We'll Be Bach!

Johann Sebastian Bach composed many pieces for the keyboard. He played clavichord, harpsichord, and organ. (Be sure to ask your children the difference between a clavichord and a harpsichord.) Bach composed during the Baroque period so many of his pieces contain ornaments. These are described on page 12 of the September Piano Explorer magazine. You can listen to examples of Bach's music on the Piano Explorer website at peforkids.com. (There is a link to this from my website, under Resources.) The students watched a demonstration of a clavichord being played, heard a young lady about their age play the harpsichord, and got into the spirit of Halloween listening to Bach's Toccata for organ.

To mix things up a bit, we then pulled out the conga drums and held a drum circle. Each student had a drum . We started out playing written rhythms all together, and then branched out to improvising and jamming. The kids came up with rhythms to fit within the steady beat of the lead drum, and discovered sounds and rhythms that coordinated with each other. It was great fun! And very noisy! Definitely my kind of noise. :D (Thanks to Mrs. Erickson from Payson Jr. High for letting us borrow the drums.)

The magazines the children brought home are a gift from me. They will be receiving a copy every month until next September. (Merry Christmas early.) Look through them to find word searches, practice tips, compositions by children around their age, jokes, etc.