Elementary Art and Music

Music:

This past nine weeks the 4th graders worked on coordinated movements with partners in order to understand eight beat phrases that occur in many songs, both old and new.  The pairs of students were challenged to creatively come up with their own movements to fill in the eight beats.  Some pairs were given the chance to perform their movements for the class, which they really enjoyed!  Dance, phrasing, choreography, rhythm, tempo, styles, problem solving, planning, were just some the words discussed in this lesson. 

4th Grade was also introduced to differing styles of Music during a music history lesson.  Students we're shown appropriate video examples of Blues, Rock, Jazz, and Classical music.  Some artists and composers chosen were Igor Stravinsky, Duke Ellington’s C Jam Blues (1942), Benjamin Britten, Frederic Chopin, Stevie Wonder, and Santana playing a Blues electric guitar solo. 

3^rd Grade was privileged to once again have Flyin’ Blind, a local Bluegrass band come and talk about Bluegrass music.  They performed a number of songs and talked about the history of the music as well as the history of the instruments they played.  Two of the band members are from our very own Northpoint Christian School parents.

Art:

1st Graders have been learning how to draw vertical, horizontal, and diagonal lines in art.   After learning about the different types of straight lines, they used this knowledge to create a spider web, step by step.   Mr. Ransom talked about how AMAZING God is, to create spiders that already know how to build their own home and to provide for themselves not too long after they come out of the egg sack.  No one had to teach it how to build a web!  We watched a short video that showed how diverse spiders are, their habitats, their appearances, their homes... so FASCINATING!

After drawing the web on colorful construction paper with bright construction paper crayons, we next went outside and drew the webs on the sidewalks behind the school with colored chalk (Web Design, Ha!)  After drawing on the sidewalks, we played a game that taught unity, teamwork, honesty, following directions, and self-control.  And beyond all that, it was just plain FUN for me and the students.

The 6th Grade art class has been working on drawing the human face this current nine weeks. As part of this unit, every student used iPads to explore an app that developed skills in drawing the human face.  The next lesson we learned a way to systematically draw the human face using measurements that God has already placed on our face.  Spatial relationships, balance, proportion, measuring, and attention to details were some of the concepts and skills that were covered.

The 6th Graders are now working on a self-portrait drawing project where they are enlarging a black and white photo of their face using a grid technique. The overall drawing will be around 16"x 20", twice the size of their 8" x 10" photo.  Mr. Ransom discussed his own mural commissions and how he used this technique to make money.  The artist, Chuck Close was discussed and students were shown his large scale paintings.  Chuck Close uses the grid technique to create his colorful portraits of people.

This just some of what has been going on in the Elementary Art/Music room at Northpoint Christian School.  The students are doing a fantastic job!

Mr. Ransom 

Art Teacher 1^st – 6^th       

Music Teacher 1^st – 4^th