Who is Sasha?

I bought a new toy (of sorts.)  After reading about the fun other

 music teachers have with folk dancing, I decided to plunge into unfamiliar territory.  I had never thought about, nor had an interest in, teaching dances to my students, until now.  Purchasing my new "toy", a.k.a Alabama Gal folk dance collection was my happiest moment this week.  And let's admit it....we ALL need a little happy in our lives :)  I introduced Sasha (dance #1 in the book) to 4th - 6th grade early in the week, then 3rd grade toward the end.  Not only did the kids have a blast, but also, they were asking to do it again for the next class. There were none of those awkward moments that we typically experience.  You know what they are.... when the cooties come out and none of the children want to come within six inches of each other, much less touch hands or link elbows.  Participation was at 100% and that made this teacher smile:)  I can't wait to introduce more of the Alabama Gal collection of dances this year.  Woo Hoo! 

This week, my itty-bitties were still working on steady beat and ta/titi icons.  Using stones (our fave class manipulative because they are sooooo pretty), I would recite one phrase from a song and have them add stones to their beat sheet to match the way the words go.  For instance, "Queen Queen Caroline" would be one stone in the first two hearts, two stones in the third, and again one stone in the fourth heart.  We repeated the activity with several of the songs we have learned since day 1.  It was great practice for the students to visualize and create their own icons for "the way the words go" in the songs.  

As a checkpoint, I would put magnets on my hearts so students could compare their rhythms with mine.  When all were on track, we would touch our stones while saying the corresponding phrase in the song. 

And so it goes, on The Music-Go-Round!

Steady Beat Review and Practice

 School is into full swing now and my schedule reflects the busyness of not only teaching, but also keeping up with my own children and their activities.  Whew!  I think some time management tweaking is in order.

In the first weeks of school, I've been reviewing/teaching steady beat with the students.  The first grade "babies" have caught on faster than in the previous years.  It seems this group of students has a stronger internal beat than their predecessors.  Yea!

First and Second grades practiced on beat sheets with partners and independently multiple times.  We used strips for "Engine Engine", "Queen Queen Caroline", "Bee Bee Bumblebee",  and "Cobbler Cobbler."  

 








Students enjoyed learning the Cobbler Cobbler game and have asked to play each time they come to class.  We also played Bee Bee Bumblebee in a circle, eliminating one player on the word "out."  When the circle was down to three or four players, students made predictions about who they thought would be out next.

Third grade students learned "Benjamin Franklin" and practiced passing the ball on the steady beat around the circle.


 


As each student was eliminated, they chose a percussion instrument to play and help keep the beat while the others continued passing the ball in the circle.

Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth grades sang the African song, "Obwisana," while passing sticks on the floor.  I introduced/reviewed macrobeat and microbeat, and we practiced both as I called out commands.  The macrobeat was super fun and easy once we got in the groove, but the microbeat was a bit of a challenge as several students weren't able to keep up.  To keep them listening even more, toward the end of our activity, I added a "reverse" call and the students changed directions passing their sticks.  

All in all, we got a lot of laughs and had a great time.

 Click on the picture above to view this blog post

 and others on a music education link-up!

Ready or Not....Here They Come!

With much hesitation, I joined the masses and headed back to school :)  Last Monday began my week of staff development and room prep.  Whew!  I'm already tired and the students haven't even darkened my door yet.  Between all the TpT shopping and the digital creating, the laminator was nice enough to allow all my goodies to go through without a hitch.  The walls are decked, the room is set up, the files are in order.....it's going to be a great year! 

Here's a few pics of my room this year...

 

The entrance to my music room, and "Instagram" board in the hallway.  This is where I'll display pictures throughout the year.      

My desk area and Character Counts board.

  

By the door I display my MUSIC rules, Attention Grabbers, Bye Bye Butterfly,

 and my reward board for 1st-3rd.

  

Instrument

set-up and 

composer wall.

The front chalkboard with M-U-S-I-C letters for class behavior and sol-fege signs.

The view from one side to the other. The room is actually really long, but not very deep.  I was debating whether or not to lose the risers, but a lack of storage space elsewhere helped me make my decision.

I actually like the risers fine except when it comes to playing circle games.  As you can see on the floor, my velcro marks run right up into the risers.  It doesn't leave much room for play.

Anchor charts for notes/rests.

Thanks for coming along on the room tour.  I would love any suggestions you may have for getting the most use of my space.  

 And so it begins....  A new year.  A fresh start.  

An exciting ride with The Bates Clef!

Time's a Tickin'

I don't know about you, but I have thoroughly enjoyed my late morning sleep-ins this summer.  Not only that, but pajama days coupled with daytime t.v. / movies are the absolute BEST!  My kids and I have basked in the laziness of life from mid-June until now.  Monday morning begins the pre-school activities (i.e. trainings, meetings, and room-prep) for teachers in my district.  Kudos to those of you who live outside my area for beginning your year within the last few weeks.  Personally, I would not have been ready, however, my mental enthusiasm is returning at a slow and steady rate.  By this time next week, I'll be good to go and ready to leap into the new year.

Be sure to come back and visit next week for a sneak peak at my Music room and my first week's plans.

 

Products for Prep

August 25th is the BIG DAY!

All of the littles will return to school with fresh haircuts, sweet smiles, and an eagerness to learn.  Though I've enjoyed my summer of laziness, the "back to school" commercials and the school supply aisles are getting me excited to greet my kiddos again.

Today, I'm linking up with Mrs. Miracle's Music Room  as I prep for the new school year.  Included will be, not only some of my resources, but also those of others.

The first product is by Cori Bloom from Rhythm & Bloom.

These Spanish/English music quotes are perfect for my school because of the high number of Spanish speaking families that we serve.  They are going to look perfect in the hallway leading up to the music room :)

While I like to teach patriotic songs to all students during the first weeks of school, my 6th graders dig in deeper with the Star-Spangled Banner.  I found this wonderful resource not long ago from Music with Sara Bibee.  I will definitely be using her unit pack during the month of September.

We've all heard it plenty of times..."See ya' later alligator...."  This is a standard salutation for my 1st - 3rd graders as they leave my class each time.  I start the year teaching the first three animals with motions as the students line up to go.  Each six weeks following, I add 1 or 2 more to the mix.  The students love acting out the animals and it's a great way to apply "ta and titi" rhythms throughout the year.  You can find this poster of 10 animal sayings here at The Music-Go-Round.

 

Finally, a new creation as of this summer, is Football Frenzy.  Here in Texas, football season is a way of life!  I plan to use these fun cards to review S-M with 2nd and 3rd grades during the first few weeks.  Then, after much preparation with the fabulous firsties, I'll use the icon cards to practice S-M on a 3-line staff.  If you're a football fanatic like me, check out Football Frenzy.

Thank you for stopping by.  I'll be checking out some other products at Teachers Pay Teachers for my wishlist.  Blast off with TpT's Back to School sale on Aug 4-5.  My entire store will be 20% off, while another 8% discount can be added using the TpT code BTS14.  Thanks Jena Hudson for making the super-cute pic.  

Happy shopping!

The Music-Go-Round

Back to School Sale - TpT!

Mark your calendars for a Back 2 School sale on August 4-5.  All products from The Music-Go-Round will be discounted 20% by using the code BTS14 @ checkout.  This is a great time to stock up on those activities you've been pinning for your classroom.

Planning "Whoas"

It's time.  I am down to the wire - two weeks left of summer.  Year-long planning should be finished.  Weekly lesson plans should be in the works.  My room should be progressing along.  And yet....here I sit.  Ugh!  Procrastination at it's best.

Truth be told, I don't enjoy planning for school.  It overwhelms me to think that I hold the key to "Music Education" for 36+ weeks and 6 grade levels containing 80 or more students each.  It seems as though the planning will never end.  And then it becomes clear that I am not alone in this process......

I tell myself to take a step...just a baby step.  I.Can.Do.This!
I gather some useful information from Lindsay Jervis's Perfect Poolside Planning blog hop, and I'm off to the races to accomplish great and mighty things.  Of course, my intention was to begin working in this direction in June. But hey, June and the very end of July is not much different.  Right?  Hmmm.
With resources on my kitchen table, I am armed and ready.

My concepts are clear.  My song lists are compiled.  My spreadsheets are coming together.   Things are definitely looking up for my planning escapades.

But wait...on a recent trip to the dollar store I found these cute little cut-outs.  So now my mind is racing to give each of these a purpose before school starts.

I guess planning will have to wait a little longer.  Hmmph.