Each Fall semester, my after-school choir performs six pieces, give or take. The choir is made up of fourth and fifth graders and meets for approximately fifty minutes once a week. Students have the opportunity to perform a variety of pieces and experience musical training beyond the classroom. Program selections…
Book Review – Jazz Baby
Book: Jazz Baby Author: Lisa Wheeler Illustrator: R. Gregory Christie Publisher: Harcourt, Inc., 2007 “Brother’s hands tap. Sister’s hands snap. Itty-bitty Baby’s hands CLAP-CLAP-CLAP!” Jazz Baby uses body percussion, singing, scatting, and dancing. The text mentions drummers and bass players, but we do not see any instruments, only a record player. The rhythm…
Simplify Concentric Circle Games
My classroom is rather spacious, but pull out the risers and a few instruments and suddenly the movement space dwindles. Here are a few ideas for implementing exciting lessons in small spaces. Tideo and John Kanaka both have concentric circles as part of the game formation. However, I teach Tideo…
Drumming
Yesterday two groups of music education students from the University of Mary-Hardin Baylor visited my elementary music classes to observe drumming lessons and they were great! In my district, we teach twelve 25-minute classes on Fridays and see half the school. I like to use these class times to reinforce…
Quarter Rest Prep
My awesome colleague, Cindy Hayes, shared this idea with me and gave me permission to share it here. This technique could be used with multiple songs, but the chart I made matches the rhythms to Pease Porridge Hot. While you’re preparing quarter rest, show the students the page with the…
2015 Winter Encounter
The 2015 Winter Encounter is ready for viewing! This is the quarterly publication from Kodály Educators of Texas (KET) that features my Tech Time column. The topic in this issue is using Freemake Video Converter. You may also wish to join the Facebook page for lively discussion and resource sharing. Enjoy!
Syncopa Practice
It’s that time of year again. My fourth grade students have learned “syncopa” or “ta-di–di” and we’re practicing it every which way. It’s a good idea to have students read it from flashcards, posters, or displayed on a projector, and I highly encourage you to use the highlighting feature if you…
Book Review – This Jazz Man
Book: This Jazz Man Author: Karen Ehrhardt Illustrator: R.G. Roth Publisher: Harcourt, Inc., 2006 This jazz man, he plays one, He plays rhythm with his thumb, with a snap! snap! snazzy-snap! Give the man a hand, This jazz man scats with the band. This Jazz Man introduces nine well-known jazz greats to the…
Book Review – Martin & Mahalia: his words, her song
Book: Martin & Mahalia: his words, her song Author: Andrea Davis Pinkney Illustrator: Brian Pinkney Publisher: Little, Brown and Company, 2013 Martin & Mahalia: his words, her song is a nonfiction picture book with beautiful artwork, poetic language, and smooth, easy-to-read-aloud text. Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahalia Jackson shared…
Ribbon Snake Information
Here are some pictures of my “ribbon snakes.” The best way to store them is to wrap a rubber band around the end of the sticks and tuck the ribbons and all into a zipper baggie. For more information on making your own, see the previous post, Engaging Activities in…