Make Your Own: "Ribbon Wands"

There are terrific products out there for teaching music...but who can afford them all?  Sometimes I devise ways to make my own for much less money.


Some time ago I bought rainbow ribbon wands at musicinmotion.com.  My students and I love using them for performances, showing phrases in music, creative movement, and many other activities.  But $26.00 (plus shipping) for only 6 makes the cost too prohibitive to have enough wands to involve an entire class of students in an activity.

Worthy Websites for Music Ed: "VoiceAcademy.org"



shirt by zazzle.com

 This site was recommended by a colleague and it's not what I initially expected at all...but that's not necessarily a bad thing! I was anticipating a site dedicated to vocal training for young singers, but Voice Academy's focus is on the vocal health of TEACHERS and site is described as a "no cost self-directed virtual school built for the vocal health of US teachers"!

Ironically, I was recently reading an article about teachers who battle severe career-ending vocal problems such as polyps or nodes. The goal of the Voice Academy is to "develop an outreach for the hard-working voices of schoolteachers...based on compelling research showing a high incidence of voice problems in the profession."

Worthy Websites for Music Ed: "Metronome Online"

Every music teacher, whether they teach privately or in a school setting, knows the importance of a metronome to help their students keep a steady beat and tempo. A metronome is a practice tool that produces a steady pulse (or beat) to help musicians play rhythms accurately. The pulses are measured in beats-per-minute (BPM). Most metronomes are capable of playing beats from 35 to 250 BPM. Common uses of the metronome are helping you to maintain an established tempo while practicing, and learning difficult passages.

FREEEE music for instrumental music teachers!

Usually, I know that my posting leans heavily into the vocal/general side of elementary music, but that is just what I am most familiar with.  One of my new goals is to get more content here for the instrumental teachers, so that Jedi Music can be a more complete resource for the elementary music teacher.

It may seem like I'm rushing into the Christmas season in mid-September, but music teachers always have to think ahead!  Fun Music Company is offering this FREE holiday percussion ensemble piece, an arrangement of "Sleigh Ride".  For so many of us who have little to no budget to work with this school year, this could be a blessing!  The PDF file contains separate pages for all of the parts, as well as a conductor's score.

You can also download a free e-book of seven other percussion pieces, compliments of Kevin Tuck.

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.

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.

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:

$ave a Few Buck$

Teachers spend a lot of money out of pocket on classroom supplies. This upcoming school year, with many budgets slashed, we will probably be spending more, or perhaps trying to do without, or with less.  Being the bargain hunter that I am, I like to scout around to find the best deals.

Many retailers offer a special teacher appreciation day, or even a year round teacher discount.  Just remember to bring your educator ID.  Here are some of the discounts and offers I've taken advantage of:

“…and the award goes to…”

After the performances wrap up for the year, it will be time to turn your attention to awarding the students for their efforts.  In the case of students graduating from the school, often the banquet committee will approach the teacher for recognition awards to be given at a celebration banquet. Here is how I recognize and reward my student's after the performances are complete:

Back to School...Already!?

That's right, I'm heading back to school after less than a week of summer vacation! I'm going to Duquesne Unversity today and tomorrow for an Early Childhood Music Initiative Professional Development Workshop!  I'm looking forward to learning some new strategies, and meeting new people.  And another big plus is that this professional development opportunity is FREE!  That doesn't happen very often, so I'm glad to take advantage!