Music

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Dear DCIS at Ford Students and Families,

Welcome to the DCIS at Ford Music page! My name is Breanne Lawver, and I am the music teacher at DCIS at Ford. My husband and I recently moved from Columbus, Ohio to Denver, and I am very excited to be at Ford and in Colorado. Scroll below for information about what each grade is learning in music!

I grew up with a love and passion for music. My whole family is quite musical, and both of my parents have taught music in the schools and are now directors of music at different churches. Throughout my childhood, I sang in choir, played handbells, played viola in choir, and participated in church and school musicals. I graduated from Otterbein University in 2010 with a Bachelor of Music Education with a vocal emphasis. During college, I took piano and voice lessons, sang in a touring choir, and even lived in a house with other education students. This is my fourth year of teaching music. I previously taught general elementary music, high school choir, and middle school choir in Ohio.

In my free time, I love to sing and play piano, bake, run, hike, and lift weights. Also, my husband and I love to play with my dachshund, Coco, and we are obsessed with dachshunds in general.

Thank-you for visiting! Lion Pride!

Mrs. Lawver
breanne_lawver@dpsk12.org
720-424-7300 ext. 47324

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Upcoming music performances:

Wednesday, April 16th: Spring Gala at DCIS at Ford from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m.
  • Featuring the Lions Glee Club and student artwork
  • Light refreshments
  • Lions Glee Club Concert in the Auditorium at 6:00 p.m.
  • All Lions Glee Club members need to report to the auditorium at 5:00 p.m. for warm-ups and concert preparation

1st Grade Musical: "A Year with Frog and Toad" at DCIS at Ford in the gym
  • Soria and Blessin: Tuesday, April 29th at 6:00 p.m. in the gym
    Rios and Trainer: Thursday, May 1st at 6:00 p.m. in the gym
  • The musical will be around 30 minutes. We should end around 6:30 p.m.
  • All students should report to the gym at 5:30 p.m. to prepare for their performance
  • Students should wear their school uniform. If you have them, please have them bring gloves or mittens, a winter hat, and scarf. Label them with your child's first and last name.

Kindergarten music:
  • In Kindergarten music, we have been learning about "high" and "low" sounds. We have sung songs with "high" and "low" sounds and utilized aural skills to figure out melodic patterns in our songs. Also, students are starting to create their own "high" and "low" melodies using melody charts and rewriting melodies to songs we have been learning.
  • Also, we usually move to classical music in every lesson. Lately, we have been analyzing each piece we have been moving to in terms of tempo (speed of music), dynamics (volume of music), and describing music in terms of adjectives and expressed emotions-- ex. smooth, bumpy, scary, happy, angry, regal, etc.

1st grade music:
  • 1st grade students have been working on a musical entitled, "A Year with Frog and Toad." The musical is all about friendship and includes songs about each season of the year with animal characters. Look out for a letter home with more information before spring break.
  • Preparing for our musical has required students to expand their performance skills in terms of being an expressive and respectful performer.
  • Hopefully, you are getting a sneak peek of the musical at home. I have encouraged students to perform a song for their families and/or teachers.

2nd grade music:
  • We recently finished a unit about families of the orchestra - strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion. Students explored each family in terms of visual and aural identification.
  • Now, we are beginning to study a new rhythm - rest. They are practicing rhythmic performance skills and will soon start aural identification - listening to a rhythm and being able to write the rhythm notation. Also, they will be creating their own rhythms at the end of the unit. After spring break, we will be applying our music reading skills with rhythm on xylophones. Students will be playing rhythmic accompaniments to songs we are singing in class.

3rd grade music:
  • In early March, we began a unit on recorders. Students have begun learning how to play the recorder. This applies music reading skills to a musical instrument, and it is preparation for students to play other band and orchestra instruments. After spring break, we will begin a method called "Recorder Karate." Students will study songs and perform for the whole class. If they master a song, they will earn a belt much like in regular Karate.
  • Here are reminders for proper playing technique:
    • Gently whisper "too" into the recorder to play
    • Left hand is placed on top and right hand on bottom
    • Maintain a tall and relaxed posture - just like singing

4th grade music:
  • We have been studying solfege - a system to build music reading and aural skills. Also, we recently began reviewing rhythms we have learned this year as well as learning new rhythms. For an end of the year project, students will be composing their own original music utilizing all of the melodic and rhythmic knowledge and skills they have gained this year.

5th grade music:
  • In 5th grade music, we recently performed an African American Spiritual, "Follow the Drinking Gourd." This coordinated with the story "Follow the Drinking Gourd" that tells the story of Peg Leg Joe who freed slaves with the coded spiritual "Follow the Drinking Gourd" that helped them escape to freedom using the Underground Railroad. In Ms. Garner's class, they also read this story. As a final project, all of the 5th grade students performed the song at our February rewards assembly to coordinate with Black History Month.
  • When students return from spring break, we will be learning about various musical styles created by African Americans - spirituals and gospel, blues and jazz, and rap and hip and hop. Then, each class will choose a musical style to learn more about and students will end the unit with a final project presenting what they learned.