Page 2 - SN February - Grade 3

Music

MS. LJUDMILA JANICIJEVIC

Dear Parents,
Students returned from the winter break recharged and ready to learn. They recognized Mozart’s birthday
through various activities during January. Sharing their prior knowledge with the new classmates was especial-
ly interesting with the BBC’s animated version of the “Magic Flute,” which also led them to stimulating dis-
cussions and learning about opera. When comparing Ingmar Bergman’s “Magic Flute” with Milos Forman’s
movie “Amadeus”, they showed keen interest and appreciation for Mozart’s work.

Tunes “We Will Figure It Out,” “New Year Resolution” and “Music Alone Shall Live” were not only fun to
sing, but also great practice for two-part singing.
Having a guest recorder player – Jovan Krstic, a member of famous Serbian Renesans band – we enjoyed
learning appropriate use of recorder. Breathing, fingering and controlling the dynamic were done with Jovan,
while performing along “Little Night Music.”
In addition, new arrangements were built. Fingering technique was further mastered. Students practiced play-
ing B, A, G, and D sounds on recorders, as well as controlling the length of notes and phrases.
Obviously, January was an action-packed month in the Music class. Next month we will continue to refine our
instrumental numbers and enrich the structure of our arrangements. Also, we will continue singing Mozart’s
“Requiem” parts, such as “Dies Irea,” “Sanctus,” “Confutatis.” Moreover, we are planning to read music
scores and review symbols for dynamics, tempo and length of notes.