Mrs. Tietze's Music Blog

Abbot Students,

Have you recently recorded an exciting piece of music during class?  Interested in hearing what other classes are working on?  Wondering how your music sounds different from other performances? 

So many great musical moments have been captured on our recordings.  Please go to the top of this site and click on “Abbot Recordings.”  Then find and click on your classroom teacher’s name, and choose which piece you would like to hear.  Simply click on the name of the music, then click on the small, blue play button.  Make sure your speakers are turned on, and you should instantly hear your music!  Feel free to also listen to some other classes, too. 

After listening to some music, I bet you have some interesting thoughts about what you heard, what you liked about the performance, or even what you think could improve a future recording.  Simply click on “Leave a Comment,” and type in your thoughts.  Make sure you remember PQP: praise, question, and polish.  Be sure to ask questions…  maybe you’ll even get a response!

Dear parents,

Please consider stopping by the music room during conference hours to find out more about what exciting things are happening in music.  I will be in the Abbot music room from 2-3:45pm and in the Nabnasset music room from 4-8pm.

This spring, all 2nd grade and multiage students will perform in a special musical concert, “Discovery.”  Our music highlights the special journey each of us takes as we discover our strengths, accomplishments, and unique qualities.

Students are now in the beginning stages of rehearsing and learning their melodies and lyrics.  Soon, our 2nd graders and multiage students will begin to add movement, lines, decorations, and other special touches to their performance.  Please mark the date of our concert in your calendars and join us on Friday, May 20th at 2:00 in the Nab gym! 

Oh, and don’t forget to bring the tissues!

Abbot students,

Have you recently recorded a piece of music in class?  Click on the second tab, “Abbot Recordings,” on the top on the screen.  Please take a moment to sit down with your family and listen to your performance.  One of the most exciting parts of performing is sharing your music and creativity with someone else.

Already listened to all of your performances so far?  Take some time to listen to some recordings from your friends in other classes.  Feel free to leave comments for your peers and remember PQP: praise, question, and polish. Leave comments about what you liked and be sure to ask questions.  Maybe you’ll get a response!

Cleaning your recorder is just as easy as washing your dishes.  Remove the bottom part of your recorder (with the strings) and put the rest on the top rack of your dishwasher with all of your other dirty dishes.

Don’t have a dishwasher?  Simply wash your recorder with warm water and a bit of soap.  Just make sure to completely rinse of all of the suds.

Keeping your recorder clean will help you to stay healthy during any season!

Music K-8 Cover Contest

It’s that time of year again!

Music K-8 Magazine is sponsoring their annual cover contest for the 19th year in a row. If you haven’t heard of this great opportunity yet, it is a chance for you to design the cover of their May/June 2011 issue! It is absolutely free to enter and a lot of fun. If you think you may be interested, be sure to check out the MK8 Cover Contest page of this website here.

Good luck!

Welcome back to school!  I’m so excited to get back into the school routines.  I’ve already met some of my classes during the first week of school and I’m looking forward to meeting my Monday and Friday classes very soon.  I spent my summer learning about music, movement, recorder playing, composition, improvisation, and many other things that I can’t wait to share with my classes.  Was music a part of your summer, too?

Please check back here to read announcements and to listen to recordings.  Remember, if you are interesed in being part of the recording process in class, you must return your permission slip. 

I hope you all enjoyed your summer!

Dear 2nd Garde parents,

In preparation for our concert, “Make a Difference,” our 2nd graders have discussed many ways we can help others.  We’ve learned that if everyone works on making small changes, they can add up to make a big difference.  One way our 2nd graders have decided they want to help is by holding a small food collection at our concert.  If you are interested, please feel free to bring a non-perishable item or two to our concert on Friday, May 28th at 2:00.  All donations will be brought to the Westford Food Pantry at the Cameron Senior Center. We are looking forward to helping local families with our donations.

Thank you!

2nd graders,

It’s that time of year again!  The snow is melting, buds are on the trees, and we’re starting to rehearse our 2nd grade spring concert.  Our concert this year is “Make a Difference,” a celebration of togetherness and goodwill.  We’ll sing, dance, and talk about ways to make a difference in our community and our world.  We’ll have 9 music classes to prepare our concert, so please take a look at your songs at home, too!

Parents,

Please mark your calendars!  We would like to invite you and your family to see our uplifting concert on Friday, May 28th at 2:00 in the Nab gym.

Have you been as excited about the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games as I have?  I just love watching all of the amazing athletes show their talent and Olympic spirit.  Something else I also love about the Olympics is the amazing music that accompanies the games.  Have you heard some of the anthems from other countries during medal ceremonies?  What a unique glimpse into the different styles of music from around the world!

Have you also noticed that no snowboard event is without music of some kind?  Some snowboarders even claim that they can’t ski unless they have their favorite tune blasting in their earbuds.  Music is truly everywhere!

A special note for 5th graders.  If you watched the pairs and men’s figure skating routines, you probably notices that Igor Stravinsky’s Firebird was used in two different programs!  It was interesting to see how the two different routines used different interpretations of the music.  I think Stravinsky would have loved to see that.

Stay tuned during the next week to experience some amazing Olympic accomplishments and hear what music the athletes use to boost their talents!