This week in music we used a lesson from the book Barely Beginning using basic beat activities with the orff instruments for second grade. Students learned a song to sing as an A section called "Taxi, Taxi". It talks about standing in the rain and asking the taxi to stop. I gave a brief 1 minutes explanation on taxis in larger urban areas and why they are so frequently used. I selected two students to be 'taxi drivers' while the rest of the class was scattered throughout the room. They were instructed to drive (slowly, so as NOT to crash) around the town and pick up passengers. Then, as they sang, I had students 'wave' down a taxi driver. The trick was- they can only be picked up if they're singing. We sing ALL the time in music- you'd think I wouldn't have to use so many different ways to remind them to KEEP singing! The week before Spring Break, I used some new center activities from the amazing Tracy King. She presented at TMEA and I was fortunate enough to meet her and guilt her into a picture. I relied on her classroom blog so much my first two years and I couldn't express how thankful I was for everything she creates to help other music teachers. I included a picture of some of my older students who loved this Kinder activity. I guess play dough is magical at any grade level!
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On Saturday, I had three awesome students compete at our district U.I.L. competition. I teach Music Memory, of course! Students must aurally identify 16 different music selections and be able to write out Composer, Major Work and Selection. My district has gotten so competitive, we have ties on perfect scores! I need to give a shout-out to my three girlies who worked so hard and came so close to placing. I will miss them next year when they leave to middle school! *insert crying emoji*
My 4th and 5th grade students are delving deep into the Recorder Karate curriculum. If you haven't used it- it is a GREAT way to have students self-motivate one another to push their musical literacy and motor development skills. The books provide a lot of suggestions for classroom management while using recorder groups. Each student has a "job" in the group. This prevents students from arguing over starting and stopping and provides them a path towards solving issues within their group.
My time at TMEA gave me the courage to branch out to other recorder sources. After some very fun and motivating sessions, I found myself with the following books: Recorder Success by Chris Judah-Lauder and Everyday Recorder, Recorder Everyday by Michael Chandler. My students have enjoyed the variety in recorder activities so far. It helps to take a break from the routine of small group belt testing. Sometimes the kids get frustrated when they are stuck and some issues can't be helped by anything other than good old fashioned practice. These books have shaken up my routine for the better!
Pre-Kinder and Kinder learned the song "Aserrin, Asseran". It is a partner game where kids lean back and forth on the beat while they sing. Students have a blast playing with a friend! Once they've done it once, I allow them to select a new partner; this allows the repetition required to learn the text without boring the students. My fifth grade students have been working hard on the new repertoire, I decided the give them a break by reviewing the folk dance "Alabama Gal" from the New England Dance Masters. They always have a great time with this lesson! They remembered the majority of the movements! #proudteacher
Third grade students are working hard prepping for recorder. Students have spent the last three weeks learning the names of the lines and spaces. I place masking tape on the floor to allow students to play Staff Twister. The kids love it and once they're "out" , they assist me with checking students.
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Miss ReynaI grew up in Brownsville, TX and graduated from Homer Hanna High School. I have loved singing ever since I joined choir in 5th grade. After years of singing in choir, my hard work payed off with a scholarship to the University of Texas at Brownsville. I graduated in Spring 2012 with a Bachelor’s in Music Education EC-12, with an emphasis in Voice.I am a fully certified Kodaly teacher and looking to get my second certification in the Orff-Schulwerk process. I am qualified to teach all music to all grades (K-12) but I love the elementary level. Archives
May 2018
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