October is here with it's great fall colors and bountiful harvests. In the Music Room we will begin learning about Handel, a Baroque Composer. We will be using his music to learn about the music form/style: SUITE. During September we learned about Bach. The children also learned about and heard the following instruments: flute, clarinet, and alto saxophone. The children were able to see these instruments and I played them for them during classes. We also talked about what family they belonged to. Students also spend a few minutes each class focusing on rhythms. Rhythm counting and clapping tends to be something that everyone needs isolate and focus on no matter what level of musican they are.

Grades 1 thru 4 are also learning to use the keyboards in music class, something they really enjoy. I try to go as slowly as possible so that they don't feel overwhelmed with all the information they have to try and internalize before they can play. Students are assigned to a keyboard and they have a book. In the book we begin using black keys and the pages all have what I can "road maps" at the top to show students where their hands should go. Students progress at their own rate. When children are ready they play their piece for me on the real piano in the room. If they play the piece accurately they move on to the next page in their books. While they are still with me we go over where their hands should be on the keyboard, which sounds are long or short, and any other musical directions on the page. Students may go ahead if they feel that they know their assignment well enough when I am listening to other students.

The leadership quality I will be focusing on during PE classes will be respectfulness. The students will discuss what that means and how they can show it.