Caroling at Atria

Mr. McCully and Mrs. Russel's classes again traveled to Atria to bring the residents there some holiday joy through song. Click here to watch their great performance.

Toys!

Oh, my goodness, look at all these toys! It's the time of year for girls and boys. Click to watch Mrs. McNamee's Class holiday wish list.

The Magic of Hanukkah

Click here to watch Mr. Squeo's Class perform movements, play instruments, and sing "The Magic of Hanukkah."

Royle Winter Concert

4th and 5th Grade Orchestra
Advanced Band
Minstrels

Snowflakes

Improvisation is the practice of creating music in response to one's environment, or composing music "on the fly." The third grade students have been creating improvised music on xylophones to explore different combinations of notes in the pentatonic scale. You can view each class performance of "Snowflakes" below. The music after each phrase is the result of improvisation - each student chose which notes to play given a specific rhythmic pattern to follow.
Mrs. Dragotta's Class
Ms. Mailhot's Class
Mrs. Nigri's Class

Great Big House

The second grade students have been working on sight singing phrases using the notes of the pentatonic scale: do, re, mi, sol, la. Each student learned "Great Big House" and was able to perform the song for the class to build solo singing skills. Check out the class performances below:
Ms. Psichopaidas' Class
Mrs. Russel's Class

A Turkey Named Bert

What would Bert's fate be on Thanksgiving Day? Find out by watching these great performances by the third grade students. Each class learned Bert's rhythmic speech story and used classroom percussion instruments to accompany the poem. And Bert's awesome dance moves are not to be missed!
Mrs. Dragotta's Class
Ms. Mailhot's Class
Mrs. Nigri's Class

Turkey Talk

The fifth grade students have been working on songs to celebrate Thanksgiving using percussion instruments. Mr. Squeo's class retells the sad story of "Timothy Turkey" and his fear of being eaten for Thanksgiving dinner. Mr. Satter's class sings about a turkey who meets a sad fate in "Turkey Trot." And don't forget Mr. Bigham's class performance of "Hip Hop Turkey!"

I'm a Little Acorn Round...

Hear the fourth grade students sing "The Acorn Round" by clicking below. A round is when two or more parts sing the same thing but start at different times, and is also called a canon.
Mr. Betts' Class
Ms. Martin's Class
Mr. McCully's Class

The Electrified Cicadas

Royle's Newest Rock Stars!

Halloween Visit to Atria

Mr. McCully's and Mrs. Russel's classes took a trip to the Atria Senior Living Facility in Darien to sing "Pumpkin Carols" for the residents. Click on the links below to watch their frightfully amazing performance:
Atria Part 1
Atria Part 2
Atria Part 3

Kindergarten Halloween Parade

It was another beautiful morning for Royle's Annual Halloween Parade. The Kindergarten students worked very hard to learn five Halloween songs to perform for their families and the entire school. You can view their performance by clicking here.

Trick or Treat

The fifth grade students learned a song called "Trick or Treat" using barred instruments and drums to celebrate Halloween. This song provided a challenge because of the many instrumental parts and the overlapping repeated vocal patterns which harmonize the melody. Check out Mr. Squeo's class performance here.

God Bless America

God Bless America is a patriotic song written by Irving Berlin in 1918. It was made famous by singer Kate Smith in 1938. The lyrics of the song ask for peace throughout the nation. Click on your child's class below to hear the first grade students perform this beautiful song:
Mrs. Martin's and Mrs. Mulligan's Class:
Mrs. McNamee's Class
Mrs. Rosen's Class

Darien Day at the Symphony

The Music Department and Music for Youth are excited to announce an opportunity for our students and their parents to attend a Stamford Symphony Concert featuring renowned pianist, Alexandre Moutouzkine, and the music of Tchaikovsky on Sunday, November 15, 2009 at the Palace Theater in Stamford. The concert begins at 3:00 p.m. and there is a pre-concert lecture with Music Director Eckart Preu beginning at 2:00 p.m.

Darien students, parents and teachers can purchase tickets for the reduced price of $25.00. With every voucher purchased, you can bring one student/child to the concert free of charge! All of the proceeds from the ticket sales will go directly to Darien Music for Youth to provide cultural enrichment programs in all of our schools. This is a great opportunity to share music with your children and to support music enrichment programs in Darien.

For more information and to order tickets, please download the following form: Darien Day at the Symphony

Hambone

The Juba Dance, or Hambone, is a style of dance that involves stomping as well as slapping and patting the arms, legs, chest, and cheeks. It was originally an African-American plantation dance, brought to West Africa by slaves. It was performed to communicate messages during gatherings when no rhythm instruments were allowed due to fear of secret codes hidden in the drumming. Songs like Hambone and other African American songs were integral in forming the roots of Jazz music, which is so widely heard in America today. Click on your student's class below to hear their performance:
Mr. Bigham's Class
Mr. Satter's Class
Mr. Squeo's Class

The Star-Spangled Banner

The Star Spangled Banner is the national anthem of the U.S.A. The lyrics were written by Francis Scott Key after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry by Royal Navy ships during the War of 1812. The poem was later set to the tune of a popular British song and became the national anthem on March 3, 1931. Because of the one and a half octave range of the song, it is very difficult to sing. The third grade students at Royle have been working very hard to learn the song during the past month. Click on your student's class below to hear their performance:
Mrs. Dragotta's Class
Ms. Mailhot's Class
Mrs. Nigri's Class

Ahrirang

During the month of September, the 4th grade students have been working on reading and singing music with two parts: both a melody and a harmony. In connection with our study of East Asia, the students learned a Korean folk song, called Ahrirang. The lyrics speak of Ahrirang Hill, outside of Seoul, Korea, which is believed to be a symbol of personal contentment and triumph. Click on the link below to download your student's performance:
Mr. Betts' Class
Ms. Martin's Class
Mr. McCully's Class

Rock Band

This Fall, the PTO will run an after school program, called Royle Endeavors, through a partnership with Wingspan Arts for students in grades 1 through 5. The nine week session begins the week of October 5th and runs through December 17th. Classes will be offered on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays with pick up at 4:10. Royle Endeavors will offer ten classes at a cost of $135.00 per class, plus material costs if applicable. Look for more information about Royle Endeavors in backpacks after Labor Day. Please contact Royle Endeavors Co-Chairs Shannon Silsby at thesilsbys@optonline.net or Kristina Puff at kpuff33@yahoo.com if you have any questions. Students in grades 4 and 5 and encouraged to sign up for Rock Band on Thursday afternoons!

ROCK BAND COURSE DESCRIPTION:
We will ROCK you! What does it really take to make a rock band? Don't just watch "Behind the Music," do it yourself! You'll develop a look, a style and a sound that's totally new. You'll work with our own Mrs. Turkosz on classic cover songs as well as a totally original song. All musicians are welcome including singers. So bring your band or orchestra instrument, guitar, piano playing skills, tambourine or great singing voice and together you'll be rockin' the house by December! If you don't own or play an instrument but want to join us, don't hesitate to join the band. Some instruments will be provided!

Minstrels

Calling all Royle musicians! The first rehearsal of the Royle Minstrels will be on Thursday, September 10th at 7:30 a.m. in the music portable. By participating in Minstrels, students will learn musicianship skills, sight-reading, proper vocal techniques, and much more. The Royle Minstrels is a great way for students to become involved in music and to explore their talents. Minstrels is open to all students in 4th and 5th grades and meets every Thursday morning. For more information, please read the information letter that went home with students this week.

The Music of East Asia

During the 2009-2010 school year, the Music Department of the Darien Public Schools will be engaged in curriculum-based projects that will focus on study of the Music of East Asia with all of the students in the district.

The teachers in the Darien Music Department will devote Professional Development time and resources to learning more about historical and cultural perspective, performance practices and will develop teaching strategies to deliver instruction and musical experiences that engage our students in the Music of East Asia. Our ultimate goal is that all of the students in the Darien Public Schools (K-12) experience the music of East Asia in meaningful musical activities that lead toward a deeper understanding of the culture, traditions and people.

Collaboration with the Darien Music for Youth Foundation will provide opportunities for live musical performances in the schools and the library/media centers throughout the district will assist with providing resources to classroom teachers. This project will offer opportunities that encourage interdisciplinary connections and create meaningful, life-long learning experiences for our students.

Visit the Darien Music Department Website to learn more.

Welcome!

Welcome to the Royle Elementary School Music blog. This blog is intended to replace the Royle Music Newsletter that has been distributed throughout the past three years. Please check back often for updates regarding concerts, student learning, examples of student work, music history information, and more! As always, please do not hesitate to contact me at Royle with any questions or concerns about the music program throughout the school year. I am definitely looking forward to another exciting year of learning with the students at Royle School!