Marimba Festival

Our Marimba Band played with other schools last Saturday in the 11th Annual Marimba Festival.

We were pretty proud of being there.  Here's around half of the  group of schools playing under the direction of Jeremy Hantler. (You'll see Mhara Marimba playing below the camera).



Here's some shots of our children playing.

Western Heights Marimba Band

Western Heights Band in full swing.

Playing to the crowd

Marimba Bands 

Creative Play

A group of our year 3 & 4 children  participated in the Creative Play Festival hosted by OrffNZ.  Our theme was what happens when you leave toys lying around home.

Our children were captivated by the performances of the other, older children at the festival.

Nesta's playing of the bass marimba held the whole group together.  The children took the names of their toys, and played with them.

Finding song in our names

I've been exploring the wonderful process that is Orff-Schulwerk.  As I've said before, I'm a beginner in this form of Music Education.  So everything I'm doing this year is something of a first-time experiment.

Room 8 proved to be an exciting discovery field today.   I wrote the names of some of the kids on the board and it was Rhys who noticed a pattern in the colours and positions I was writing them in.


Here's how they looked.

			Riki		Aadil
		Kayla		Aarav
	Saqqara		Maddison
Rhys		Chase

We split the class into boys & girls each side of the room. The boys took the bottom two lines.  On the lowest line the boys stamped their feet.  On the secon line up, they patsched their knees with thier hands.

The girls then worked on the top two lines.  Kayl and Aarav's names were chanted accompanied by clapping, while Riki and Aadil's names were clicked with the fingers above the head.


Next we transferred the rhythms onto the Xylophones and Marimba.  Take a look at the process we have been involved in today. These children were just so engaging to work with.  They were engaged.

Kid Conductors

Our Marimba Band Rehearsals are a regular fixture on Thursday afternoons now.

With around 20 Year 5 & 6 children it's an exciting 90 minutes.  Today I handed the reins over to "kid conductors".  Zara, Haney and Wesly each had their own style.

Wesley was one of the first to put his hand up to lead. Counting us all in is a tricky thing to master.   Zara's leadership was positively artistic. She could have been performing in a ballet.



Haney lead the group with precision.  Both girls were fully in command.

BIG Thank You Ukulele Festival Trust

The Ukulele Festival Trust (supported by Mr & Mrs Smith) have gifted our school 12 ukuleles.  This will really kick our Friday Lunchtime Uke band into action. 

I found a cheap way to keep our Ukuleles accessible, portable, protected and importantly always visible. Also, it reuses the boxes they came in.

I removed the instruments from their shipping boxes, sliced each box apart on a band saw - at about one third of the way up at a 30° angle, glued them all together with ½ a tube of Liquid-Nails ($8), then glued them into a Pack-n-Save shopping bag ($2.50)

Packing box cut at a 30° angle.

 

5 boxes glued into a shopping bag.

Kids carry sets of 5 ukes safely & easily.

Stacked out of the way & always visible.

Things Planned for Term 2

Well, term 2 has well and truly started.

This term we have three weekly practice sessions at full steam.

Marimba Festival - September 5th Concert

Because of intense interest in the Marimba Band, I've decided to split this into Middle School Marimba Band - Practices on Wednesday Lunchtime, and Senior School Marimba Band - Practices on Thursdays, last block (as part of Arts Rotation).

The Senior School Band will prepare for the ONZA Marimba Festival on September 5th, while the Middle School Band will prepare for Whanau (School) Assemblies  and other things (below).

Ukelele Band - November 28th Concert

This band will begin in week 3 and prepare for the Ukelele Festival Concert at Trusts Stadium November 28th. We have so far enlisted the help of parents, grandparents and teachers to help prepare the kids for this fabulous occasion. 

I'll post more details soon. 

 Orff Creative Play Festival - June 14th 

On Sunday June 14th - not far away from today - a number of the Auckland-based teachers of the Orff approach to music and arts education will hold the first festival to celebrate what our children can do when their creativity and imagination join forces. This event is promoted by ONZA.

This will be held at Stonefields School, Mt. Wellington. 

The children will develop an original performance with me, using the Orff approach. This performance will be based on an aspect their life that is meaningful and relevant to them. The inspiration point will be a piece of language based on toys.

This is a non-competitive event, set up to support, feedback and celebrate the creative process of Orff and the combined use of movement, text/drama and music.

Over the next week I will select middle school children who express interest in this activity.  I will then contact their parents about their family's availability to participate.   The Middle school children only will participate in this.  

Other Concerts 

I will soon have details of our kids performing to the retired people in the local retirement villages  also. 

Giant Pipes

The Jandal-aphone

And the foot-ware is off.

The Middle School playground of colour and sound.

All in.

Nakita helps Mr. McLay attach the D-pipe.