Five Favorite Pins of November

Hooray - it's fall! I can't believe that Thanksgiving is in two weeks. Where has the year gone? 
It's time for my five favorite pins of November, courtesy of Mrs. Miracle's Music Room!

#1: We Wish You a Merry Christmas (with cups!)

I love this idea! I used Wendy's cup tapping activities last year with "We Three Kings." Check it out here: Amahl and the Night Visitors
It's sure to be a hit with your students, young and old! 

#2: Operation "Got Your 6"

Veterans Day is a community wide celebration for our school district. I want my students to know the importance of our country and those who protect it. However, it's hard for younger students to understand this. I love how Michelle Obama teamed up with the Penguins to explain the importance of Veterans Day! I showed this to my classes this past week.

#3: Audience Behavior

Check out this great post from Tracy King about audience behavior. She even includes a sample script! Wonderful to check out in preparation for all of those holiday concerts.

#4: Tshirt

This tshirt is hilarious! I might just have to get it to see who gets the joke in my school.

#5: Guide Sub Tub

I have been trying to find a way to teach about Guido since I started. This Sub Tub Stuffer is great! I might actually just use it as a real lesson for my older students. Check it out!

I hope all is well with your school year! We had rain, sun, hail, wind and snow all in one day this week. It's never boring around here!

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
If

Puppets - a newfound love!

Over the past few years, I've heard teachers swear up and down that puppets are awesome. I discovered some in my music room my first year, but didn't really use them. I guess I just feel weird introducing a puppet to students. However, this year, I started using beat buddies. If you're not sure what beat buddies are, they can be any little stuffed animal that students can pat on their lap, arm, etc. to keep the beat. I was blessed when my mom found about 40 of them at a local consignment shop. The kids LOVE them! I couldn't believe it! They are also a good motivator for those younger students who have trouble with behavior. Here's a picture of what I tend to use...they are beanie babies from McDonalds, but anything smaller will work!

These beat buddies really pushed me to try out puppets. When I attended the Artie & Denise conference in June, Artie used so many puppets. It was great! She made literature connections, solo singing, and introductions to styles. I quickly started surfing the web for what I could use in my classroom. Oriental Trading is only an hour away from us, so this company gets products to you FAST. Also, they have such variety! Here are some things I picked up from OTC:

Horse finger puppets! These are great for students to identify and practice form for "The Wild Horseman." After using their puppets, the students can move on to using noodle ponies or candy cane horses in groups to show the form. So fun - check it out here!

Parachutes and Ribbons and Scarves, Oh My!

Large jungle animal puppets are great for teachers to use AND the students! I'm excited for all of the solo singing opportunities these will provide. Also, any puppets can be left at centers for students to do vocal explorations or sing songs with their puppets. 

Cat and dog finger puppets - so many possibilities! I can see the puppies being used for Doggie, Doggie and kitties for Naughty Kitty Cat. The main reason I chose these is for Rossini's "Cat Duet." Artie had one kitty for one hand and another for her other hand. These moved up and down with the melody when it was that kitty's turn during the duet. It's so funny! Plus, it is a great way to introduce opera to kids and show melodic differences. Let me know if you'd like to see the video from the workshop - it is one of my favorite lessons!

I also purchased some puppets at the end of the school year. I originally saw these on Music a la Abbott's blog post about puppets. I instantly fell in love - they are so quirky! Plus, they are on a stick which makes them a little easier to handle. The kids thought they were funny and loved naming them. Educational Insights now has fish and dinosaur puppets on a stick. Can't wait to add those to my collection as well.

My last puppet isn't really a puppet. I was at Half Price Books the other day (I am a HPB junkie!) and stumbled upon some interesting stuffed characters. There were finger puppets and stuffed animals from The Unemployed Philosophers Guild. My husband (when he was a teacher) had little finger puppets for famous composers and graciously passed them on to me. I didn't realize that they made larger stuffed animal models, too! The company has several new finger puppets (Elvis, Louis Armstrong) and composer favorites in both puppet and character size. I ended up purchasing the Mozart and Beethoven stuffed animals on eBay for the price of one from the website. Mine are still brand new, just cheaper. They have a smaller information card and play one of the composer's famous pieces. Here they are - ready to go to school. 

I know my primary students will love to check these out when we learn about composers. I plan on bringing them out when we read stories, color composer bios, listen, do movement, etc. I'm really excited to use Mr. Beethoven first with this awesome bundle from The Yellow Brick Road:

Do you use puppets or stuffed animals in your room? Are they something only your primary students enjoy or do the older kids still ask for them?

Ideas for Surviving the End of the School Year

7 MORE DAYS - WE CAN DO THIS!

Holy cow - this year has been a toughie! I don't know what was in the water, but if it could happen, it almost most certainly did this year. This is the time of the year where it's hard for everyone - parents, teachers, AND students. You want to leave a positive musical impression on these students right now and sometimes, they will challenge you to the depths of the ocean! I love my job, my students, music and everything that goes with it, but I am not going to sugar coat the last few days of school. The kids are worn out, the teachers are worn out and discipline is the hardest thing to do. The students that need you the most right now are going to act out ten times more and the students that are normally good can just make horrible decisions these days. Plus, we've had a lot of bad weather this year and rain recently, so they are all itching to be outside. In the end, the last 2 weeks of school are always a jumble of actions, emotions and exhaustion. I try my best to keep a smile on and be positive, but sometimes, I am just DONE with misbehaving. When this happens, I try to take a breath and move on.

Today, I'm linking up for Music a la Abbott's Linky Party.  These ideas might not always work for everyone and their music classroom, but here are some things that I recommend for surviving these last few previous days with the students in my music class.

Ideas for Surviving the End of the Year

1. Keep them active

        I like to do a lot of movement in my class, but the last few days especially. Sometimes, I even throw on the Just Dance videos from YouTube or Symabloo for the kids to dance. I did this one day where it had been raining for several days and they had not had any recess. It saved me a ton of headaches and the teachers were happy the kids were a little more calmed down that day. I also like to pull out folk dances that we have done throughout the year. My favorites is "Sasha" from Sanna Longden's Even More Folk Dance Music for Kids and Teachers, CD 1 1/2.

West Music - CD 1 1/2

2. Don't Start Anything Brand New = REVIEW

       They are not going to retain anything new at the end of the year. I do teach Carnival of the Animals to 1st grade, but it's not something difficult to understand like tika-tika or Re on Melody Street. I use the last month to review and solidify what we've already talked about. If I teach something new, it's usually only an introduction for the fall. 

I'm really loving The Yellow Brick Road's Rhythm Chairs activities. These are so fun and reinforce beat vs rhythm for the things we've learned this year. She has a great bundle that I use for 1st-4th. 

Rhythm Chairs

Lindsay Jervis also posted a great set of Musical Memory pages for all grades. This is a fun way to review what the students learned and enjoyed most. It is really helpful to me to see what stuck with them and what I might need to change next year. You can also edit them for whatever questions you'd like. Great idea!!

Music Memories

3. Have fun with singing!

      After doing programs, I am tired of singing and so are the kids. However, this is so important to their musical growth! I am planning to make slides this summer to put into a folder of fun songs for them. It might be things we've done or classics they love like "Take Me Out to the Ballgame." I might even add one or two that are recent each year like something from Frozen (I know...Let it go, let it go, etc..) or other school appropriate hits. These will be great for the end of the year or a sub day.

      I also love literature in the music classroom! I try to save these for the end of the year so the kids can laugh and sing along with the story. Sometimes, though, I love them so much I pull them out whenever! Here are two of my favorites:

Grandma's Feather Bed by John Denver

Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah! by Allan Sherman

4. Always be ready to go

         It is the season of field trips, celebrations and allergies. I've already covered for a few teachers this week because of various things. They have covered for me and I am always happy to return the favor. Because of this, I am on my toes at all times. It might be the last week, but this is when things can go haywire in a second.

         Most classes will be out of the building at least once and forget to tell you. Or, it will rain and they will reschedule for another day, forget to tell you and come in without you being ready. ALWAYS BE READY! I keep several lessons handy for this just in case. I also have several classes that are off of each other because of snow days, presentations, etc. These filler lessons are things I want to do with everyone, but sometimes, I have to make the sacrifice. If some students have already learned it, it will solidify their knowledge even more and allow them to be leaders for the rest of the class. Here are some ones I enjoy at the end of the year, but also occasionally sprinkled in. 

Composers

Composer lessons are fun to sprinkle in throughout the year or give a small preview to at the end of the year. We usually read a short story about the composer, color the pages while listening and then have some kind of movement or instrument activity to end. I also like having them use their Beanie Baby Beat Buddies to lead each other in a steady beat to the music.

Mystery Songs

Cori Bloom is amazing! I was in love with her Mystery Song for Flight of the Bumblebee and asked if she would ever consider making more. These are something that could really hook students into listening and sharing their thinking and writing in the music classroom. She put this file together in 2 weeks and it is AMAZING! These are so fun to do and can take a whole lesson or several if you'd like. I plan on doing this once a month next year...I can't wait until she puts out more. Thank you, Rhythm and Bloom!

Well, I hope everyone has had a successful year. I am already planning and thinking about ideas for next year. Hopefully, these last few days are fun for you and the students in the music classroom. Some of them may be stinkers, but they are the ones I miss when they board the bus on the last day. Just remember the BREATHE and SMILE - you can make or break someone's day that way. So, go out and make the last few musical memories of the year!

TeachersPayTeachers Wishlist!

It's Teacher Appreciation week!

I've been having some family issues in the last few days - which should be totally unrelated to Teacher Appreciation week - except for the fact that I have an amazing support system at school! My principal has been amazing and understanding, as well as my fellow teachers. I couldn't ask for anything more. There have been some days lately and there are more ahead, but I have cried so many happy tears today because of the blessings of friendship.

Another wonderful thing about Teacher Appreciation week is that so many wonderful music teachers are celebrating with TeachersPayTeachers. Tomorrow and Wednesday (May 6th & 7th), the website is having a sale and many of the teachers I follow are giving an extra discount to their products. This is so exciting! I can't wait to get a few last minute items for the end of the year and already start thinking about new ideas for next year. Here are a few top items on my wishlist:

1. Meet the Composers

             Teaching about composers is always something that is a stretch for me. The kids aren't very interested and it is a lot of...dare I say it...sometimes boring material. However, The Bulletin Board Lady has just put out a collection of coloring and fact pages about composers. This is a great jumping off point for my primary students AND we love coloring in the music room!

Meet the Composers

2. Form help

            I am really into teaching my students form right now. There are so many movement and listening activities out there, but I have found a couple of new ideas I am really excited about. The first is a circle game called "The Farmer's Dairy Key." My students are active learners, so this will definitely be a winner if it has a game attached. Second is the "burger" method of teaching form. Let's face it - kids relate to food (hello - I relate to food! ha). The burger picture is a great way to show form and this packet helps them separate out the different parts, but also get a chance to compose their own form burger. Cute and a great assessment!

The Farmer's Dairy Key

Build a Burger

3. Evaluation packet

           My first year of teaching, I constantly had the students assessing themselves, especially following a performance. Recently, though, I haven't done this and I think that is a big fault of mine. It is a great learning experience for the students to review themselves, highlight the great things and think about ways to create a better performance. Plus, data and assessment in the classroom is a great thing to show to administration or parents. This bundle of over 40 worksheets should fit every concert, grade or learning level. Check it out!

Music Performance Evaluation Bundle

4. Sub Packet

          I always try to have a folder on my laptop with emergency sub ideas. Granted, planning ahead doesn't really help too much when you are in a crisis. Still, it is nice to have ideas ready to go in case you have a planned absence, sick voice day or early out/late start. It's also nice to throw in little isolated ideas here and there so the curriculum doesn't become a boring routine. Aileen Miracle has put together two packets for teachers with a ton of ideas. I am super excited about the second one and can't wait to get my hands on it.

Out of the Wild Sub Plans

       I could post resources for hours! I hope everyone goes and checks out TeachersPayTeachers for the next two days. Help out these teachers who are sharing the wonderful things that they are utilizing in their classroom. Also, leaving feedback is so helpful to teachers and people checking out the resources.  Most of these sellers and many more will give you extra discounts with the code TPTXO.

Thank you to all of the teachers who have influenced and supported me in the past, present and those who will touch my life in the future. Have a great week!

Brrrr...It's Beethoven!

Well, the new year is starting off with a bang....and I mean a cold bang! Most schools in the state will not be having school tomorrow because of the wind chill and below 0 temperatures. Yuck! I'm glad we are cancelling because bus duty at the end of the day would be no fun whatsoever.

Anyways, I always start my 5th graders off in January with some discussion about Beethoven. In the past, I've noticed that history and composers is a sleepy subject for 5th graders, especially at the end of the day. I'm really working hard to add some movement, conversations and minimal hang time with our lessons this year. Here's a run down of my Beethoven lessons to start off the year:

I always like to start off lessons with literature. Even though these kids are at the level of reading independently, they can still learn key strategies from modeling. Our district is huge on read alouds, talk alouds and think alouds. This is a great opportunity to model and keep the students engaged through questioning. Plus, this book series is fun and relatable to students. Win win!

SYMPHONY NO. 9 "ODE TO JOY"

After our beginning discussion, I'm going to open up with Symphony No. 9. Most of the students will know this, but this year, I want to really dig into it in multiple ways. We'll start with a tennis ball activity to practice steady beat, but also understand the make-up and form of the song. Hopefully, I'll be able to post a video of this soon. We'll be focusing on the singing part for the movement.

Lead in - 1 bounce, hold to 4 (whole note)

Joyful, joyful, we adore thee, God of glory - bounce in hand on each beat, 1, 2, 3, 4 (quarter notes)

Lord of love; - cradle in hands, shake back & forth (eighth notes)

hearts unfold like flowers before thee, opening to the - bounce in hand on each beat, 1, 2, 3, 4 (quarter notes) 

sun above.  - cradle in hands, shake back & forth (eighth notes)

 
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness;  - around waist to back (1, 2) around waist to front (3, 4,) and repeat (half notes)

drive the dark of doubt away.  - around waist to back 1, 2 around waist to front 3, 4 repeat (half notes)

Giver of immortal gladness, fill us with the  - bounce in hand on each beat, 1, 2, 3, 4 (quarter notes) 

light of day! - cradle in hands, shake back & forth (eighth notes)

In between or ending music - 1 bounce, hold to 4 (whole note) 

 The next class period, we will review this movement, as well as compare the structured version to 

Sister Act's "Joyful, Joyful." The kids will really get a kick out of this!

Finally, the students will get a chance to work in groups and perform Symphony No. 9 on 
boomwhackers. I put this together myself, so it's not the most precise thing in the world - 
I hope you enjoy it!

The kids will also be doing some decoding as they dig deeper into Beethoven 

and his bio. I don't like to do quizzes, so we'll probably do some kind of 

exit ticket, just to gauge their knowledge without taking a ton of

 class time for a test. Plus, they are still writing with their exit ticket, 

which is also something we are focusing on in the district.

Here's the code book I'm using for their partner work on the bio:

And, I'm really hoping to use some exit tickets from The Bulletin Board 

Lady. These look so cool and will be really functional for a quick 

assessment! 

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Exit-Tickets-for-Music-Class-BUNDLED-MEGA-Pack-1041225 

 

Whewww, so much about Beethoven! I have several more ideas for lessons and things, but this is the beginning of what the students will be doing. Hopefully, I see some more excitement from the students this year with these activities. If not, there is always room for improvement :) Stay bundled up!