8th Graders Compose Original Music, Student Reflections, and One "Dynamic" Activity

Listen to an original song composed today by eighth grade students Orlandria Johnson, Chasity Mosby, Chelsea Rainey, KeAndre Davis, and Westley Williams. These five students decided to write a rap song today during the first part of the class period. They went into a practice room and improvised on tubano drums and a gong until they found a groove they liked. Orlandria and Chasity wrote the lyrics and worked on their rap (rhythm). After rehearsing for a few minutes, the group set up in the classroom and performed the song heard on the recording (in one take!). Click here to read the lyrics. National Standards/Performance Indicators covered in this activity: 1, 2, 3, 4, 7. Click here to read the National Standards for Music Education.

Today in general music, sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade students wrote reflection papers on their first two weeks in class. The written works will be published here throughout the week. A few of the students read their work today and recorded it for this post.
Click the play button to listen to three of the reflections:

Continuing their study of dynamics, seventh- and eighth-grade students participated in a fun activity that helped reinforce the concept.
1. Students worked in groups of six - two groups playing at a time
2. Dynamic symbols (ff, f, mf, mp, p, pp) were written on scrap paper - one symbol per sheet, two sets of symbols (six symbols per set)
3. Teams gathered on one side of the classroom while Mr. Greene stood on the other side
4. The symbol sheets were balled up and tossed into the open space between the students and Mr. Greene
5. Each team scrambled to gather the papers, working together to organize the symbols in the correct dynamic order from loudest to softest
6. The student with the loudest level (ff) stood on a chair, and the other students in the group assembled in front of him/her in the appropriate order (see the pictures below for examples)