Mr. Flower's Music Blog Oct 26

Hello parents of SJA,

We had a very eventful week that just passed. We had a lot of tests and a lot of good grades given out to the students. I am happy that the students have enjoyed my class and it seems like they have learned a lot. We also started learning songs for the Christmas Concert! This should be a fun time!

JK: The kids of JK had to sing "Old McFlower" for their test. They had to sing the correct words and sing it with a lively dance. This was a lot of fun to see/hear and the kids did really well!

SK: I gave these students a test and it proved to be more difficult then I thought it would be. This did not go very well so I decided to make it easier. The students had to identify all the lines and spaces of the Treble clef and they did much better on this modified test!

Gr.1: These students had to play Frere Jacques on the xylophone. I had the words and notes written on the board and they did really well!

Gr.2: These students had to play a C Major, C Minor scale, a melody I wrote and had to play one note 45 times to a metronome. It was an "open book" test and it went well.

Gr.3: This was a lot of fun! These students had to memorize a C major scale and another scale of their choice. They also had to identify certain notes of each scale and even sing a few notes. It went well!

    I am very lucky to be their teacher and can't wait to get them ready for the Christmas concert!

Mr. Flower's Music Blog October 19

Hello parents of St. Jude's Academy,

We have had a busy week and a somewhat stressful one. I was sick on Monday and couldn't find the energy to teach your lovely children so I decided to stay home and rest. I have to be on "high energy mode" at all times while teaching at this school( Coffee is my best friend!) and I didn't want to cheat the students. I also didn't want to get them sick!
     We are now winding down our first units with the students and I have been getting them ready for their upcoming tests. I can only hope that they will do a little bit of studying this weekend. These tests aren't too difficult but the students should still be lightly reviewing their classroom notes.

    JK: I have been prepping these students to be able to sing "Old McFlower" for the last couple of weeks. I have been telling them to sing with enthusiasm, maybe add in a funny dance, and have been going over the song to make sure they can sing the correct words. I think these kids will do just fine!

SK: I am very proud of all the SK students! They have been learning to read all the notes from the Treble and Bass clef and they have been pretty successful so far. For this test they must 1) be able to correctly identify all the lines and spaces on the Treble clef, be able to identify select notes on both the Treble and Bass clef, and identify the time value of these notes( ex. Quarter note is 1 beat, whole note is 4 beats). They are able to do this pretty well and I think that they will be just fine!

Gr 1: We have had a great time over the last 6 weeks singing some of our favourite children's songs but now we are done with this unit and they have a test. They must be able to play "Frere Jacques" on the xylophone. We have been preparing for this for a little while now. I will have the words written on the washboard with the notes written above the syllables. All the students have to do is pay attention and play the correct notes. I think they can do this!

Gr.2 : This has been such a fun grade to deal with and have enjoyed my time with them so far. They have been learning about the Major and Minor scales and why it is important to learn them. If they are going to one day write their own songs they should know about some basic scales so that they can write their own melodies. For their upcoming test the students will be allowed to have their notes with them. They will have to correctly play a C Major and C Minor scale, a melody that I wrote(not very complicated at all), and will need to play just one note to the metronome 4 times. This is the trickiest part of the test. I think that the students should be able to get a good grade in this class.

Gr. 3: This has been a lot of fun and am so happy to be their teacher. We are getting ready for a test coming this week. The students must memorize the C Major scale(not hard to do) and must be able to identify the Root, Major and Minor 3rd, the Fifth, and the Major/Flat 7 intervals of this scale(this is pretty tricky but a lot of the students have been pretty successful with this). The students also need to memorize another scale( I suggested a G or F Major because it is the easier ones) and correctly identify the Root/3rds/5ht and 7th intervals. The last part of this test requires them to sing 3 notes correctly. This is a little tricky as well but some students have done really well with this.
 
    So there we have it.....another week has gone by and is in the books! I look forward to next week and hope that my students will be prepared for their tests.
     Mr. Flower

Mr. Flower's Blog Oct 12

Happy Friday St. Jude's Academy!

We had a short week but it was still a lot of fun! We are almost finishing up with our first unit and have been preparing for a test that will be given very soon. Students have been working hard in my class but are still having a lot of fun!


JK: The students are getting better at singing! They show a lot of enthusiasm while singing and they seem to really enjoy music!

SK: These student are getting better at labelling the notes on the bass clef and treble clef. I can't believe how well they are doing!

Gr.1 : we have been spending a lot of time with the xylophone and I am getting them to play their favourite songs. It can be a little tricky but these students are getting the hang of this!

Gr.2: The students of Gr.2 are a fun bunch of kids! They have had a great time in my class but I have decided to make it more challenging by getting them to play notes to a metronome. They have been given homework and I hope they will work hard to get it done!

Gr.3: These students have been a lot of fun to be around! They are really smart and have been having a great time in my class. They have learned all the Major scales and how they work. I am really proud of them!


I have been growing more attached to the students, teachers and parents of St. Jude's! It is a fun place to be and look forward to coming here every day! Have a great weekend!

Mr. Flower's blog Oct 5

We had another fun-filled week of music and other activities at St. Jude's! The kids really love music and love seeing me in the hallways of the school. They are all very sweet!

    We got a lot of work done in class this week(even though it was a short week). Here's what happened:

JK: The students spent a couple of classes learning how to sing The Wheels on the Bus. We were focusing on singing the words correctly and doing it with enthusiasm. We also sang a few other songs like The Owl, You Are My Sunshine, and the Itzy Bitzy Spider.

SK: These students are learning how to read the notes in the Bass and Treble clef. They are able to identify the notes of the Treble Clef but are having a little trouble with the Bass clef, but will be just fine.

Gr.1: The students are learning how to play The Wheels on the Bus on the Xylophone and are also singing their own songs at the front of the class!

Gr.2: These students are learning how to play notes on the xylophone to a metronome. It's quite the challenge but they seem to be up for it!

Gr.3: The grade 3 students are really good at singing! We are spending a lot of time learning about harmony and I am bringing groups of 3 to the front of the class to sing! I even have some students trying to outsing me! lots of fun!

Check back next week for another blog. Happy Thanksgiving!!