Success & Joy in the Adaptive Music Classroom

Happy October! I hope your year is off to a wonderful start - can you believe it's fall already???
Today I'd like to share about a topic near and dear to my heart - adaptive music classes. My nephew is non-verbal, autistic and struggles heavily with behaviors. I've seen first hand the power that music has for everyone, but especially these unique students. Educators around the country are also beginning to see the benefits that music has for students. Because of this, more and more music teachers are being asked to teach "adaptive" or "contained" small group classes. Many are thrust into this situation without any prior knowledge or even a clue of what to do. 

Two years ago, I was placed in this exact situation. I discovered that I would be teaching a Severe & Profound group twice every cycle in addition to their regular music time. I'd been to classes with my nephew and worked with him while I was in college. However, each student is special and learns in their own way, no matter their abilities. 
For the rest of this blog post, I'd like to share with you what has worked in my classroom with a variety of students. Every day is different - never forget that! You will have ups and down, triumphs and stepping stones. These students have truly become my favorites and I look forward to their classes each cycle. I hope that you will also find success and joy with these classes because I know they find joy in the music you are making!
What does "adaptive" mean?
Adaptive classes can take on many names, faces and descriptions. The word "adaptive" just means that you are making changes or adjustments so the students can be successful in their learning. You want your goals and lessons to be accessible for each student in their own way.

What might a classroom of these students look like?
A class like this can differ from building to building and even year to year! The students may be in wheelchairs, unable to speak or need help with general movement. Some could be struggling with regulating themselves emotionally. Others might be learning how to recognize and cope with a certain behavior. Many times these students will come with a group or individual aide who knows their situation and can better assist you in planning or making changes. They may or may not participate, but are there to guide the student. 

What things can you do with these students?
As each student is different, they will naturally gravitate toward something musical that excites them. Many of my students love movement, whether we do a simple dance or just wave scarves. Some love to play on a drum. In time, you will learn more about your class and some of their likes/dislikes. 

What are some things you can do to be successful with these students?
First of all, get to know your kids! Many people keep notes to remember what the student struggles with or if they have a specific classroom goal they are working towards. Talk to the special education teacher, school therapist/guidance counselor and their aides. I once had a student that had a very traumatic experience with balloons. I immediately scratched off all the lesson ideas I had with balloons because I wanted to make that student comfortable and happy in music. Maybe the whole group is working on their ABC's in the special education room. This is a great way for you to help while also working on a musical goal like singing together. Second, routine is huge! Below, I will share with you the routine I have established in my classroom. It took many weeks, but the students are happier and know what to expect. It also helps teach them patience and understanding because they know we will play the drums at some point. Finally, don't be afraid to adapt as a teacher. You might have a stellar lesson that worked previously, but it's been a long week and the kids have had it! Don't be discouraged! Maybe give them a choice between two things or let them pick a favorite song. Take some calming time or a sensory activity. Some days will go perfectly and other times you just have to work with it. Don't let this turn you away from music, teaching or these awesome kids. Tomorrow is a whole new day!

So, what does a day in music class with this group look like for me? I've found that this routine works well for my students because it provides them with multiple musical activities while also practicing concepts that I want them to experience:

• beginning activity
• vocal exploration
• steady beat
• game/sensory/literature
• simple songs
• creative movement
• classroom percussion exploration
• calming/cool down

Below, I will detail each category and share some of my activities that have worked well with my students. Many of the songs and activities I use come from Listen & Learn Music, Laurie Berkner, Miss Carole, Hap Palmer and assorted other places. If you have a specific question, please email me and I'd be happy to help you!

Please understand that your students are so unique and may not enjoy or be able to participate in any of the above categories. This is simply what is successful in my classroom after several weeks of getting to know my students. My aides are great fun and are always happy to participate with the students. This makes things like games and dances easier because each student has a helpful partner. As always, do what is best for your students, classroom, building, district and self. 

BEGINNING ACTIVITY
I use a short beginning activity to get everyone into the room and settled in. Many times it takes these students a bit longer to get to the classroom and I don't want them to miss any of the music making so this is a way for them to get stretched, focus and ready to start class.

• stretchy band (Listen & Learn Music)
• parachute (Shakin' the Chute)
• bean bags (Bean Bag Boogie, Bean Bag Fun, Bean Bag Beatbox)
• Brain Bop
• GoNoodle/Just Dance

VOCAL EXPLORATION
Vocal exploration is so important for these students! We work to hear all the parts of the voice, regardless of the ability to form words. I have an interactive whiteboard in my classroom, so it is always a treat when the kids get to come up and draw their own pathway on the board.

• TeachersPayTeachers
• John Feierabend vocal exploration cards
• slide whistle
• Hoberman Sphere
• pipe cleaners

STEADY BEAT
Steady beat is so important for all grade levels, so this is something we do every class period. Normally, we use body percussion or instruments but we also move around the room occasionally.

• body percussion - simple activities from Elementary Etudes
• beat buddies
• Music Express (The Beat is the Heart of Music & Steady Eddie)
• John Feierabend's Keeping the Beat
• movement (Movin' to the Beat from Music K8 or The Ants Go Marching)

GAME/SENSORY/TECHNOLOGY
This is the part of the lesson that can differ daily. I try to rotate them unless it's "student request day." Sometimes we play a simple game where the students are working on taking turns or understanding that they are out. Other times they do an activity with a partner. There are lots of things that can fit here - email me if you'd like more information!

• iPad apps (Singing Fingers, Monkey Drum or GarageBand)
• Tap It Here (Musicplay) or Charlie Over the Ocean
• Great Big Ball (Miss Carole) - this one is HUGE with my kids!
• Music Mega Blocks - create combinations of ta/titi
• Hot Potato

SIMPLE SONGS
This category can be filled with any type of singing you want. At the beginning of the year, we do a lot of echo singing and vocal exploration before diving into full songs. I do use this time to practice program songs if the students want to share with the others. We also combine classroom learning, such as the ABC's, counting and family/community awareness.

• folk songs and/or nursery rhymes
• program songs
• Friends & Family (Hal Leonard)
• Alphabet Action Songs (Musicplay)
• echo songs (Oh, In the Woods, Green Grass Grew All Around, Walking in the Jungle)

CREATIVE MOVEMENT
This is where many of my students shine - they love to move to music! We do simple dances, actions or just free movement with props like scarves and ribbons. Freeze dance is always a hit, too, because they get to hear their favorite tunes.

• scarves & ribbons (Listen & Learn Music)
• Parachutes and Ribbons and Scarves, Oh My (Artie Almeida)
• literature with actions (My Aunt Came Back, Animal Boogie)
• musical spots (instead of chairs)
• freeze dance/folk dances

CLASSROOM PERCUSSION EXPLORATION
Next to creative movement, this is one of my students' favorite times! They love tapping, shaking, and more with instruments. Sometimes we use songs with guided directions while other times we just tap along at our own pace.

• guided directions (Listen & Learn Music, Hap Palmer)
• play & stop - take a song and add random moments of silence with Audacity
• Preschool Prodigies (for boomwhackers & bells)
• children's literature (Tap the Magic Tree, Haja, Shaggy Dog & the Terrible Itch, Pete the Cat)
• Mallet Madness (Artie Almeida)

CALMING/COOL DOWN
I've recently added this component and it's really been a hit. It's a chance for the students to rest and collect themselves before the leaving the room. I also use it if they are out of control or not listening - we immediately stop and cool down for the rest of class. I turn off all the lights and project glowing stars on the ceiling as they lay down and listen.

• Kira Willey (Peace & Joy, Namaste, Just Be)
• GoNoodle (Melting, Breathe series)
• classical music (Pathetique 2nd mvt. theme, Claire de Lune, Promenade from Pictures)
• Listen & Learn Music (Around the World We Go, I'll See You in the Morning)
• Sleepy Bells (Music Express, seasonal)

To keep track of all these wonderful ideas, I have a spreadsheet that I constantly update. It gives the name, origin, category and any additional information I need. It will definitely come in handy for my maternity substitute in a few months! I also have a playlist for this class that has most of the music I use regularly. Finally, I have ideas saved in many different boards on Pinterest. I like to be organized and so far, this is the only way I'm able to keep everything together. If you have any questions, please email me. I would be happy to help you collect resources, talk about ideas or just share experiences with you. 

I hope these ideas give you some sort of foundation or step in the right direction for your adaptive music classes. My goal is for my students to experience the world of music, but also foster of love of it. They might never sing and show the handsigns for the entire solfege scale, but that doesn't matter to me. What matters is that they love coming into my classroom and find joy in singing, dancing and playing. One of the best moments in my career was when a student of mine with Down syndrome (normally nonverbal) sang "Let It Go" from Frozen in its entirety. She was so happy and excited for that song! Her para cried, I cried and it was truly a beautiful moment. My nephew is eased with certain sounds and projects his aggression through drumming. It is not a cure or quick fix, but any little bit helps to bring happiness to a child. I hope you have inspiring moments like these with your students - it reminds me why I do what I do. 

***Disclaimer: I am not a music therapist nor am I certified in any classes or techniques relating to music therapy. I am simply an elementary music teacher asked to teach something that I wasn't prepared for and struggled to find resources or ideas for this class and its special students. If you are interested in music therapy or are wanting more information in regards to it, please visit the website for the American Music Therapy Association. Thank you!***

Culture Day

Wow - the school year has gotten away from me! Sorry for my lack of blogging. I will definitely get back on track!
Today, I want to share with you one of the traditions are my new school district this year: Culture Day! 

This day is actually a weeklong celebration of countries around the world and their unique cultures. Each class picks a different country (usually the teacher picks the same one every year) and studies about it throughout the week. They create flags, masks, and do other activities that relate to their country. The hallways are lined with flags, the kids eat unique foods and there are even guest speakers! It really is a fun week - plus, it helps the students understand that we are all unique but share similarities throughout the world. 
On the final day, each class chooses representatives to share their country in the grand march in the afternoon. The kids line the gym and applaud as each country is called. They circle the gym twice dressed up and holding their flag. I also play music from each country so the kids can listen and jam along. Here's India:

So, what connects the world better than anything else? MUSIC!

I don't choose a country during this week - I share as many cultures as I can during this special week. Each class gets a day to just talk about their country and head instruments, styles and famous musicians. The next class, we do various activities from some other parts of the world. Here are some of the things we did this year in music class for Culture Day:

My primary students are junior kindergarteners, kindergarteners and first graders. We did several short activities each class period. Some examples are:

• ribbon creative movement to world music (love Putumayo World Music series)
• song stories like Creepy Crawly Calypso (Barefoot Books) & Kookaburra (Cantata Learning)
• Zumba from GoNoodle

Zumba was one of my favorite activities all week! Our guidance counselor previously taught classes and had these fun jingle scarves for the kids to use. Some tied them around their waist while others tied them across their chest. She even had some small ones to put on your wrists. We used Zumba Kids videos from GoNoodle, specifically Indian Moonlight and Bouje. The kids didn't want to take them off - they loved that jingling sound as they danced. I'm definitely doing this again next year!

My intermediate students are second and third graders, but these activities would work well for older kids, too. Here's what we did:

• World Instrument BINGO by Cheryl Lavender
• Music Express Magazine/John Jacobson - the kids loved singing and learning about the music from Moana! We also sang Wavin' Flag from the 2010 FIFA World Cup. John Jacobson's "It's a Musical World" is a great song set with information, dancing and translation for several world songs. I also use it for programs every now and then.
• Games (Se Se Se & Throw Catch) - both of these games are so fun and can take 5 minutes to a whole class period if the kids want to keep playing

Se, Se, Se is the Japanese version of Rock, Paper, Scissors. If you click the picture above, you can download the directions, game and accessory pieces for free! My students loved it so much that they had rematches at recess.

Throw Catch is a Zulu game. You can find some kids playing it on Dana Herro's (a music teacher) Twitter page.

 

My Severe & Profound students are kids with various special needs. They come to a separate music class just for them in addition to their regular music class. We do a lot of repetition of activities and try to meet their learning needs in addition to personal ones.

• "Hola" from Music K8 - I love this song! It is simple, repetitive and great for the kids to identify another language. We also add maracas to it and practice taking turns. Songs with multiple purposes are great for these kids!
• free movement (freeze dance, scarves, stretchy band) to cultural music
• "Waka Waka" with body percussion

As the year has gone by, I've noticed that my Severe & Profound students aren't affected much by noise. This isn't normally the case, but for the kids this year, they are fine with noise. One student doesn't speak much but does like to communicate with her body through sound. I had one of those lightbulb moments - we should do body percussion! The kids love it! However, there isn't much out there for basic body percussion, as these students' goals aren't to read 4 beat rhythmic patterns and such. Their goals are to follow directions, understand personal space, keep a steady beat, body awareness, etc. 

This led me to create several products in my TeachersPayTeachers.com store that appeal to other classes similar to mine. They feature only the picture of what should be done. The teacher can lead a steady beat, let the kids freely do the movement, create an echo or other things. It's up to the teacher to choose what works best for their kids. To celebrate Culture Day with my kids, I created a body percussion activity to "Waka Waka" - a song written for South Africa. It also features a Columbian singer named Shakira. It works well for little ones too if you're not ready for rhythms.

For all of my classes, I recommend this story written by Margaret Wise Brown (Goodnight Moon). I use it as a way to talk about respect, understanding and appreciation. They listen to me read the story, including the different languages and pointing out historic landmarks. We finish with listening to Rachel Rumbaugh (a music therapist) singing the story in a gentle way. It's a nice, calming activity to end class. My Severe & Profound students always need a calming activity, but this is great for all of the kids. As they listen, I ask them to think about being mindful during the week, but also when they leave school. You can sing the story yourself to the tune of "The Farmer in the Dell" if you prefer.

Next year, I hope to do more folk dancing and bring out my ukulele (I'm just learning to play and no one wants to hear that! lol). You can bring world music into your classroom at anytime, but this week is truly a unique and special experience for our kiddos. Take care!

Kick-Off Books for Music In Our Schools Month

Happy Music In Our Schools Month! 

This is a great month to bring music to our students, building, school district and community. I love using children's literature in music class, especially as a way to start something new or important.

To help you kick-off Music In Our Schools Month, I'm sharing ten of my favorite music books to read to your elementary and middle school students.

• Ah, Music! by Aliki  - This book is really dense with information. However, it divides it into sections the students can understand, such as Music is Sound, Conductor, Practice Makes Perfect, etc.
• M is for Melody: A Music Alphabet by Wargin & Larson - This book is part of a series that helped students learn about subjects and vocabulary words through the alphabet. It is also based on national music standards!
• Music Everywhere! by Ajmera, Derstine & Pon - If you're looking for an easy read with multicultural information, this is it! The pictures and descriptions are wonderful and represent how many cultures make music throughout the world.

• Music Class Today! by Weinstone & Vogel - I read this story to my Junior Kindergarteners at the beginning of the year, but it can be used at any time. It tells the story of music class, complete with instruments, scarves and one little boy who isn't sure if he wants to participate. The author has recorded the story into song, too. Love!
• Music Is... by Stosuy & Martin - This story introduces styles, sounds, instruments and more to little learners. The pictures are bright and vibrant featuring different ages and races throughout.
• Music is for Everyone by Barber & Smith - I cannot say enough awesome things about this book. I read it to the kids at the beginning and end of school, including once more in March. The rhyming text helps connect the many different genres and sounds of music. I also recommend using this at the beginning of a music appreciation class and having student share their favorite kind of music (yes, it includes rap and heavy metal!). So many uses!

• I Got the Rhythm by Schofield-Morrison & Morrison - I found this neat book at our school book fair last year. The girl in the story hears rhythms, beats and sound everywhere. She starts snapping, dancing and moving along. This is one of those stories that you can introduce and then come back to for scat, improvisation, rhythmic speech, etc.
• The Music in Me by Pinczuk - This sweet story is about a little boy and his love of music. Everyone around him is playing an instrument and he just can't get it right. He eventually learns the music is inside of him thanks to the Magic Music Man. Bobby McFerrin helped with the creation of the book and has some accompanying tunes.
• The Really Awful Musicians by John Manders - If you're looking for a book for older children, this one is always a favorite of my kids. The story and pictures are hilarious! The musicians of the kingdom are so bad that they are all captured and fed to the crocodiles (big selling point for older kids right there!). A few head for the border, meet up and try playing music together. It's terrible. Eventually, they learn to play together and write down the first musical notation. It's a goofy story, complete with sound affects all the way through. I also like using this with a beginning chorus or band because it teaches students to work together and listen to one another.

If you are only looking for one book this month, I highly recommend "Sing" by Raposo & Lichtenheld.  This timeless song (from Sesame Street) has been given new life with this lovely picture book. The first few pages have no words, only the pictures of birds singing and flying away. One small bird doesn't have a song - yet. The CD is included and is great to leave for a substitute or just have fun and sing along. If you want to share a book with a wonderful message, make it "Sing."

I hope you have a wonderful month spreading the joy of music! Please let me know if you are unable to locate one of the books I've listed and I'll help you find it. Take care!

Celebrating 100 Days!

So, apparently the 100th day of school is a BIG DEAL! This was something that no one ever told me about in student teaching or even my first year or two in the classroom. I've finally started to understand that for lower elementary, the 100th day of school is awesome!
The kids start the day by breaking through a big banner. How cool is that? The rest of the day is spent counting, moving, and creating with 100. As a music teacher, I've always wanted to be a part of the celebration, but couldn't figure out what to do.
This year I've come up with a few ideas of things to do tomorrow (our 100th day) and I want to share them with you!

Sing

Music K8 has some great songs for the 100th day of school. Some are easier and some a little harder. I usually like to project the lyrics through Powerpoint so the kids can see them nice and big. Here's a few suggestions:

• One Hundred Days! (22/3)
• The 100th Day of School (9/3)
• One Hundred Days of School (3/3)
• Happy 100 to Us! (3/3)
• See How Much We've Learned (27/3)

You can also find free songs on Pinterest that take a traditional tune (Oh Christmas Tree, I've Been Working on the Railroad, etc.) and give it different words to celebrate the 100th day.

Movement

If you haven't heard of GoNoodle, you need to check it out ASAP! They have dances, yoga, brain breaks, and more stuff for kids. A lot of our teachers use the "Indoor Recess" mixes to give the kids some activity when they can't go outside. I love using the Kidz Bop guided dance videos or the calming ones at the end of a lesson. 

They've created two fun videos for the 100th day! You can choose Skip Count to 100 or Count to 100. Both look great for a quick mention of the 100th day if you have other things planned. Share with your classroom or PE teachers, too - they will thank you for it!

Instruments

The final suggestion is the activity I'm going to be using with my students this year. I love "The Peas" series by Keith Baker. I've mentioned in a past blog post about using his other story "Little Green" for vocal exploration. He's a wonderful author. His "Peas" series includes books about the alphabet, seasons, and counting. It just so happens that his counting book goes from 1-100 in ones and tens - perfect for the 100th day!

I like to use books with drumming, but you can use any percussion instrument in your classroom. First, I read the story to the class. Then, I introduce and place the drums in different groups (i.e. bongos station, gathering drum, lollipop drums). From here, I read the story and have the students echo the text on their drums. Example: One pea searching (tap tap tap tap); I find that it's easier to project the Kindle version (Amazon) up on the whiteboard as I read so I can walk around and help the kids. Once we've read & played through the story, the kids move to the next station and we do it again. 

The story gets tedious by the last class of the day, but the kids love it! It also helps them work on hearing a steady beat, playing with others and working on sounds. You can always branch out into what rhythms would represent the text or have the kids create their own ideas for the 100th day. Then, have them write it and play it on a nonpitched percussion instrument. 

Best of luck on your 100th day! Make it great!

Lights-Off Listening: A Unique Halloween Musical Experience

Today, I'd like to share with you one of my favorite Halloween activities to do with my older students: lights-off listening!

Many of the activities I do during the weeks prior to Halloween tend to be geared toward younger students. I've struggled to find something that appeals to my older kids. Then, I came across this great product from Music with Sara Bibee:

This guided listening unit is great for older students because it has information for a variety of spooky pieces, as well as videos and assessment worksheets. 

I immediately gravitated to the rating worksheets she provided. Students listen to certain pieces and give them a rating from 1-10 on how spooky they think the music is. You can also insert your own selections as the files are editable. I chose 9 of the pieces (and added a bonus one where they had to guess the title - it was "Jaws") for my students. I tried to include a variety so some were new, while others were recognizable for them. 

I felt bad about printing a page for every student when all they were doing is circling a number for their rating, so I used page protectors. This was awesome! I printed 25 pages in color and then slipped each one into a page protector. Every student was given a whiteboard marker and a small eraser (I have a set we use for rhythm writing) and spread them out around the room. They were able to circle their rating and erase it when we were all finished - no wasting of paper! Plus, I can use these for many years now! Hooray!

Now, here's where the fun part comes in! My students struggle with listening at times because they want to wiggle, move, talk, etc. Attention spans are getting shorter and shorter with kids every day. I knew I could hook them by creating a spooky (not scary) environment as we listened to each piece. It would also be a fun and unique memory for them. So, I stumbled upon this fun Halloween rotating light on Amazon.

It was only $10 and looked really fun! After all the students had their materials, I shut off the lights in my room and put this in the middle. It glowed and created some cool lighting on the ceiling as we listened to our music. Not only was it a spooky feature for our Halloween listening, but it was calming for several of my students that need to come down at the end of the day on a Friday afternoon. 

After we listened to all of the pieces, we came back together and talked briefly about things like composers, history, instruments, etc. I loved hearing the kids talk about music! They loved sharing their ideas with each other and comparing scores. It was a great introduction to listening and talking about different kinds of music.

Clean up only took a minute because each student wiped down their sheet with their eraser and put away the markers - EASY! 

I love this activity and so did the kids. It gave them a chance to celebrate Halloween music in a way that was more "mature" for them. Yes, they love playing Halloween music games but this got them thinking and interacting in a unique way. Turning the lights off helped them focus but also created a spooky way to listen. I know this experience will stay with most of them and that makes my heart happy!

Have you tried a unique listening experience before? I'd love to hear more ideas! Feel free to share below!

ABC - Easy as 1, 2, 3!

Today, I'd like to share with you one of my favorite FREE resources for back-to-school! I used it this week with my students to review listening skills.

This is the easy version of my listening glyph for the song "ABC" by the Jackson 5. A harder version is previewed in my store. I used this with my 1st and 2nd grade students to get them back into listening attentively to musical ideas.

If you're not comfortable with listening glyphs, they really are wonderful for any age or variety of students, as well as for substitutes. You can listen to certain specific songs or choose what fits your class with many of the glyphs. For this one, the song is specific. As the students listen, they answer the questions through coloring. If the song is fast, they will color the tires black. If the song is slow, they will color the tires grey. Then, they move to next box and answer the question. If you have lower classes, you can do these parts together and help them until they are comfortable. I let older students go off on their own after directions. This particular glyph has three questions to answer, When those are completed, the students can color the rest of the picture however they would like. I always enjoy this option because I like seeing the creativeness of my students. 

Here's what my example looks like, completed for my students to see when we review together at the end:

In the directions for this freebie, I also include my additional activity: Just Dance! This song has a Just Dance Kids video online, either through YouTube or the game itself. I put mine through ViewPure.com to remove the ads and side bar videos. The students love getting up and dancing after listening to the song for a bit. It's a great brain break to end the lesson!

Click the photo below to be taken to the freebie! I really hope you find ways to use it in your classroom. While I do this at the end of the year, it is always nice to pull out on a fun or substitute day. Enjoy!

Crow Rooster!

I went to an awesome workshop this summer all about singing games. Today, I'm going to share one of my favorites with you: Crow Rooster! I can't wait to bring this out for the first week of school. It's great for the older students to refresh their head voice.

I like to add a fun twist on it with beanie baby roosters. You can find them on eBay, at garage sales, or you might still have some in your house. I use the bigger ones, but the mini ones work well, too. I have ended up with 15 because I (hopefully) won't have more than 15 pairs in my classroom at once.

 With all singing games, there are variations from teacher to teacher. The original game directions are listed above, but I'm going to share with you my variation.

Crow Rooster

1. Divide class into partners, putting one across from the other about two feet apart. This should make 2 straight lines down your classroom. Give one partner the rooster to start.
2. Leader (teacher) starts the song, with students taking four steps backward on the beat. On the echo, students take four steps forward to their original position.
3. On the first "crow rooster," the first partner tosses the rooster to the other partner. On the echo, the rooster is tossed back to the original partner.
4. The last line should be clapped and patted. Clap the rhythm of "ku ku ri ku, ku ku ri ku" and pat the beat for "work for everyone." Repeat. (Students with the rooster should do their best at clapping and patting). 
5. If the rooster was dropped during the "crow rooster" part, that pair is eliminated. They sit out, still singing, clapping and patting.
6. All pairs that are still in the game take a step back. Repeat the song. 
7. After each time, the gap gets bigger and bigger. More pairs are eliminated until there is a winner. The kids love to see how far they can get and still catch the rooster!

The "crow rooster" part is a great way to get kids into their head voice at the beginning of the year. The tossing of the rooster is also great for kinesthetic learning. Sometimes my lower voiced students need that tossing motion to reach higher notes. It's also a nice reminder of the difference between clapping the rhythm and keeping the beat. Finally, the kids LOVE a competition! My room is quite large, so I'm excited to see how far they get - especially those athletic kids that have been at sports camps over the summer. 

Hope you enjoy this fun lesson for the first few weeks of school!

Five Favorite Pins of June

SCHOOL'S OUT FOR SUMMER! 

Wheww, the kids were getting antsy those last few days. But, summer has finally arrived! 

It's time for Mrs. Miracle's monthly linky party. Here are my "Five Favorite Pins of June:"

#1: Beatboxing Curriculum My students love Incredibox. I've talked about it before here. I'd love to dive more into concept of beatboxing with my older students, especially near the end of the year. I've also wanted to check out resources from the Fun Music Company for awhile now.

#2: Silent Instrument Game

I love this game! It is great for testing time and to get the instruments out for introductions or review. Can't wait to use this gem!

#3: Cat Poster

The kitty in this poster looks exactly like my Eleanor. Plus, it sums up the way I feel sometimes, even though I know my job is to bring music to all of my students.

#4: "It's Time to Begin" with hand clapping

I love Kristin's ideas! This is another great end-of-the-year song, complete with a fun hand clapping piece to add a little extra. Check out the video on the pin:

#5: Moses Goes to a Concert If you follow me regularly, either blog or TPT, you'll know I LOVE children's literature in music class. This book looks great for the beginning of the year, before a concert or a field trip. Plus, it has a fun little explanation to introduce listening.

Making May Musical

It's finally May - hooray! Only 14 days of school left for me :)

I'm also excited because it's Teacher Appreciation Week and TPT is having their annual sale. Most TPT stores will be 20% and you can save an additional 8% with the special code at checkout. I've linked up to share a resource I'm excited to sell, a resource I'm excited to purchase and a fun set of clip art I've been eyeing.

1. Up first is my resource! I just posted this fun introduction to summer through children's literature. I love using books in my classroom - they are a great way to show students correct reading, get them thinking and make connections. This book and song "Summertime" has beautiful pictures. It's also a nice introduction or review of lullabies - a calming thing that some of us need to remember this time of year! I've also included some assessment and take home pieces for the students.

     2.  Another sellers item - wow, there are a lot! I have been looking at The Yellow Brick Road's  "Composing with Movement" for awhile now. I love movement and this would be a great lesson to use at the beginning of the year.

       3. Clipart - wow, I am addicted! There are so many sets I've been looking at lately. I'm already thinking about fall, so I'm really looking at these awesome sports digital papers. My classroom theme for next year will be sports related because our students really need to be better sports. Look for that product as we get closer to fall!

I hope you are able to fill up your cart and save! I know I am - Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!