Merry Christmas!

As musicians, December can be the busiest time of the year.  It's easy to get caught up in the stress of concerts, parties, and other commitments, and lose the fun that they are intended to be.  So take a moment to stop and remember why you started  doing this in the first place.  For me, it's JOY.  Music brings joy to my heart, and sharing it with others multiplies it exponentially.  Let go of your inner critic, and let yourself enjoy the spirit of the season and the heart behind the harmonies.   I hope you enjoy a restful, rejuvenating break with your family and friends.  Have a very Merry Christmas!

The Beiber Flip

Today my first graders and I learned the orginal "Twelve Days of Christmas" song.  After singing it, I asked them if they thought they would like to receive those gifts...yeah, NO!  So we wrote our own version, with gifts they wanted to get for Christmas. After putting our list together, we created movements for them and performed the finished song for their teacher when she came to pick them up.

On the twelfth day of Christmas, dear Santa gave to me:

12 toy swords

11 iPods

10 Monster High dolls

9 blue flutes

8 PS3s

7 Skylanders

6 new computers

5 ballerina dolls!

4 3DS

3 chihuahuas

2 toy cats

and 1 Justin Bieber doll!

The best part was when we got to the Justin Bieber doll.  I asked what we should do when we sing that, and a little boy (with total Bieber hair) said, "I know!  The hair flip!"  Then he did it.  Perfectly.  So we ended our performance with 27 first graders doing the Bieber flip and singing into imaginary microphones.  It was awesome.

The Nutcracker Ballet!

This is one of my FAVORITE units to teach.  The story, the music, the activities are all so exciting for the kids...and me, too!  I have traditionally taught this unit in second grade, but it is easily adapted to other grade levels as well.

First, we learn about ballet.  What is it? A story told through movement, without words.  Then we learn some basic terms and a few simple steps.  We plie, passe, pirouette, and chasse around the music room! 

After the introduction to ballet, I introduce Peter Tchaikovsky, and how he did not like The Nutcracker Suite when he completed it.  The kids are always surprised to learn that famous composers were regular people with regular quirks (see Lives of the Musicians: Good times, Bad times, and what the neighbors thought). 

Finally, we get to learn the story.  I read the story of The Nutcracker Ballet, right up to the point when the Nutcracker turns into a live prince and invites Clara to visit his kingdom....."Do you think she'll go?" I ask the class.  They don't all agree on their answer.  But darn, we're out of time! We'll have to find out next week!  (Hee hee!  I love leaving them with a cliffhanger!)

Next week, we'll act out the party scene as we identify the form of the Overture: ABAB with coda.  They're gonna LOVE it!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

Note Values with Tennis Balls

This week, I stole borrowed an idea from Kristin Lukow (Musical Musings with Mrs. Lukow) that uses tennis balls to practice note values.  Basically, there is a different action for each note: whole, half, quarter, and eighth notes.  Choose a song with a comfortable tempo, and call out the note for kids to demonstrate.  Change every 16 beats or so.  It's much easier to understand when you see it, so I'll let Kristin's kids show you how it's done:

 Isn't that fun? My 3rd and 4th graders are loving it--you should have seen their faces when I said we would all be using tennis balls in class.  Immediate, 100% student engagement! Awesome!

Halloween Fun!

Last week was Red Ribbon Week, full of fun dress-up days, a DEA Helicopter landing, and a K-9 Unit demonstration.  SO exciting for little people!  Plus, it's almost Halloween!  Aaaaaah!  The excitement is reaching a feverish height! 

When life gives you excited little kiddies, you have to figure out how to go with it.  These are some fun things we did this week to work out those wiggles and keep them focused.

1.  Copycat to special songs - This is just a movement activity to keep the beat in your body.  I move the beat to a different movement every 8 beats, so they have to keep watching or they'll get left behind!  When they are good at following quickly, try letting students lead.  I go around the circle, with each student leading a movement for 8 beats.  When I say "switch!", the next student leads with their movment.  This weeks fun songs were: 

• Monster Mash
• Purple People Eater
• Witch Doctor
• Scooby Doo Theme Song (kinders go nuts for this one!)
• I Want Candy

2.  "Witch Doctor" is fun to sing!  I taught the kids to sing the chorus ("ooh-ee-ooh-ah-ah, ting-tang, wadda wadda bing bang!")  It's great for phonemic awareness with younger students, and good articulation practice for older kids.

3.  Listening Lesson:  J.S. Bach, "Toccata and Fugue in d minor" - Did you know that many kids have never seen or heard of a pipe organ these days?  I made a slideshow with pics of the pipe organ from our church a few years ago.  We talk about how the organ works, how kids used to pump the air into the organ for Bach and other greats, and how MANY pipes there are.  Then we listen to the music.  I tell them that Bach was writing for church....so why does it sound scary?  Great discussions in 3rd and 4th grade!

4.  Spooky Walk - a LONG time ago, I had a record (yes, vinyl record!) with this speech activity on it.  It's like the "Bear Hunt" we've all done, but instead they hear spooky sounds along the way.  At the end, we go into a cave with dripping water in the background and echoing sounds.  They LOVE it!  (I have since managed to record the album with an mp3 recorder so I can use it again. It's not the greatest quality, but that makes it even spookier!)

5.  "Grickler Grackle" - I can't remember which book I got this one from, but it's a speech piece that I use in 2nd grade.  We learn the rhyme, then match the rhythms with the correct line.  Then I divide them into small groups, where they write their own answer to the final question.

•  Listen!  Listen!  Listen to the witch!
• Grickle, grackle, chip, chop, crunch!
• Grickle, grackle, gooble, gooble, munch, munch, munch!
• Whatever in the world is she having for lunch?

She's had everything from chips and crackers to bones, eyes, and spider stew!  You can also let the groups use instruments to add sounds to their final performance of the piece (including their original ending). 


So that's what we've been doing at my school!  If you like these and would like more info, or a copy of a ppt., leave your email in a comment below and I'll be happy to share!  Now, what are your favorite October activities?  

A Music Word Wall

Our school is really focusing on improving writing skills in our students this year.  As a music teacher, I don't do a lot of writing, but I did think of a way to encourage the thinking skills needed to write well.  Enter the Listening Board: 

When we listen to music, there are so many things to listen to, and comment on, it can be hard to put into words.  Heck, when you only come to music once a week, it's hard to remember the words to use!  So I made this display, dividing the descriptors into six categories:  Tempo, Dynamics, Articulation, Melody, Mood, and Timbre.  For elementary school, that's quite a bit!  In each section I put up different words to describe that aspect of the music.  My plan is to refer to it every time we listen to a new piece, and ask students to tell me -- in complete sentences -- what they hear.  I'm sure they will come up with new words to add, too.  That will make it even better! 

Those who do the work, do the learning

That's a truth I totally believe, but I'm not always good at living it.  I mean, it's just so much easier to do things myself, rather than try to explain to someone one else how to do them.  I am really working on giving my students more responsibility for their learning, starting with the little(ish) things. 

I am kinda funny about organization.  Everything has a place, and a correct way to fit into that place.  Trusting 8-year-olds to get out and put away instruments safely and neatly is REALLY hard for me.  Enter the colored dots:



Sticker Dots sold in office supply stores.



These marvelous little dots have made my life so much easier!  Here's how it works:  each mallet instrument has a colored dot on the side. (Soprano=blue, Alto=yellow, Bass=red, Glocks and specialty mallets=green) There is a dot of the same color on the mallets for those instruments.  There is another dot on the shelf where that instrument is stored.  The mallet cans are also color coded in the same way.  Students know which mallets go with their instrument, which can to put them in, and where to put away the instrument at the end of class.  I can see at a glance what is missing or misplaced and make adjustments as needed.  I'm still tweaking the system for weaknesses, but so far I'm excited!  No more setting up and taking down by myself!  And yes, this is a great lesson for kids.  They feel more responsible, and it shows in their class participation as well.

UPDATE:  Love it!  Everything has ended up back in the right place, and I didn't have to put everything away myself.  This is HUGE, especially since my schedule this year does not allow time in between classes to rearrange everything.  The older kids have to set up/take down during class time, and now I can relax and let them do it. Why didn't I do this sooner?



Whew!

Last week I got a message from a high school friend who is also an elementary music teacher.  He and his colleagues were looking for a classroom to visit during their inservice day, and asked if they could come see me.  My immediate answer to that question is always, "sure! come on!"  Until that day.  Then I am as nervous as a first year teacher.  I question my lesson plan.  I question my classroom management.  I question my sanity. 

In my defense, today was our first early release day, before a long weekend, and the weather changed. Oh, and it's Friday.  See what I mean?  Any veteran teacher will tell you, that is a recipe for craziness.  Brace yourself, and have a backup plan. 

So I'm teaching my lesson (Hispanic Heritage, music and dance) when my new friends come in. They sit down on the risers (away from the class) and immediately start whispering and pointing.  Great for the old self-esteem, ya'll.  And the kids..........were GREAT.  They loved the lesson, and after we finished dancing I heard several "that was fun!" comments during the transition back to their seats.  They sang well, they learned a new song and game, and we all had a fantastic time.  Whew!  I hope my visitors enjoyed it, but I am pleased no matter what.

Once again I am reminded of how much I enjoy my job.  Happy Friday!

HHM la segunda parte (Part 2)-- La Raspa

"La Raspa" is a traditional dance from Mexico, often taught to school children.  (It is sometimes referred to as the Mexican Hat Dance, but this is incorrect.  The Mexican Hat Dance is a more complicated, flirtatious dance performed by adult dancers.)  I like to show the students a video of children dancing, to give them an idea of the final product we are aiming towards.  They really enjoyed this one:

This is just a home video of someone's school program, but it shows the steps well, along with the traditional costumes and some pretty good little dancers. 

We discuss the form of the piece (rondo), then learn the steps for each section.  I list ABACA on the board, with steps for each, to help them remember.   We partner up, and dance! Sometimes I have kinder and first dance in a circle instead of with partners - it depends on the class. :)

La Raspa is great exercise!  Get extra PE minutes, learn Rondo form, and learn multicultural music all in one fun activity.  It's a great way to start class for a few weeks.   Happy Hispanic Heritage Month!