Hello Lowell Community. If we haven't met, I'm Anthony Spano and I've taught music here at Lowell for over 17 years. I hope to be preparing these newsletters on a regular basis to update you on what we've done, are doing, and will be doing in your child's music classes. Please feel free to email me with any questions or comments:

anthony.spano@watertown.k12.ma.us

All members of the 4th and 5th grade String ensembles (violin, viola, cello, bass) will be taking part in this year's String Spectacular performance on Wednesday, the 27thth of March at 7pm in the Watertown Middle School gymnasium. This is a unique opportunity for all of the string instrumentalists, grades 4-12, to be together on one stage for a big performance. See attached flier for details.

Lowell Chorus will be performing next month at the opening reception of the Watertown Public Schools District Art Show. The reception is on Tuesday, the 9th of April from 5:00-7:00pm and our performance will be from 5:15-5:30pm. Please arrive 15-20 minutes before for setup.

Below are the songs we've been working on in chorus.

Two of Us by The Beatles: lyrics recording

Cybele's Reverie by Stereolab: lyrics recording

Round and Round the Earth is Turning: traditional round from Great Britain: lyrics recording

Spirit by Beyoncé:

Our musician of the month for March is Los Angeles-based band HAIM. HAIM is a band made up of 3 sisters: Danielle Haim, Este Haim, and Alana Haim. Along with their solid song-writing and vocal harmonization, their sound is a blend of rock, pop, indy, and synth-pop sounds.

This month, our K-2 students will be starting a West African drumming unit. Each student will get their own djembe drum on which we will study beat, rhythm, and some authentic West African drum grooves.

This month, students in grades 3, 4, and 5 will be studying guitar. We first learn basic mechanics, guitar technique, and picking on the open strings. Later, we learn to create new sounds on the fret board. Finally, we study simple single note riffs and melodies using a guitar notation system called tablature.

Click here to view or download the song book we use in class.

Students in all grades have been studying the piano in class. The piano makes a great vehicle to teach basic musicianship, theory, and note reading.

In Kindergarten and grade 1, we start by simply exploring the keyboard experimenting with high and low, loud and soft, steps and skips between notes, and chromatic vs. diatonic patterns. Then, we'll be using a simpler finger-number notation system to play familiar melodies, first just using the black key groups, and ultimately, the white keys.

In grades 2 and 3, we spent several weeks learning "middle-C position" which centers both hands at middle C allowing us to begin reading and playing a variety of simple, single-note diatonic melodies. Over the next few weeks, we will be reading basic notation and practicing some of these simple songs. The packet we use in class is linked below.

In our older grades (4-5), we've been working through the same "Middle-C packet" as mentioned for grades 2 and 3 above. As the students have a bit more background reading and playing, they're given more open workshop time in class to work on songs in the packet of their choosing that match their ability level. This month, we've been holding informal "recitals" in each class where students can perform the song they've practiced either privately for me, or for the whole class.

Black key melodies - finger notation (Kindergarten and Grade 1)

Middle C packet - standard notation (Grades 2-5)

White Key melodies - finger notation

Scales and Triads

Our instrument program has been very successful thus far this year. We have excellent participation from many of our 4th and 5th grade students and we're hoping to have some creative performance opportunities later in the school year. If you have any questions regarding your child's instrument lessons, feel free to email their instrument teacher at any time:

Macullen Byham (strings)

Louis Stringer (strings)

Maxwell Thew (winds, percussion)

Anthony Spano (winds, percussion)

Singing is central to our music curriculum at all age levels. As I tell the students, your voice is the "oldest instrument in the world" and we carry it around with us everywhere we go. Below are just a few of the songs we've been singing in class this month:

Giro Giro Tondo - traditional Italian children's song

Here Comes the Sun - The Beatles

Rocketship Run - Laurie Birkner

A Tisket, A Tasket - Ella Fitzgerald

Follow the Drinking Gourd - traditional African-American code song

Abiyoyo - Book and song by Pete Seeger

We Shall Overcome - American folk song

Doggie Doggie, Where's Your Bone - Folk game/song

Ode to Joy - from Beethoven's Symphony #9, English translation

Mr. Sun - Raffi

If I Were a Tree - traditional

I Had a Little Rooster - traditional

Blackbird - The Beatles

Yellow Submarine - The Beatles

Kye Kye Cule - traditional, Ghana

My Aunt Came Back - traditional

Three Little Birds - Bob Marley

Down by the Bay - traditional

Skin and Bones - traditional

Pumpkin Bones - Quaver music

Round and Round the World is Turning - English folk song

A Ram Sam Sam - Moroccan folk song

Brown Bear, Brown Bear - singing game adapted from Eric Carle book