I've added a new page!

Every once in a while I get a chance to be crafty, and I like to share my finished projects.  My husband tries to be enthusiastic, but it's just not the same as a fellow crafter's appreciation. :)  I hope you will check them out and let me know what you think!  Everything I do is inspired by someone else, so maybe you will find some inspiration on this page.  Summer's here, so let's get crafting!

Check out my Crafty Moments HERE.

Summer Lovin'

We made it!  Our school year ended last Thursday, with a teacher workday on Friday.  I am now officially on summer break.  Woo hoo!  As much as I love my job, I am ready for some rest and relaxation.  After a couple of weeks of sleeping late and catching up on housework, I hope to start thinking about the next school year........a little bit.  I'm planning on reorganizing my school binder, updating my sub binder, and recreating my choir binder.  And of course, I'll be all over the school supply sales in July and August.  I hope to post more during the summer as I come across ideas and lessons to share. 

What would you like to hear about? I would love it if you would leave a comment!

The Magic Jukebox

Hello friends!  Sorry it's been so long since my last post.  Things have been crazy busy, as they are in April and May.  My third graders are preparing to perform our last program on Tuesday.  It's called "The Magic Jukebox", and it's in the Silver Burdett "Power of Performance" book. 

I LOVE this program!  The magic jukebox plays songs from the 40s, 50s, and 60s.  They are singing great music like "It Don't Mean a Thing if it Ain't Got That Swing", "Hound Dog", and "Dancin' in the Streets".  The kids have really enjoyed singing these songs, and because they are in the textbook series, they are already formatted for young kids to sing.  The down side is that you have to do some of your own creative work.  I had to research period dances to choreograph the songs (the story line is about dancing, so you need some), but we are having a good time learning together. 

UPDATE:  The performance was awesome!  It was SO much fun.  The parents loved it, the kids rocked it, and I am one proud music mama!  The best part was the week after--kids were telling me how much they enjoyed performing, and even thanked me for helping them learn it!  <happy sigh> This is why I love my job!

Recorder Mayhem

Ah, the recorder.  It's that instrument we love to hate sometimes, but I think it is an important part of my students' music education.  Some teachers use recorders regularly, starting in early grades--if you are one of those people, my hat is off to you!  I, however, have chosen to introduce recorders in a focused unit in fourth grade.  By that age, most of their hands are big enough to cover the holes (a few still struggle with this for a few weeks) and they are ready for a new challenge.  It injects some much-needed enthusiasm in my class for the spring semester, just when the kids are getting restless and ready to be done with elementary school.

After much trial and error, I have settled into my personal favorite method:  Recorder Karate.  It is by far the most motivating thing for my kids.  It's amazing!  Boys who never seemed to be that "into" music are suddenly racing to see who can reach their Black Belt first.  Kids who (I thought) were not really progressing musically are suddenly reading music like crazy.  I love it.  I begin the unit with class lessons to learn their first three notes (BAG), practicing together to learn the classic first song: Hot Cross Buns.  When they play the song alone successfully, they get their white belt.  After that, I begin each class with a group lesson, group practice, then independent practice time.  (Maybe I'm just a control freak, but that was something I had to learn how to do with this age of students--let them practice independently.  I'm so used to being the leader, director, conductor, etc., I had never set young kids loose on their own.  Guess what?  They CAN do it!) During independent practice time, they can sign up on the board to play for me.  I get to spend one-on-one time with kids, helping when they are struggling, cheering when they get it, and giving immediate rewards for success. Awesomeness!

So this year, I had a new problem.  I had a group of VERY competitive boys who made black belt (9 levels) in THREE WEEKS.  Yikes!  What now?  That's what they were asking me, every day, after school, before school, during class....they wanted more!  So I started digging, went to the yarn department to find new colors for belts, and gave them some more.  They are loving it.  I never dreamed I would be able to differentiate this much in an elementary music classroom.  I am having a ball, and they are keeping me on my toes. 

Now that's not to say that I don't have days when I don't want to hear another recorder sound--ever--but for the most part, I have a lot of fun with this unit.  Seeing kids get excited about making music is worth every ear-piercing, headache-inducing whistle.  Really. 

FOLLOW-UP:  Last week one of my fourth graders came to school in this shirt she made at home.  I heart her.



Hop to It! Easter Fun

Well, I meant to get this post up sooner, but I guess it's better late than never, right?  Easter is upon us, and the kids are brimming with excitement over eggs, bunnies, candy, and spring fun!  This week I just decided to run with the Easter Bunny theme with my younger students.  Here are some of my favorites:

1.  Easter Rhythms:  I cut out enough paper egg shapes for the entire class.  On each egg, I wrote a word or phrase about easter/spring, like "easter bunny, egg hunt, jelly beans", etc.  Before the kids come into the room, I hide the eggs around the music room (in easy places to find).  I have three easter baskets, each with a rhythm card taped to the front.  For first grade, I used two quarter notes, two eighths and a quarter note, and two pairs of eighth notes.  The students get to find the easter eggs, read the words, then place the egg in the basket with the matching rhythm pattern.  We go through each basket together, and any misplaced eggs we review and discover the correct rhythm of the words. 

2.  Scrambled Eggs:  For this you need plastic easter eggs.  Print out songs the kids know, and cut apart the phrases.  You can use rhythms, melodies, or both, depending on the grade level.  Include the title, but not the lyrics.  Students have to open the eggs, read the phrases, and put them in order to read the song.  They can work in groups as a race, or if you're really industrious you could have a set for each student. 

3.  The Bunny Hop:  Little kids have to move, so let's learn the Bunny Hop!  I simplified the first steps to a single touch on each side before the hops.  It's a great way to work out the wiggles!

4.  Books:  I love to incorporate books into my classes, and this is no exeption.  This week we read Bunny's Noisy Book by Margaret Wise Brown in Kinder, and There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Chick by Lucille Colandro in first grade.  My kinder babies enjoy making all the sounds the bunny hears in his day, and first graders will be singing along with the crazy old lady!

Some other favorite songs this week are from Denise Gagne's "Movement Songs Children Love"--especially "One Green Jelly Bean" and the "Easter Bunny Boogie". 

Do you have an Easter activity that your kiddos love?  Please share! 

Happy Easter!

Testing, Testing, 1,2,3.....

It's that time again in Texas: state testing season.  Music teachers everywhere are alternating between "whew!  I'm glad I don't have to teach a tested subject!" and "hey, just because we aren't testing doesn't mean we aren't important!".  To my fellow music teachers I say, take heart friends!  We are even more important now.  Our students are working, nose to the grindstone all day every day.  Their classroom teachers are keeping them focused on a very real, sometimes daunting, goal.  For students who are struggling, music may be the one place they feel confident and safe taking a risk.  For academically strong students, music is a chance to stretch their wings and express themselves.  Music teacher, you are important!  Even if you have to change your schedule, combine classes, monitor restrooms, and take kids to recess, you are doing good work.  My role this week is to be a cheerleader for my kiddos and help them to feel successful.  If we get to make music in the process, that's even better!  It's a good week to focus on flexibility and creativity, and to remind myself that with or without the music, I am a teacher. My students need me to be calm, confident, and positive.  My inner diva is going to take a back seat to academics, and she will survive......as long as I let her out again soon. ;)

Carnival of the Animals

I don't know about you, but sometimes I struggle with Kindergarten.  I have them for 55 minutes once a week, which is too long for them to focus on any one thing, so I need lots of activities for each class.  I have been working on a unit for Carnival of the Animals for them, and it is going really well.  Each week, we have an "Animal of the Week".  We listen to the music for that animal and learn about the instrument(s) represented in the piece.  I have several activities that I am using in each week's lesson.

1.  Movement:  move like the animal represented while listening to the music, or copy the teacher's movements during the music.
2.  Read a book from the library featuring the animal of the week. (can be fiction or non)
3.  Sing a song related to the animal (ex:  "Here Comes a Bluebird" for the Aviary)
4.  Play a game with the song.
5.  Watch a video of the selection (I've found great ones on YouTube!)
6.  Color a picture from this awesome coloring book:

I am keeping their pictures each week, and we will compile them into a book at the end of the unit. Periodically, I will interject a different lesson to break up the pattern, but most kids love the predictability of it all.  They come in asking for the new animal each week! 

If you would like a sample lesson for The Aviary, just shoot me an email at ckmusicmom@ymail.com, and I'll send you a PDF file.  Thanks for reading!

Classroom Management 101

This is the time of year when things begin to slip.  Cabin fever, early spring, full moon--blame it on whatever you want, but the kids seem more.....energetic, perhaps?   That's a sure sign that it's time to revisit your rules and procedures.  We've had a lot of new students move in at my school, and that always changes the dynamic of the classroom.  So pretend it's for the benefit of our new friends, and take the time to review what you expect from your students.  Consider it a condensed version of the first week of school.  I promise, it will be worth your time!

As music teachers, we want our classrooms to be free, creative, and expressive, like we are.  But too much freedom and creativity can lead to chaos, so how do we keep the balance?  It's a question I ask myself every day.  Really.  EVERY DAY.  So there's nothing wrong with you if you feel the same way!  Even as a 20-year veteran of the classroom, I find reminders and tips very helpful.  I highly recommend getting on the email list for Smart Classroom Management.  You'll get a weekly tip in your inbox to help you keep on top of student behavior. They have the best tips and ideas to keep your classroom flowing smoothly, which makes for a happy teacher and, as a result, happy classes! 

FREE online music activites!

This week at our district music meeting, we shared ideas for using technology in the music classroom.  It was so much fun!  I love finding new ways to present materials to my students, and they get excited about technology.  I am blessed to have a projector, document camera, and ActivSlate in my room, and I try to use them whenever I can.  I would LOVE to have an interactive white board. I'm even thinking about applying for a grant to get one.  That's new territory for me, so we'll see....

With those resources in mind, here are some of my current favorite websites to use in my class:

The Blob Chorus - awesome ear training practice.  Each blob sings a pitch, then King Blob sings.  You click on the blob that sang the same note as King Blob.  If you're wrong, the blob you chose explodes! You can choose from 3 to 8 pitches in the set, so the challenge increases with your skills.  My kids LOVE this game!

The Music Interactive - these games are designed for interactive white boards, but you can use them with a mouse, too.  You have to download the games to your computer to play.  There are many free downloads to choose from.  My faves are Rhythm Blocks, Staff Wars, Speed Note, Rhythm Adding and Rhythm Dictation.

I use these games with the whole class, using the projector.  There are lots of ways for the students to participate:

1.  Show of hands:  everyone holds up fingers to show their answer choice; majority chooses answer. Works well with Blob Chorus.
2.  Give students answer cards to hold up.  Could be laminated/dry erase writing, numbered, or color coded.
3.  Divide the class into teams and let them take turns answering.  Award points for correct answers.
4.  In speed based games, teams could have an individual answer until they miss one, then the next team member steps in or play goes to the other team. (Staff Wars)

This is a great way to inject some new energy into your class this time of year.  I hope you have fun with these ideas!  And when you're just playing around, check out Quaver's Marvelous World of Music.  I haven't figured out how to make this work for a group setting yet, but it is on my list of links for kids to try!

Why Music Teachers Should Stay in Shape

I know, that title makes me cringe too.  But this week, my body betrayed me.  I have been teaching elementary music for 15 years, and I have always been right in there with the kids, singing, dancing, jumping, hopping, skipping, whatever!  Lately my classes have been really wiggly, so I've been starting class with 5 to 10 minutes of movement (especially on rainy days).  Sometimes it's structured, "follow the leader" type stuff, and sometimes we just cut loose and DANCE!  My newest dance song is the Kidz Bop version of "Party Rock Anthem".  It's really fun!  It's great watching 7-year-olds shuffle! 

So there we were, dancing our hearts out in first grade.  We finished the song and sat down to begin the lesson.  Moments later, I stood up and...............ouch!  My ankle hurt with every step.  "No biggie," I thought.  "I've had minor twists a million times.  I'll just walk it off."  Yeah, right.  For the first time in my life, I sprained my ankle!  No joke!  I'm offically too old for hip-hop.  Dang.