Do you know it? Can you show it?

These are lyrics from our Panorama Hills School Song.  Children learn naturally through play, and much of our learning in the music room is lots of fun!  But after we complete our work, I often ask students to look at our bulletin board and ask each other, "What did we just learn?"  

Our main learning objectives are posted on the wall.

Once we know what we are learning, it is important to evaluate our progress.  We do this in many ways.  In Kindergarten this week we ask, "Am I the same as the teacher?"  In Grade One, students watch their beat to make sure it is the same as the students around them.  In Grade Two, students listen to themselves to see if they can make their singing voices loud and soft.  In Grade Three, students check to see if their xylophone pattern is on the beat.  

Sometimes I give the students feedback to improve their work, sometimes their peers offer suggestions, and best of all, sometimes students see a way to make their own work even better!  

The Grade 1
 Voice Test

After all that reflection, there is often an assessment at the end of a project to see how much the students have accomplished through this process of study, practice, reflection and refinement.  This is a "summative assessment".  Grade One students have just finished their first summative assessment, in which they were asked to distinguish between examples of “Speaking”, “Singing”, “Shouting” and “Whisper” voices by circling the symbols used in music class.  Look for the  papers that were sent home on September 22, and give your child(ren) a chance  to show off what they know!

Don't forget!

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