Teacher Blog

A teacher's place to reflect on the days of International Immersion Week @ St. John's

Off and Running....(First day, yesterday in the music room)

Mrs. Cepeda (K-5 General/Choral Music)

The first day of global immersion was a hit in the music room.  Children in Kg/P1 continued their study of Mariachi by watching a video of traditional performers in Jalisco, Mexico.  They also used their bodies and singing voices to sing Y ahora vamos a cantar.  The expressed such excitement while singing and moving to the song.  Everyone's favorite, "a saltar" to jump!

Second grade worked so hard today learning Pleeng Chaang (The Elephant Song).  The traditional Thai language is so different than their own.  They had great success with the understanding of the different parts of the elephant.  We moved about the room to the Thai national anthem and used it as a springboard for a discussion on tempo, identifying the piece as "somewhere between Andante and Largo". 

After a long two weeks with Tchaikovsky, the Fourth graders returned to a singing based class as we solved the riddle found in Tumbalalaika.  This piece goes so high in the voice (up to a high F).  They were troopers and expressed interested in learning more about the Balalaika, which we will on Thursday and Friday!  We also listened to the National Hymn and the Patriotic Song.

Third graders had a hoot of a time with "Mama Paquita".  Despite the fact that it is already Lent, I  feel that using this song from Carnival helps the children get a feel for the rhythm and melodies found in Brazil.  We also compared the text between our national anthem and that of Brazil.  We found some connections like the word "America" and "Star-Spangled Banner".  We discussed how both of our flags have stars.

It is so amazing to see how the children are engaged when all of their learning is connected!   It makes being a teacher this particular week quite invigorating for me.

Day Two...What a Hoot.

Mrs. Cepeda (K-5 General/Choral Music)

Today the music room took mental field trips to China, Brazil, and South Africa.  Today's third grade class had a great time with Mama Paquita, particularly the "fine pajamas" part, which always makes us laugh.

The first grade returned back to China from last week and explored the steady beat by marching to the Chinese National Anthem.  They also continued their learning of Sail Silver Moon Boat which only has three notes in the melody.  We compared the tempo (steady beat) of the two and decided that the National Anthem was significantly faster than our folk song.  We deepened our understanding of steady beat while reciting a poem (in English) about our Friend, the dragon.  The children also listened to this poem in Chinese which was a new sound for our ears.  We wished each other, Wu An, which means "Good Afternoon".

Fifth graders took a deserved break from singing today (we've been singing traditional South African songs for two weeks) to discover the life of a boy their age in The Boy Who Wanted to Fly.  It was really great to see the children making connections in their writing and discussion between the character traits of the boy in the film to their own life.  We all agreed that being in a circus and being in a chorus are very similar!

Another great day, I can't wait to see what happens tomorrow.

Day Three and Four...Whirlwind

Mrs. Cepeda

A two-hour delay on Wednesday led to a big of confusion regarding the schedule, but luckily I was able to have all four of my classes for their full length of time.  I was so proud of the way my second graders were able to sing in Thai (Pleeng Chaang).  They amazed me with their ability to read the transliteration of the text and match it to the movements we made.  They also responded to traditional Thai court music using visual art.  I am always joyous to see how children respond differently to music.

Fourth grade has very well this week with Tumbalalaika.  I am so impressed at their ability to sing with comfort (and move whilst they sing without embarrassment or negativity).  We also had a great discussion on the comparison of the Russian folk orchestra (starring the balalaika) to the traditional Western orchestra.  They had great insights.

First grade is really taking poetry recitation to a new level with My Friend (the Dragon).  They also did some experimental movement with a large scarf today to accompany Sail Silver Moon Boat.  This really helped them highlight the phrasing.

As we head into the last day, I feel like this week has been so successful.  The children have reached a level of understanding this week that will help them remember this experience more than ever before.  It has also really reiterated the importance of subject integration.  I am not done my "units" with the kids, but at the same time, I feel like a week is only the beginning for all of us.

A Continuation.

Mrs. Cepeda

Even though our International Immersion week ended last week, I feel like there is so much more to do.  We are going to tie up loose ends by recording much of what we've learned last week.  It is really hard to demonstrate music learning through a 2D bulletin board.  Hopefully we can articulate what we have done through video to add to our wiki.  This integration has been wonderful and I truly hope that it is something we continue to see as valuable in our community!