Hope you have had a wonderful start to your year! Since it is January, I am posting my five favorite pins of this month. If you are a blogger, feel free to join the linky party by following the directions at the end of this post. Here are my five favorite pins this month! You can click on each picture to be taken to the original pin. #1: Snowman melodic activity I love this idea of breaking down a song into its parts: lyrics, rhythm, and melody! I've been trying to break down songs like this with my students, but I love this visual! #2: Teaching Music Backwards This is a really interesting art…
This past month, as my fifth graders were learning tim-ka, or dotted eighth/sixteenth, I started going through my resources to see how I might best practice this rhythm with them. It's been many years since I've taught this concept--as I've not had students long enough to get to the rhythm--so I was excited to see what I could find in my resources! I found this resource which I admit I've heard great things about but just haven't used very much! Click on the picture to see the book at West Music. If you are an Orff-trained teacher, you likely have a well-worn version on your…
This past month, as my fifth graders were learning tim-ka, or dotted eighth/sixteenth, I started going through my resources to see how I might best practice this rhythm with them. It's been many years since I've taught this concept--as I've not had students long enough to get to the rhythm--so I was excited to see what I could find in my resources! I found this resource which I admit I've heard great things about but just haven't used very much! Click on the picture to see the book at West Music. If you are an Orff-trained teacher, you likely have a well-worn version on your…
Today was my first day teaching for this summer's Kodaly Level I at DePaul University! It was a fun day; I'm looking forward to the next two weeks. I've been a bit busy preparing for it, so I realized I needed to post about my five favorite pins this month! To see the pin, click each picture. Here goes! #1: Kindergarten Xylophone Introduction I absolutely love this You Tube video about introducing students to Orff instruments. How magical! #2: Steady Beat Swords This idea by Tracy King to use pool noodles as light sabers with the "Imperial March" from "Star Wars" is…
We are well into autumn (and still, the weather is amazing!) Since it is October, it is time for my October Linky Party! If you are a music education blogger, see the directions at the end of this blog for how to link up. Here are my five latest favorite pins! #1: Generate your own newspaper article This is a VERY neat tool! Click on the picture below to see the original source of the pin. The idea is this: you can write your own article--specific to your students and your school--and the website listed in the blog will create a picture that looks like a newspaper article. I'm still brainstor…
Today, I'm trying my first linky party; I'm blogging about my five favorite pins this month! I love Pinterest...I think it's such a wonderful way to share ideas (especially teaching ideas!) Here are my five favorite pins for this month: #1: Bim Bum You Tube Video: Maybe these girls made this video to share with other kids their age, but they are doing such a service to music teachers, especially those who want to collect folk songs and teach through technology! I transcribed the music below (in a more comfortable key for singing with children): The song could be used for fa and tika-t…
Today, I'm trying my first linky party; I'm blogging about my five favorite pins this month! I love Pinterest...I think it's such a wonderful way to share ideas (especially teaching ideas!) Here are my five favorite pins for this month: #1: Bim Bum You Tube Video: Maybe these girls made this video to share with other kids their age, but they are doing such a service to music teachers, especially those who want to collect folk songs and teach through technology! I transcribed the music below (in a more comfortable key for singing with children): The song could be used for fa and tik…
In my last blog, I wrote about offering students choices in the general music classroom. Today I’ll continue this topic with more ideas that have worked for my students. Highway No. 1 by the Shenanigans: This is a wonderful dance the students absolutely love. Highway No. 1 is a highway that goes around the perimeter of Australia. During the dance, students pretend to drive, and then do dance steps that are spoken to them, like “walk, walk, clap, clap, clap,” and “skip, skip, and bob.” They drive around again, then do the next movement sequence. The music can be purchased through I-tunes, but …
This year, I took the position of elementary music co-chair in my district. After our first meeting, I sent out a survey, asking teachers to list their needs for professional development. A vast majority of the teachers—including me--wanted more information about improvisation. Knowing that improvisation is a bit focus in the Orff philosophy, I then approached three Orff specialists in our district and asked them to present a session with improvisational strategies. The session was so helpful, and helped teachers to foster musical creativity with their process. I will list here the process fo…
As a musician in jazz band all throughout high school and jazz band, I struggled with improvisation. As a teacher, I always jump at the chance to hone improvisational skills with my students. When I received a Martha Holden Jennings grant in 2004, entitled "Musical Creativity, Improvisation, and Composition," I searched for literature and methods to achieve improvement in those areas. I've found that working on improvisation is actually quite accessible and non-threatening, by providing students with the right tools, where no "wrong answer" exists. The following list c…
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