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!

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!

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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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!

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! 

Five Favorite Pins of February

Happy Valentine's Day weekend! Hope you enjoyed some special time with those you care about.

I'm linking up with Mrs. Miracle's monthly party again!

#1: Dos and Don'ts of Jump Bands

I requested jump bands last year as part of my movement project with DonorsChoose.org. I still havent't successfully brought them out with the kids yet. Krisin Lukow has inspired me with her awesome videos, but now Alison Cabello has come out with her top suggestions and warnings. Can't wait to try these out in the spring!

#2: The Day the Room Fell Silent

So many blog posts are about positive or learning experiences for us as teachers. They also feature great ideas and resources. However, we all know that teaching isn't always a walk in the park. I love how real David gets with his post - I know we all can relate!

#3: Cat Tshirt

I love my cat - like more than the normal person. I also realize that there are some days that I'm not the most positive person to be around. This shirt just makes me smile because it brings them together AND supports an animal in need.

#4: Love Songs listening lessons

I cannot stop raving about Cori Bloom's listening lessons. She put together a great set for Valentine's Day and recently updated it! The new version has John Legend's "All of Me," which was a big hit with the students. 

#5: Name That Tune (Boomwhacker version)
This looks like a fun end of the year activity. Plus, the students can work together in pairs and hold discussions on what they think. Love!

Head over to Aileen's blog to see more favorite pins of February!

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?

Five Favorite Pins of July

Sorry I've been MIA recently. I've been in my classroom creating and putting so many new things together for fall. Today, I'm linking up with Mrs. Miracle's Music Room to show my Five Favorite Pins of July.

#1: Mystery Song Music Listening: Bundle #2

I absolutely LOVE Cori Bloom's products. Plus, she is super nice and quick to respond if you have comments and questions. She has been creating these listening bundles for awhile, but I super excited about the mystery songs. It's a great way to break out and let the students share their ideas while introducing them to a variety of music. Her most recent bundle is great for Christmas and winter - the graphics are beautiful!

#2: Singing with a Sub (Sub Plans for the Music Classroom)

Aileen Miracle has recently been updating some of her files and this one is awesome! I purchased her "Wild About Music" sub plans in the spring and thought they were great stand alone lessons. The updates and additions she's made this pack are wonderful. There are ideas for listening, movement, centers, etc. I can't wait to purchase this in the next few weeks. 

#3: Instrument Petting Zoo

I have been wanting to have an instrument petting zoo for my primary students ever since I was student teaching. I've never figured out how to do it, though! This is a great pin to David Row's blog about an instrument petting zoo. He also just released a product in his TPT store with more guides and information. I know I will use this somehow in my classroom this year, either for conferences, back-to-school night or in a lesson. 

#4 Star Spangled Banner word cloud

This year is the 200th anniversary of the Star Spangled Banner. My 4th graders have the yearly tradition of putting on the Veteran's Day program. This is a great way to practice the words to the national anthem, while also displaying their creativity with technology. This Tagxedo was created by another music teacher I met through an elementary music education chat on Twitter. Genius!!

#5: Stretchy band ideas

Earlier this year, I created my own stretchy band for movement. Here's the post if you'd like to make your own (it literally takes 10 minutes!): Stretchy Band tutorial

Anyways, I happened upon this pin with several ideas for using the stretchy band. I struggle for ideas with my younger students and the website really gives some awesome ideas. 

Only 1 more month until school starts - gosh, it's flown by! I've already been in my room and starting putting things together. Hopefully, you're finding some great ideas from pins, blog posts, workshops, etc. to bring to your music class this year. Take care!