GROUP BAND!

Today marks the 2nd full playing day of 5th grade band.  I have 46 wonderful young ladies and gentlemen.  The group is a great mix of our 5th graders and they are off to a great start.

We have been in school for a full month now and lessons have been going on for the last 3 weeks consistently.  It takes a while to get that crazy lesson schedule memorized.

Some of the students were able to take summer lessons with either myself or the high school band director in June.  We have all varieties in the summer, meaning, some students just play the 4 days of the month they have their lessons, then don't touch it again until school starts and some students are 1/2 way through the book due to their own determination.

That determination gets put to work, however, and those students become leaders for new players.

At the beginning of the school year, the first week is simply figuring out who is playing what and if we have enough school instruments to make that possible.

There is no way to start group band at the beginning so we start off with group sections playing together.  This still might be a group of 10 kids for some instruments, but there are usually 1 or 2 that have had those summer lessons that can make sure their reed isn't on upside down or they have their trombone slide on the wrong side.

After Monday's group rehearsal I decided they needed to be recorded.  It was a great day and today was equally good.  I love, however, to show this video to them at the end of the year and let them hear the growth they've made.  For now we're stuck playing songs from their lesson book, but by the spring concert we are playing sheet music and playing "real" music.  

Yes, 5th grade band can be a bit painful at times, but I wouldn't trade it for the world.  I love seeing that look on their face when they finally get that note to sound perfect or when they figure out the correct fingering.  I love giving those high students the chance to help their neighbor player which allows their natural leadership to shine.

Here is the video from today.  I apologize for the shakiness of it.  I was trying to direct and record at the same time. 

Hodge Podge

I've been taking pictures and videos like crazy, but the blog hasn't kept up with them, so there will be many grade levels and ideas presented in this post to catch up.

 
This first group of pictures is taken from a 4th grade class.  We were doing a "Fakebook" project studying composers.  The class chose their groups of either 2 or 3 students, chose a composer biography and started putting building his Facebook page.  The main events in the composers' lives were on these fact sheets, so students had to read them and then figure out how to put the words into the composers' voice.  Statements included "Today I start working at my very first job at St. Thomas Lutheran Church.  I'll be playing organ today.  Wish me luck!" This would have been a "post" by the composer in his voice but using the facts from his timeline.

The next portion are pictures taken from two 1st grade rooms.  We've been busy reviewing rhythm patterns that we learned at the end of Kindergarten last year.  Ta, ti-ti and we've added the Z rest.  All song games that we've been playing have included these patterns.  We've worked on them in a variety of ways from playing instruments to building the pattern with craft sticks.

This class shows a game called "I Have Who Has".  This game can be used in any class and is a great way to review.  On the cards I wrote a 4-beat pattern using ta, ti-ti and the Z rest.  Students have to say "I have ta, ti-ti, ta, sh.  Who has ta, ta, ti-ti, sh?"  When they read this, everyone else has to look at their card and see if that is the rhythm they have.  1st graders have been amazing me and did this extremely well.  I was so proud of them!

  The next class you'll see is 2nd grade, and a huge group of them.  It was swimming specials so I had 1 and 1/2 classes in the room.  Whew.....

We learned a song "Naughty Kitty Cat".  Here's the music.

Yes, I know the words say "you are very fat!"  We have a discussion about this when playing the game.  If you are chosen to be the cat, they have been told that the song has been around for years, we are not calling the student fat, but indeed the cat.  So far no parents have called.

This is a simple chase game of the owner trying to catch the cat.  Students in the circle are the fence, and on the last Z rest of the song, the fence comes down and the owner can start running after the cat.

Enjoy!

Melodic Dictation

Melodic dictation involves the ability to hear a piece of music and quickly play it back or write down the notes of the melody.

This sounds like mass chaos, and it kind of was, but it was neat watching students processing what I was asking them to do.

We recently learned a new song called "Tideo".  This song is used to reinforce the rhythm of "tiri-tiri" or a group of 16th notes.  When we learned the song, I also had them work on listening for the solfege syllables of mi-re-do and sing that pattern every time they heard it.  Once we had learned the song, we learned the activity.  

This was the extension part after the activity.  I gave them a starting note on xylophones and they had to see if they could notate the rest.  Most of the song is repetitious so there were patterns they would hear multiple times. I had them begin by finding the mi-re-do pattern to write down and play and then move on from there.  

Some students had a very interesting approach to it and just kept trying different patterns to see if it sounded like the song.  Others were only working on the part they knew and would write that down.  We'll see if we can finish this project next time.  It's almost time to begin Centers!!!

Wow!!!!!!!!!!

If you ask any teacher, especially former teachers (a.k.a. my mom), if you mention the phrase "teacher in-service" faces start squinting and they do anything to change the subject.

My mom's consistent response when I say I had an in-service day is "if you came away with one thing you can use, it was a productive in-service".  See mom, I listen to you.  

So at the beginning of the year, one of our in-service topics was on a fixed mind-set.  I know I am guilty of limiting my kids' abilities and saying they can or can't do something because of their age or what student's haven't been able to do in the past.

If we as educators have a fixed mind-set about what children can or can't do it translates to the kids and they begin to believe that mind-set as well.

My point in this rambling is that today I was SOOOOOOOO guilty of that fixed mind-set.  Today my kids reminded me, ever so gently, that my mind-set was getting in the way of their learning.

I had a lesson plan all ready to go and they proved they could rise to the challenge and, in fact, surpassed my expectations of them.

Backup a minute: Yesterday, was Kindergarten specials.  I had all the K and Pre-K kids and they learned a new song game that is very traditional for this age, "Apple Tree". 

 

A very simple song with a very simple game.  They did a great job learning the song, practicing sol and mi (high and low singing) and even did some audiating (singing through the song but leaving out certain words and only thinking them) and of course, playing the game.

Back to the present:

In my schedule today I had both the full Pre-K class and one of the Kindergarten classes back-to-back.  My Pre-K class came in and the plan was to "review the song, play the game and move on to another game".  As I was beginning this simple plan, one of the boys just started singing the song on his own.  At first I was upset that he was singing while I was trying to talk.  I mean "how dare he!!, right"?  Then when I shut up and just listened to him, I was in awe.  Here is this little 5-year-old who has a beautiful little singing voice, singing the words spot on, matching pitch and great rhythm and beat.  After I picked my chin up off the floor, I realized my fixed mind-set of what they couldn't do had gotten in the way of an amazing class possibility.

After he had finished the first time I asked him if I could record him.  Here is the recording and just "wowed" me.

So then............

After he had finished singing, more wanted to sing by themselves.  15 out of 17 of the Pre-K sang a solo of "Apple Tree".  I was so proud of them.  Singing a solo can be very scary, but this is a great start that it's not as scary as they think.

The next half hour, I had Kindergarten class and was planning the same lesson.   Having learned my lesson previously, I offered these kids a chance to sing with a partner to save on time since they have more students.  All but 4 students chose to sing.  This video was one of my favorites.

So after all that rambling, I love when I continue to learn along with my students.  

It was a really fun day today and so proud of my kids. Lesson learned.

Turkeys and tiri-tiris

Yes, I know the title of my post is a little on the weird side, but that's usually how I am anyway.

In 5th grade we introduced a new rhythm yesterday during specials.  It was introduced in a new song and today we finished it up and learned the game.

A tiri-tiri is a group of 4 sounds or 4 syllables that all fall inside one beat.

Each fish has at least one tiri-tiri in it.  They are the group of 4 lines with 2 bars connecting them together across the top.

Yesterday we learned a new song called "Chicken on a Fencepost".  The words are very easy to learn and very repetitive.

After learning the new rhythm pattern and how they fit into the beats, we were ready to start the game.

This is a simple "race-to-it-first" game.  Two concentric circles of students.  2 students outside the circles with backs to groups.  I point out a spot within both circles where the gates will open at the end of the song.  When we start the song, the circles walk in opposite directions.  The 2 outside students have no idea where the gates are going to open, so it is simply luck of the draw.  There are some students who use the strategy of staying right next to the other person and then they have an equal chance of making it and then other students keep moving on opposite sides and hope for the best.

The following is Mr. Eash's 5th grade class today.  The race to the middle is much more enjoyable if they have something physical to grab.  In my giant tote of stuffed animals, I did not have a chicken.  I had an egg shaker, and then I had a mini turkey.  The class chose to use the turkey and decided we needed to change the song to "Turkey on a Fencepost".  

And here is a video of the chaos.

Monkeys and Pops

Today in Kindergarten we learned the valuable song of "Pop Goes The Weasel".  It is an old English nursery rhyme and singing game.  If you remember playing with a jack-in-the-box, this was often the tune played while you wound the crank.

Up and down the City Road

In and out the Eagle

That’s the way the money goes

Pop! goes the weasel

 

These are the original words written in 1856 in England.  Side Note: In cloth making, the machine that wound the yarn was called the weasel. Every 1,000 yards, the machine made a popping sound, thus “Pop! goes the weasel.” 

 

As the song moved to America, the words obviously became more Americanized.  The words I learned and taught to Kindergarten this afternoon were:

 

All around the mulberry bush

The monkey chased the weasel

The monkey thought 'twas all in fun

Pop! Goes the weasel

 

If you've been in my room, you can imagine the temptations that await Kindergarten students as they see a room filled with instruments.  Every day they wonder if we're going to "play" with something.  Today, I thought we'd start simple and add "poppers".  I love recycling but I also love re-purposing in my music room. 

A few years ago, in a hallway here at school, I saw a science kit that was going unused.  Nosy me peeked inside and saw a bag full of syringes (without needles).  When I pulled the plunger out, it made a crazy popping sound, and I had to have them.  I quickly asked my principal if anyone was using the kit and she said "anything that is in that hallway is up for grabs".  Guess what? I grabbed.

The following videos are 2 of my 3 Kindergarten groups I had for specials this afternoon.  The second group was having a very hard time following directions and we ran out of time.  Maybe next time.

 

 

SCHOOL SONG AND SCHOOL SPIRIT

Our entire school reviews, refreshes, and learns the school song at the beginning of every year.  All grades 1st-5th have learned it in previous years, so it's just a matter of refreshing it in their brains and giving any new students a chance to learn it as well.

The 4th graders are singing it in the two videos below.

GO YOU WEST MARSHALL

BREAK RIGHT THROUGH THAT LINE

WITH OUR COLORS FLYING

WE WILL CHEER YOU ALL THE TIME!

RAH! RAH! RAH!

GO YOU WEST MARSHALL

FIGHT FOR VICTORY

SPREAD FAR THE FAME OF OUR FAIR NAME

GO WEST MARSHALL WIN THAT GAME!