Mmm, Cookies by K2

As promised, here is K2's performance of Mmm, Cookies!

Our First Recorder Hero!

Congratulations to Elijah, our first student to pass the Recorder Hero level! This dedicated grade 5 student has spent many hours of his own time practicing the recorder and has come to music every morning recess to try and pass each level. His dedication and hard work has paid off!

Congrats Elijah! You now have access to the Unlocked songs!

It's I Love To Read Month at Buchanan School!

In celebration of I Love To Read Month, all music activities are centered around books!




Grade 4/5 classes learned about the Underground Railroad through Jeanette Winters' book "Follow the Drinking Gourd". They learned about how slaves used "code songs" in order to plan and carry out their escape, so that slave masters wouldn't catch on. The "drinking gourd" represented the big dipper, and would help fleeing slaves find safety in Canada via the Underground Railroad (a series of "safe houses").




Follow the Drinking Gourd
When the Sun comes back
And the first quail calls
Follow the Drinking Gourd.
For the old man is a-waiting for to carry you to freedom
If you follow the Drinking Gourd.

The riverbank makes a very good road.
The dead trees will show you the way.
Left foot, peg foot, traveling on,
Follow the Drinking Gourd.

The river ends between two hills
Follow the Drinking Gourd.
There's another river on the other side
Follow the Drinking Gourd.

When the great big river meets the little river
Follow the Drinking Gourd.
For the old man is a-waiting for to carry you to freedom
If you follow the drinking gourd.

Grade 4/5 students are now working on a musical adaptation of Tikki Tikki Tembo, an old Chinese folk tale retold by Arlene Mosel. You can listen to the story on YouTube by clicking here.

Grade 1/2/3 classes have been working on Pete The Cat: I Love My White Shoes, by adding a variety of instruments.

Now grade 1/2/3 classes are working on another Pete The Cat book - Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons.

Kindergarten students have added instruments to the book Jump, Frog Jump by Robert Kalan, and then to the Robert Munsch book Mmmm Cookies. We hope to share our work soon!

John Taylor Musicians Visit Buchanan!

Today we were fortunate to have the John Taylor Jazz Band, Choir and Drumline perform for Buchanan students! They played some Christmas favourites such as "You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch" and "Joy To The World", as well as some classics such as "In The Hall of the Mountain King". The choir performed the song "Walking On Air" from the 1982 film The Snowman, as well as another exciting piece accompanied by the djembe drum. The drumline also dazzled us with their funky rhythms! Thanks John Taylor students!!

The Nutcracker Ballet!

For the week following our winter concert, students are learning about The Nutcracker Ballet. The music was written by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, a Russian composer who is also well-known for his other 2 ballets, Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty. He was born in 1840 and died in 1893.

In class we are watching the ballet as performed by the Mariinsky Ballet in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

Though we will not have time in class, students may enjoy watching an old cartoon version of the Nutcracker, called The Nutcracker Prince, at home!

Buchanan Staff Presents: What Does The Teacher Say?

Buchanan teachers like to have a little fun too, so we made our own parody of "What Does The Fox Say"! Enjoy!

Winter Concert: Crazy Little Thing Called Love

Congratulations to all Buchanan students on their fantastic performance at our 2013 Winter Concert: Crazy Little Thing Called Love! Students did a wonderful job of bringing the audience back to the 80's!