In week 8, all of MPPS focused on the music element of TEMPO using the theme R U OK Day - such as the importance of speaking up when you are feeling down, encouraging others to seek help from adults, friends, and services, and asking and listening to others about their emotions with empathy.

To highlight these key points, CLC explored the song featured in Toy Story 'You've Got a Friend in Me," whilst YYLC explored the song featured in The Greatest Showman "This is Me." The Year 3-6 students discussed how there are different tempos in music, including "largo" (very slow), "adagio" (slow), "moderato" (medium), "allegro" (fast), and "presto" (very fast). These different tempos were then connected to its impact on emotions, such as slow tempo causing a reflective, sad or calm feeling. These rich discussions came about as they listened to 2 different versions of the same song.

With our F-2 year levels, we linked fast and slow tempo with movement and games. For example, the teacher played a nursery rhyme on the xylophone. Students had time to choose if it was played at a slow tempo or a fast tempo. When the teacher said "go," students would pick up a mystery card. This mystery card could be an image of a fast object (train, rocket, race horse), or a slow object (snail, turtle, sloth). If students picked up a card that matched the tempo, they would win the round. We highlighted the idea that R U OK Day is about treating others with kindness and empathy when they are upset (for example, not having the right mystery card), and about encouraging others to try again or express their feelings to a trusted person around them.

Throughout Science Day we celebrated the theme Decoding the Universe – Exploring the Unknown With Nature’s Hidden Language. The Specialist Team - Maddi (P.E), Holly (Visual Arts), Renee (Performing Arts) and Mio (Japanese) hosted a session called "Communicating with Light" in all different Learning Communities. Instead of using voice, this fun and engaging session was about students of all ages using torches and light to create patterns and codes that say, respond to, and question messages- such as "yes," "no," "hello," etc. 
Each session started off with the Traffic Light Game, sourced from our Respectful Relationships program. Students sprint on the spot for green light, jog in circles for yellow light, hold up a 'stop' hand for red light, and jump and wave for help for black light. We discussed how lights communicate a message, including car signals, lighthouses, airports, and household appliances.
Students formed groups of 4 of all age-groups, experimented collaboratively with light patterns, and agreed upon which code suits which word. Students also used these coded patterns to have conversations with each other.
We ended each session with a fun game of Animal Celebrity Heads, where select students are written an animal above their heads, and when they ask closed questions, the rest of the group ONLY use the light from their torches to respond.
Well done students for showing patience, eagerness, collaboration, and persistence on Science Day. The Specialist team had lot of fun with you!

How do we represent the way we hear music? We can just keep a 'steady beat' ... OR we can give our music an interesting 'pattern of long and short sounds.' This is RHYTHM! 

For Levels F-2, we linked rhythm to our Little Learners Love Literacy program - especially since we have Literacy and Numeracy Week in Term 3. We used our 'robot arms' to split lyrics into syllables, and recognised which rhythm symbol matched each lyric.

• If a lyric has 1 syllable, we use TA, such as the fruit "grape."
• If a lyric has 2 syllables, we use TI-TI, such as the fruit "man-go."
• If a lyric has 4 syllables, we use TI-KA TI-KA, such as the fruit "wa-ter-me-lon."
• Challenge: If a lyric has 3 syllables, we use TRIOLA, such as the fruit "ba-na-na."

Students revisited the song 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" to find that the rhythm has a repetitive pattern of "ti-ti... ti-ti... ti-ti... ta."
Whilst SLC practised the rhythm pattern of a French lullaby called 'Frere Jacques' on xylophones, and created their own rhythm pattern to a poem called 'Old Mother Witch,' PLC revisited the skill of body percussion (clapping, stomping, tapping, clicking), to match the rhythm of Madagascar's 'I Like to Move It.' By the end of these sessions, students could recognise and create rhythm patterns. 

Across years 3-6, students have been learning about the various aspects of Music. The 4 areas of Music curriculum (see below) have been implemented in the Performing Arts classroom using MUSIC ROTATIONS, allowing multiple exposures to RHYTHM and BEAT with different songs as inspiration. We can:

• Practise existing songs with instruments

Students have been continuously practising basic playing techniques of ta (1), ti-ti (2), triola (3) and ti-ka ti-ka (4) on the keyboard and xylophone, requiring coordination and fine motor skills

• Listen and follow a musicogram (visual music sheet) of existing songs

Students interpret rhythm symbols and visuals, such as dots, dashes, and lightning bolts and use their finger to trace or tap on the symbol as the music plays.

• Discuss and write about Music, including its meaning, message and genre

Students complete comprehension questions using a similar sentence starter template.

• Create music sheets of existing music with rhythm symbols

In the cushion corner, students collaboratively listen to the song's lyrics and match each word or series of words to rhythm symbol flashcards, such as ta, ti-ti, triola, ti-ka ti-ka or rest. The floor ends up looking like a supersized music sheet.
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 Whilst the lower year levels have been learning to keep the beat 'steady,' the middle and upper levels have also been learning that some beats are ACCENTED (more powerful), and that beats in songs can have different METRE signatures. For example a simple quadruple (1,2,3,4...1,2,3,4), a simple triple (1,2,3...1,2,3) or a simple duple (1,2...1,2). 

Through BEAT and RHYTHM, we have discussed facts and opinions of music from different time eras and genres. For example:

• We Will Rock You - Rock
• Comin' Round the Mountain - Folk
• You Are My Sunshine - Country / Lullaby
• What It Sounds Like - K-Pop
• Uptown Funk - Pop
• All Star - Alternative Rock

Whilst Drama has been incredibly engaging, exciting, and informative, we are entering the topic of Music in Performing Arts for Term 3 & 4.
In Week 1 of Term 3, PLC, SLC, CLC, and YYLC all contributed to creating an agreement about our rights, responsibilities, and rules in the Music room. Each class, including the Performing Arts teacher, Renee, participated in a 'circle time' to discuss where, why, and when they listen to music. This allowed students to understand the importance and significance of music not only in one's life, but in our community, our country, different cultures, and our school.
CLC and YYLC were introduced to a new classroom routine called 'Music Rotations,' which we will share more about in another blog post.
PLC and SLC celebrated NAIDOC week by practising the BEAT and singing to First Nations Songs sourced from ABC Education, including "Wiradjuri Shake-a-Leg Hokey Pokey" and "Yarrabil Bula: Greeting Song." Preps, Grade 1s and Grade 2s all enjoyed learning words from different Indigenous languages and applying them in songs they were already familiar with.

Take a look at CLC's published posters in the gallery below. This was amazing WOW-WORK about the Indigenous Australian performance style called Corroborees. An eye-opening project that helped students truly value the importance of Drama within Australia, especially Drama's connection to Country and community.

“We are all one, all connected, all part of the same universe.” – Lilla Watson, Aboriginal Activist

Our Grade 1/2 students have had wonderful opportunities to view and practise performances of Indigenous Creation Stories such as 'Tiddalik the Frog,' 'How the Birds Got Their Colours,' 'Why Koala Has a Stumpy Tail,' and finished off with 'The Rainbow Serpent,'
Throughout this unit of learning, we discussed why Drama is created and performed by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Here is an example of SLC5 Indigo performing 'The Rainbow Serpent,' recorded and edited by the class using iMovie.