2nd Grade "Instrument Petting Zoo"

Today our 2nd grade classes had a special visit from some volunteers with the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra. They set up an "Instrument Petting Zoo" where all of our 2nd graders were given the chance to try out some orchestral instruments! As you can see (and hear!) from the video, they brought instruments from 3 of the instrument families (cello, violin, trumpet, trombone, clarinet and flute) and the students were given the opportunity to rotate through some of the instruments. They also brought a coloring page that taught them about the different parts of the violin. Each class had their own 30 minute session, and as you can see, had a great time! We are so grateful to the A2SO for giving our students this wonderful opportunity and hope they will visit us again next year. And a special thanks to Laura, Joan and Don for being our "zookeepers" today and teaching us about the different instruments! We had a BLAST! (get it?!)

***Disclaimer***: When looking at the photos, you might see some of the students were holding the instruments incorrectly. With only about 2 minutes for each child to play each instrument, some important details may have been left out!

A2SO Symphony Concert: The Planets

Two weeks ago, the 2nd graders had the opportunity to go to see the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra's  Youth Concert titled "The Planets." Thanks to the generous support of our awesome PTO, students went to Hill Auditorium to watch the performance where all of the music followed the theme of the Planets and the solar system. I am always so impressed with the performances put on by the A2SO. The concert not only included fantastic pieces of music centered around a creative theme, but also included a projector with stunning visuals, a visit by a real astronaut and a real space suit set up in the lobby. 

To prepare for the concert, in humanities, we learned about the planets and learned a phrase that helps us remember the order of the planets (My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nachos). I was so impressed to hear how many of our students are interested in space and how much they already know about the planets. We also listened to many of the pieces that they would hear in the concert and even used some listening maps to help us follow along with the music. One of the pieces that we really enjoyed listening to was the Introduction from "Also Sprach Zarathustra" by Richard Strauss. We learned that this piece of music is called a symphonic poem and was written to depict a sunrise. Listen to this music and see if you can follow along with the map. Can you imagine the sunrise like Richard Strauss intended you to?