Aunt Pearlie Sue leads the way...

February is Black History Month, so I like to use this time to explore the music that has evolved in America thanks to the African-American culture.  My favorite way to start this unit with my 3rd graders is with an interactive website lesson (points for using technology!).   We are fortunate to have a computer lab at my school, so this week my 3rd grade classes are meeting in the lab.  You could also do this with one computer and a projector, with the teacher leading the class through the material.

So, first go to www.knowitall.org/gullahmusic.  You should see a page like this:

See the lady on the left?  That's Aunt Pearlie-Sue.  She narrates this whole adventure, so make sure you have the sound turned on.  She has a pretty thick gullah accent, so the words are also printed on each page. When you move your cursor over the four circles, you can hear her laugh....the kids said it sounds like a chicken! LOL!  Anyway, start with the "Secret Code" section.  Aunt Pearlie Sue tells all about how the slaves used music to communicate and help guide others to the underground railroad.  There are even examples of some of the music to listen to. 

At the end of this section, we recap and I ask questions to make sure they were paying attention. Then we go on to explore the other three sections, which are about making music.  Click on different sounds to create your own arrangement, listen to children sing with Pearlie Sue, and compose your own blues verse (I use that one for a separate lesson the following week). 

As if that weren't enough, you can click on "The Journey" to follow the evolution of music from African drums all the way to Hip Hop, with examples of each along the way.  How cool is that? The kids are loving it!

Do you have a favorite lesson for Black History Month?  Please share! 

Bass Hall Field Trip

Today I took my second graders to Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth to see the FWSO.  They do a great children's performance every year.  They presented "Peter and the Wolf" by Prokofiev, complete with ballet dancers acting out the story.  The kids LOVED it! This year we sat in the Upper Gallery...read "nosebleed section"...but even from there, the view is great. 

It's one of my favorite events of the year.  We make a big deal out of getting to go to a symphony concert.  We discuss proper etiquette for attending a concert, and what to wear--the kids show up on field trip day dressed to the nines.  A 7-year-old in a suit and tie is ADORABLE!  They learn about the Hall beforehand, so as soon as they get inside they are looking around, identifying the art on the ceilings and marble staircases that they saw in pictures.  The staff and volunteers at Bass Hall are fabulous--they love what they do and they are good at it.  They escort you from the bus to your seats and back again. It's almost impossible to lose anyone on this trip! ;)

If you ever have the opportunity to take students to Bass Performance Hall, DO IT.  It will be the best music field trip you've ever done!

Happy 2012!

Happy New Year!  I hope your holiday was restful, relaxing, and rejuvenating, and that you are ready to jump into 2012 with both feet!  Let's sing, dance, and play our hearts out!

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!