st & 5th

2009-10-25T14:21:00.000-07:00

A group of our NDE 1st & 5th Graders sang at the Carlmont Tree Lighting Ceremony in Belmont, which was held Monday, November 30th.

We sang four (4) of the songs we had prepared for Christmas at Ralston the following day:

"Merry Christmas Bells"
"Ring Those Bells"
"Shalom"
"The Best Present Of All"

"Thank you" so much to the parents who brought their children to the event...and for your support! It was a beautiful night and the children sounded amazing!

We received a very nice note in the mail from Carlmont Shopping Center, thanking us for our participation, along with an unexpected $100 check toward our music program!

Classroom News - October

2009-10-25T13:13:00.000-07:00

Note to Parents: All songs noted in this blog with an asterisk * can be found on the website https://www.musick8kids.com/ where you will not only be able to listen them, but you will also have the option to download them for a fee. Go to the SEARCH box, type in the song title, and hit ENTER.

Our 1st Graders are not only singing about pumpkins and ghouls ("*Scarin' Alive" - "*Pumpkin Jack" - "*Monster Day") in the classroom but they are busy preparing songs for their upcoming performance(s) for NDE's Christmas at Ralston (Tues., Dec. 1st & Wed., Dec. 2nd). Our 1st Graders have a lot on their plate, learning music for our school mass(es) + songs for Christmas at Ralston, AND adding in Halloween songs they enthusiastically want to do!

1st Grade - Christmas at Ralston songs include:

"*Jolly Old St. Nicholas"
"Jingle Bells"
"Ring Those Bells"
"*Shalom Chaverim"
"*Merry Christmas Bells"
"The Best Present of All"

2nd, 3rd, and 4th Graders continue on in the month of October singing songs that celebrate Halloween and the month of October:

"*Scarin' Alive"
"*Pumpkin Jack"
"*Vampire Cowboy"
"*October Rocktober"
"*Rattling Bones"
"Skin & Bones"
"*Mwa Ha Ha"

The students will tell you that I strongly emphasize the importance of our liturgical (religious) music, and that we rehearse the music for all our school masses FIRST during our 30 minute music classes...then we go on to sing what we call our "fun" songs.

The students receive sheet music for all of the Music K-8 songs. From this music, and from our Music Express magazines we use, I am able to teach the students how to "follow the road map" of music. In other words, they are learning to read music so they can follow along with a piece of music when it is handed to them. They are learning basic music theory as it applies to the music we are singing each day.
For example: If we are singing a song that has a glissando in it, as does "*Mwa Ha Ha", I will have the children sing the song and then go back and show them the musical notation that indicates a glissando, we will define what a glissando is, and demonstrate a glissando.

All of our NDE students should already know the following musical terms:

musical staff
measure
bar line
treble clef
repeat sign
d.s. al coda
coda

5th Grade students are singing Halloween songs also...but their emphasis right now on the list of songs they need to learn for Christmas at Ralston (Tues., Dec. 1st and Wed., Dec. 2nd). With just 30 minutes to learn songs for our school mass(es), songs for Christmas at Ralston, and any fun Halloween tunes, the 5th grade is VERY busy during music class.
Their Christmas at Ralston playlist:

"The Best Present of All"
"*Everlasting Fruitcake"
"*Jingle Jive"
"*A Nice, Nice Christmas"
"Ring Those Bells"
"*Shalom Chaverim"
"*Sing We Now of Christmas"
"Some Children See Him"
"A Tiny Little Baby"

6th, 7th, and 8th Graders too, have been enjoying Halloween fun singing "The Purple People Eater", "The Monster Mash" and "Ghostbusters" and watching cartoon videos of the same songs.

The 6th grade is busy preparing for our upcoming School Mass, which we will celebrate on Wednesday, November 11th, recognizing our Veterans. They are working on a beautiful song titled "*You Are Our Heroes" for the communion meditation.
They asked me to help them find some songs to go along with their classroom "group" names: Polka Dot Penguins, Aqua Tigers, and Purple People Eaters.

Here's what we came up with:
Purple People Eaters = "The Purple People Eater" by Sheb Wooley
Polka Dot Penguins = "*Penguin Polka"
Aqua Tigers = "What Kind of Cat Are You?" by Billy Jonas

6th, 7th, and 8th Graders are currently working on two (2) songs from Miley Cyrus: "Party in the U.S.A." and "Hoedown Showdown" (Music Express November 2009 magazine).

School Mass - October 7, 2009

2009-10-18T12:01:00.000-07:00

Our first school mass was held at Cunningham Chapel on Wednesday, October 7, 2009 with the 7th Grade preparing the celebration that honored Our Lady of the Rosary.

The liturgical musical selections for the mass included:
Entrance Procession: "Come, Let's Build"
Psalm: "Ps 27: The Lord Is My Light"
featuring Christina T., Max S., & Kirsten B.
Offertory: "Hail Mary: Gentle Woman"
Communion Meditation: "Angels Among Us"
featuring Will F. - vocal intro and Adam L. & Patrick S. - guitars
Communion: "Servant Song"
Closing Song: "Lead Me, Lord"

Thank you to all the parents who were able to attend our first mass! What a blessing it is to have you share your time with us as we gather together to celebrate mass.

Picnic Mass - Sunday, September 27th

2009-09-28T23:27:00.000-07:00

We were blessed, once again, with a nice warm sunny morning for our annual picnic mass. I'd like to say "thank you" to the boys and girls who volunteered their time and their voices to create our beautiful sounding choir for the day's special gathering of our community! What a great way to start out our school year together! Thank you too, to "everyone" who helped in making a joyful noise unto the Lord!

September 16, 2009 - Music Matters @ NDE

2009-09-09T22:11:00.000-07:00

Our first couple of weeks of music classes at Notre Dame Elementary have been very busy! Now that we've had our introductions and met one another, we're building camaraderie and filling up our time together with songs, activities and projects!

The 1st and 2nd Graders began by learning "Deep And Wide" and "Hallelu-Hallelu", two fun Contemporary Religious songs that got everyone up and out of their seats, not only praising God with their voice but also with their entire body. Ask your children to show you the sign language for "hallelujah" and "Lord", two words we learned to "sign" during music class. Sign language is a great tool in emphasizing/learning the words to the music and helps us use our large motor skills as well. We had some laughs with "*Wiggleworm/STATUE" (*MK8). I'm sure you can figure out what kind of antics we played while singing that song!

During our second music class (09/09/09) the 1st Graders sang "*Right Side - Left Side" (*MK8), a song to reinforce their knowledge about which hand is which. We also sang a song to go along with the current baseball season called: "*Seventh Inning Stretch" (*MK8) - a song that gets us out of our chairs and stretching our bodies as well as singing. We talked about the musical staff, the repeat sign, and 1st and 2nd endings while looking at our music. In just two short weeks your children are already learning to follow what we call "the road map" of music.

In almost ALL of the grades your children will be receiving sheet music from *Music K-8, Plank Road Publishing and filing it in their binders. You can access ALL the music we sing in the classroom at home by going to: https://www.musick8kids.com/

Their site will allow you to download *some of the songs your children are singing in the classroom. Then they can share the music with you (and Grandma & Grandpa when they are visiting) at home!

IMPORTANT NOTE:
As the students are beginning to receive music for their binders we are filing it in their binders.
EVERYONE should have a 1 1/2" HARD-cover "locking" binder
and
A through Z alphabetical tabbed dividers

2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th Graders learned a fun folk-rock style song called "*Bright Happy Day" (*MK8), which gets us all in the best mood and ready to sing just about anything! Me, of course wanting them to get excited about music class, taught them a song called "*Music Class" (*MK8) that reminds them that music rounds their education, teaching subjects like spelling, reading, science, English, math, and history through song. It's a known fact that music makes our brain work better! And you'll be happy to know that I plan to do a LOT of cross-curricular teaching as the year goes on. I asked the children to describe "chant" for me and then we discussed the various ways and where chant is used. We then sang a song called "*Vowel Chant" (*MK8) which sounds hauntingly Halloween-ish...and of course, the children love it! A great way to reinforce a-e-i-o-u...and sometimes y.

3rd, 4th, and 5th explored even further by opening up Music Express Magazine and sang a song written by Kara DioGuardi (composer and American Idol Judge) for the Jonas Brothers: "Play My Music"

6th, 7th, and 8th Graders received their Music Alive! Magazines (they will receive 8 issues/year in total) ang got a chance to skim over the contents before we listened to the feature Song of the Month: "Patience" sung by Anika Noni Rose from Dreamgirls. It's a great example of "call and response", a type of vocal exchange which can be heard in everything from gospel to blues to hip-hop.

Each student was given a project to complete entitled MUSIC IN MY LIFE to work on and return the following week, which gave them the opportunity to (a) show who their music idol is (and why)?, (b) what instrument(s) their idol plays? (c) what would their idol's playlist be?, (d) what genre/style of music do they listen to (and why)?. Look for some of these projects on the music bulletin board in the NDE hallway.

We read the article about Kara DioGuardi in Music Express Magazine and listened to a taped interview she had with Jay Jacobson (composer and Editor of Music Express Magazine) and then sang "Play My Music", the song she wrote for the Jonas Brothers.

Now we are working on learning and memorizing the words to "*The Star-Spangled Banner". We'll be singing our National Anthem throughout the school year, once a month, in EVERY classroom. We'll be playing some fun games and watching some famous artists perform it, so be sure to ask your children just how they are learning the words!

It's my goal, as your music teacher, to have every student here learn the national anthem. Who knows...maybe sometime in the future one of our NDE students will stand on the podium at the Olympic Stadium and hear "*The Star-Spangled Banner" being played for them? Wouldn't it be great if they could proudly sing the words as it is being played?

I hope to see you at our NDE Picnic Mass and hear your beautiful voices joined together in song for our first community mass together! Please come and join us in a volunteer choir, which will be meeting at 10:30 a.m. the morning of the mass (Sunday, September 27th) on the field. Bring your voices, guitars, banjos, tambourines, drums, piano skills! We'd love to have you join in! Remember... Scripture reads: Make a joyful noise unto the Lord!

NDE will be starting a Junior High Choir in October. The choir will rehearse Wednesday mornings from 7:25 a.m. - 8:00 a.m. in the Teacher's Lounge. BOYS and GIRLS in the 5th through 8th Grades are encouraged to participate. There will be a $75.00 per semester fee. Registration forms will be available through Mrs. Marconi or the school office next week. (Sept 22 - 25) The choir will lead all school masses, will perform at Christmas at Ralston, at the Christmas Prayer Service, at the SF Archdiocesan Choral Festival, and other events throughout the year (TBA). Please encourage your child(ren) to join! Forms should be completed and submitted to the office by September 29th. Our first choir rehearsal will be October 7th.

If you should have any questions please contact me: tmarconi@nde.org

As always..."Keep Singing!"