Thank You, Bank of Ann Arbor!

This week, our school had the honor of receiving $3,000 from Bank of Ann Arbor to support our arts curriculum! Through their JumpStARTS Facebook contest, Bryant school, along with 10 other Ann Arbor Schools, earned enough votes to win the generous grant. On Tuesday, a representative from Bank of Ann Arbor came to our Harambee assembly to present us with our (giant!) check. Because at Bryant school we know how important it is to say thank you when someone does something nice for us, we planned a special thank you presentation of our own! In music class, all of the students decorated and signed their names on a large thank you banner that the 2nd grade student council members held up. We also gave them thank you notes that were written by all of our 2nd grade students. Lastly, we sang our Bryant School song, followed by a hearty "Thank You, Bank of Ann Arbor!" We are so excited to be chosen by Bank of Ann Arbor and thank everyone who voted for us! I cannot wait to see what exciting learning opportunities these funds will bring.

Kindergarten Rain Song

This week in Kindergarten music, we learned a song about the rain. For this song, we learned some special hand movements and talked about how the rain is important because it helps all living things to grow. During this song, Ms. Ritter played her frame drum and taught the students a short rhythmic ostinato. We then practiced saying and patting this ostinato so we could then play it on our gathering drum while Ms. Ritter sang the song. In this activity, students were working on musical independence, trying to keep their own part while Ms. Ritter sang a different part. This is one of many activities that we do in Kindergarten music to help prepare us to sing in harmony. Here is a recording of Mrs. Peterson's class saying their rhythmic ostinato, while Ms. Ritter sings the song.

1st Grade Music Centers

This week in 1st grade music class, each 1st grade class earned a special "Music Centers" day for their behavior during September and October. In each music class, students have a chance to earn up to 6 behavior stars for listening, being respectful and following directions. At the end of each class, the music helper records the amount of stars their class earned, and once they reach a certain number of stars, they earn a special day. Great job to every 1st grade class for receiving 80 or more stars and earning their special day!

For our special day, we had "Music Centers" and they were a big hit! I set up 4 different centers around the room which students were able to rotate through throughout the class. I used an online Clock Timer to let students know how much time they had at each center.

Here are some photos of Mr. Brines's class exploring music during their music centers day.