Wow! We have been so busy that I haven't kept you current. Oops, sorry! We played autoharps in October. Each student had a chance to try a violin as well. We all looked inside the piano. Younger students played on the keys. Older students used giant 'piano picks' to strum the strings. We heard these sounds in "The Banshee" by Henry Cowell. Our stretching music was Haydn's Surprise Symphony. We all liked the surprise part. In November we began playing our Orff Xylophones. These are designed for children with removable bars. We can take away the wrong notes. Younger students have already had a chance to improvise on the bass xylophone. We will do more of this throughout the year. We also created our own rhythm pieces by starting with a nursery rhyme and adding rhythm instruments. Third and fourth graders had a sharing day when they were able to share their musical talents or bring a musical object from home. There was lots of fine singing, dancing and piano playing. A couple of students brought guitars or other instruments. There is a lot of talent at Vowles School! Students all had a chance to play our Gathering Drum and try some Native American skill games. They also had a chance to see and hear flutes from around the world. Our stretching music for the end of November was "Symphony #40" by Mozart. (It's a bird, it's a plane, it's a Mozart!) In December we will be hearing music from "The Nutcracker" by Tchaikovsky. Students will be trying some movement activities to this music as well. We'll also be learning some new songs and games in these busy weeks before the holiday break. Peace to you!