A Harmonious Start

Aloha Families!

As the school bells chime and the rhythm of a new academic year begins, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on our first three weeks together in the elementary music classroom. It's been an exciting, energetic, and inspiring start, and I’m thrilled to share some of the highlights with you.

Building a Classroom Community

Creating a positive and inclusive classroom environment has been a top priority. We’ve spent time establishing classroom routines and norms that foster respect and collaboration. Students have been learning the importance of listening to one another, taking turns, and working together as a team. It’s heartwarming to witness how quickly they’ve bonded, supporting each other and sharing their excitement about music. This sense of community will be the foundation upon which we build our musical skills throughout the year.

Our classroom’s social mores are distilled into four agreements - Be Respectful, Be Responsible, Follow Directions, Be A Participant - which we will continue to reference constantly throughout the year. When starting a new game or activity, I always challenge the students to think, How can we do this responsibly? What am I being asked to do? What does my participation look like in this moment?

Exploring Musical Concepts

We’ve already started to delve into some foundational musical concepts, such as rhythm, pitch, and dynamics. Through interactive activities and games, students are learning to recognize and create different rhythms and understand how music can be soft or loud, high or low. These early experiences are crucial for our youngest learners as they lay the groundwork for more complex musical ideas and skills. It’s amazing to see how quickly they grasp these concepts and apply them creatively in our class activities.

For the older students, especially those closest to leaving the nest of Elementary school, it’s important to recognize that music and art are shifting roles in their lives, becoming ever more closely connected to expressions of identity. As such, it’s a priority of mine to begin exposing third, fourth, and fifth graders to new musical styles and techniques to help them develop their listening foundations, and to challenge them to be able to speak about their tastes in increasingly sophisticated ways.

Looking Ahead

As we move forward, we’ll continue to build on the skills and concepts we've introduced. We have some exciting projects and performances planned, and I can’t wait to share them with you. Our focus will be on further developing musical skills, exploring different genres and cultures, appreciating the different roles music plays in our lives, and, of course, having fun along the way.

Warm regards,

Mr. Lenec