Spaghetti Conducting

As an elementary music student, and truthfully all the way up to about 10th grade, I felt that conducting patterns were pretty mysterious.   No music teacher covered learning or practicing conducting patterns, and when I played flute in elementary and junior high school band, I always wondered what the director was waving around up there.

In my music classes, I introduce conducting patterns for 2/4, 3/4, and 4/4 time signatures beginning in fourth grade and continuing review until sixth grade.  Students this age like taking the part of the leader of a group, and we practice conducting as a class to recorded music for each time signature.

The Journey to the Concert Destination

Focus on the journey, not the destination.

Joy is found not in finishing an activity, but in doing it.

-Greg Anderson

It is better to travel well than to arrive.

-Buddha

To a music educator at this time of year, these quotes take on a new meaning in the context of CONCERT SEASON!! Many music teachers are either expected to, or contractually obligated to produce both a holiday concert and spring concert.  For many the past months have been the "journey" portion of the music process; the practicing done alone, in small groups, and in large group situations.  The "destination" portion of the music process begins now in the holiday season, with the holiday concert.

The Responsive Classroom

This past week's mentoring meeting focused on The Responsive Classroom.  While the focus is on use in the classroom teaching realm, I find so many elements that can be reinforced or adopted into the music class every time I learn more about Responsive Classroom.  So much of the material is very applicable to music education.

"Responsive Classroom is a widely used, research-backed approach to elementary education that increases academic achievement, decreases problem behaviors, improves social skills, and leads to more high-quality instruction."

What are we doing today?

My students ask me this question often, and these magnets I made help me keep it all organized:

I used heavy cardboard, large die-cut numbers, smaller die-cut letters, glued, laminated, cut out, and added magnets on the back.  Very durable, and well worth the time investment...these still look great in their seventh year of use (just a little dusty from chalk, that's all!)

Calm? Check. Thoughtful? Check. Caring? Check....

Recently, I was attending one of our district's mentoring meetings on the topic of Parent-Teacher Relations.  The speaker referenced the book, How to Deal with Parents who are Angry, Troubled, Afraid, and Just Plain Crazy by Elaine K. McEwan-Adkins.  There were many useful solutions and suggestions just in the presentation, I'd like to delve into this book myself in the near future.  However, I'd like to share this quote from the presentation that struck me as particularly appropriate to my Jedi-Teacher theme:

"As professionals, it is our responsibility to be calm, thoughtful, caring, intelligent, articulate, direct and honest at all times and in all situations."

My Privilege



Most days, we teachers leave the light sabers at home...


"Teaching is a privilege. It's part of a Jedi's responsibility to help train the next generation."
--Obi-Wan Kenobi

This quote is from the back of my son's "Clone Wars" book, and I love it.  For not being a true fan, I really do find a lot of teaching inspiration in the many variations of Star Wars! As teachers, we should all aim for this should be our daily mantra. Do we approach our work in this way each day?  It is certainly a challenge, but the attitude that we carry day to day leaves a lasting impression on everyone we come into contact with each day.  Please allow me to tell you a little story about some workers in another job with a terrific attitude...

How are my grades? (Update 5)

I am continuing to allow my new students to Grade the Teacher. At the beginning of the class, I give one student the job of tallying my mistakes (and I've been making plenty!) and writing my score on the board. This generates a lot of interest on the part of the students! Here are my grades:

How are my grades? (Update 4)

In my new school, I am continuing to allow my students to Grade the Teacher.

At the beginning of the class, I give one student the job of tallying my mistakes (if any) and writing my score on the board. This generates a lot of interest on the part of the students! Here are my grades:

Quiet!

Every teacher needs to develop a "quiet signal" for those times (and they happen often...) when their students are too loud. Elementary students of all ages can get carried away by an activity, excited for any reason, and sometimes just want to visit with their friends.  For these times,  a quiet signal is necessary.

How are my grades? (Update 3)

I am continuing to allow my new students to Grade the Teacher.

At the beginning of the class, I give one student the job of tallying my mistakes (if any) and writing my score on the board. This generates a lot of interest on the part of the students! Here are my grades:

How are my grades? (Update 2)

Even though my current student teacher has now taken over the day-to-day lesson planning and instruction, I still allow my students in my new school to Grade the Teacher (me, that is) on how well I am learning their names.

At the beginning of the class, I give one student the job of tallying my mistakes (if any) and writing my score on the board. This generates a lot of interest on the part of the students! It also helps me to review, and assists my student teacher in learning the student's names as well.  Here are my grades so far:

How are my grades? (Update 1)

This year, I am teaching in a new school, along with another school I've had for some time.  In order to learn the students' names, I allow the students to Grade the Teacher.

At the beginning of the class, I give one student the job of tallying my mistakes (if any) and writing my score on the board.  This generates a lot of interest on the part of the students!  Here are my grades so far:

Worthy Website for Music Ed: Noteflight

 



Noteflight is a fantastic resource for music educators.  Noteflight® is an online music writing application that lets you create, view, print and hear music notation with professional quality, right in your web browser. You can work on a score from any computer on the Internet, share with other users, or embed into your own pages. Anyone can sign up for a free account, or purchase a Noteflight Crescendo enhanced membership.  Any of the notation that I've included on my blog to illustrate a rhythm or melody that I use is embedded here from Noteflight.

Teacher Attitudes: What makes an impression on your students?"

Recently, I attended an excellent workshop for cooperating teachers at Slippery Rock University. Part of the presentation included a discussion panel of five university students, ready to embark on their student teaching assignments this fall.  The students answered a series of questions about their needs, skills they want to improve, and concerns that they will bring to the student teaching experience.  Finally, the students were asked about attributes of their own most memorable teachers.

Hydration

This school year my schedule is especially jam-packed...so I bought an extra-big water jug!

I'm noticing some pros and cons already...I like the size (there is so little time for refills with my packed schedule) and it really does keep the water cold all day long, but I need to find a secure place for it in my car so it stops rolling around as I make turns! My next car needs a 52oz. cup holder, I guess...

And no, it's not coffee (as my students think) in my monster mug, (nor any alcoholic beverage, like some of my colleagues may suggest!) it is really for my water that I drink constantly throughout the day.
Drinking lots of water is something I've always done to stay healthy and to hydrate my vocal cords.  Every new music teacher needs to get on board with keeping their hydration adequate.  So, if you are leaving the college world with a Mountain Dew/Coke/Pepsi/coffee/Monster/RockStar  habit, try swapping out a few of those drinks with a big jug of water.  Little by little, you may be able to wean yourself off the caffeine and your body (and teeth!) will thank you for it!*
 
*OK, those teeth pictures were even sicker than I thought possible! But, if it was enough to shock you into reaching for some ice water instead of "Doin' the Dew", then my mission is complete.

Fabric for Bulletin Board Coverings



(This is a new one I bought for this school year!)

 A few years back, I started using fabric to cover my bulletin boards, and I've been so happy with the results.  Using fabric for bulletin boards beats paper by far because it is:

• Much easier to hang.
• Fades less than paper (but also depends on the fabric).
• Looks more appealing and interesting.
• More durable than paper (you won't be re-hanging it year after year).
• Widely available in many musical patterns.

Substitute Planning...Do it while you're healthy!!

Back to school season is here again, and when setting up your classroom, please don't forget to plan ahead for the inevitable day when you might not make it to school because of illness.  Beginning teachers are especially prone to picking up sicknesses going around because they haven't built up an immunity.  So, your sick self is going to thank you sometime mid-winter when you don't have to haul yourself out of bed in sub-zero temps to get to school to set up for a sub!

When it comes to sub plans, keep it simple! Most of the time your sub will not be a music specialist, and will not feel comfortable picking up lessons where you left off.  My best sub plans include a music game or activity that anyone can teach, or a video that reinforces or extends concepts taught in music.

Here are some good activities to leave in your sub folder:

Building a Partnership Between Music and Reading Skills

Encorporating reading is natural in early childhood music education, but sometimes finding appropriate literature is not.  We want to be sure that both reading skills and music skills are being addressed by incorporating a particular book.  You will know that the balance is met when you can identify specific music objectives being met at the same time as reading skills are reinforced. 

Also, building a library of children's literature appropriate for reinforcing music is challenging to a new teacher because of the expense of purchasing the books.  Here are some of my thrify tips for picking up quality books on the cheap:

"Where Children Sleep"

Documentary photographer James Mollison recently published a photo book entitled "Where Children Sleep" which developed from his idea that a photo of someone's bedroom can reveal much more about them than a portrait ever could.  The book gives a fascinating view into the personal lives of children, and is an especially stark compare/contrast tool for the "haves" and the "have-nots" around the world. (And the pictures are going to be excellent as an extension to our "Hello to All the Children of the World" song in the Third Grade "Share the Music" series.)

Imagine if all of your students arrived at school with a picture of their sleeping place in hand. In our communities, we would likely see a very diverse a group of rooms, and some may be just as startling as "Where Children Sleep".  Understanding just where our students are coming from is a big step in a new teacher's understanding of their students, and a useful reminder to teachers to use patience with our students. This is why many school districts have begun to incorporate the home visit.  More ideas on home visits can be found here and here.

The Networked Teacher

Check this out:

When I started teaching in 1999 (last century!) 64% of this would have been very puzzling. At that time, I could have told you how to use exactly five of these networks for educational purposes. (I was fresh out of undergrad; chat was soooo not used for educational purposes on my campus!) Can you believe how lucky we are to have instant access to so much information?  As teachers, we should be more efficient and better educated than anyone who has come before us! Is it any wonder that our brains are feeling a little fried??!  And I know I'm not alone in blaming technology for my lack of sleep; each night after my children are tucked in, I'm online waaay too long at night, and I'll admit, it's not always for professional reasons!