April Showers Bring May Flowers

Don't you just love Spring?  It's my absolute favorite season of the year.  The birds are singing a sweet song, the flowers are blooming in bright colors, and the students are climbing up the walls.  Hold on!  That last statement is NOT actually one of the many reasons I love Spring.  In fact, I'm going bananas at the current moment.  The kids and I have Spring fever.  The only cure I can think of to give me some sanity is a shopping spree to Teachers Pay Teachers.  You heard me right!  A shopping spree!  Would you like to join in on the fun?  I hope your wishlist is full, because I'm teaming up with some fabulous music teachers to host an AWESOME GIVEAWAY!  Two lucky winners will each receive a $50 gift certificate to TpT.  Who wouldn't enjoy some free resources?  All you have to do is enter the raffle below.  Visit some of my friends on their blog, Facebook, or TpT stores for more entries.  Good luck to you and Happy Spring :)  

Want to see what's on my wishlist?  Take a look at my shopping cart below...  

Dance Josey....

     This is one of my favorite songs to teach.  All ages enjoy singing and playing this fun tune.  I definitely want this resource for my students to have a visual.

Favorite Folks Songs - Leading Ladies!....

       Frankly, I don't teach enough folk songs.  I'm looking forward to this resource simply to educate the students about the background, and we'll have some fun, new movement activities too.

Stars and Stripes Forever Listening Activity....

      This is one of my Music Memory pieces for 4th-6th grade students.   It will be nice to have some new listening activities for my students to make connections with the music.

What's on your wishlist?

     

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Free Resources

Posters / Printables / Bulletin Boards:

 

Games and Small Group Activities:

March Madness

Where has the time gone?  Apparently March flew by so fast that I didn't have time to blog.  Ugh....and I thought I was getting better :)   Oh well.  Spring Break was much welcomed this month.  While I had high hopes of getting a lot accomplished, productivity was at an all time low....and that's o.k.

 With school resuming, so has the busyness.  Programs are on the horizon, testing is grueling, and end-of-the-year crunches are in full swing.   Life has become a little more stressful recently.  As for now, I'm holding my breath until the end of May when I can relax again.   Glancing back at my March happenings, 2nd graders were introduced to W. A. Mozart. After much explanation about "composers" vs. "presidents," they enjoyed making their scarves dance around to some of Mozart's pieces.  Eyes got bright when they recognized "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" from the cartoon, Little Einsteins.  Following our movement activity, we created a Mozart Fact Flipbook (made by Jena Hudson.)   The kids enjoyed learning all about Mozart and having something to take home and share with their families.  It was a really fun project for us to do together :)
 

 In 1st grade, students have been working on MSL for a while.  Though already familiar with "Twenty-Four Robbers" from our curriculum CDs, the 

 kids were recently introduced to the song on the staff.   Practicing our solfege and rhythms, I used a fun assessment worksheet to check for understanding.  This was a great resource to send home as well.  Many times, parents don't realize what their children are actually learning in music class.  I believe sending things home occasionally can help solidify the importance of music in the curriculum AND help families understand music isn't just a blow off class. 

As with many of our songs and games,
children joined along on Orff instruments.  Twenty-Four Robbers has an Orff arrangement included that can be modified depending on the level of your students.

Older students (grades 4-6) have just began working on recorder.  They've been looking forward to it all year long.  I use the Recorder Karate program, and my kids LOVE it!  The thrill of earning a belt for their instrument makes this a successful system for my students.  I converted one of my magnetic chalkboards into our progress board on a Friday afternoon so when the kids came in on the following Monday, they were eager to begin learning recorder.  I use the current girl and boy clipart to add each student's name on front, and a magnet on back.  When they play off each song, they are able to easily move their "person" to the corresponding color on the board.  It's the highlight of their year, and exciting for me to see their note reading confidence.

What's happening in your music room this month?   I'd love to hear about your programs and ideas.