Upcoming Events
June 8
Spring Concert I:
K1, K2, and Suzuki Orchestra
3:00 pm
June 17
Spring Concert II:
Abreu, Bernstein, and Dudamel Orchestras
3:30 pm
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Conservatory Lab
25 Arlington Street
Brighton, MA 02315
617.254.8904
www.conservatorylab.org
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| Family Notes
June 3, 2011 |
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Dear Families,
Just as we draw strength from the nourishment we take into our bodies, we draw inspiration from everything that enters our minds. The books we read, the art we see, and the music we listen to become the bone and muscle of our creativity. By opening our senses to great works of literature, art, and music, we absorb and become it.
Through The Listening Project, students receive a healthy diet of great music. A student who goes through each grade at Conservatory Lab will have studied several of the most influential styles of music in Western culture-from folk to jazz, from classical to rock n' roll. The selections are chosen to represent influential figures from each genre and to tell the story of how a genre evolves.
As students learn about the music, they soak up the inflection, the feel, the style. They learn to speak in different "accents," and they become a part of music history. One day, some of them may be on the recordings that we study. For now they are feeding their creativity by listening to the voices that have gone before them.
Warmly,
Diana Lam
Head of School
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Open Ears, Open Minds: Highlights from The Listening Project
Each week, stu dents listen to a new song from the genre their class is studying. Students listen repeatedly to the selection of the week, they discuss unique features of the music, they learn about the historical and musical context, and they record their reactions in Listening Project Journals. Through The Listening Project, students encounter their musical heritage-the artists who have shaped the musical culture of which they are becoming a part. Here are some highlights from throughout the year:
K1 has learned to recognize many new instruments in their genre, Folk, from the banjo to the ukulele to the washboard bass. They sang "This Land is Your Land" in assembly last week, a song they had heard sung by first grade several months ago.
K2 dressed up as Johnny Cash, "The Man in Black," for their assembly performance of "Ring of Fire." They are studying Country and Bluegrass, and they were captivated by the way the song describes love as burning like a fire.
Grade 1 has learned to sing many of the Broadway hits they have studied this year. Walk into the first grade room and say "A wop babaloobap" and they will likely drop what they are doing to mount a choreographed performance of "We Go Together," from Grease. They love the feeling of community that comes from singing a Broadway chorus together.
Grade 2 has connected to the music of John Coltrane during their study of jazz. They saw a live performance by a Coltrane tribute band and, his music has become one of their "favorite things."
Grade 3 presented "Ohio" by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young at an assembly. They were intrigued by the perspectives on war and piece that they heard in this Rock n' Roll Ballade.
Grade 4 encountered the Jackson Five in their exploration of R&B and Blues. They loved the way the siblings sang together in "ABC."
Grade 5 discovered a taste for medieval secular music listening to Schiarazula Marazula early in the year, and more recently they connected with JS Bach's Suite no. 1 for unaccompanied cello. Their favorite part of listening to instrumental music is sharing the images that come into their minds as they listen. |
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Closing Assembly
There will be one more assembly in the 2010-2011 school year. It will be held on Friday, June 24th. We hope to see you there! |
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Math Moments
How to Spend a Million Dollars
If you had walked into a fifth grade math lesson this week, you would have seen students writing enormous checks with reckless abandon. They have been given imaginary fortunes, with nothing to loose by spending every penny. Students practiced the skills of filling out a check and keeping a ledger, as well as subtracting with large numbers. As they researched the prices of cars, colleges, instruments, and trips to Disney Land, they found out just how far a million dollars will go.
Biography Math
What is biography math? It's a creative 3rd grade interdisciplinary learning project that weaves together literacy, math, social studies, and art. After listening to great picture book biographies, 3rd graders chose an inspiring person to research and write about. Students' biography cards feature a Word Story that poses a mathematical problem based on their inspiring person's life. How many ways can you solve a Word Story problem? Students used two different strategies-number line and standard algorithm. Which strategy would you use?
Louis Armstrong was born in 1901. He died in 1971. How old was he when he died?
byNahshon
If Ameila Earhart was born in 1897, how old would she be if she were alive now?
by Maya
If Barack Obama was born in 1961 and graduated from Harvard Law School in 1991, how many years was it from his birth to his graduation?
by Kam'Rahn
If Eleanor Roosevelt was born in 1884 and had her first child in 1906, how old was Eleanor when she had her first child?
by Nora
Math Literacy Through Photography English Language Learners in grades 1 and 2 have been improving their math vocabulary through writing and illustrating their own "story" problems. Instead of drawing their illustrations, they are using photographs they take. First graders wrote problems about members of their family and used photos they took at home as illustrations. Second graders are ready for higher numbers so they needed to think creatively. Their solution was creative and delicious: candy math.  "If Madison has fifty five jelly beans and gives one to all twenty three of her classmates, how many does she have left?" "If Junior has five marshmallows and Kayleen has five marshmallows and they give them all to Vicoria, how many does Victoria have?"
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El Sistema Highlights:
Spotlight on the K1/K2 Rockstars and K2 Orchestra
The K1 and K2  classes will perform together as singers and drummers at the June 8 concert. They have been practicing skills of performance and presentation, learning how to cooperate with eachother through song and how to share joy with their audience. They will sing hits by the Beetles, Pete Seeger, and more, accompanying one another with the smooth grooves and funky beats of their congas, cowbell, and claves.
K2 Orchestra has been practicing three times a week learning to play and care for their violins, violas, cellos, and basses. They can't wait to take the stage for their orchestral debut, which will feature The DAD Song, as well as a demonstration of their orchestra routines. If you enjoyed their Paper Orchestra performance, wait until you see the real thing!
If you have questions about the El Sistema program, please contact Ms. Levi at rlevi@conservatorylab.org.
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Correction
In the last issue, we referred to the first grade mentor text as "Shortcuts" by Daniel Crews. The correct title is "Shortcut" and the author's name is Donald Crews. |
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