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Can Do Muses
March 2023
In like a lion and out like a lamb –or is it the other way around?
March is known for temperamental weather. Or maybe for us in the Northern Hemisphere, it’s our weariness with winter that makes the weather seem so unpredictable. But whatever the skies or streets look like, the sure sign of Spring is the sun staying in the sky a little longer every day.
Songs this month turn away from snow and towards maple syrup, rain puddles and sunshine.
Maple Syrup and Maple Syrup Rag (melody next year)
Thunder Crashes is an easy reading chant which may also be used as a round. Rain Rain Go Away sung on “so – mi” makes a game out of solo-singing. If All The Raindrops focuses on form and a wistful imagination.
January Snow is an old nursery rhyme following weather through the months of the year. Variations of Ev’rybody Sing a Song of Seasons offers opportunities to create a class version of activities for each season.
And remember,
Whether the weather is cold.
Or whether the weather is hot.
We’ll weather the weather, whatever the weather,
Whether we like it or not!
Lessons
Each lesson builds on the one before so that concepts grow in complexity through the year. Practice and review are planned into lessons. Canadian curriculum expectations are detailed at the beginning of every lesson (and in the overview). This is a complete music curriculum including music literacy, performance, instrument playing and active listening. Songs are suggested, but may easily be switched with your own favourites. As long as the planned teaching points are covered, all curriculum expectations will be met.
Grade 1 - Music, Dance & Drama!
Begin with the basics, for student and teacher. Music, dance and drama combined in 2 fine art lessons per week!
Grade 2 - Music & Dance
Review Grade 1 music concepts then move into growing those concepts through new and familiar music. Focus on solidifying the basics --beat, rhythm and reading rhythm.
Grade 3 - Music
Review music concepts from Grades 1-2 while adding a few new ones. Lots of time in the lessons for using concepts in performance and composition. Music pre-literacy is the focus of the second half of the year in preparation for learning to read the musical staff in Grade 4.
About Can Do
Create your own music lessons using some of the resources on the site, or, if you’re new to teaching music, try following a few of the lessons given here. Whatever you use –my hope is that “Can Do Music” helps to make music in your classroom and life. To learn more about the site and its creations, explore the links below.
