Treble Clef Words

I can remember doing Treble Clef worksheets in middle school and enjoying them and my students still enjoy doing this same activity.  Throughout the first 9 weeks of school I had my 5th graders work on writing their own Treble Clef Words.  

Using notebook paper, I made a sample; I traced the lines of the notebook paper to create a staff and then drew a Treble Clef.  When I introduced this idea to my classes, I had them write the music alphabet at the top of their papers.  I found that this made it easier for them to come up with words because they could visually see the letters rather than have to think of them off the top of their heads.  I demonstrated the word "Add" on my paper and how to use a bar line to separate the words on the staff.

I was quite impressed with some of the words they created; defaced, beaded.  This was not something I spent a lot of time on.  The papers were kept in their music folders and when we had a few extra minutes, they could work on writing a few more words.  

This week was the end of the quarter, so I went through their folders and picked out some of the best work to share in the hallway.  I copied the treble clef staff onto some colored paper and then slipped them into sheet protectors.  (I cut the 3 whole punched part of the sleeve off.)  

The reason I displayed them this way was so that I could change out the words from time to time.  I wrote the name of the child at the top of the sleeve using a dry erase marker and then attached an index card to the bottom of each staff.  When flipped up, the index card reveals the answer.  

Afro Circus

Today was our annual Book Character Parade.  Each year our guidance counselor does a fantastic job of creating a week of events to celebrate being drug free and the week culminates in students and teachers dressing up as some of their favorite characters and parading around the school bus loop.  

Each year our specials team has a theme.  One year we were witches, another characters from Alice in Wonderland but this year was the most fun!  We were all Marty from Madagascar 3.  Don't know what I'm talking about?  Watch this!

We paraded around the school in all our afro splendor chanting lyrics that were similar to Marty's.  (In reality the chant changed each time we started it!)  Below are two of my teammates Mrs. P and Mrs. M.  We opened the school together a few years ago and now I can't imagine my day without them.  

I know this is not really on topic but something fun that I enjoy from year to year.  While not part of my classroom, I think it is important for specials teachers to participate in these events.  The kids notice and so do the other adults (parents and teachers).  It's a great way to show that you are an important part of the school.  

Rhythm Building Blocks In Use

This week we sang about the zoo and created a B section using the Rhythm Building Blocks.  Here are the words my students came up with to match the rhythms on the blocks.  Each class was slightly different but ti-ti ta seemed to always be kangaroo.

More on Rhythm Building Blocks.

Recorders: Hallelujah, the counter is clean!

I finally got rid of this recorder mess!  It seems that my counter and desk have been over run with recorders and other materials for the last 3 weeks and I am happy to be rid of it.

I finally handed out the last recorder order!  I do this a bit differently than many of the teachers I know but it seems to work well with my kids.  After collecting all of the orders at the beginning of the year (you can see my order form here) I place an order with West Music and my school cuts a check using the money that is in my account.  

Once the order arrives, I sort them and attach each students order form to the recorder and write their name on the plastic sleeve.  I don't waste my time trying to put their name or initials on the actual instrument because it tends to rub off.  After everything is sorted I hand them out when their class comes to music.  This gives me a chance to go over caring for the instrument and rules about when to play their recorders (i.e. not on the bus!).

It has taken me awhile to get this process down to a science and it works for me.  What are some of your recorder ordering tricks?  Is there something you do that makes it easier to distribute to your students?  

The Spaces Spell FACE!

In 4th grade Game Plan there is a suggestion to have students make a face so that they will remember that the spaces spell face.  So, for the past 3 years, I have had kids make faces to decorate our music room.  I love seeing what they create from year to year!

The sign was created by a 5th grade students older sibling.  I told her what I wanted and she made this beautiful sign!

I give this as a homework assignment.  These are the faces I have had returned so far.  I don't get 100% participation but most of the kids end up bringing theirs in.  I give each student a paper plate and they can create any face they want, using any medium they want.  They can cut their plate, add more paper to it, anything goes as long as its a face.

October's Featured Product

Check out this month's Featured Product!

3rd Grade: Pease Porridge

The first quarter seems to be mostly review for my kids.  There are a few new things I introduce but more of it is content that we started last year and I find slightly more challenging activities.  This past rotation we reviewed downbeat, bar lines, and measures in 3rd grade.

After working to figure out where the strong beats were in the poem and adding the bar lines, we used body percussion to practice 4 different instrument parts.  For this lesson, I used a SMD melody so that we could review singing these patterns, finding them on the barred instruments and in some classes notating them on the staff (this was an extension that I did not have time for with all classes this rotation).

Melody:
Pease Porridge Hot  Rest  Pease Porridge Cold Rest Pease Porridge in the pot nine days old Rest
S        MM       S               S        MM        S              S        MM       S  S   M   S     M     D

Snap to show the strong beats.
Pat to show where the quarter rests are.
Clap the rhythm of the words.
Sign the SMD pattern in the melody.

Formation:  Seated Circle

I set the instruments we were using around my staff rug.  We used xylophones (SMD), lollipop drums (strong beat), triangles (rests) and rhythm sticks (rhythm).  We transferred the parts to each instrument and then played them altogether while singing the melody.  We rotated clockwise one instrument, reviewed the parts and performed it again.  This process was continued until everyone had a chance to experience playing each part.

Understanding Lyrics

I know that it is important to help my students understand lyrics but today I realized that I may need to take a bit more time to make sure I'm doing this.

During my K lesson we were working on the poem This Little Pig from Game Plan.  As we were echoing the text I was surprised by how they were speaking the text back.  In the 3rd phrase it mentions the word "Snout" but instead of hearing "This little pig shows us his snout", I heard "This little pig shows us his SNOT"!  After stopping and talking about this word, there were giggles all around.

I have always been careful about discussing lyrics with deeper meaning and words that I know were well beyond their years but I never thought about this word.  Lesson learned, we may need to make sure and discuss what a snout is before echoing.  :)

Video and Photos

I had a conversation recently with a younger teacher about using photos/video of students, so I thought it might be something good to post about.

Before taking, posting, or using pictures/video of your students make sure:

• Each child pictured has filled out the photo/video release form for your school.  I know each child at our school is given one of these forms at the beginning of the year and our registrar keeps track of who has/has not completed one.  Be mindful of this because there are some families who do not take pictures because of cultural/religious beliefs.
• If you have an after school group, make sure to get separate authorization.  While I'm pretty sure my district form covers using photo/video of these students, I like to have something at my fingers tips.
• Think before you post a picture/video.  Do I need to reveal the identities of my students?  Is this a safe site to post something? 

I may be a bit extreme when it comes to posting pictures of kids but there are so many people out there who aren't respectful of young people.  I do have all of my after school groups fill out a release but I use this for showing videos on the morning announcements and for pictures I occasionally hang in the hall way.  It is very rare for me to reveal the identities of my kids.  I prefer to take pictures showing them from the neck down or to blur their faces using Photoshop.  This is what makes me most comfortable.

SFOC Guest Post

I was recently asked to write a guest post for the South Florida Orff Chapter's Blog.  You can check out the post I wrote and all of the other great resources here:

http://southfloridaorff.wordpress.com/2012/10/15/guest-post-emily-quezada/

What is your school like?

Part of why I started this blog was to network and learn more about other music teachers.  Over my 5 years, I have noticed that there are big differences from school to school in my own county.  So, I'm wondering what your school is like.  What is your enrollment?  How many music teachers are there at your school?  How often do you see your kids?  What are your responsibilities outside of your instructional time?  Do you have after school performing ensembles?  Do you do grade level performances?  What makes your program special?  (Of course the answer to that one is you!  But what are some of the special things YOU do with your kids?)

Here are my school facts:

• Enrollment: 830 (I think that is the most recent total!) We don't ever seem to stop growing and they are actually building more housing that is supposed to be completed in December!
• Music Teachers: Me and our strings teacher. She is at our school in the AM two days a week to work with our 4th and 5th strings students.
• Schedule: I see my kids once every 7 days for 45 minutes at a time, 35 minutes if it is a Wednesday. Some grade levels have more than 7 classes which means the 8th class has to split. I would say I typically have 18-20 little ones and with the older kids 20-24. Some of my classes end up a bit larger with the ESE students that are pushed in for specials.
• Duty: I am responsible for monitoring students during arrival and dismissal.
• Performing Ensembles: I have two groups, chorus and orff. They meet once a week each for an hour.
• Grade Level Performances:  I don't do grade level performances.  When our school opened we were part of an Arts Integration grant, so classroom teachers took on the responsibility of grade level performances that incorporated what they were learning.  Since then, this tradition has continued and I only assist with these events.
• Special Things: I am all about celebrating success from the very small, to the very large. We celebrate funny reactions, birthdays, finding our singing voices, and many more special occasions. Music should be enjoyable! I find celebrating these small moments helps my students feel more comfortable which means I get more out of them.

Parachutes and Ribbons and Scarves, OH MY!

I'm soooooooo excited!!!  This week one of my parents mentioned that she wanted to donate something to our music program.  After asking how much she was thinking of gifting, I sent her a list of materials that were around that price.  I can't tell you how excited I was this morning when her little one walked in holding Artie Almeida's Parachutes and Ribbons and Scarves, OH MY!

I have been sitting here looking through the pages and getting more and more excited about the fun lessons I will incorporate this year.  I love Artie's stuff and I can safely say (even without testing this with my kids) that this is a resource well worth purchasing for your classroom!  Below is the link to this book on West Music.

Parachutes on West Music

1st Grade: Spooky Rhythms

I happened across a post on The Sweetest Melody and it inspired me to do some Spooky rhythm patterns during my 1st grade lesson this rotation.  We've been working on reviewing ta and rest from the end of kindergarten and experiencing eighth notes.  After singing a song that had eighth note patterns that we moved to, we looked at our Ghost rhythms.

I asked my kids to tell me how these rhythms looked different than the rhythms we read during our last class.  They said "Some of the beats have 2 ghosts".  So I asked them what they thought would happen and their response was exactly what I wanted "there will be two sounds".

So, we played our spooky rhythms saying ghost for one sound on a beat and spooky where there were two sounds.  Oh my goodness did they love this!  Afterwards I gave them an opportunity to compose their own spooky rhythm.  I kept it to 4 beats since this was our first composing experience this year.

I didn't have any Halloween themed manipulatives but these worked.  I had some cardstock that was cut into 8ths and some button shapes that had been donated.  I separated them into baggies, each bag had 4 pieces of cardstock and 8 buttons.  The cardstock is to represent the beat and the buttons the notes.  These are nice because I can use them throughout the year.  I think I will give each group 8 beats next time for a longer composing experience.

Hear is some video of my kids working on their rhythms.  Sorry my voice is so loud, you can't really hear it in the video but the class was kind of loud as they worked in their groups so I had to speak up so my little ones could hear me.  Unfortunately, my cell phone picked my voice up more than anything else because I was so close to it.

Spotlight Performers: Freebie

Every month I select a class that has been working together to be the Spotlight Performers.  This group then records a video that goes on the morning announcements for the whole school to see.  I never really know what I will be videoing from month to month, think of it as more of an informance than a polished piece.  This gives the kids a chance to see what other kids are learning and the adults a snapshot into the music room.  I also include a photo of the Maestro of the Month in the video.

I created my video using iMovie and I use the same template from month to month, year to year.  The only thing I have to change out is the month and name of class/maestro.

You can request this template in the freebies section of my blog.  Remember, this will only work on Macs.

Sub Plans

Recently there was a question posted regarding how I handle sub plans.  To be honest, if I know I can catch up during the next rotation and I'm not sure who will be coming into my room to sub, I leave a video.  Although I don't like to do this, it is sometimes the best option not knowing a subs musical background.  

I am known for leaving ridiculously detailed sub plans.  I want to make sure that I am very specific because I know that going into a music room without a musical background can be intimidating, so I try to give as much information about activities as I can.  Two years ago, I was out on an extended leave because I was getting married.  I had to come up with lessons for 6 grade levels and make it sub friendly.  It can be a taxing job but I did it and since then some of the ideas I included in those lessons are some of my go to's.  I really should create a sub tub but I haven't had a minute yet!

A few of my go to activities are:

1.  The Sound House
This was one of my earliest posts and it is something I do year to year with my students.  It can be done without a house.  You could have a student sit behind the piano or another object in your classroom and play an instrument.  This is something that subs have done with my students before and have been successful with.  Plus, if they give each child a turn in the sound house it can take up time.  Subs come to the music room with a different perspective and sometimes can better explain the sound of an instrument better than I can.  Sometimes I think well it's a triangle it has a triangle sound!  Which, is definitely no help to little ears and at times some of the ideas my subs have shared with the kids have been great explanations.  This is one of the only instrument activities I will leave and for a sub I'm familiar with.

2.  Beat Leader
I'm sure you have done this with your little ones before.  Play a piece of music with a strong steady beat.  Teacher keeps the beat on their body, students keep beat in same place.  Change where you keep the beat every 8 to 16 beats.

3.  Drum Game
Teacher plays the steady beat on the drum.  Students move feet to the beat, freeze when drum stops.

4.  Sing-a-Longs
You can find sing-a-long cd/videos that have a variety of children's songs but occasionally I make my own.  I have a little microphone that plugs into my ipod.  I record the process that I would use to teach the song, so that students can echo.  The sub just has to hit play.  Once learned, they can sing it along with a storybook.

5.  Rhythm Caterpillar
This only works if you have already done this with students before hand.  I originally found this idea on Mrs. King's Music Blog.  Check it out: Mrs. King's Music Class.  I have created different sets for each grade level.  2nd grades have half notes, 3rd grades have sixteenths, etc.

6.  Story Books
Have a sub read a book that you will be using soon for an activity.  They could also read a book about a composer and then students could divide up into centers to experience more about that composer.

7.  Name that Note
This game can be played with a sub in a variety of formats.

8.  Compositions
Using the rhythm building blocks, students could compose rhythm patterns.  I would assign each rhythm a word so that the sub can easily play the game.  You could add an extension for older kids where they need to create a melody for recorder.  Once they have their rhythm, they assign each note a pitch.  They could even transfer the rhythm to the 5 lined staff.

9.  Worksheets
I created these for a recent absence.  Due to budget constraints, our copies are being limited this year.  I wanted to use these worksheets but didn't want to waste my copies.  So, Pinterest to the rescue.  I put them inside of sheet protectors and students were to use dry erase markers to complete the sheet.

I made these so that I would have an easy way to practice notation on the staff.  The front is a treble clef staff and the back a 3 lined staff for my little ones.  You could use poker chips or bingo chips to notate if you didn't have enough dry erase markers for a full class.

I found this worksheet on The Plucky Pianista.  We have not learned bass clef, so I crossed that part out so that my 5th graders could focus on the treble clef.

For my 4th graders, tracing treble clefs and practicing line and space notes.  Now line and space notes is not a new concept but reading the line and space notes from bottom to top is always a challenge when it comes to recorder and this worksheet addresses that.  I found these two at  http://www.musicfun.com.au/download.htm.  There are tons of worksheets on this site.

Some things that I would avoid.....

1.  NO Instruments
I always indicate that students should NOT touch instruments in my absence.  I had one sub who decided to use instruments anyways and it resulted in a couple of mallets being broken.  Now, I know that I have taught my children the right way to handle instruments but there are always a few students who, given the opportunity, will beat the living daylights out of an instrument.  I'm sure you can picture those boogers in your mind!  :)

2.  New Concepts
I would not allow a sub to introduce a new concept.  They are not familiar with your curriculum and often times music concepts at all.  Enough said?  :)

Woodwind Videos

So far for my 2nd grade instrument families unit I have used these videos.

They loved them both!

2nd Grade: Ballet

This is the best thing I've ever done!  This rotation I began my introduction to the ballet to prepare my 2nd graders for their trip to the ballet later this month.  In the past I have introduced it by reading the fairy tale and then going through a slideshow of what ballet is and trying out the feet/arm positions.  While there was nothing wrong with this lesson, what I did this rotation seemed to get such better results.

I had seen a post on Warren Ainley's blog about introducing ballet through a pantomime activity about a little fish and a shark but it didn't really fit with the woodwind instrument we were discussing this rotation.  So, instead of scrapping the idea I used Peer Gynt:  In the Hall of the Mountain King.  Our instrument was the bassoon, so it worked very well for telling the story.  I kept the story telling simple and actually told it as the music was playing.  During the 2nd listen, we pantomimed the chase, making sure to use our facial expressions to share what Peer Gynt must have been feeling.

After we finished pantomiming, we sat back down and I told them in a few weeks we would be going on a music field trip and that the performers would be pantomiming to tell a story, just like they had.

WOW!  Not one "eew" out of a single boy when I said the word ballet!!!  And even fewer than normal when I said that both boys and girls can perform in the ballet????  It was both refreshing and astonishing.  I will never teach my ballet unit again without doing a pantomime exercise first.

Hooded Sweatshirts Make Great Costumes!

I am pretty crafty but I have never had the time to sit down and really figure out how to sew.  I can do buttons and hemming my pants but beyond that I am rather impaired.  When I plan musicals I really have to rely on my parents help putting things together and sometimes they are as sewing illiterate as me, so I have had to do my research.

What I have found makes a great costume that are versatile and easy no sew/bit of sewing are hooded sweatshirts!  Here are a few examples of the costumes my parent have made.

6 Geese-a-Laying

4 Calling Birds

The pictures above are from the performance we did of Randy and Jeff's Five Golden Rings.  I buy adult size sweatshirts so that they are a bit baggy.  This is helpful because then students can where leggings underneath and they feel a bit more covered.  These were made using some cotton fabric from Joann's, felt, the sweatshirts and I also found a stiffer material for the beaks but I'm not sure what it is called.  You can find it near the felt in Joann's.  The fabric was used to create wings that attached along the bottom of the sleeve and then down the side of the sweatshirt.

These costumes are from our performance of Randy and Jeff's The Princeless Princess.  They were made using the same materials as the other costumes.  Both projects were no sew!

Section Leader: Update

Over the summer I posted about Section Leaders.  I have been using the clothespins for a little over a month and I am very happy with how they are working.  The kids have taken on the responsibility for coming in getting their pin and taking care of their team.  I must say these clothespins are pretty resilient, which surprised me.  I thought for sure one would break quickly, but fingers crossed, we haven't lost one yet!

If you want to try this out, a couple things to think about.

1.  Jumping is a risky adventure!
The clothespins tend to come off fairly easily when moving briskly.  They don't go flying but they fall pretty hard.  I have not decided how I want to handle this but it may just be to take them off before movement activities.

2.  Oh the places clothespins go!
I specify that the clothespin should be on their outfit.  I really don't care where (collar, pocket, short leg, etc.).  It is a bit amusing to see all of the different places the clothespins end up.  I have seen them as earrings, nose clips, pinched to the extra skin on their arm, their friends hair, and one little boy decided to pin his to the inseam of his pants!  I quickly redirect the student in these cases and if it continues I make sure to remind them that this is a special privilege for a responsible student and if they can not use the clip responsibly I may have to select a new section leader.

Orff: Bar Bags

I'm looking for your feedback....this is the first year I will be taking students from my current school out into the community to perform.  We will be giving a Winter Concert at the Barnes and Noble Book Fair and I'm taking my chorus and orff groups.

Now, I have thought ahead and limited our instrumentation to those that will be the most convenient to move but I'm still a bit concerned about transporting some of my barred instruments.  I don't have far to go but I am considering purchasing some bar bags.  

What are your thoughts?  Do you use bar bags?  Is there another way to transport my instruments that won't cost me anything?  

I would love any advice you can give!

And the Winner is....

The winner of the 5S-Line Giveaway is Brittany De Laruelle!  Congratulations!  :)

First Grade Lesson: Up and Down

I don't feel that this lesson is earth shattering or innovative but it worked.  The kids were successful, it was a great review and it was a lot of fun.

1.  Hello Song (3 min.)
 - We do this at the beginning of every class with steady beat movements.  I will probably continue it through the first quarter before picking a new hello song, just to keep things fresh.

2.  Sing Me Your Name  (7 min.)
- I demonstrate how my voice can move up and down by singing a simple SM phrase "Sing Me Your Name".  What's very cute is how all of the kids kind of move their head up and down slightly with me. Then we practice the answer together "My Name is ______" and everyone fills in the blank.  After we practice I go around the room and each student gets to sing solo into the magic microphone.

3.  Moving Up and Down (3 min.)
-This week I had my flute with me, so I played scale patterns up and down and the students responded with movement.  I really liked how this worked.  While I have done this with my students before, I really liked how playing the patterns on the flute made them listen carefully.  When I play a barred instrument or the piano they can see my hands and respond to the direction I move my hands.  Some of the students aren't truly listening.  I will have to remember this in future years.

4.  Playing Up and Down (10 min.)
-In K we learned how to play upwards and downwards glissandi on the glockenspiel.  We reviewed mallet technique and what bar to start on to play up/down.  Then we moved to the floor, seated in 6 lines.  I would say up or down and the person at the glockenspiel would play 1 up/down glissandi.

5.  Hickory Dickory Dock (Idea from Game Plan) (3 min.)
-We have used this poem during the previous 2 lessons moving our voice up and down like the mouse in the poem.  We played up/down sounds on the words in the poem during this lesson.

6.  Mortimer (Mallet Madness) (12 min.)
-If you have not checked out Artie's Mallet Madness, you definitely should!  I love this little story (it reminds me of my brother when he was 2).  For the first reading the kids sang along with me and showed a thumbs up/down for the sounds I was making with my voice.  Afterwards we played up/down sounds on the glockenspiels to help tell the story.  You can find more details in Artie's book.

Lines and Spaces

I can't tell you how much my kids love this video!  I played it for them during the 3rd rotation and they remember it verbatim.  I'm sure you can imagine what they look like trying to do the dance moves.  :)

It has been a breeze to teach the lines and spaces this year thanks to this video.  The kids just get it!

Only 4 Days Left to Win!

I will draw the winner of the 5S Line Giveaway on Sunday.  If you would like to be entered for a chance to win, make sure you are a member of my blog who has made at least one comment during the month of September.  Good Luck!

Rhythm Building Blocks

I learned about the Rhythm Building Blocks (technically called Bricks in Keetman's book) during my level II.  I loved the idea but I have never really incorporated them into my lessons.  This year I am trying to find as many ways as possible to incorporate them.  I have found that my kids have a hard time with clapping the rhythm of words, so it's something that I want to work on throughout the year.

I started the year off using them with 2nd grade (I wrote about this lesson earlier:  2nd Grade: First "Real" Lesson).  For this lesson, I chose the words to coordinate with each rhythm pattern but the next time we experience them, I will choose a theme and ask the kids to come up with words that fit the rhythms.  This is not only a great way for kids to visualize the rhythm but there is such a strong connection to syllables and reading.  I actually write the words under each rhythm using a dry erase marker (my blocks are laminated), so that I can easily move them from place to place.

To help build this into my lessons and visually remind myself (I am very visual!), I posted them on my cabinets.  Now they are easily visible and accessible anytime.  If something happens in the creative process we can just pull them down and create an ostinato, introduction, etc. on the spot.  They are also placed where the kids can see them while sitting in line, so I'm thinking we can even play a game with them at some point this year.

I attached the blocks to my cabinets using velcro dots (what a fabulous product!).  I made sure to put the loop side on the block so that they won't scratch any little fingers if we take them down to move around the room.

Don't have a set of blocks?  They are a free resource here:  http://www.scalantropio.com/Orff/images/building%20bricks.pdf

My Instrument

I have started a year long study of instrument families with my 2nd graders.  Each 9 weeks we will focus on a different instrument family.  I started with the Woodwinds during the first rotation.  We talked about how an instrument fits in that family.  The second rotation we listened to the clarinet and looked at actual clarinet reeds and this week starts the 3rd rotation.  My principal instrument is the flute and I am so excited to share my instrument with my students but I must say I am struggling with my technique.

Now I know that the kids will hear me and be amazed (because they are oh so sweet) but on a personal level I can't help but think back to my college days when I was immersed in music.  I'm a bit sad at how I have let my personal love of the flute slip away because of life!  I know that I'm exaggerating, I haven't lost it all, I just know where I once was.  :)

Do you find this happens to you?  I really can't dedicate myself to performing with church or a community group right now but I truly miss performing.  How do you find balance between school, family and making music for you?

Donorschoose.org

A few years ago I had heard about a magical website where you could request materials for your school and people, who had no association with you or your students, would donate to help fund the materials you needed.  I always had this idea in the back of my mind but I had never sat down and really taken a look at the site or thought about how I would use it to enrich my classroom.

Last year I finally took the time to look at Donorschoose.org and found what an easy site it is to use and  what great success a teacher can have in getting new resources for their classroom.  You have to build up points through having successful projects, so my first request was pretty basic, some visuals, books, puppets, etc.  Within around 3 to 4 months of posting the project it was funded!

This year I'm thinking big.  My husband had mentioned a few times to me how cool it would be to introduce my students to ukuleles.  So, why not.  Although I have not had much experience with this instrument, I have started learning and gathering resources on teaching children to play this instrument.  I have created my latest project and I am hoping by the end of the year we will have 8 shiny new ukuleles with gig bags! (You can check out my project here:  Ukuleles: Starting a New Program!)

Are you in need of something for your classroom?  Yes?  If you haven't already been to donorschoose.org, then you should definitely check it out!  You will be pleasantly surprised by the generosity of complete strangers.  :)

Why Arts Education Matters

Check out this post by David Cutler, there is a great collection of advocacy videos.

Why Arts Education Matters

Name that Note: Staff Review

I have been doing a bit of staff review during each lesson with 5th grade and this week I included a new variation on an old game.  We have played Name that Note as a class, around the world style, in centers, etc.  Today I didn't want to spend a lot of time playing the game because we had other things to move on to like "Play Me Maybe!" so, we played it game show style.

I gave each team an unpitched percussion instrument (conga shaker, jingle bell, large maraca).  I would toss a bean bag on the staff rug and students would buzz in to answer.  The first to buzz in answered.  If they got it correct, their team got the point.  If not, the 2nd team to ring in could steal it.  This was easy to play, fast and we only had to do 8 rounds at most before the game was done.  I think I spent 7 min. from introducing the game to concluding it.

The kids were actually disappointed when they didn't get a second chance to answer for their team.  I will definitely have to play this again when we have spare time and it may even be something I can leave for a sub during a planned absence.

Bandaids

Best thing I've ever done...

Store bandaids at the front of the room!

I can't tell you how many times kids will say "I'm bleeding".  They seem to find any little scab to scratch away at and before you know it blood everywhere!  Last year I had to walk all the way around my piano to the cabinets above my sink and get a bandaid out of the box.  How ridiculous is that!

These are stored next to my doc cam right at the front of my room.  Easy access!  It doesn't slow my lesson down at all, which makes me a happy teacher.  :)

New Featured Product!

Check out the Featured Product section of my blog.  September's featured product is listed along with July and August.  I'm not a paid spokesperson, just a teacher who loves these products!

Play Me Maybe!

I was looking for a fun way to continue reviewing the staff with my 4th/5th graders and I happened across a pin from Elementary Music 3T.  I tried it out today with my kids and they loved it!!!

I found that this was a great way to reinforce the name of the Treble/G clef with my students.  With my 4th graders we only focused on playing the verse because we are still learning the staff.  I don't introduce students to reading the staff this way until 4th grade.  In 3rd, I focus on solfege, skips, steps, pitch direction, etc., so today was my 4th graders first opportunity to read line notes in a piece of music.

For 5th grade, this ended up being a great review of the notes we have already learned on recorder.  We played the verse on xylos and the refrain on glocks.  I did make a change to fit the video I had of this song.  When I tried out the refrain before my classes arrived it didn't quite fit with the version I had.  So, I altered it to B-G-G, G-D-D.  That may not work with the recording you have but it fit with what I was working with.

My boys, who were skeptical at the on set of the lesson were jamming along by the end.  When we were lining up one of my 5th grade boys said "That was fun, still don't like the song, but it was a fun lesson!".

I think I will extend this lesson when we start recorders.  This would be fun to play along with!  I'll let you know how that goes.  :)

Staying Positive

Do you ever have those days where you think.....why?  I had one today.  Every why question went through my mind.  I felt very negative and unhappy/unsure with/of myself.  It happens to me every once and a while and there is no specific trigger.  Sometimes it is an unhappy encounter with another adult or a lesson not going the way I thought it would (can you believe that?) but by the end of today I felt very glum.

I have found that I need to find ways to pick myself up, de-stress and/or reenergize.  Some things that I have found work for me are:

1.  Completely unplugging myself from school.
I know this one is hard but you have to do this for you and your family.  I don't check email when I'm at home.  I have found that looking at my school email from home only leads to anger and frustration, so I leave it for the next morning.  I need this time away from school to truly be away.

Unplugging myself also includes leaving work at work.  My first couple of years I brought a lot home with me.  Now I just bring the essentials or busy work.  I don't bring something every night but when I do it is something I can do while watching tv or that absolutely cannot wait.  For example:  tonight I have to figure out what I want to teach tomorrow (I'm so last minute when it comes to lesson planning!).

2.  Doing things for Me!
It is very easy to get wrapped up in work, cleaning, errands and getting ready for the next day but I really have to stop and take time for me.  Now, I don't have any kids yet so, what I do may not be realistic for you but I'm sure that you can find a little something to do for yourself.  For me, cooking and painting are relaxing.  I will sometimes cook a Sunday dinner in the middle of the week just because I love the process (hate the dishes).  Or, my husband is a fantastic artist and we take time to paint things for our home.   It's a great way to spend time together while forgetting the troubles of the day.

3.  Remembering one simple rule!
You cannot do it all.  I am only one person and I'm not perfect.  Tomorrow is another day to make up for today's mistakes.  What I didn't teach perfectly this time, I can reinforce next time.  I tend to be really hard on myself, so every once in awhile I have to remind myself to relax.

4.  Find inspiration
Sometimes I just need a bit of inspiration, and thank god for Pinterest!  Today this video was inspiring.  Just look at all of those beautiful children and their fantastic teachers making music (the ending was a bit sad but the messages still just as wonderful).

Chorus Sign In

I can't remember where I read this (I feel so bad, I would love to credit the source) but someone had posted about chorus procedures.  One that I knew I needed to improve upon was taking attendance.  I hate having to call roll, it wastes so much time, but I hadn't found another way of doing it that worked for me.

Over the summer I bought command hooks and clipboards and this week I attached them to the book cases by my back door.  When students arrive for chorus or orff, they have to sign in by putting a dot next to their name.  This speeds up the attendance process by a few minutes, which means more time to make music!

Next to each clipboard is a marker attached to the book case with velcro.  These markers are actually overhead pens.  My plan is to eventually laminate these rosters so that they can be reused from week to week.  I just have to wait a couple more days until all paperwork/fees are turned in.

Giveaway

I'm extending the 5S-Line Giveaway to the end of September.  If you are interested in a chance to win a laminated 8.5" X 11" copy of this sign, you must be a member of this blog who has posted at least one comment during the month of September.  Good luck!  :)

Audience Behavior

Back door display.  Another check mark on my list of things that needed to be completed.  I created these over the summer and finally have them hung in my room.  These will be great as I prepare my 2-5 graders for their music field trips.

The Moldau

Each year my 3rd, 4th and 5th graders get to attend the Young People's Concert performed by our local orchestra.  This is such a great opportunity for students to experience live music.  To prepare for this year's performance, I have been doing a lesson on The Moldau by Smetana.

After discussing the composer and what the piece was written about, we use a listening map while listening to the river begins (this piece is broken down into 4 sections; The River Begins, The Hunt, The Country Wedding, and The Rapids).  Then we discuss the piece and how we could use movement to represent the start of the river.

Most of my classes decide that they will need to divide into two groups so that they can represent the two streams that come together to form the river but this particular 3rd grade classes interpretation was very cool.

They decided instead of having 2 meandering streams, that they wanted to focus their movements to match the increasing dynamic levels that they thought represented the growing streams.  So, they opted to start in a seated position and use their upper bodies to represent the moving water.

As the dynamic changed (got louder), they used their bodies to show the change.

When the cellos enter to signify the merging streams and the start of the river they moved forward and together to create a river flowing around the room.

Look Who's in the Spotlight

I have mentioned before how much a feel like I am playing catch up this year and I still feel that way but this afternoon I made a bit of progress.  One of the projects I  have been wanting to get done is my hall bulletin board.  Open House is coming up and it's time to show off what we have been doing.  So, this afternoon that's what I worked on!

I was inspired by this pin:

http://www.izzyshare.com/ideabulletinboard

But I wanted my board to feature our school colors, so I added a bit of blue fabric and some cute frames from Lakeshore Learning!  Soon I will have pictures of my Maestro of the Month and Spotlight Performers in those frames.

Mrs. P, our PE teacher was helping me hang everything and she taught me a cool trick.  The staples were pretty obvious on the letters, so we took Sharpies and colored over them and now they are barely visible.

Seven Blind Mice Lesson

Earlier this month I posted a request for ideas on how to use the book Seven Blind Mice by Ed Young. I guess there aren't many of you out there who have used this book before, so I had to brainstorm.  I tried out a lesson with my 1st graders today, and it was a lot of fun!  This was just a portion of my mouse themed lesson.

After reading the story (I did this in line during my last rotation in anticipation of using the book), I introduced this cute little refrain.

A Something?  A Something?
What could it be?
A Something?  A Something?
We'll go and we'll see!

After echoing to learn we discussed that "to see" doesn't always mean see with your eyes, since after all these little mice are blind.  To refresh their memories, I read the story and we spoke the refrain before each mouse said what he thought the something was.  This was a great opportunity to work on dynamic contrast.  We started the poem very softly and then crescendoed through the 3rd and 4th lines.

When we had finished the second reading.  I told my kiddos that we were going to tell the story again but that I wanted to use instruments to help.  We listed the things the mice thought the "Something" was on the board.  Then I pulled out a basket of instruments I had selected for the story:

wood block
jingle bells
maracas
conga shakers
large hand drums
guiro
triangle

I find it is easier to give 1st graders a limited number of instruments to select from.  If left it up to any instrument in the room it may take the whole class just to select sounds that represent each part of the story.

I demonstrated each instruments sound and then we discussed which instrument fit best with each item in the story.  I was actually surprised by some of their decisions.  They decided that the guiro sounded like a cliff because it makes a sound like you are climbing one step at a time up the cliff.  After assigning each instrument a part in the story, I distributed the instruments.  We sat in 6 rows and each student in the row had an instrument assigned to a part in the story.  When their part came, I cued them and then cut them off so that the story could continue.

We told the story again with the refrain and instrument sound effects.  It was truly a pleasurable experience, smiles all around!

I did this lesson in 20 minutes which is a little than less than half of my class.  Now I had read the story previously, so we were able to move a bit more quickly but if you were limited on time, you could just use this story as a way to experience dynamic contrast.  You could split it up between two classes, there are many options.

I hope you like this lesson and use this book in your classroom, it really is a cute story!  If you do decide to try out this lesson, let me know how it goes or any changes you make to fit your kids.  :)

Music Journal Storage

Earlier in the summer, I posted about my Back to School Find; file crates.  At the end of last year I was so sick of getting materials to kids because of the way I had them laid out.  My supplies were in one corner and it created a traffic jam and instead of taking 1 minute, it took 5.

Over the summer, I purchased some storage containers from Target, the Dollar Tree and Walmart to help keep things simple and fast.  Behind each riser I have a place for students to store their music journals, as well as storage for pencils, clipboards, dry erase markers and any other small material we need.

The file crates have really simplified things.  Last year I did not store the kids music journals.  This became a big problem because kids would lose them or classroom teachers may forget if they were coming right after lunch/playground.  This year the journals are always in the room when we need them.

Each team has 2 crates (I had to go back and buy more because I seriously underestimated how many kids I have!), and inside the crates are hanging folders labeled withe their classroom teachers name.  There are also numbers attached to the class I see first on each day of the rotation.  So, if I see Mrs. Smith, Ms. Jones and Mr. Johnson's class on day one, in that order; Mrs. Smith's Class has a number one stapled to it. (Hope that makes sense.)

When the kids brought their folders in during the first lesson, I gave them each a label with a color coded dot.  They put it on their folder and write their name and their teacher's name on it.  This let's me easily put their folder away should they leave it out by accident.  If you click and enlarge the first picture in this post, you can see the labels.

When the kids come in their Section Leaders pass out the folders and we get started on our lesson.

Hooks For Rhythm Cards

Over the summer I came across this pin from A Day in the Life of a Classroom Teacher .

I thought this would be a great way to store my 8 beat rhythm cards; I hate when they are laying all over my cabinets.  I found hooks at Lakeshore Learning, they weren't very expensive, and stuck them to the sides of my cabinets.  If you don't have a Lakeshore Learning near you, your teacher supply store  should have something similar or Command hooks are another great buy.  

My Rhythm Cards:

More posts on using hooks to come soon.

Time to Pause

Tomorrow is Friday and I don't know which makes me happier, the fact that it's Friday or that I get to wear jeans!

Anyways....early I posted pics of my classroom and at that point I was waiting for a few things to be laminated.  One of those was my thinking spot poster. This is new to my room this year.  I wanted something that included directions for what a child should do if they have to take a time out.

Here's my poster!

Below are the directions, feel free to print and use this.

Solfege Ladder

I'm sure you have seen or may even have this solfege ladder in your classroom.  I bought mine a few years ago from West (here's the link: Solfege Ladder ).  When I received my ladder I wasn't happy with the fact that it didn't have the syllables written on each pitch in the scale.  I created my own little labels to place on each card (they aren't laminated, just printed on copy paper and mounted to colored paper).  I wanted to be able to easily take pitches on and off when I needed to, so I attached them using magnetic tape.

Now that I have lived with this visual for a few years, I love it!  It is so great to be able to take the pitch names on and off.  This seems to help students focus on the pitches in the song they are learning and visually see the steps and skips in the pattern.  I have noticed that they are better able to find steps/skips on the barred instruments than if I had all of the pitches labeled.

I also make sure to always hang the scale vertically.  I have seen it hung horizontally before, and while I guess this may be a great way to connect to the barred instruments, I feel it is easier to visualize up/down, high/low when the scale is placed vertically.

Gotta Love It!

In class this week, 4th grade used lollipop drums for a rhythmic canon we were working on.  This was a really fun lesson, I'll try to remember and post about it later.  Now I know I always think this...

...when I say lollipop drum but this week kids started singing the refrain unprompted and it spread throughout the class.  What's more, it happened in several classes!  I love teaching music.  :)

5-S Line

I'm sure you have seen the 4-S Line posters all over Pinterest.  This is how Mrs. M (my art teacher buddy) introduced me to the world of pinning.  She was making a sign for her classroom and she had changed the poster to 5-S.  Since she shared Pinterest with me, where she originally found the idea, I have been a Pinterest junkie!

The 5th S that she added was sitting.  We both have the kids sit in line and wait for their teachers to pick them up, so this was the perfect addition.  Over the summer I made my own poster in Photoshop and now it is hanging on the inside of the door to my classroom.

Do you like this poster?  If the answer is yes, then I have good news for you.  I will be giving away a poster to a member of my blog.  More details coming soon.

Seven Blind Mice

I inherited a copy of the book Seven Blind Mice by Ed Young from a retiring music teacher.  This week at the end of my 1st grade lesson (which had a mouse theme) I read the book as we waited for their teachers to pick them up.  I couldn't help but notice this would be a great book for a lesson but I haven't quite figured out what I'm going to do with it yet.

Seven Blind Mice on Amazon

I would like to use this story next rotation as part of a continuation of our mouse unit so, do you use this book in your classroom?  What do you use it to teach?  Please leave comments below.


UPDATE:  I created a lesson to use with this book.  Check it out here:

Seven Blind Mice Lesson

2nd Grade: First "Real" Lesson

Wednesday was the start of my second rotation and my first set of "real" lessons for the year.  Although I did incorporate music into my first rotation (especially with K-2), much of those first lessons was reserved for rules, info. about performing groups, recorder letters, etc.  So needless to say, it was refreshing to be able to focus on just making music!

My 2nd grade lesson for this rotation is one I'm particularly proud of.  Each activity was borrowed or inspired by a colleague but they way they came together was awesome.  It's not often that I don't feel the need to tweak after the first day.

Here's what we did:

1.  Hello Song
I do an echoing song that I got from my supervising teacher during my internship.  I start out the year leading the song and once students are comfortable, I invite a duet up to lead the song and the rest of the class echoes them.

2.  Instrument Families
Introduction to instrument families.  I plan to focus on one instrument family per quarter.  I started with WW's but I wish I hadn't.  It wasn't my original plan but because of the scheduling of some special events, my students really would benefit from being familiar with WW's now.  In this lesson we just discussed how they are played, what they are made of and special features (reeds, keys).

3.  Rhythm Building Blocks
I know that technically these are supposed to be called bricks but I always default to blocks, so that's what I'm using with my kids.

This was a great way to ease back into rhythm.  I came up with back to school inspired words for each of the rhythm building blocks.  Since my blocks are laminated, I wrote the words under the rhythms with a dry erase marker.  This is the first time I'm using the blocks with my students, so I picked the words this time.  Next month, I will let the kids brainstorm words that fit each of the rhythm blocks.

We clapped the rhythm of the words of each card as I stuck them to the white board.  Once we had clapped each card, I called students up one at a time to pull out a card to create their own 8 beat rhythm pattern.

4.  The Cougars Are Coming
This was a short back to school poem that a colleague, Mr. G, shared with me.  We echoed to learn the poem and then used the rhythm we had composed with the blocks as a B section.

We performed this in AB form:
A - poem spoken
B - Drums play building block rhythm

We sat in rows and the kid at the front of the row played the drum.  During the repeat of the A section they would move to the end so that the next student would be ready to play B.

5.  School Bus Rhythms
To assess what my students had retained over the summer I used Mrs. King's School Bus Rhythm idea.  This was such a great way to see how they were doing with aurally distinguishing rhythm patterns.  You never know what they are going to retain over the summer and it was nice to see where they were and who was struggling.

See Mrs. King's School Bus Rhythms