Adaptive Music Stations

Hello all! This year has been a difficult one for many teachers, including myself. 
My mental health has suffered greatly, both at work and at home. As the school year ends, I'm finally starting to find some clarity and consistency with my days and wanted to share a new blogpost for those out there working with adaptive music classes. 

Every year, my adaptive class changes. I teach K-3rd so I may have students moving on to 4th grade and new ones coming in. Also, it takes several weeks for me to understand what each student likes/dislikes and how they interact with each other. 

In the past, most of my classes have been able to do short group lessons.
This year's group dynamic is the complete opposite - they struggle with sharing, don't respect each other's boundaries and almost all are nonverbal. Because of this, I have found that stations work best so these kids can have their own materials, time limit and discovery. 

Things that have worked well:

• 7 stations (5 kids total)
• No more than 2 at a station at a time
• Hula hoops for station placement or each student has their own hula hoop they move around with to mark their personal space & materials
• Students are responsible for picking up the station if they leave or when it's time to go
• Always have music playing (can be themed each day, have a strong beat or calming)

Here are the 7 stations I normally have set up: 

        1. Instruments

                -heavy duty, plastic instruments or Remo Kids
                -rain sticks, egg shakers, jingle bells, bongos & djembes

                -occasionally: boomwhackers

        2. Movement 

                -scarves or ribbons

                -move in their hoop or marked off area

        3. Plush/Buddies/Puppets
                **my kids have really gravitated towards these this year**

                -puppets to sing along with

                -beat buddies to bounce along

        4. Sensory

                -pop its with rhythms (ta & titi)

                -pop tubes

                -fidget spinners to move fast or slow with tempo of songs
                -Bellz! board game

                

        5. Storybooks (email me for more info on these!)

                -relative artist biographies

                -illustrated songs

                -"The Story of..." board books

                -Disney Soundtrack series

 

        6. Technology

                -iPads with Incredibox
                -DJ Trollex mixer
                -Tweet Beats birds & trees
                

        7. Keyboards

                -one for each student

                -$5 from 5 Below

                            

            

Occasionally, we will do big group things like Just Dance/Go Noodle or xylophone rotations. But, those are usually spur of the moment changes because sometimes the dynamic of the group can handle it that day while other times it won't work at all. 
Before I end this post, I'd like to share a fun story about one of my kiddos. This boy has Autism Spectrum Disorder and is mostly nonverbal. However, we discovered something amazing one day when I let each student choose a song for our playlist. He chose "We Don't Talk About Bruno" from the movie Encanto. All the kids were loving this song - the beat, the melody, everything! Then, before his paraprofessional could grab him, he clicked on a different version of the song: We Don't Talk About Bruno in 21 Languages. As the song played, he could identify the language by reading the text on the screen but also began singing it in the different languages! I can't share the video for many reasons, but it was one of the most heartwarming moments I've experienced as a teacher. Disney must have discovered how popular this type of video is because they've created a few more with other Encanto songs as well as other Disney hits. 

If you are interested in more information about the stations or any of the materials, please email me at msmusic4life88@gmail.com and I will be happy to help you!


***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!***

All Are Welcome

All are welcome here! It's time for a new school year and I'll admit, I'm just as nervous as the kiddos! It's my 9th year of teaching, but I still get butterflies and so many emotions as the families come in to find their classroom, locker, etc. 

This year, I'm starting music class with this amazing book by Alexandra Penfold: All Are Welcome.  The current climate in our country is far removed from our origins. We are a land of many different peoples and should be embracing that. Children need to come to school and know they are safe, loved and accepted. This book is a beautiful way to share with any grade level or classroom. 

To get my kids singing on the first day, we will be singing the tagline instead of speaking. Initially, I will sing it and have them echo. Once we begin the story and they catch on, the singing grows and everyone is confident by the end. It's a simple refrain, but powerful.




All are welcome in school. All are welcome in music. All are welcome here. Have a great school year!

Dear Santa...Five music books you'll want to find under the tree!

Hope you are all having a joyous holiday season!
Today I'm sharing five books with you that I think are wonderful for Christmas lists! How many of us ask for supplies for our classroom for the holidays or end up using gift cards/money to purchase things? I know my husband just shakes his head at me occasionally for it. However, we just want to bring the best musical experience to our students - even at our own expense, sometimes.

I've included a nice variety of books and how I utilize them in my classroom. Each is linked to Amazon, but please contact me if you have difficulty locating the book. 




The Story Orchestra - Four Seasons in One Day
listening, composers, music appreciation, mood

My students LOVE this book! It takes the reader through Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" with beautiful illustrations and sound samples. Each page has a short musical example to press. More information, vocabulary and all of the sounds are on the back, too. If this book interests you, definitely check out her other story The Nutcracker for your lessons next year. It's wonderful for all ages!






It's a Small World singing, diversity, popular music/appreciation

I love books that include CDs. They are great for days when my singing voice is off, a substitute or when you want students to hear a different singing voice. But, it's always a fun time when you and the kids sing it! Aside from that, this timeless song is a great bridge for families AND it promotes diversity. Our building does a huge Culture Week in the spring and this will definitely be brought out to introduce different countries, traditions and more. 

Tap the Magic Tree

fingerplays, sensory, drumming

This book is wonderful for so many reasons! It is interactive so readers can do fingerplays with it as a large group or at a center. Personally, I like to use it with beginning drumming. Throughout the book I have my students participate on their drum (tap, whoosh, plop, etc.) to make the tree change. For example, here's one of the beginning pages:

I would have the students tap four times (steady beat) on the top of their drum. You can incorporate lots of different drumming techniques and teach appropriate playing with a relaxing story. It's a great sensory activity for my adaptive classes as well. I usually put on some calming yoga music as we read the story and drum together. 

Ada's Violin

orchestra, diversity/cultures, STOMP/found sounds, music appreciation

This is a relatively new story, but it's already a hit. It tells the story of the Recycled Orchestra of Paraguay - a group of children that created instruments from recycled trash. I like to use it with my older kids to bridge them from learning about the orchestra to a STOMP unit. It also includes wonderful information, pictures and additional resources at the end. There are so many ways you could bring this into your classroom and it will definitely stay with the kids!

Tangled - It's Better When You Sing It
singing, steady beat, vocabulary, vocal exploration 

I discovered this new series at my local music store. Hal Leonard has put together stories (with Disney characters) that bring music to families with young children. However, they are great for my Pre-K and Kindergarten classes! I'll be using this one in January to help us remember the comparitives we talked about earlier in the year and get our singing voices working again. It has a fun song as well as online interactive activities for extension. Two other books are now in the series as well - Mickey's Found Sounds and Moana: The Beat of Your Heart. I can't wait to share these with our baby in a few years, too. 

-----------BONUS------------

Here's a story for you! We focus so much on our students and lessons that we tend to forget about ourselves. Take time this break to rest and rejuvenate! I definitely recommend this book to remind you about the good, the bad and the downright silly times you've had as a teacher! It is honest but REAL. 

I hope you have a wonderful holiday and break. Our beautiful baby should be arriving in the next few weeks. What a whirlwind of a January it will be. Until later - 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!

Making Sense of Major & Minor

Today, I'd like to share about a topic that I think is overlooked in music education: major & minor. 

Being in Iowa, there are very few opportunities for elementary music teachers to meet and collaborate. A small group of us started having a workshop day twice a year (late summer & winter) at a centrally located spot. Two of the teachers involved were gracious enough to host and plan it out the first time. From there, we've started tweaking certain things, but overall have had a wonderful day of sharing, planning and just being grateful for the chance to talk with others in our field.

I met up with a few of these teachers at our yearly state conference this past fall. One of them, Anne, shared with me (because she knows I love books in music!) about the story called "Fortunately" by  Remy Charlip. Each part has a good thing that happened followed by a not-so-good outcome. Here's a sample:

                     

Anne explained how she used this book to present and review major/minor to her students. I had a eureka moment! The kids always catch on to when something is "happy" or "sad" but they need to know the terminology. I feel uncomfortable just springing stuff on them, so this kind of connection would be perfect! I also wanted to introduce my new handbell/deskbell sets. More and ideas kept coming to me and I was so excited!


I sat on this lesson for a bit. I wasn't quite ready to bring it to my kids just yet, as the holiday season approached and then program practice. 
Then, one day I was at Half Price Books with my mom (we love this place). I stumbled upon a cute book in the CLEARANCE section, no less called "Good News, Bad News" by Jeff Mack. Those are the only words in the entire book and it shares a similar idea as the "Fortunately" book.

Another eureka moment - I could introduce major & minor to my younger students with this book. Then, bring it back in the later years with "Fortunately." HOORAY!
I haven't been excited about lessons like this since I discovered Artie Almeida's movement activities. So, I wanted to share this idea and how I'm going about it with you all!
The ideas below are merely suggestions - I'm sure you all have your own way of teaching, additional materials, assessments, etc. You can use these ideas as a whole lesson or break them into parts and do other things. Click below for the freebies you can use with this unit! As always, make it accessible for your classroom.

Lower Elementary:

• First day: introduce & read the story "Good News, Bad News"
  
  

• Second day: project story (kindle version) and play major or minor chords for each page of the story - I'm a pianist so I'd just play it and click through the story as the kids watch.
  
  After the story, play the chords one at a time and talk about how it makes the students feel (happy, sad, mad, etc.)
  
  Stick up or project the two faces (without words) on the board; play sounds and have students use their own faces or point to the right picture
  
  
  
  
  

• Third day: bring the faces out again and play examples (mp3 or piano) - can the children pick the right face?
  
  Let students create their own happy/sad face cards; attach to a pencil, popsicle stick, etc. for easier flipping!
  
  Replay the examples and have the students use their own cards
  
  
  

• Fourth day: I would use SingtoKids major/minor mystery pattern sets. My lower elementary students couldn't read the must, but they could identify whether the mystery pattern is happy or sad each day. You could also use this for an assessment piece at some point!
  
  

• Additional ideas: add instruments; introduce terminology; create listening examples & place the identification cards at a center; introduce & practice borduns, use beat buddies with different examples; make half the group happy & other half sad - have them stand when they hear "their music"
  

Upper Elementary:

• First day: introduce & read the story "Fortunately" - if previously talked about in lower elementary, bring up the faces & happy/sad idea
  
  

• Second day: stick up faces and have the students identify as they listen to different examples
  
  Then, introduce the terms "major" and "minor" ; write the words on the faces or swap with terminology faces
  
  Identify the examples again, using the vocabulary
  
  
  

• Third day: bring out "Fortunately" and talk about the different pages using major & minor
  
  Introduce the handbells/deskbells (from here, you can talk about scales, chords structure, etc. but I just group them for the kids already) and play the major sounds, then minor
  
  Read the story, having half of the group be major for fortunately & the other half be minor for unfortunately; switch groups
  
  
  
  
  

• Fourth day: From here, I would use Linda McPherson's Major/Minor games. You can buy the games separately or as a bundle.
  
  First, the kids would make their own major/minor assessment tool and as I played the examples in her product, they would use their card to share their idea (instead of shouting it out)
  
  
  

• Additional ideas: introduce scales, chord structure, etc.; create listening examples & place the identification cards at a center; written/aural test; mystery patterns & chords; students creating their own pattern or chord & having other students label major/minor

I know there are tons of ideas out there for teaching major and minor but none ever really spoke to me for introducing it. I love both of these books and my students enjoy using those two words to start describing music. They even use them as they talk about their favorite pop songs - it's awesome!

If you introduce or teach major and minor in a different way, please share below. I love having multiples ways to bring something to my students. Don't forget to click upon to get that freebie with the ideas and materials mentioned above!

Product Post

Apparently, I was bitten by the creation bug these last few months! I have several new products that I would love to share with you all!

This is a great lesson for older students. Grab the wonderful book by Anna Harwell Celenza and you are set! There are assessment pieces, as well as a fun stick game at the end.

For students of all ages, these listening glyphs are a wonderful assessment piece. You can choose one of the preselected pieces with the glyphs or use the generic ones to choose a song of your own!

This project is great for older students to share their favorite song! Students will dig into the meaning of the song and share it through writing, creation and an optional project.

If you're looking for a fun brain break, check out this Japanese game! It's very similar to rock, paper, scissors and has modifications for a variety of learning levels.

This last one is my personal favorite! My students are obsessed with "Happy!" from Despicable Me 2. Not only does it have a fun beat, but the words are positive. Pharrell Williams just put out a children's book of his famous song. This product includes a lesson plan for the book, assessment worksheets, movement ideas and a body percussion routine. EEK - I can't wait to use it with my students!


Be on the look out for a few sales coming up, too! Bye for now!

                                   

       

III
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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!

Jazz Appreciation Month

It's Jazz Appreciation Month!

In the past, I haven't done the best job of bringing jazz music to my students. This year, though, our school's Jazz Experience group placed 2nd at the Iowa Jazz Championships. This is an amazing accomplishment! I really want to use this as a jumping off point for my students and get them excited about jazz. 

Here are some other activities I'll be doing with my K-5 students this month:

Literature

There are so many awesome books to use with jazz music! I'll be posting a product later this week (hopefully) that gives some great activities for children's literature, as well as some quick print mini-lessons. Here are some of my favorites to use with students:

• J is for Jazz - This book was released in September. The pictures are beautiful and the vocabulary/alphabet review is wonderful for younger students!
• What a Wonderful World - A great song and message comes from this book. Plus, it has a little Louis Armstrong popping up throughout.
• The Jazz Fly - This story is a wonderful introduction to improvisation and scat singing.
• A Tisket, A Tasket - I love using this story with the circle game to introduce Ella Fitzgerald.
• Duke Ellington: The Piano Prince and His Orchestra - The pictures in this book are so vibrant! I love Andrea & Brian Pinkney's works. Their tale of Ella Fitzgerald is also a winner!
• Anna Harwell Celenza's books Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue and Duke Ellington's Nutcracker Suite are wonderful for older students. 

Technology

Our district is 1:1, so using technology always gets a thumbs up from administration. Here are some ideas for using technology with jazz:

• MadLips by Cherie Herring give you a fun look into jazz musicians lives.
• Jazz in America has some great resources and lesson plans for older students.
• Claire Burns and myself have posted QR code activities. Click on the picture below:

Scat
Interested in more scat lessons? Here are some ideas from the pros:

• Scat Lesson Set from Treble in the Classroom
• Cookie Jar from MusicForAll
• The book When Louis Armstrong Taught Me Scat isn't readily available, but you may be able to find it online or in your local library
• Aileen Miracle has a fun lesson for The Jazz Fly in her "Singing with a Sub Bundle"
• I also just discovered this cute video:

Miscellaneous Ideas:

Here are some great ideas that I couldn't leave out:

• Bring It Home - Learning About Charlie Parker from David at Make Moments Matter - he writes a wonderful blog post about making Charlie Parker meaningful to his students.
• Jazz Legends Research Pages from The Bulletin Board Lady - love these for my older students! There are so many musicians included that students can choose which one interests them. 
• Mrs. Stouffer's Music Room has three great lessons about different jazz musicians.
• Artie's Jazz Pack has different games and activities for learning about the styles, musicians and music.
• My Store! - I've posted several different decor ideas, as well as a free Jazz Musician Matching worksheet. It features basic rhythms (ta, titi & rest) with different musicians' names. I'll also be posting another product or two before the month is over. My favorite product so far are my Jazz Listening Glyphs. They are a wonderful assessment tool while introducing students to jazz music. There are a variety of levels and musical concepts included.

What do you do to celebrate Jazz Appreciation Month? Please share your ideas below!