H-A-double L-O-W-double E-N spells Halloween!

Ha, sorry! I learned this song in elementary school to the tune of "Danse Macabre" and it's stuck with me ever since. Here's the video from YouTube that I like to use.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3Eg8UifzmI

Anyways, I thought I'd share some Halloween activities my classes have been doing.

In the Hall of the Mountain King - Grieg

This is the first year I've really delved into Grieg. I love the music and the melody really sticks in the kids' heads! I start introducing it in Kindergarten and 1st grade with Eric Litwin's (Pete the Cat!!!) song from The Learning Groove. It takes the melody and puts in words like "I can shake my shaker egg and sneak around the room." It's fun to add egg shakers and a little movement once the students have learned the melody.

As they get older, I show my intermediate students a short cartoon of the story.

It's only about 5 minutes, but also adds in the "Morning Mood" music, which many of the students recognize. In the future, I'd like to add a literature connection. I've seen some great picture books online, but haven't picked one up yet. Soon!

I also add rhythm sticks to the main theme, with the help of Malinda Phillips' great active listening resource! Check it out - it's free :)

From there, we move on to actually feeling the beat, tempo and dynamic changes in the music. If you follow my blog, you know I LOVE Artie Almeida. She has a wonderful guiro and kickball lesson for this piece. I tried it with my third graders last week and we had so much fun! I used basketballs because we don't have enough kickballs and it still worked out just fine. Here are some pictures from my students engaging in the music:

It was Character Counts week, so they're all dressed up in the careers they'd like to have.The basketball coach had to come get the balls for practice at the end of the day, but we had a good time while it lasted. Artie's lessons are truly wonderful resources. I encourage you to check out her videos on YouTube and purchase this resource. You won't regret it!

Some other activities we are doing this week are:

• singing the story "There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bat!" with melody from Kristin Lukow
• Halloween melody patterns from Aileen Miracle's 13 Nights freebie
• Halloween vocal explorations and "create your own" template from Amy Abbott
• Witch Witch (so-mi activity) and game from The Yellow Brick Road
• Spooky Music listening & rating from Music with Sara Bibee (this one is a fun activity for the older kids!)

The last game we are playing is a favorite of my primary students! I discovered it on Pinterest last year and the students just love it. I can't seem to find the right recording for it, though. There is a faster version and a Denise Gagne version that has a different melody. I kind of plunked it out on my own and adapt it to my student's singing ability. Here's the video of the song I use and the game:

It's really fun and a great way to reinforce steady beat. What Halloween or seasonal activities are you doing this week with your students?

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?

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!

Five Favorite Pins of March

I'm linking up again to Mrs. Miracle's Music Room! I pin so many awesome things that I often forget what I really have. Five Favorite Pins is a great way to review some pins that might have fallen by the way side in a pinning frenzy! hahaha

http://www.mrsmiraclesmusicroom.com/2014/03/five-favorite-pins-of-march.html

1. SOL and MI Print & GO

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Sol-And-Mi-Print-Go-1170585

                My first graders are finishing up their programs in the next few weeks. I can't wait to get back into Sol & Mi practice. Lindsay Jervis just whipped up these quick worksheets to use. Great for review or a sub day!

2. Musical Form Bulletin Board

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/110338259595479754/

I am working really hard to introduce more form activities into our music classes. I would love to use this at the beginning of next year to review form with the older students. So cute and relatable!

3. Singing at Home

      

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Singing-at-Home-interactive-singing-homework-for-elementary-music-1157761

I'm not a fan of "homework," but I want to get more parents involved in their child's musical education. I've also started following "The Yellow Brick Road" and love these ideas I'm seeing. I hope to use this at the end of the year or beginning of next school year to spark some family discussion of music. Love, love love!

4. Activate! Magazine

                  It's my third year teaching and I've finally gone through my whole classroom. I've sorted and organized everything to make it more accessible to me. In doing so, I found a great resource called "Activate! Magazine." I grabbed one quick last week and found a great dance by Phyllis Weikart. I also found this video on Youtube of her teaching it to some students. My kids K-5 loved it for a St. Patty's Day dance.

                                     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvYThquxwQU

5. Stretchy Band

http://musicalchildren.wordpress.com/2013/08/01/games-and-movement-band/

       I was just recently at a workshop that used a stretchy band. I want one of these things! However, they are pricey and I don't have much of "carefree" budget. However, I came across this pin that shows how to make your own, no matter what the size or color. AND, you can change it quick whenever! AAAAAHHH - I hope to get to the craft store sometime to start on this project - it says it only takes 5 minutes!

A Peek at My Week

I LOVE this Linky Party. March is music's busiest month of the year AND it's Music in Our Schools Month. I'm linking up to Mrs. Laffin's "A Peak at My Week."

http://mrslaffinslaughings.blogspot.com/2014/03/currently-march-peek-at-my-week.html

Kindergarten
          It was Dr. Seuss's birthday this week and Read Across America. This worked great with Kindergarten! Their program this year is all about Dr. Seuss. I've been using some songs from "Seussical," as well as some made-up gems I've found on teaching websites. The students are loving the stories and making connections in class. Awesome!! They are also going to be creating their own "Seussical Musical Instrument" this week. I picked it up from Sarah Davies on Pinterest.

1st Grade

          The students are also working on their program for April. It's all about Earth Day and protecting our planet. I'm using a lot of Raffi resources for this one, as well as "Let it Grow" from The Lorax. So much Seuss this week :)

2nd Grade

           2nd grade just finished up learning about Peter and the Wolf. Now, we are onto a mini-performance. The primary building is celebrating Cancer survivors with a Cancer Coffee. The 2nd graders wanted to do some singing so we are putting together a few songs for them. They will be singing "Happy Birthday," "Hero" (Spotlight on Music) and "We Appreciate You" (Music K-8). The kids are excited about this and it's a great way to give back to those local heroes in the community.

3rd Grade

           It is concert time! The 3rd graders perform their concert "Feelin' Good" next week. I chose this theme because our community was chosen as a leading Blue Zone Community in the state of Iowa. This means we are working as a team to make healthy food choices and become more active. I love Music K-8 and Teresa Jennings creations. She had a perfect collection for this program idea! We are also adding in the "Harlem Shake" to have the kids be active on stage and have some fun. It's hilarious - I can't wait to show some pictures!

4th Grade
       We just finished our STOMP project. The kids loved this! I posted some on the bulletin board for MIOSM advocacy. Now, they are learning some Irish songs and games to coincide with St. Patrick's Day. This week, we played "1,2,3 O'Leary" from Music a la Abbott.

http://www.musicalaabbott.com/2014/01/one-two-three-oleary.html

5th Grade

        5th grade is finishing up their work with GarageBand and ABA form. I mentioned this in a previous post about technology. It's great and I love seeing how creative they are. 

Wheww - that is just during the school day! It's also musical weekend nearby. I'm playing for another school district and they are performing "Shrek the Musical." SO MUCH FUN! :) Also, I have 2 concerts next week, honor choir and conferences the following week. Oh mylanta - it really is a busy time of year!

Long time - no see! Let's talk technology.

Omigosh - I am so sorry for the lack of posting. The start of the New Year was supposed to be more relaxed, but that did NOT happen. I'm finally getting a chance to post today because we are having this weird snow/thunderstorm mess. It was just 60 degrees two days ago - figure it out weather!

Anyways, I am really excited to be going to a workshop this weekend in Marion. I'll have to get up at 5 a.m. to make it there by 8:30, but it will definitely be worth it.The workshop will be in three parts: technology, beginning choral pieces and holiday activities. Woot woot! Can't wait! Here's the flyer if you're interested:

So, on the subject of technology, my post today will be about technology in my classroom. I am blessed to be in a 1:1 school district. The kids are super savvy! To make things easier, I worked with our tech integrationist to create my own Symbaloo. If you haven't experienced Symbaloo, you need to! It is so easy and handy to work with, plus our students are using the elementary one all the time, so it's quick for them to access. My Symbaloo is divided into categories (composing, xmas, nutcracker, orchestra, etc.) and primary tiles are at the top, with intermediate ones at the bottom. My tiles include games, educational videos, projects, and quizzes. Love it! Here's the link and a screen shot for mine if you'd like to check out my resources: 

http://edu.symbaloo.com/mix/elementarymusic2

Now that I've set up everything, I'll share some things we are doing in class. My room does not have a SmartBoard (working on this, fingers crossed!), but I am able to utilize the computer lab and the iPad cart. I like to use links on my symbaloo to introduce concepts (instruments of the orchestra) and allow the students to create in music class (isle of tune, incredibox). These can all be found through the symbaloo tiles. 

The 5th graders have been using the iPads a lot these past few weeks. We are experimenting with mixing and looping. They started out experimenting with instruments and loops through GarageBand. Then, I gave them a three-loop challenge by recording their name and finding 3 loops that work together to create a mix. They loved this! Most of them added more or changed their voice with the extra options. Starting this week, we will begin our project. I found this project through one of the education blogs I follow, Music and Technology. 

It allows the students to work at their own pace, but complete checkpoints each class period. They will be creating ABA compositions with GarageBand. Our district is also big on student centered classrooms. Hopefully, this will let the students use their creativity and work at their pace, but complete the project and understand our driving idea. It is also available for desktop computer.

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/iPad-GarageBand-ABA-Composition-Project-1079534

Finally, I am hoping to teach a mini "piano class" project next year. Most district do mallets, orff, or records for their students. However, this requires money and a lot of responsibility for students, teachers and parents. After speaking with the MS and HS music teachers, they preferred a piano class for the students, so they can learn note names and counting. I'm not sure if I want to begin it in 3rd or 4th, but we'll definitely review in 5th and transition over from Kodaly rhythm names to standard names. The iPads will allow the students to practice at their own pace in class with a free App. Wishful thinking - we'll see how this develops. 

What ways do you use technology in the music classroom? I see so many awesome ideas on Pinterest, Facebook & blogs - I'd love to know more! :)