Pavo, Pavo

I know it is a little early, but I found this gem in one of my teacher editions ("Making Music" Grade 1 by Silver Burdett).  I'm so glad to find a "turkey" song in Spanish.  This particular song is from Chile (English words courtesy of CP Language Institute).

The game instructions are:
Formation: Circle, with one child (the turkey) in the middle
Performance Notes: A Section: Phrase 1, 3, and 4 the students sing, Phrase 2 the turkey sings
B Section: students sing (not turkey)
Movement:
Ms. 1-4: Circle moves to the left as the turkey does a turkey strut to the right
Ms. 5-8: circle moves to the right.
Ms. 9-12: Standing still, the children shake their fingers at the turkey.
Ms. 13-16: The turkey closes his/her eyes and stretches out his/her arms - the turkey spins around and points to a new turkey.

Potion Pitches

I created these Potion Pitch games to give my students some more practice on things we're working on.  We've used similar games before and they are always a favorite and very successful. 

For the solfa and B-A-G set, I can also add in ear-training by playing or singing (easy - on solfa, more difficult - on a neutral syllable) a specific pair and having the students identify it.  Students also enjoy singing or playing patterns for their classmates to find.  So, in one activity, they are practicing reading skills, training their ears, and also performing for others.  I love it!

In the file, you'll find more explicit instructions.  Download the preview to get the Low La set for free!  This is also included in my Fall into Music set.

Mrs. White Update

Hello everyone!  I recently updated the freebie, Mrs. White, in a major way.  You'll find: 1) slides for teaching the song, 2) printables (worksheets, steady beat tracking pages, etc), 3) 3 explicit mini-lesson plans.  Please take advantage of this wonderful poem during the Halloween-season.

Don't forget to pick up your ghost erasers from Target.  They are just too cute!

*****This file is also included in my Fall into Music set.*****

Bach's "Little Fugue"

With my 5th graders, for mid-October to mid-November, I've been using lessons from my "Spooky Music" Unit.  I incorporate learning about composers, types of music, orchestral instruments, listening terms, and creative writing and composition all into this unit.

This year, I've created an activity for discussing the music of JS Bach.

First, to grab their attention, I'll show the students the video below (Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor).  Must students recognize this as a "spooky" song and have heard it around Halloween.

Second, we'll read and discuss information about the Composer (I can project it in PDF format):

Next, we'll learn about the piece the students will be describing in further detail, Bach's Fugue in G Minor or his "Little" fugue.  I know the students will be as mesmerized by this as I am, especially with a little spooky context (low lights and my Halloween decorations :) )

Then, I'll ask the students a variety of questions:
1. What colors do you see? (Green, Orange, Pink, Purple)
2. What do you think the colors represent? (The various pitch-levels on the organ)  I like to show this video - the organist is in a church where Bach worked, what a cool connection: BBC Bach
3. What happened when the colors went up/down? (The pitch of the line went up - the height of the colors mirror the height of the melodic line)
4. Why are some lines longer than others? (The length of the lines of color indicate the length of the rhythm - some indicate short rhythms, some longer rhythms)
5. Define fugue: a fugue is a composition technique in which a theme is introduced by one voice and imitated by one or more voices - the theme recurs frequently throughout the composition
6. Add movement: watch the beginning of the video again - ask students to raise their hands when they hear the "theme" for the first few entrances - discuss the higher and lower voices - discuss points of imitation(we almost hear the theme but it is different somehow - a different pitch, a major key, not entirely finished, etc) - I'm also going to have the students divide into four groups and follow one specific color as they watch - using their hands to mimic the direction

This video has a midi-piano recording of the piece - I like how the students can see the real notation.

I'll also show them how to create their own colorful composition:

I'll demonstrate (using the piano), "playing" my piece.  Students will describe the melodic direction of my piece, as well as point to short or long sounds.  Then, we'll "sing" each line, then the students will divide into two groups to sing this.

In a subsequent lesson (otherwise I'm sure I'll get many little versions of Bach because that's what's in their heads), the students will create their own "fugue".  The students can pair up to perform their fugue with a friend (using voice or piano - one plays the top one plays the bottom, etc).

You can find the printables in:
Spooky Music Unit
Fall into Music

Spider Web Instrument Family Game

In 4th and 5th grade, we really go over the instruments in detail (soon the students will get to chose one if they'd like to in Middle School).  Also, my 4th grade students will visit our local university (NMSU) in mid-November to attend an orchestral performance.  So, it is time for me to go over the instruments of the orchestra (again).

To begin: I'm a huge fan of the SFS Kids website.  I use this every year as we go over the instruments, coupled with videos of prestigious orchestras from Youtube.  I still have the old "Share the Music" series and there is a instrument-family coloring book with great printables included.  Of course we don't color the instruments (I mean, what are they learning from doing that?), but I have printed them out on cardstock, laminated them, and assigned one to each student to hold.  From there the student can:
1. Describe what they know about their instrument to the class
2. Break into groups based on instrument families (they love finding their "family members") and discuss similarities between family-members (as well as differences) - from there I can play recordings of instruments (there are some great sound-clips in the "Spotlight on Music" series) and have the correct family stand up and identify the instrument they hear (this can be done competitively, with correct answers earning points for the team)
3. Re-create the layout of the orchestra (great for discussing the reasoning for the placement and helping them visualize what they'll see at the performance)

In order to further prepare them for this performance in a fun and festive way, I created a "Spider Web Instrument Family Game".  Students must match six instruments in each family to the correct web.

I intend to use this activity with a few different stations:
1. Instrument Folder Game Station
2. Listening Station (using apps on our ipods and orchestral music selections)
3. My Favorite Instrument (great for discussions and bulletin board displays - I also tell the students that whatever instrument the write about they need to locate and pay close attention to it at the performance):

From these lessons on, anytime we do any listening examples with orchestra instruments, we'll always discuss what we hear and what family they are in.  Ms. Garret at Music Tech Teacher has some amazing games that are also great for review (and great fun too - project and the whole class can play).

What activities do you use to teach the instruments of the orchestra?

Learning Paris in the Music Room

This blog post is designed to describe how I use learning pairs in the music room.  Please comment below if you need any clarification.

 What do learning pairs look like in your classroom?
Learning pairs do just that - they help students learn while working with a partner.  In my classroom, students are working with their partner either in a circle formation or in organized linear lines.  The learning pairs work together often so that they are more comfortable with each other.  Learning pairs sometimes share materials, answer discussion questions together, or work together on worksheets, assessments, and compositional or instrumental assignments.

How do you assign learning pairs look like in your classroom?
When I assign them seats, my students are grouped in many different ways.  When they sit on the risers, they are organized by colors (red, yellow, green, and blue) and rows (top row and bottom row).  These places determine where they will sit on the carpet (either in a large circle or in four rows that match the four colors).  I try to group students in successful ways - I think about their musical skills, behavior, learning accommodations, English language abilities, etc.  Therefore, when we move into activities where they will work in pairs, I've already set them up for success.  If a pair isn't being successful (arguing, one partner does more work than the other, they seem uncomfortable with each other) I will immediately address this and change partners if necessary.  Sometimes, I approach their classroom teacher (who also has them assigned into pairs) if I feel I need more background knowledge before grouping students.

Why use learning pairs?
I've found that learning pairs are beneficial for a number of reasons:

1. ELL's and SPED students - Pairing an ELL with a strong English speaker or a SPED student with a patient classmate will often lead to the success of the ELL or SPED student.  Some partners can be very protective of their ELL or SPED partner and even praise or encourage them as they improve.  Again, these students need to be paired with care as some students may get frustrated working with an ELL or SPED classmate.

2. Students re-teach themselves when they teach others - When working on a concepts, sometimes I think, what else can I do?  We sing it, we read it, we play it, we compose with it, we discuss it, I have an anchor chart that goes with it, I have printables, games, etc - but sometimes all a student needs to do to "get it" is explain it to a peer.  These conversations are absolutely precious and I can easily see who is excitedly talking with their partner, pointing to anchor charts and explaining anxiously with their hands and who is struggling or looking confused.  This is another way to assess students without them filling out a worksheet.  They are excited and engaged because they are talking to a peer.  

For example, I sat my 4th graders in front of our large "Music Street" board and asked them to discuss the following questions (most of which were review and I didn't want to waste time teaching them again - but I wanted to make sure the students still remembered them and that newer students were getting the opportunity to learn this material as well):
1. What is music street?
2. What are pitches?  Why do we need them?
3. List everything you remember about Do-Re-Mi-So and La.
4. Using Do Re Mi So La, find steps, skips, and leaps.
Of course, I only asked students to discuss one question at a time.  We read the question out loud and I checked to make sure everyone understood it.  Then, students discussed with their partners.  Before moving to the next question, I asked students to share with the class what they discussed.  It was so cute because students were raising their hands and saying, "My partner remember that Do is like the president, he can move to any line or space he wants." etc.

3. Sharing and learning - If you spent any time on my blog, you know I use lots of manipulatives.  I use so many that I can get a little overwhelming and time-consuming to create and organize them.  With my students in learning pairs, I only have to create, say, 12 sets for a class of 24 instead of 24 materials.  Often, this saves me time AND money.  Before you think I'm just looking for an easy way out, let me tell you that my students LOVE working together.  They get to talk to their partner as they figure things out, they can read, sing, clap, and play instruments with their partner (especially great if doing a composition activity - one student creates and another performs), and they can discuss why they did or didn't reach the correct answer (especially in ear-training activities) with their partner.
 
Here's a little picture from a group of darling little 1st graders.  They were using the beat maps (so easy - just glue the heart cut-outs onto construction paper and laminate - these have lasted 5 years and are still going strong) and bingo chip circles to decode rhythms of known songs (two circles was titi, one circle was ta, and one circle turned over to the white side was shh).  After students worked on the songs I wanted them to, they were allowed to create and perform rhythms with their partners.  The girls were pointing along to the beats as their boys chanted and performed their rhythms with body percussion.  The students loved this activity and I loved that I didn't have bingo chips everywhere, haha.


4. Time to check for understanding and share ideas/thoughts - Sometimes, well, a lot of the time, I just don't have the time for each student to share what they thought about a listening example.  Students can share their thoughts with a partner.  Sometimes, I'll have students read a bit of information and then discuss it with their partner (for example, third graders were singing "Kuma San" and "Nabe Nabe" as they reviewed Do Re Mi and students discussed the facts about Japan that were projected on the screen with their partners).

Tips for success
1. Place with a plan - Pair your students after you've thought carefully about who they should work with - don't assign random pairs or you may get random results.

2. Create norms - Discuss (and create an anchor chart) norms for working with a partner.  You might start partner work by having the students greet their partner politely (mine love doing this - we shake hands, we say hello, it is very sweet and it helps to "break the ice").  Have conversations about what students want in a partner (someone who does their work, someone who is patient, no put-downs but encouragement, etc).  Set up positive incentives (students that compliment their partner today get to lead the line when we leave, or the first pair to complete their work correctly gets to help clean-up, etc - little things that the kids love).  Deal with issues consistently and fairly - putdowns, impatient behavior, etc are never allowed.

3. Work and play - Don't always have your learning pairs "working" - let them play together too.  If you have a partner dance or an activity with instruments, pair your students with their learning pair partner.  Sometimes, it is nice to bond over a fun activity.

4. Praise, praise, praise - I'm very generous with my praising when we work in pairs.  I praise students that get materials out correctly.  I praise students that pick-up correctly.  I praise students who compliment each other.  I praise students that greet each other.  I praise students that work well and stay on task.  I praise pairs or a student in that pair that might not have worked so well during a previous partner activity.  I over-praise pairs where one student is an ELL/SPED/behavior and the other is not.  Praise praise praise.  Positive positive positive.  I walk around and monitor, monitor, monitor.  I engage pairs in discussions and praise their answers.  Do it!
Learning pairs are a simple and time-saving way to help your students succeed.  Try them out and let me know what you think!

The Night the Candy Corns Escaped

Don't get me wrong, I love those "Lady that Swallowed Everything" and I always use "Five Little Pumpkins", but this year I wanted a new little story to use with my 1st graders.  I also found some super cute candy-corn erasers (see previous post) at Target and I can't wait to use those.

So, I created a poem called, "The Night the Candy Corns Escaped."  I know the firsties will love to figure out what happens.  We can also pantomine and dramatize the words which will help them get ready for their Winter Program in December.  The 'refrain' of the poem also incorporates rhythms the first graders are working on, so we'll get music reading practice too.

Here's the slides (instructions and printables are included in my Fall into Music set, but you are more than welcome to use what you see here):

In a subsequent lesson, we'll extract the rhythmic content of the first refrain:

I also included some printables to use (a rhythm worksheet, cards for matching the iconic representation to the real rhythm symbols) including this jar dictation sheet (we will use our erasers on this):

Here are a few pictures of the printables/manipulatives in action.  I use sheet protectors and dry erase markers for student work all the time - I can easily assess the students without having to run off a bunch of worksheet copies.  Students enjoy working with dry erase markers as well, so it is a win-win.  For this activity, both pages are placed in the plastic sheet, as well as a marker, a piece of black felt for an eraser, and a bag of candy-corn erasers (again, those are from Target - $1 for 50 erasers).