Day 32 - 1st post of 2016/2017 School Year

To say the start of this school year has been crazy would be an understatement.  It has, however, been a great start.

As a parent, I now have 2 girls in Middle School and my son is still here in the elementary as a 4th grader.  In terms of my own children, they have had an awesome start to the year.

At the elementary, we have had a great beginning, but very unique.  This is the first year of our TLC grant for the district.  We now have coaches and leaders throughout the building whom you can go to for ideas, help, guidance, etc.....  We also have 11 new staff this year! Yes, 11! For some districts that may not seem much, but our building is full of change.

In the music classroom it has felt like we just picked up right where we left off from May.  The students remembered expectations, trained the new students and we are just continuing on from last year.  It's been fun to see/hear what they have retained

Another thing my 5th grade students have been working on is 16th notes or (tiri-tiri patterns). 16th notes are a fast-sounding group of four notes that fit into one beat time.  We've been practicing this using a song called "Tideo".  Unfortunately for them, we have been stuck on this song for 3 weeks drilling this concept, but working on it in different ways.  We learned the song and activity, then we moved to a racing game listening for tiri-tiri in the pattern.  Then we moved to popsicle stick notation and now we have moved the song to barred instruments.  Take a peek at two of the ways.

The other major achievement of this beginning of the year is always 5th grade band.  This year I am starting 55 students. One of my largest groups ever! We begin with small groups (sectionals) but have already progressed to large group band.  Considering there are so many of them, we are making great progress.

 

I overthink things. Inclusion is a necessity.

I belong to some groups on Facebook called "Music Teachers", "I'm a General Music Teacher", "Elementary Music Teachers".  I found these groups earlier this year and have found them a great resource tool.  Questions come across about how to teach certain concepts, new song games to teach, dances to use, etc..........  It's like a virtual collaboration team.  I love it.

These groups are also used as a venting source and it reminds me that I don't have it bad at all.  Music teachers working on a cart, teaching in a "closet", being treated as a "prep period".  I have it WONDERFUL where I work.  

Recently on one of these groups a program from a concert came across.  The person posting was very discouraged about how a student in a wheelchair was not being included into their concert program.  The program listed the students name and as a side note at the bottom said "and Jade".  This teacher was very distraught that the wheelchair limited their inclusion into a program that had been great at including them previously.  This got me to thinking.........  Dangerous, I know.

We have a student in 1st grade this year that is wheel-chair bound.  Noah has an infectious smile and a will to get him through any obstacle.  I, however, have treated his wheelchair as an obstacle and not allowed him to be who he is which I'm embarrassed to admit.  Thanks to social media, I was able to realize how I was putting MY limitations on him and what he was capable of. Considering I have a special-needs daughter of my own, this should be on the front of my radar.

My focus this year has been on rhythm.  We have drilled rhythmic dictation throughout the year sometimes without the kids realizing it.  I found a great game called "Rhythm Races" on Teachers Pay Teachers.  This was a game created by Lindsay Jervis and I highly recommend it.You can purchase it here. Rhythm Races

The concept is simple.  Based on their rhythm ability level, I tap a rhythm, they race down on their scooters, search through the rhythm choices and race back.  The kids love it and their rhythm skills have SKY-ROCKETED!!!!!  This is a game I will use for years to come.

The races on the scooters blind-sided me as to how Noah could participate.  The scooters are on the floor and I saw it as a way Noah "could not" participate.  I had him help me keep score.  He was thrilled to sit by me and be the teacher's helper and I never thought about it.  

After my Facebook group brought the idea of inclusion to my frontal lobe, I realized I was doing Noah a dis-service by not allowing him to participate in the game.

Today when his class attended, I had the scooters all set out, and he wheeled right up beside my chair to get the whiteboard for scoring.  I told him he was going to play on a team today and I am not kidding..............  I almost cried in front of them.  His face was BRILLIANT!  If ever there was a word to describe his excitement, this is what his face resembled.  Those that know Noah can imagine the face and hand gestures he made when he's excited.

I pulled a "chair-height" table out of my office and put the rhythm cards on top of it.  His team would all scooter down, stand up and search through the cards and scooter back.  Noah would simply wheel himself down and the cards were at his height.  The first round he got the correct answer and the word BRILLIANT doesn't even do justice to his face.  His team cheered him on, and I wished I would have caught it on video.  I did, however, catch another round on video to show how simple this adaptation to this game was for him.  How humble I was made today that I wouldn't think of something so easy to make him so happy.

The end of days.............

This post is being written when there are literally 11 hours of school left, but I'm going to revert back to two weeks prior.........

These last weeks of school have actually been really good as far as "end of the year" chaos goes.  The weather has stayed cool which kept the kids more focused until just recently.

However, why not just have fun in music.  Concerts are done, kids are doing tons of year-end-testing and assessments.  They need time to just be kids.  These are videos of very cool songs called "Animal Action".  These are 2 songs from the CD Kids In Action.  This is a CD from 1987 by "Greg and Steve".  These are old songs, but I still use this CD on a regular basis. 

Below are two videos of Kindergarten and 1st grade using the song.  I use it all the way through 2nd grade.  They love acting like animals and get very creative.  My only limits are they have to stand back up when the music starts.

 

This is a group of 2 Kindergarten classes combined.

This is a group of 1st graders.

I love letting my kids be kids and use their imaginations.

Kody

If I could describe Kody with one word, it would be "joy". 

Kody joined our district a few weeks ago.  He has some special needs so his schedule looks different than most 5th graders.

I get to start 3 of my 6-day cycles with Kody in some one-on-one music time.  When I first received the "assignment" I'll admit I was a little nervous.  I haven't done anything like this, I hadn't even gotten to meet him yet.

The first day he walked in, he immediately walked to some instruments and started playing.  I threw on some "rock out" music, as he calls it, and we beat on drums, played xylophones and just had a blast.

After that first half hour I decided 1 day a cycle would not be enough.  I now get to start 3 of my mornings with him.  He is one of the best ways to start my day.

Yesterday morning we got out the guitar and we were just jammin'.  He then started singing me a song.  I told him he should sing a song to Ms. K who is his aide.  He started singing and I realized how cool it was and had to record it.  The following is his song "Ms. K is awesome".

I am a music teacher with no claim to any music therapy training.  This is just a time for Kody and I to have fun singing, and playing music.  If anything, he is therapy to me.

"Joy".

Carnival of the Animals

 We started listening to Camille Saint-Saens "Carnival of the Animals" today in Kindergarten.  We listened to the "Chickens" and they got to bounce the eggs on the parachute.  We then listened to "Tortoises" which is very slow and calm.  I gave the students a stack of cups and told them to slowly make a tower of cups as high as they could.  Using the slow beat of the piece, they were able to focus and take their time.  Some towers got very high.  Some were very sturdy on the bottom which helped them go higher.  Very interactive classes today. 

Solo Contest Finale!

Just a quick update on the band side of things today............

March 19 we held our annual 5th-8th grade Instrumental solo & ensemble Contest.

I had 42 of my 48 5th grade band students participate doing an accompanied solo.  We ended with 8 (1-) ratings, 19 (1) ratings and 15 (1+) ratings.  It was a hugely successful day.  These 4 students earned Best of Center ratings from the judge that day.  Wyatt Thompson on Baritone, Peyton Smith on French Horn, Taylor Mustaine on Flute and Emelia Hauser on Clarinet.  The judge had a very hard decision and struggled narrowing it down to 4.  Congratulations!!!!!!

Aiken Drum Day

Now that we are done with our concerts for the year we try and cram in a ton of fun things before the end of the year.  One of them I haven't done in years is the great nonsense song of Aiken Drum.  This is a very old folk song that originated in Scotland.  There are many different versions of it, and the possibilities are endless.  

Today my 2nd graders sang the version I had by Music K-8.  They thought the song was hilarious as it's very catchy and easy to sing.  Then I asked students to help us design our own Aiken Drum for their class.  I think we ended up with a watermelon head, cheese body, string cheese legs, apple wedges feet, noodle arms, lettuce leaf hands, green olive eyes (not black), orange slice mouth and spaghetti hair.  My artistic skills are pitiful at best, so I didn't take a picture of him.  Maybe next time.  

Then the real fun began.  I split them up into groups with a simple task: make their own Aiken drum out of classroom instruments.  I gave them a few expectations before turning them loose.

1. Treat instruments with respect

2. Collecting, not playing

3. Work as a team

4. Put them back where you found them

Their creations turned out very unique.  When we do them again, we're going to start working on the correct names of the classroom instruments and what families they belong to (pitched, unpitched, shaken, scraped or hit). Here are today's creations

Hockey Singers

We got the chance to share our hard work at our school assemblies today. The hockey game is this Sunday in Des Moines at 5pm.  These 51 students have given up extra sleep on 12 Wednesday mornings to come practical 7:30am. They are so excited to share their efforts at the game.

 

What a great day we had at the Iowa Wild hockey game.  This was an experience I hope they never forget.  We felt like fish out of water with not knowing how to meet and which door, and ticket issues, but we managed to get everyone where they belonged on time.  Our PR coordinator led us to the lowest point of the arena where we had to wait for the LONGEST time EVER!!!!  A whopping 30 minutes with 50 elementary kids who are excited and nervous did make for an interesting wait, but they did great.  We proceeded to get lined up and watched the zambonis come on and off the ice.  After their last pass, it was time to lay out the green carpet.  When we got out there, they announced the players and they skated on to the ice right up next to us.  Very cool experience.  We led the way with God Bless America and another school group sang the National Anthem. 

We had practiced and practiced and practiced and it all paid off.  They looked, sounded and behaved in an extraordinary manner.  Very unlike elementary students.  I was so proud of them how they performed and how they showed respect on the ice.

When we were done they shooed us back upstairs and we found parents and the rest of the game was ours to enjoy.

This was a really unique experience that I might consider doing again.  Now that I have an idea of how it works I would be able to communicate better to my parents involved and help them through the process of ordering tickets, doors, etc.

 

Concerts coming soon...........

Our spring concerts are quickly approaching and the music room is experiencing things never done before.

I'm taking a different approach this year and (gasp) trying something new. I always do a mass concer in one evening with all 6 grades (K-5). It makes for a very long night and is exhausting. This year I'm breaking them into 2 grade levels on 3 different nights. Yes, it's making more work for me but it's less students at once to coordinate. I'm hoping it also allows the students to feel more special about their night. 

Kindergarten and 1st grade is presenting on Tuesday March 1st. They are sing and dancing folk songs. 

2nd and 3rd grade is Tuesday March 8. They are singing songs about good character, folk dancing and doing a rhythm routine. The dance below is of 3rd grade dancing The Little Shoemaker folk dance. 

4th and 5th grade are keeping a patriotic theme. They are proudly learning The Star Spangled Banner. We've had interesting discussion as to the meaning of this old English. What they thought they were hearing wasn't even close to the real words. "Jose can you see" thinking the song was about a guy named Jose. They are also doing a combined dance, rhythm routine, 5th band, 4th recorders and each doing a basketball routine. Below is a VERY beginning stage of a 5th grade class starting their routine. We chose 80s song Hungry Like a Wolf. I'm not really sure why, but the pattern is a simple form  with easy patterns to hear. 4th grade is doing the Ghostbusters theme song. They are all LOVING it. It took a lot of thinking outside the box for me but my boys have really bought into it and are liking the difference. I hope to have some performance videos in a couple of weeks 

GarageBand Project

I'm a HUGE technology fan.  I am a music teacher that has many different pieces of technology within my classroom that I probably use every day.  

Tuesday, my 5th graders began a new project using GarageBand on the computers.  They have had a few chances to play with the GarageBand app on iPad, but on computers is a really different, complex program.

Here is Wikipedia's definition of GarageBand:

      "GarageBand's music and podcast creation system enables users to create multiple tracks with pre-made MIDI keyboards, pre-made loops, voice recordings, and an array of various instrumental effects."

In short, it has sounds already recorded into the system and you can layer them and create your own song.

5th graders are going to create new songs/raps for our school's Character Counts programs.  We have several expectations of behavior for procedures within the school.  We're going to update them with fun, personalized songs they have created and recorded.  YIKES!  I've never done a project like this and I'm creating it as I go.  I haven't thought through all the steps yet and that makes me nervous.

The first step we loved!  I did a quick explanation of how GarageBand on the computer works and demonstrated on my projected laptop and then we headed into the computer lab.  Tuesday's goal was to just get familiarized with how it works.  I gave them a goal of creating a 12-bar pattern using 3 different sounds that complimented each other.  What creativity there was.  Everyone was engaged!  Some chose to work in pairs or small groups, others worked individually.  The end result was really interesting and better than I thought.  I'm overwhelmed with all the choices on the program but they took it in stride.  

Here are some pictures I took of them working away.

This one got really ambitious and had 5 different tracks and layered them with different timing.

7 different tracks on this one, maybe a bit much, but very creative.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hockey practice AM

We had a great rehearsal this morning for the Iowa Wild hockey singing.  This is my amazing group of kids grades K-5 that meet some Wednesday mornings at 7:30 to practice.  They sound AMAZING!!!!

Most are smiling for 7:55am.

This is more like it.  :)

My video was too long so I chose a few seconds after the beginning so you could hear them all the way to the end.  Enjoy!

 

Folk Dancing

It's that time of year for Kindergarten and 1st graders begin my folk dancing unit.  Folk dancing is a great way to get kids to understand rhythm patterns, musical form, music history and more.  I usually do a quick explanation of the purpose of a folk dance.  Most were considered to be part of a Play Party.  When families or neighbors would get together to celebrate, dancing was usually a huge part of it.  This was a way for them to chat or catch up with one another after a long winter.  

The dance I usually teach my youngest students is the traditional reel set to the song Alabama Gal.  The song is very easy to teach and learn.  Students, even Kindergarten, are able to sing and dance at the same time to it. 

When students have learned each part individually, we gradually begin to try it without stopping in between each section.  This is where it's fun to watch and learn who the real leaders are in the classroom and let them do their job.  

In the following video, this is a Kindergarten group on their 2nd day of practicing Alabama Gal.  You will hear me call out a few directions and start them singing each verse, but the rest is on their own.

Rhythm Races

So there's this new game in music right now that is a huge hit from 1st grade through 5th grade.  "Rhythm Races"!!!!!  Thanks to the amazing site of Teachers Pay Teachers, I found this fun winter activity made by another music teacher and it is a blast.  https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Songs-and-Activities-for-Winter-1001838

Lindsay Jervais has created an entire packet of winter activities, but this is the one I will spend the most time using.  

Students are divided into 4 color teams.  Each team has a scooter that I borrowed from my PE teacher.  I tap a rhythm depending on what skill level we need and students race down to the other end of the room and sort through all the cards with rhythms and are trying to identify which pattern then heard.  First team to bring back the correct rhythm card receives 2 points for their team.  All other teams receive 1 point if they brought back the correct rhythm.  Incorrect rhythm, 0 points.  

This is a great activity for this time of year as we are always concerned with having inside recess due to the wind chill factor.  I'm trying to do my part at burning off a little energy for the classroom teachers to survive the day.  The boys also think this is a great activity and enjoy music just a little more than normal.

This game also has the potential for me to create my own races depending on what we're working on.  One unit I do are instruments of the orchestra and we could do a listening race for each instrument they hear.  Possibilities are endless and have the creative juices flowing.

I let my students help take pictures on the iPad since I was keeping score and checking rhythms so that's why there are so many.  (I deleted about half of them as well).