Grade 1 Music, September 2025

It has been wonderful to welcome our first graders back to Hoover! After reviewing class expectations and what it takes to have a safe and successful music class, we have been diving straight back in to the work we began in Kindergarten, starting with lots of singing! We reviewed Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, Baa Baa Black Sheep, and the ABC song, discussing how they share the same melody. We also reviewed the concept of rests in music, singing the ABC song while resting on random letters. We used rhythm sticks for the first time, learning about safe rest and playing position and adding sound effects to the picture book Click Clack Moo by Doreen Cronin. We also started a folk dance called the Heel and Toe Polka, which we will continue practicing in October.

First grade students have been growing their stamina for Super Quiet Uninterrupted Listening Time, or SQUILT, which is how we begin every class. In September, most students were able to successfully listen quietly for a minute and a half. Students are working on listening attentively and sharing their observations with the class at the end of a listening session. Our musician of the month for September was local Celtic band Scottish Fish.