Mrs. Miracle's Music Room | Music Education Blog

My first few years of teaching, I sat down for hours at a time, on Saturday or Sunday, and planned all my lessons for the next week…by hand. Now, having kids at home, I really prefer for my weekends to be family time, and make sure to have time during the school day or right after the school day, before I go home, to write lessons (and I do them all by computer!)

I realize that some music teachers have little to no planning during the day (as I’ve been there) so today, I’m writing a blog post with different options for when to lesson plan.

During the weekend

Like I wrote above, you could simply take a chunk of your weekend, sit down with a few cups of coffee, and knock them all out for the next week! It can be great to not have to worry about lesson planning during the week—especially if you have little to no planning. Another benefit is that once you’re in lesson planning mode, it sometimes goes faster. The disadvantage is that you lose a decent amount of your weekend. And if you have kids at home, you may not want to go this route!

During a big planning period

A few years ago, on my Fridays, I had a big planning period. This is when I tried to do my lesson planning, or at least a big chunk of it. I liked that I only had to worry about it on one day, but the disadvantage was that if I were sick on a Friday, I had to write the lesson plans on another day, likely on the weekend.

As you need new lessons

For much of my career, my schedule was all over the place. I’d have one first grade class on Mondays and Fridays, another first grade class on Mondays and Wednesdays, and another on Tuesdays and Thursdays. So, because of snow days, assemblies, and missed days, one class might be four lessons ahead of another class. Back then, I’d write lessons as I needed to. So if I had a new lesson on a Wednesday, I’d write it on Monday or Tuesday so it was ready for that class. I had to be careful to track which class was on which lesson and make sure to look at the list every day so I didn’t miss any new lessons, so it felt a little hectic.

A little every day

At this point in my career, I am on a rotating ABCDE schedule (which you can read about more here.) I see everyone once each rotation for 50 minutes (and Kindergarten for 35 minutes.) Although I miss seeing them more, it evens out a little bit in that when we have a snow day and that was an A day, the next day becomes an A day! Now, except for in cases of sick days or assemblies, all of my classes are on the same lessons, which really makes my week feel much more seamless! And now, it’s much easier to figure out when to lesson plan.

On my A day, I just feel out the new lessons and don’t write any lesson plans. On B day, I write lessons for Kindergarten and first. On C day, I write lessons for second and fifth. On D day, I write lessons for third and fourth grade. And on my E day, I print out all my lessons and put them into my binder, make sure all my materials are ready, and type up all my agendas (you can read more about my agendas here.)

This is by far my favorite lesson planning schedule, as I know exactly what I’m doing each day. I also love that on my A day, I don’t have to worry about lesson planning, and on my E day, all I have to worry about is getting the lessons ready.

Something to consider when choosing your system is how long it will take you to write each lesson plan. This depends on each person, on your training, on how many details you include in your lessons, etc. I find that it takes me around 25 minutes to write each lesson plan if I'm writing it from scratch, so that can really add up when you have several lessons to write each week! (If you’re wanting more information about lesson planning, see this blog post, which includes a YouTube tutorial.) I do sometimes re-use lesson plans from previous years, but always tweak them for this year's students. In that case, it may only take me 10 minutes to write a lesson.

You'll also want to consider how far out you want to lesson plan. For example, some people may not be comfortable writing a lesson plan for the next day's lessons--and in some buildings, your administrator may require you to turn in your lessons a week ahead of time. I prefer to have taught the previous lesson before beginning to write the next lesson, as sometimes you think you're going to get something and it just doesn't happen, or there are gaps in the students' learning that you didn't anticipate! Again, this is a personal decision, which is sometimes affected by outside factors, such as if you're required to turn in lessons.

Whichever system you choose, it’s of course one that has to work for you, your teaching schedule, and your life! Which system do you use? Feel free to comment below, and happy planning!

Hope you have had a wonderful February! Since it is February, I am posting my five favorite pins of this month. (Thanks to Jessica Weible for the chalkboard frame, Dancing Crayon Designs for the music note clip art, and Kimberly Geswein and Hello Literacy for the fonts.)

If you are a blogger, feel free to join the linky party by following the directions at the end of this post. Here are my five favorite pins this month! You can click on each picture to be taken to the original pin.

#1: Bucket Drumming 101

This helpful blog post has some great suggestions for starting bucket drumming! I'm about to do a bit of it with my 4th graders, so I appreciated reading this!

#2: Orff Orffestrations

This pin leads to 15 FREE Orff arrangements! Woo hoo! I'd love to try "Tideo" soon; the arrangement looks accessible and fun!

#3: Tips and Tricks from Level II

I have not taken my Orff levels yet (although I would love to!) so I loved reading about someone else's experience. This blog post has some great ideas gathered from the author's level II, including how to teach the difference between low and high on Orff instruments!

#4: Stomp Unit

This pin leads to a blog post about a Stomp Unit...and it includes a free worksheet to help your small groups create!! I've always wanted to do a Stomp unit so would love to try this!

#5: Free music notation images

Have you ever wanted to create a worksheet or poster but couldn't find music images? Download all of these for free!

There are my five pins! If you'd like to see more pins like this, make sure to follow me on Pinterest by clicking the button below:

Since tomorrow, Monday, February 29, is Leap Day, several music sellers are throwing sales in their stores on February 29 and March 1! My entire store will be 20% off on those two days, and my four featured sets will be 29% off! To check out all of the deals, search "superleapmusic" on Monday or Tuesday, or click the picture below (thanks to Pitch Clips for the cute graphic!)

Here are the directions for linking:

Save the "Five Favorite Pins of February" graphic to your computer, and include it in your blog with a link to this blog entry.
Blog about your five favorite pins. Include pictures with links when possible.
Submit your information by clicking on the button below.

I will leave the linky party open until March 1. What are your favorite pins? Feel free to comment below!

An InLinkz Link-up

Since St. Patrick's Day is around the corner, today I'm blogging about some fun activities you can do in your classroom this time of year, to celebrate the holiday as well as Irish culture!

Irish folk songs

This time of a year is a great time to sing Irish folk songs with your students! Here are some great sites for finding Irish folk songs:

American Folk Song Collection at Holy Names:

(to find Irish and/or Irish-American music, go to "origin")

Beth's Music Notes

MamaLisa

Irish dances

One of my favorite folk dances is "Brian Boru," an Irish dance in "Teaching Movement and Dance." Another Irish folk dance called "The Bridge of Athlone" can be found in "Listen to the Mockingbird" by the New England Dancing Masters. Both of these resources are GREAT for any time of the year, though, as they contain tons of easy-to-teach dances for your music classroom!

Listening and responding to pieces and dances

Whether students are listening to Celtic music or watching Irish dancing, students can respond with what they notice, what they wonder, what they like, etc. Perhaps you could use a recording already in your collection, or watch a video like this:

I just posted a freebie for responding to music, which you can download for free here:

St. Patrick's Day games

There are tons of interactive games on TpT for rhythmic and melodic concepts! I just discovered this fun set by Amy Abbott, which has students read melodic patterns...but watch out, the leprechaun might pull a prank!

I created a game called "Help the Leprechaun," which has students identifying rhythmic patterns (this works great as an assessment!)

And my Pot o' Gold games are great for identifying lines and/or spaces on the treble clef staff!

Movement

To put movement into any St. Patrick's Day lesson, you could simply play freeze dance to any Irish music! When the music starts, students dance, but when the music stops, students have to freeze like a statue, or they are out!
If you want visuals for freeze dance, check out these sets:

Lindsay Jervis' Freeze Dance

Tracy King's Freeze Dance and Creative Movement

My "Songs and Activities for St. Patrick's Day," which includes a movement activity with shamrocks...when students freeze, they have to find another shamrock and move like the shamrock tells them!

Looking for more St. Patrick's Day ideas? Check out this new St. Patrick's Day in the Music Room Pinterest board I created!

What are your favorite St. Patrick's day activities for the music room? Feel free to comment below, and Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Hi everyone! First of all, I want to say that I am SO excited about my new blog design, by Alexis at Laugh Eat Learn!! If you are a blogger and want to have your blog redesigned, Alexis was wonderful to work with! You can find out more by clicking on the image below. She truly was able to take my vision and bring it to life!

Today, I'm blogging about a mini-unit I recently did with my 4th graders. I have a unique situation this year, in that I see all of the 4th graders once every five days for 50 minutes, but my colleague--who is also Kodaly-trained--also sees them once every five days for 50 minutes. We decided this year that the first marking period, she would teach them the "typical" Kodaly-inspired lessons, and I would teach extension lessons. Then at the start of the next marking period, we would switch, so that I'm teaching the typical lessons. This marking period, I've been doing the extension lessons, and the last couple of weeks, I did a Japanese mini-unit.

First, I taught them the singing game "Stew Pot," shown below:

This is a fun folk song that I learned from this book:

This book has lots of other great folk songs, and includes a CD!

I've been using the song for recorder, as the song only uses mi, re, and do, which I have them play on B, A, and G. I have a slideshow for the song in this recorder set.

Then I taught them the chant "Omochio Tsukimasho," which has a REALLY fun hand jive. Here is a video:

I started off teaching them just the chant and the hand motions that are not the steady beat, and then in the next lesson put the steady beat and hand motions together!

I also used this Powerpoint to teach them about traditional Japanese instruments; it is a great freebie by Elizabeth from Organized Chaos!

The Powerpoint has links to Japanese instruments such as the koto and taiko.

After students listen to taiko drumming, I introduced bucket drumming. Bucket drumming can be a great way to introduce students to taiko drumming without the expense of taiko drums. You might check your local hardware store or fast-food restaurants to see if they would be willing to donate buckets, and then a pair of dowels for each bucket.

For the bucket drumming, I used a piece I learned from Julie Froude, who is an amazing clinician and knows a lot about Japanese culture, as she grew up there! This piece is called "Renshu," and is a great practice piece!

For this piece, I play the first time and have students join me the second time, on the repeat. I played the "dorosuku"and "donsuku" on the rim, the accented notes on the top of the bucket. The "hoi" is spoken loudly.

I learned about the book "The Drums of Noto Hanto" from Julie. The book tells a true story of a village in Japan, and how they used drumming to scare off an enemy. I used the book as a way to discuss Japanese culture and music:

Lastly, I used the song "Sakura," which is one of my all-time favorite Japanese folk songs:

The translation is:

Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms,

Across the spring sky,
As far as you can see.
Is it a mist, or clouds?
Fragrant in the air.
Come now, come now,
Let's look, at last!

The song is beautiful, and is a great way to practice half note. Here is a video of my students performing "Sakura," during a program I created for "The Drums of Noto Hanto." The Orff arrangement would be a great addition to a Japanese mini-unit; I had the instruments set up in Japanese pentatonic (EFABC--no G or D.)

If you are looking for more resources for teaching the music of Japan, check out the Smithsonian Folkways Website.

Although I would love to delve deeper into the culture, the mini-unit was a great way to learn a bit about Japanese culture and music, while extending students' musical understanding. If you have any specific questions about teaching the music of Japan, Julie Froude has volunteered to answer your questions, since she is so knowledgeable (and if you're looking for a clinician for your local chapter or school district, she is wonderful!) You can comment below with your question, and I'll forward it to Julie. Also feel free to comment below with any of your favorite Japanese songs or resources, and have fun!

I'm excited to have a guest blogger today! Tamarie Sayger will be writing about an activity to build excitement for March madness and music-making! You can read more about her at the end of this post; thanks to Tamarie for sharing her expertise!

March is known for basketball mania! The Final Four is the first full week of April, so you can take advantage of all the hype the week before it begins. Run this game with all your classes the week of March 28-April 1.

Why?

I use this as a way to change things up a little during the middle of the spring semester. It’s supposed to be very fun and positive, with just a little bit of competition to keep it interesting.

What do I teach?

You teach your normal lesson plans! Nothing changes with that. This is just to be integrated through your objectives to build excitement. Here are some examples:

- If you’re working on rhythmic dictation, give out points based on how well they write their answers. Every student that gets it right can have a free throw. If it’s really tricky and only 5 students get it right the first try, give them a 3 point, try again and give out 2 points. Then help everyone fix their answer and give out 1 point free throws to everyone once they get it.

- If you’re working on individual singing, give everyone a point when they echo you individually.

- If you’re working on recorder, give out 2 points for excellent participation, 3 points for volunteers to play by themselves, and 1 point for everyone that is trying.

How do I prepare?

Print out the Music March Madness printable here ahead of time. I suggest copying each point value on a different color of paper to make it easier to add up points at the end of the day. If you have time you can laminate them to make them last for a few years. Cut them out and have a bunch (maybe 100 of each point value) ready to go. I always just put little pieces of tape on the back of them - glue dots might work well also. Keep them easily accessible and always have a few in your hands.

Make 4 posters and display them in the room with team names. I use brown butcher paper from the teacher’s lounge and draw a basketball court on it. Keep it simple because the ‘point basketballs’ will be the real decoration.

Explain to the students that you’ll be giving out points throughout class - show them the ‘point basketballs.’ When they get a point basketball they should IMMEDIATELY get up and go add it to their team’s poster. (They just slap it anywhere on their team’s ‘court.’)They need to do it quickly and quietly so they don’t get a ‘foul’ (lose their point.)

How do I make up teams?

It depends on your setup. I suggest this way:

Kinder, 1st, 2nd - Each class is on the same team against other classes in the school. So Mrs. Smith’s team comes and earns as many points as they can for the Duke Blue Devils or whoever. Then Mr. Jones’ class comes and earns as many points as they can for UNC Tarheels.

3rd, 4th, 5th - Divide each class into 4 teams. They compete with each other to earn points for their team. So the 6 kids on Team A put all their points on Duke, Team B kids put all their points on UNC etc.

However, you know your students. If your older kids would be too competitive, just assign different classes to different teams as I suggest for the younger kids.

Any other rules?

Continue with your regular lesson plan and routine. Give out points constantly as students earn them. Try to keep it 100% positive. If any kids get a little too competitive you can call “foul” and take away a point from the board. (Take it off the board if possible, not away from the student. It’s less personal.) Turn it back around quickly and start giving them out and having fun again!

How do I track the score?

At the end of each day (and maybe once in the middle if you’re running out of ‘point basketballs’) take down the points and count them and post the current totals in your room (and maybe the hallway too). That way you can re-use those same ‘point basketballs’ each day. I announce at the end of the week (Friday right before dismissal) which team won on the school intercom to the whole school.

How many points do I give out?

As many as you can! You can even start giving them out as they walk in the door before they even know what they’re for. Hand them to kids that are coming in with good behavior, participating in opening song etc. Then just continue though out class. Suzy raises her hand to answer a questions - 2 points. Johnny sings great - 3 points. Tommy is doing great hand signs - free throw. You’re only going to to this one week a year, so make the most of it. Try to be sure EVERY student gets at least one ‘point basketball’ during the class period. Even if it’s that they line up nicely at the end of class.

Final thought...

I know your students will love this game - and you will too! You will be amazed at the level of excitement, participation and great discipline during this week!

Would this work for Band?

Do you (or someone you know) teach beginning band? There is a very similar version of this with examples for band right here. You still use the basketball printable from above and merge this Music March Madness with the ideas for Band Super Bowl for great success in your band classes.

Tamarie Sayger is a music teacher in Texas with experience in elementary music, secondary band and private teaching. The website she contributes to regularly, www.BandDirectorsTalkShop.com, is a collaboration of band directors, former band directors, administrators and private lesson teachers who provide practical articles you can use in your band room today. Learn. Share. Inspire.

Today, I’m reviving my "Three Things" linky party, in which I blog about three things that worked for my and my students this week. If you are a music blogger, and would like to link up with your three things, see the directions at the end of this post. Thanks to Whimsy Workshop Teaching, Kimberly Geswein fonts, and Jax and Jake for the cute clip art and fonts!

#1: Memorizing Rhythm

My fifth graders are practicing syncopa right now (or eighth/ quarter/ eighth), and one of the songs they are using is "Oboshinotentoten." You can find the music notation here, and here is a video of the game:

After we played the game, I had the rhythm written on the board, and had students sing the song on rhythm syllables. Then we memorized 4 beats at a time (I erased the rhythm as we went) until the whole song was memorized! This was a quick and fun way to practice syncopa AND improve musical memory!

#2: Making instruments with household items

My third graders are learning about the Science of Sound right now, using this unit that I created with my friend Matt:

After we talked about vibration, volume, size and pitch, and how sound travels, I gave students a lot of different household items, like toilet paper rolls, plastic looms, rubber bands, and beads, and had them create an instrument and then decide what was vibrating to create the sound! The kids loved this and so did I...it was messy and loud but they learned so much, and created some really awesome instruments! Here are a few pictures:

#3: All the pretty little horses

With my first graders, I sang this book:

It's such a beautiful song (and one I've sung to my own daughters for years!) After I sung it, I asked them what kind of song it was, and we had a great discussion about why we sing lullabies, who can sing a lullaby, and other lullabies that we've heard. It's a really calming song, so it's a great way to end the lesson!

Those are my three activities for this week! If you are a music blogger and would like to link up to post about three things this week, here are the directions:

Save the linky image above and link it back to this blog post.
Blog about three things that worked really well for your students this past week...songs/activities that were magical, engaging, had them begging for more, etc.! Please limit any mentions of your own products to only one of the three activities.
Add your blog post by clicking the button below.

I'll leave the linky open until April 3, since I have spring break next week, and some of you may be on spring break now. :)

If you aren't a music blogger and would like to tell us about activities that worked for you, please comment below!

An InLinkz Link-up

Of course, I love writing music education blog posts...but I also love to read them! When I first started my blog in 2010, there were very few other music education blogs out there, and now there are SO MANY. Which is great, honestly, because so many people are sharing their ideas about the music classroom so openly!

Here are my three go-to music education blogs, as well as a list of other great blogs, and a few ways to easily read blogs!

#1: Kodály Corner

This is a blog I created with several other music education bloggers, and I get so excited when other bloggers post so I can read their amazing ideas! Whether Christopher Roberts is blogging about using pop music in the Kodály-inspired classroom, or Jamie Parker is writing about using Socrative in the music classroom, or Tanya LeJeune is writing about teaching the 12-bar blues, there are wonderful takeaways in every blog post! I love how every blog post is so varied yet so useful, not only in the Kodály-inspired classroom, but any music classroom!

#2: O for Tuna Orff

Aimee at O For Tuna has a wonderful Orff-inspired blog. Whether she's talking about assessment with stretchy bands or sharing hand clapping chants and songs, her blog is FULL of great ideas! (She also has a really wonderful book full of hand clapping games for sale on her blog!)

#3: Make Moments Matter

David at Make Moments Matter has a wonderful blog with lots of great, practical ideas for the music classroom! He has lots of great posts about classroom organization, as well as some wonderful posts about manipulatives...and on top of that, I've met him in person, and he is SUCH a nice guy!

Here are some other great blogs you should check out:

Music a la Abbott

Lindsay's Kodály-inspired Classroom

Mrs. King Rocks

Organized Chaos

Sweet Sounds

The Yellow Brick Road

Sew Much Music

Tanya's Kodaly-Aspiring Classroom

Music with Mrs. Dennis

Music with Mrs. Tanenblatt

...and like I said, there are SO many others!

Now onto a few ways to read these blogs!

Music Education Blogs:

I created this website as a way to easily read music education blogs! There are pages for elementary, middle school, band, choir, etc., but the easiest way to read blog posts is simply to go to the home page, scroll down, then look at the feed, which shows the most recent post from each person who is part of the blog, like shown below:

Keep in mind that if you are on your phone, you'll have to go to "view web version" in order to see the feed (and if you are a blogger who would like your blog listed, see the directions on the front page.) Also, if you follow our Facebook page and turn on notifications, you can get a notification every time a blogger posts about a blog post!

Bloglovin'

I have my blog on Bloglovin', and have used the emails I receive to read posts here or there. But recently, I discovered the Bloglovin' app, which is really awesome! You can sign up to follow other people's blogs, but my favorite part is that when you click on a blog, if you go to "find similar blogs," you can find a bunch you didn't know existed! Then you can open up the app and read to your heart's delight!

Music Education Blog Carnival

I have hosted one of the carnivals on my blog; each month, it is hosted by another music education blogger. The idea is that the host collects music education blogs from the month and gives a summary of each in a blog post! For more information, see this page.

Feedly

You can also use the Feedly app or website to read blogs, but there are some blogs you might not be able to follow with this app, so I find using a combination of the four to be a great way to catch them all!What is your favorite music education blog? How do you read blogs? Feel free to comment below, and happy reading!

Today, I am writing about a program I created for my third graders, based off the book "The Gratitude Tree" by my friend Stacey Peters (known as Expressive Monkey on TpT.) You can view this book by clicking the image below.

The book is a really cute and inspiring story about a tree who thinks he's ordinary, until he realizes that every time he feels gratitude, his leaves change color! It's a great way to talk about gratitude, kindness, appreciation, etc. with your students. This blog post will include a summary of songs and dances I used for the program, as well as scenery ideas!

I did this program with third grade, but it could easily be adapted for second or fourth. I split the text up between 22 narrators, and I also had one student who was a tree and another who was a bird. (I bought the tree costume and the bird costume on Amazon...if you are crafty, you could make them yourself!)

For the performance, I had Stacey's book projected onto the screen on our stage, so that parents could see the book as it was being performed. The first three narrators came up, reading the first lines from the book, and the third narrator read, "Sadly, no one paid attention to the ordinary tree." At this point, students sang "Apple Tree" while one of the classes accompanied on Orff instruments.

Next, another narrator came up and read the line that ends with "built a nest in its branches." Since that line is about a bird, I had students sing "Kookaburra," along with this accompaniment track by The Wild Colonial Boys. Students sang the first two verses in unison, the third verse in a 4-part round, and the fourth verse in unison, which fits perfectly with the accompaniment!

After that, a narrator, the bird, and the tree, all come up and read the next part, which ends with "I am very grateful for that." At this point, the students sang "Hasuka ma yafa," which is an Israeli song of thanks. You can learn the song with this video:

I used this book, also by Robert Amchin (the teacher in this video), for the Orff accompaniment.

Then two narrators and the tree came up, and read until, "I'm a pretty lucky tree to be selected as the home of new baby birds." At this point, students sang "Here comes a bluebird"; you can find notation and game directions for here. Then I had another class perform the dance for "Bluebird" with recorded music; the dance with directions can be found in this Sanna Longden resource.

Then I had another student come up and read the next part until "green lines." Since that line is about leaves changing colors, I had students sing "Fly, Fly, Fly." Here is a video of Libana singing the song; you can find the CD here.

Three more narrators came up; after "keeping him company," a class came up in two circles and sang "Boots of Shining Leather" in a round. Here is an example of my students singing this in a round:

Three more narrators came up. I had all of the students say, "Have you figured it out yet?" at one time. The third narrator ended with, "beautiful colors," and then the students sang "De Colores." I used accompaniment from my textbook series, and had them sing in English, then in Spanish, then in English again. I did have cards to help with the lyrics, as especially with the Spanish, it can be tricky!

Then I had a group of five narrators come up and read from "The next day" to "This was the secret to happiness!"

Then I had one class perform the dance, "Soldier's Joy," which can be found in this amazing resource (it's a bit pricey, but TOTALLY worth the money! I use mine ALL the time!)

Then I had two last narrators come up with the bird. We ended with "You might change their whole day too!" Then I had students sing the song "Gift in this Present," by my friend Lessia Bonn at I am Bullyproof Music. The song is about being grateful for friends, and for the present--a message that really resounded with my students! I just collaborated with Lessia to create a set with materials to teach the song; you can view it by clicking below:

As I said in this blog post, in the past, I've shied away from using pop music, partly because I believe folk music is so important to a child's music education, and partly because so many pop songs have inappropriate lyrics, but this song sounds contemporary yet has a touching message.

During the musical, each time the story speaks about leaves changing color, I had students put gratitude leaves on trees on the wall, to represent the leaves, and the tree feeling gratitude. Stacey includes several templates of leaves as well as directions for the gratitude leaves in her set. Here is a picture of some of the leaves, which I had students put on trees from Carson Dellosa:

And here is a close-up of a couple of the leaves...

I had any students who were interested fill out gratitude leaves before the performance, detailing something for which they were grateful. After the performance, the audience was invited to come up and read the gratitude leaves!

The third graders and the audience really enjoyed this performance, and I was very pleased with what they did musically, from singing, to dancing, to playing instruments! Hopefully I've explained everything so that you could recreate it or adapt it for your own students.

If you're looking for more programs that are accessible and easy to use with your students, check these out:

You can also read about another fifth grade performance, based on "On the Day You Were Born," here, a fifth grade performance, based on "Wangari's Trees of Peace," here, and a fourth grade performance, based on the book "Olivia's Birds,"here.

Which programs have worked for you? Let me know, and feel free to send me any questions. Good luck, and have fun!

Today, I'm linking up with Shelley at Pitch Publications to write about my first year of teaching. Click the picture below to read Shelley's post, as well as posts of other music bloggers!

This is my seventeenth year teaching (how did that happen??) so it was fun to think back on that first year. Here goes!

What subject/age and where were you teaching?
I was hired to teach in the district I graduated from, and taught K-6 general music. I saw the students for 40 minutes, once a week.

What was your first classroom like?
I had two classrooms, at two buildings. Both were on the stage, with a movable wall between the stage/music room and the gym (so it was quite noisy at times!) Both rooms were long but narrow, with just a bit of storage.

Were you given supplies and materials?
If I remember correctly, I had a few barred instruments at each school, and none were in great condition. I had some other non-pitched percussion. I don't remember having a whole lot of resources, other than textbooks, which I never opened up.

What do you remember about your first day?
I remember having the same, fidgety Kindergarten class...twice..in the same day, for forty minutes both times! NOT the best situation! I also had a MD class that came with no aide (they had an aide, but she decided I would do just fine without her...) They were really sweet kids, but I really wasn't sure what I was doing. I remember driving home, thinking, "Is this really what I want to do for the rest of my life?"

Thankfully, that was the only time in my career that question crossed my mind. It got much better after that! It took a while to get better, but it did!

What was the hardest part of your first year?
I lost my voice every single weekend. I wasn't using it properly to speak OR sing, and was headed on a journey to get vocal nodes. I truly didn't understand how much I would use my voice as an elementary music teacher! Thankfully, a few years into my career, I took voice lessons, which helped greatly! (See this blog post with strategies for saving your voice.)

What was the best part of your first year?
I was able to meet with the other music teachers every single week...during the school day! Every Wednesday, we had time in our schedule to meet and collaborate instead of teach. Doesn't that sound like a dream? Unfortunately, I don't think they do it in that district anymore, but it was nice while it lasted! So helpful for a first year teacher!
I also had great students, who were enthusiastic about what we were doing and would try what I asked of them. It was really hard to say goodbye to them at the end of the year, since I ended up being at two completely different schools the year after that!

What did you discover your first year that you didn’t learn in college or student teaching?

I learned that I didn't know much about lesson planning, and that I didn't know where I was going with the students. I didn't get those answers in the first year, but I knew I needed a plan. I started my Kodály training the summer after my first year, and I'm so glad I did!

Where did you draw most of your lesson plan inspiration from?

I did get lots of great material during my student teaching, so I used a lot of songs and activities from my experience. At that point in my career, I didn't really know about any of the great resources that I now use all the time, so I just went off of my memory!

Is there anything you taught your first year that you still teach now?

A few things! I still do the bunny game and "Mr. Stingy Man" (a fun song tale) with my Kindergarteners and first graders. I also still use "Come back home my little chicks" (a fun singing game) with first grade.

But that's pretty much it!

What is one thing you know now that you wish you knew then?

Everything!

OK, seriously, two big things...I wish I knew how to put on a program, because I had no clue. My coordinating teacher didn't believe in performances, and I had never heard any music teacher or professor talk about performances, so I was clueless. My first program was bad. Like really, really bad. I decided after that I needed to learn how to put on a successful program and gradually got much better! (See these blog posts with ideas on how to successfully put on a program!)

And as I said before, I wish I knew how to lesson plan. My lesson planning at that point consisted of filling out a tiny box in my lesson plan box with the activities I was planning. No procedures. No materials. No objectives. I shudder when I think about it now! But with my Kodály training, I learned SO much and knew so much more about what I was doing each day AND where I was going with them throughout the year! (Yay for year plans!)

Thanks to Shelley for hosting the party! Make sure to read her original post, to read how other music teachers handled their first year!

Hi everyone! It is time for my five favorite pins of April! (Thanks to Jessica Weible for the chalkboard frame, Dancing Crayon Designs for the music note clip art, and Kimberly Geswein and Hello Literacy for the fonts.)

If you are a teacher blogger, feel free to join the party! Directions are at the end of the post. Here are my five favorite pins this month. To see the pin, click each picture.

#1: Kids' Books That Teach Important Life Lessons

This looks like a great list of picture books. Next year, my school's theme is "Bee Yourself," so I'm thinking I could take some of these books and create programs around them! (For more ideas about programs based off of children's literature, see these blog posts.)

#2: Tissue box rhythms

I've seen this blog post by Amy Abbott before, but this pin was a great reminder to actually try it out! I think this could be an AWESOME way to reinforce rhythmic concepts for students who are kinesthetic learners (and think it might be cool to try putting two tissue boxes together to make a half note!) I hope I remember to try making these this summer!

#3: How to do Boom Snap Clap

I've seen my oldest daughter do this, and thought it was really awesome...but I hadn't thought about teaching it to my students! I will have to have her teach me again (or read this article) so I can use it with my upper elementary students.

#4: All around the brickyard

I've done this song before, but it's been many years. I loved watching this video to refresh my memory and be inspired to use it again!

#5: 37 Classroom Decor Teacher Hacks

This article has TONS of great ideas for classroom decor! One of my favorite ideas is the paint sticks between books to keep them organized! I'm definitely going to have to revisit this post when I'm decorating before the start of next school year.

There are my five pins! If you'd like to see more pins like this, make sure to follow me on Pinterest by clicking the button below:

If you'd like to share your five favorite pins, here are the directions:

Save the "Five Favorite Pins of April" graphic to your computer, and include it in your blog with a link to this blog entry.
Blog about your five favorite pins. Include pictures with links when possible.
Submit your information by clicking on the button below.

An InLinkz Link-up

I know it seems a bit crazy that I'm writing about the end of the school year on April 24, but my last day with students is May 20! (Disclaimer: I started school the second week of August, so don't be too mad at me!) Because of this, I am having to think about the end of the school year now. Here are my suggestions for surviving the end of the school year so you can have a relaxing summer, and so that you can come back at the start of school year refreshed and organized!

How to survive the end of the school year

#1: Plan out the rest of the year

Since I only have four weeks left, I recently sat down and figured out exactly what I needed to do with each grade level by the end of the year. You can simply make a table in Word or use Excel, and list each lesson by week, which assessments you're doing, which concepts you're presenting or practicing, etc. This was super helpful! I have year plans for every grade level (you can learn more about year plans with this video), but these 4-week plans have exactly what I know I can get to and aren't necessarily as detailed as year plans. In my district, we've moved to standards-based grading, so I have to give grades by categories of standards instead of just one music grade. Figuring out which assessments I was doing for the remainder of the school year was very helpful to make sure I had all my categories/ standards covered!

#2: Find out about field trips, parties, assemblies, etc.

The end of the year can be crazy...so many field trips, Field Days, assemblies, etc. I just sent out an email last week to find out about when students might not be coming to music, because then I truly know how many more lessons I have with each class...and in some cases, there are only two lessons left! Ack! I know I should be excited about summer, and I am, but I feel like I still have so much to teach them and so little time! Along those lines...

#3: Decide what you HAVE to teach...and what you can teach next year

Don't feel guilty. You didn't get to everything. None of us do. So decide what you really still HAVE to teach, and what you can wait until the start of next year to teach. We are really lucky that in a K-5 or K-6 setting, we typically have the students from year to year, so we know exactly where we left off and where we can begin! I thought I'd get to "la" with 1st grade, because I thought I had four more lessons with them. But then when I looked at all the field trips, assemblies, etc., I realized that a few of the classes I only had two more lessons with, and they won't be ready for la at that point. So I'll have to present it in second grade. It's okay. No guilt! (Well, maybe a little...but that's okay!)

#4: Organize your stuff now!

I have a confession. I may seem super organized, but as my husband can attest to, I'm not. I am pretty organized when it comes to lessons and digital files, but when it comes to stuff I can pick up with my hands, um....not so much. In second grade, I got a "N" in desk cleanliness, because, well, my desk needed improvement! My first instinct to seeing a mess of things is to just shove things in and close the lid/ drawer. It's not a good instinct! At the start of this year, I thought I'd organize everything, but truly, I just had too much to do. And my things remained pretty disorganized. I had these tubs to organize my daily lesson materials, which helped, and I put labels on all of my drawers (because otherwise, I really wouldn't know where anything was!), and I kept things looking like they were organized on the outside, but still, my room, my manipulatives, my books...they were all secretly a bit of a mess. The entire year.
So a few weeks ago, I decided that every day, I would organize a little bit. It's too overwhelming to think about cleaning everything at once, so I've taken a drawer a day and have worked at it. And I'm super excited about leaving the room in an organized state, because at the start of next school year, I'll open a drawer and know where everything is. Hooray! (Now if only I could be that organized at home...)

#5: Think about next year

I know it seems way too early to think about next school year, but by thinking about it now, you can save yourself so much time and stress later! I recently found a few things on Pinterest that I decided I HAD to do next year, like gluing pom-poms to the end of dry erase markers like this (click the picture to see the full article):

And I'd like to try having students write their names on plates when they go to the use the restroom:

So I started a secret board on Pinterest called "To try next year," so I'd remember everything I want to try. Jodi at Clutter-Free Classroom suggests to try out some of the ideas you find NOW so you can figure out if they are ideas you want to keep for all of next year (check out this blog post with her advice; I found the post as I was writing this one!)

If you do a classroom theme, think about how you might want to decorate next year. I did a jungle theme this year, and am thinking of a monster theme for next year. Here is a Pinterest board I created with a bunch of monster ideas...I plan on making a set specific to the music classroom!

Because I am doing the research now, it'll be so much easier for me to try making some of these crafts over the summer! If you're looking for themes, Jodi at the Clutter-Free Classroom has a great guide for inspiration here.

What are your strategies for surviving the end of the year? Feel free to comment below, and good luck!

Today, I'm writing about something somewhat controversial--a topic that five or so years ago, I would have shied away from completely: using pop music in your music classroom.

There are a few reasons I have shied away from using pop music in the past. Even before I began my Kodály training, my thought was that kids hear pop music ALL THE TIME. Why do they have to hear it in my class too? When I began my Kodály training, I heard the same sentiment: we should be teaching them music of the masters, and folk music that is accessible and part of their heritage.

I still believe that it's very important to use folk music and music of the masters. If you stepped in my classroom on any given day, 95% of the time, that's what you'll hear. However, my thinking shifted a bit after some lively discussions with colleagues and some soul searching. Here's why I've used pop music recently in my classroom (and keep reading until the end of the post for some quick ideas to get started!)

Reasons to use pop music
Connections

The most important reason, in my mind, for using pop music at times in the music classroom is to connect music of the past to music of the present. I once had a discussion with my husband about this. He is by no means a fan of typical pop music--he likes all kinds of somewhat obscure bands like Deer Tick and Wilco and My Morning Jacket--but his argument was this: how are they going to connect the music they learn from you to the music they listen to?
I didn't have an answer then, except that they'd have to do it on their own. But why shouldn't I help that connection? Wouldn't it help them see the big idea that the music concepts they learn from me happen in ALL music? And isn't that a powerful big idea?
Many of us were taught that we should only use the best music (a sentiment I completely agree with!)...but why does that mean we shouldn't ever use pop music? I think the elephant in the room is that many people think that all pop music is bad. In my opinion, that's not true. A decent amount of pop music is not the best quality, but there are plenty of good pop songs. You just have to find them!

Relevance

Yes, we can argue that pop music is like junk food and they get enough on the radio or on their iPods, but to be relevant, shouldn't we have them listen to a little pop music? And I don't mean the Beatles (although they are probably my favorite band of all time!) I recently had my students figure out how to play the first measure of "Best Day of My Life" by the American Authors (which I'll write about later in this post) and although my kids were SUPER excited about it, I had a student mention that the song was two years old, and couldn't we do something more recent? So if the American Authors, after two years, have lost a teeny bit of relevance, the Beatles don't have very much relevance at all!
Of course, I'm not advocating for no Beatles lessons, because like I said, I LOVE the Beatles. I'm just saying that to be relevant to the students' environment and experiences, we should be searching for music that they know and love. I've heard a few people say that pop music is like the folk music of today (but that's a whole other blog post, and probably one that's even more controversial!)

Joy

When I have used pop music, the excitement in the room is palpable. Students are jumping up and down with glee. Not that they never jump up and down with glee for other music we do, but seriously, they get pretty excited. My number one goal for my classroom is that it is joyful, so this is a pretty good reason to try it!

Reasons using pop music can be difficult

So after thinking about how to include pop music in my lessons (since my training didn't include it at all), I realized the reason it can be so hard to do is that pop music keeps changing. The #1 hit that everyone loves in 2016 will surely not be #1 in 2017, and in five years it may be somewhat obsolete. So this means we have to change our pop music lessons, at least every few years, so that they remain relevant.
Then, of course, there is the issue of appropriateness. SO many pop songs are just not appropriate. Maybe kids don't realize the true meaning of the song--as was so often the case with music I listened to growing up--but still, there are songs we just can't do, no matter how much the kids love them.

Ideas for using pop music

After considering the reasons why I wanted to include pop music more, and why creating lessons using pop music is tricky, I have come up with a few ideas over the last couple of years that have worked for me and my students. I am truly at the beginning of this journey, so will blog more as more ideas come to me! Here are a few ideas to get started on your journey:

Keeping the beat

If you can find a pop song that has a steady beat, you could play a game called "Follow me." Simply do the same motion for 8 beats and have students mirror you. Then when you change to a different motion, they do too! Halfway through the song, you could have student volunteers lead the beat! This works even better if the students have done this same activity with Beethoven or Brahms or Miles Davis...they they try it with pop music! "On top of the world" by Imagine Dragons is great for this activity!

Playing a song on instruments

I have recently found a couple songs with Orff accompaniment on Pinterest. Here are arrangements to check out:

"Best Day of my Life" by American Authors

"Happy" by Pharrell Williams

"Ho Hey" by the Lumineers

My fifth graders recently learned tika-ti (2 sixteenths/eighth) and they already knew syncopa (eighth/quarter/eighth) so "Best Day of my Life" was PERFECT! I had each kid pair up on a barred instrument with a friend, wrote the first measure on the board with rhythm and note letters, and had them figure out how to play it! So fun!

Pulling rhythm or melody from a song

Just like we might use "Sammy Sackett" for half note or "I got a letter" for low la, so we can figure out which pop songs lend themselves well to which rhythmic or melodic concepts! I haven't done a ton of work with this, but Christopher Roberts has found a couple Taylor Swift songs to use for concepts; read about it in this blog post on our collaborative blog, the Kodály Corner!

Using songs by Lessia at I am Bullyproof Music

After lamenting to myself about how many songs I just couldn't use because of appropriateness, I started listening to music by my friend Lessia at I am Bullyproof Music...and I had a big a-ha moment, that I should be using her music to help make connections! In Lessia's words, she wrote her songs "with kids beside me telling me what they wanted me to express for them - so they could sing that mature wisdom over and over again." The songs have a great message, they are accessible, they are appropriate...and best of all, the kids love them!
So far, I have tried the songs "Miracle" (I kind of HAD to try that one!), "Monkey,""Einstein," and "Gift in this Present," and each has been a big hit with my kids (3rd grade and up.) I even used "Gift in this Present" for my 3rd grade program (read about that here) and "Einstein" for my 4th grade program (read about that here.) I've also used the songs to practice concepts (like 3/4 for "Gift in this Present") and to discuss lyrics and parts of a song, such as verse, chorus, and bridge.
Whether she's writing and singing about fighting self-doubt, or stopping to enjoy the present, Lessia's lyrics are very meaningful...and her music is super catchy! My fourth graders even begged to play Musical Chairs with Einstein on their reward day! If you want to hear more of Lessia's music, I suggest checking out her store and/or her blog. I've also been collaborating with her; we've created sets to help teach "Einstein" and "Gift in this Present," and I also included "Monkey" in my Poetry set. You can see more of each set below:

The resources above, as well as my entire store, will be 20% off tomorrow, May 3, and Wednesday, May 4, as part of Teacher Appreciation Week! You can get an extra 8% off by using the promo code "Celebrate."

I have to give a big thank you to my friends Donna Gallo, Frank Gallo, and Lessia Bonn, who were huge influences in opening up my eyes on why and how to use pop music in my classroom.

I'd love to hear your thoughts! What are your favorite songs to use, and why? Are you still struggling with using pop music? Feel free to comment below, and have a great day!

As I'm writing this, I have one week of school left. This seems a bit crazy to me, as it is only May 13 (and I first taught in Michigan, where we taught until the middle of June!) I recently wrote about surviving the end of the year as a teacher, but today I'm writing specifically about end-of-the-year music lessons.

Here are my thoughts and ideas for your music lessons this time of year!

Review Games

At the end of the year, I like to do review games with my students so I can gauge how well they learned what I taught them during the year. Seventeen years ago, when I first began teaching, I did a "Jeopardy" game with my students. Of course, this was way before SMART boards, so I made a game board with index cards, posterboard, and velcro. Funny to think about now! If you go to the SMART Notebook website, you'll find tons of templates. A few years ago, I put together some summer fun review games for first grade, second grade, third grade, and fourth grade. Each game has summer images hyperlinked to questions for that grade level; it's a great way to review what they've learned during the year! Check out the first grade set below:

Choice Day

I've written before about how I keep points during music class, as suggested in this book. Once students fill up their chart, they can have half of the next music class (since I have 50 minute lessons) to choose whatever they want to do. They vote as a class, then we play the top three. You could also do this just because it's the end of the year! It's a great way to see what they've enjoyed doing most during the year...whether it be a fun singing game like "Ye Toop Doram," iPads, or Freeze Dance!

Playing outside

Better yet, when they choose their singing games, take them outside and play! It is SO fun to play "We are dancing" outside! I have a room with no windows, so I love to take the kids outside at the end of the year to play and enjoy the sunshine!

Prepare or present?

At the end of every year, I have to decide if I am going to continue preparing new concepts, or if I am going to go ahead and present to my students. For example, my second graders were ready enough for half note and re this year, so I went ahead and presented both concepts to them, but my first graders weren't quite ready enough for la, so we just prepared that concept, and I'll present it at the beginning of next year. In my mind, you are going to spend some of the time reviewing at the beginning of next year anyway, so if they are pretty much there, I'll present, then practice at the start of the next year. If they are not quite ready, I will prepare lots then prepare a bit at the start of next year, then present. It depends on the grade level and the year!

Try out new things!

I just read this great blog post about wrapping up the year, and Jodi suggested trying out new things at the end of the year, so you know whether or not you want to try them next year. I've been doing that a bit and will blog with some ideas that I love soon! In my last blog post, I suggested adding a "to try next year" board on Pinterest; you could do this but try out some of those ideas now!

What are your ideas for end-of-the-year music lessons? Feel free to comment below, and enjoy your last few weeks (or your last month!) of school!

Recently, I had to create an end-of-the-year slideshow for my school. It's the second year I've had to do this (because I am the Instructional Technology Chair at my school), and both years, I've had to teach and re-teach myself how to do certain things to create the slideshow. Today, I thought I'd share tips for creating your own slideshow, whether it be for the whole school, for your choir, for a grade-level classroom, or whatever you need!

First, a little background about me...I have enjoyed creating slideshows with music for about 12 years---since my oldest was born. I started creating slideshows with my nephew and oldest daughter, then created slideshows for funerals of loved ones, and now create the slideshow for my school. My school's slideshow has at least one picture of every single student in the school, so it can be a bit time-consuming to make sure all the students are covered! I have a section for each grade, each class within the grade, as well as a section I just call "We are Cheshire," which has pictures of school-wide events. We show this at the 5th grade graduation ceremony, which the entire school attends. I try to keep it under 25 minutes so that everyone is focused and enjoying the show!

Back in the day, I just used Powerpoint and inserted music, but realized quickly that only worked if you had the music on your computer, so it wasn't easy to share. I then moved onto Sony Vegas, and then when I bought my Mac, tried using iMovie. I had heard from SO many people how awesome iMovie was, so was surprised that the program was a bit difficult to learn. Today, I'm blogging with some tips that have helped me along the way! Many of the tips are specific to iMovie, but if you are not on a Mac, hopefully you'll still find helpful tips!

Choosing music

For the school-wide slideshow, I like to use music of varying tempi, to keep the audience engaged and the slideshow interesting. Of course, with pop music, you have to be careful to choose songs with appropriate lyrics! I have edited some songs to take out some not-so-appropriate lyrics (more on that in a minute), as long as the overall song has a great message.

Here are the songs that I used for last year's slideshow:
"Somewhere Over the Rainbow" by Israel Kamakawiwo'Ole
"Best Day of my Life" by American Authors
"Take on the world" by Rowan Blanchard and Sabrina Carpenter
"You've got a friend in me" by Randy Newman
"On top of the world" by Imagine Dragons
"Happy" by Pharrell Williams
"We'll be the Stars" by Sabrina Carpenter

And here are the songs I used for this year's slideshow:

"Walking on Sunshine," remake by Aly & AJ
"We are going to be friends" by Jack Johnson
"Best Day of my Life" by American Authors (the kids love this one so much!)
"The Best Song Ever" by One Direction (I edited out the second verse because it was slightly inappropriate...)
"Try Everything" by Shakira
"Count on me" by Bruno Mars
"Best thing I got" by Sabrina Carpenter
"Hall of Fame" by the Script, featuring will.i.am (I edited out the second verse with an inappropriate word)
"My Wish" by Rascal Flatts

Marking music

As a musician, I am a stickler for making sure the music lines up with the switching of the pictures! There is an easy way to do this in iMovie, but I had to do some digging to figure it out. Simply make sure that your audio track is selected, hit the space bar to play, and then hit the "M" key every time you want there to be a marker in your music. It will look like this:

Then, it is really easy to drag the pictures to the markers, so they will switch to the next picture in sync with the music! I typically put a marker at the end of each phrase.

Editing music

Like stated above, sometimes a song had one verse I didn't want in there, or perhaps I needed to make a song slightly longer or shorter to fit all of the pictures I had. To edit, you can stop the music where you want it edited (by hitting the space bar.) Then right click (or control click on a laptop), and choose split clip. Do this again with where you want the music to start again, and then delete the section you don't want. Then drag the second section over to where the first ends. You will want to listen and make sure the edits are exactly how you want them...you may have to edit more to get it perfect.

Theme and Transitions

The transitions iMovie has in the program by default are great, but if you want to change any transition, it will stop all default transitions, so then you have to insert them by hand. This is easy, though...simply drag the transition from the lower right hand corner to the place between pictures. I would suggest using a variety of transitions, but not TOO many, because it'll be more distracting than you want. I tended to use the same 10 or so transitions throughout the entire slideshow.

As far as theme goes, when you create a new project, Imovie will ask you to choose a theme, which will be the same theme throughout the entire slideshow. This is a great feature of the program, as it ties everything together rather nicely! Last year, I used the photo album theme, and this year I used the filmstrip theme.

Fading out

To fade out at the end of the slideshow (which is a much nicer way to end than to simply stop the slideshow), just add the "fade to black" transition after the last picture (it is in the second row in the image below.)

Keep in mind that while you are creating the slideshow, space on your computer may be suddenly limited, especially if you have a Mac! I emptied my trash can a ton, restarted my computer, and even changed my Dropbox settings to make room on my computer. Thankfully, now that I'm done with the slideshow, my computer is back to normal!

Sharing the slideshow

Now that you're done with the slideshow and are happy with it, how do you share it? To watch it with your class or community, you'll want to go to "file," then "share," then "file," and save it as a file that you can open later. After you watch it together (projected onto a LCD projector), you can share the video with your audience so they can watch it later. I did this by putting it into my Google Drive (by going to "new," then "file upload,") and then I right-clicked (or command click on a laptop) and chose "get shareable link." Make sure when you do this that you choose "link sharing on," and that you only have people able to view, not edit. You can do the same in Dropbox, by right-clicking the link, and choosing "Copy Dropbox link," which will allow you to paste the link into an email. People shouldn't need Google Drive or Dropbox for either of the above options--they should be able to click the link and view!

I hope this has been helpful to you, if you are putting together a slideshow. I have found slideshows to be such a beautiful thing to build community and reminisce about the year! If you have anything to share about slideshows and/or iMovie, feel free to comment below. Good luck, and have fun!

Three years ago, I bought my first iPad, and two years ago, I was lucky enough to receive a grant for 8 iPad minis in my music classroom. Since using iPads in my classroom, I have come across TONS of different music apps, both free and paid. Today, I'm blogging about my 10 favorite iPad music apps! I've listed a price next to each app, and have linked all of the apps to the app store. I've also tried to list a variety of apps--some that only you would use on your own iPad, some that you could use on one iPad at a center, and some that could be used in groups with several iPads. Here is my list:

#1: GarageBand, $4.99 (Free with some iPads)

My all-time favorite music app is GarageBand. It is SUCH an amazing app, allowing students to create and compose on instruments such as the guitar and piano without knowing how to play those instruments. It also allows students to layer loops, which are like ostinati, and students can also record their own voices and instrumental playing. There is SO much you can do with this app; the possibilities are endless! My favorite project to do with GarageBand is by Music and Technology, and can be purchased here. I've done the project with success for two years in a row with my fifth graders, and it's such a great way to practice form and to use the app successfully!

#2: Arpie, Free

This app is one of my students' all-time favorites. The idea is simple: it's like dropping tennis balls onto piano keys to create music. Check out this video for a sample:

Students from 1st grade on really seem to love this app! Like GarageBand, it allows them to create music without knowing how to play an instrument. Students can make choices to change their composition (and many of my students love to fill the screen with the balls!)

#3: QR Code Reader, Free

This is not technically a music app, but SO much can be done with a QR reader app! From visiting websites to listening to sound clips, scanning a QR code allows students to visit, listen, and read quickly without having to plug in any address into the browser bar. Read this blog post about how to create and use QR codes in the music room.

#4: MadPad HD, $2.99

If you've ever watched and enjoyed "Stomp," you will totally appreciate MadPad HD. There are several themed sets students can use to create, such as car-themed, coffeehouse-themed, piano-themed, and more! Students can experiment with the different sounds, compose patterns with each set, record their patterns, and then even create their own sets! (Which, I will warn you, is very chaotic but VERY fun!) Here is a video sample of MadPad HD, using sounds at the hardware store (totally makes me want to visit Lowe's with my iPad!):

If you're looking for projects to do with MadPad HD, check out this set:

#5: Staff Wars, $0.99

There are quite a few staff note reading iPad apps, but my all-time favorite is Staff Wars. This app allows you to just choose lines, just spaces, lines and spaces, extended staff, and all for treble clef, bass clef, OR alto clef! Students choose whichever note they think is correct, and the ship "shoots" the note down. With Star Wars being so popular nowadays, kids LOVE this app. I have seen my students' speed at naming notes increase so much by using this app. In fact, I had one student who, after struggling all year with note reading, beamed proudly at me after playing Staff Wars and exclaimed, "I'm doing so much better!" (And he was!)
So yes, this app is awesome! You can also play it on computer by visiting this website.

#6: Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, Free

This is such a fun app for exploring instruments and instrument families! The app includes sections to explore, to take quizzes, build your own variation, and more! I've had students work in small groups, start in the quiz section, and then go to whichever section they'd like next.

#7: Plickers, Free

I found out about this app on Pinterest a few years ago, and was just blown away! This is a free app that can be used to take assessments, with student data specifically assigned to each student! The app works best with an iPhone or Android (instead of an iPad)...simply scan the room for students' choices on their Plickers cards, and the app will track their answers. So awesome! Read this blog post about my experience with the app, and this blog post for Jamie Parker's ideas for the app.

#8: Toca Band, Free

Admittedly, I have only watched my three-year-old play this app, but I think there are tons of really cool things that elementary students can do with this app (and my twelve-year-old seems to love it as much as my youngest!) If you drag one of the characters to the first level of the stage, he/she plays/ sings a simple melody. If you drag them to the second level, the melody becomes a bit more complex, and if you drag them to the third level, they add something, like dancing or juggling, to their melody! If you drag a character to center stage, then you get to make that character play/ sing whenever you want by tapping him/her! It's a great way to reinforce the idea of ostinato, as the character's melody keeps looping.

#9: Instagram, Free

Perhaps you've only used Instagram for personal purposes, but it can be a GREAT app for professional development as well! If you search a hashtag such as #iamamusicteacher, #musicteacherlife, #musicteacherproblems, #generalmusic, #iteachmusic, #kodaly, and/or #orffposse, you can find lots of great pictures and share ideas with lots of other music teachers! Click here to see a great picture book suggestion by @lizskodalyinspiredmusicroom, and here to see a fun bulletin board by David Row @makemomentsmattermusiced. I just posted this picture on my Instagram recently with ideas my first graders came up with for their reward day; click through to see the comments about where to find the songs!

...And here is a picture I posted of a new way I learned to keep mallets handy on Orff instruments!

Many music teachers also post short videos of their classroom, which can be a great way to learn a new song, new dance, etc.!

#10: Powerteacher, iDoceo, and/or TeacherKit

I'm listing these three apps all as #10, because they are all very similar apps, and you'll want to choose one depending on your situation. I use Powerteacher and LOVE it, as it shows me students' pictures, tracks student grades, allows me to create assignments in a grade book that is then pushed to students' report cards...but it only works if your district is using Powerteacher district-wide. iDoceo is another great grade book app, allowing you to create grades, schedules, seating charts, and more, but it does cost $10.99, which is a bit pricey. (Many people swear by it, though!) TeacherKit is another good grade book app. Although not as powerful as iDoceo, it is free!

Looking for more iPad apps? For a comprehensive list of free iPad music apps, check out this blog post, and download this freebie I compiled that has some of these apps, as well as other apps I love to use!

What are your favorite music apps? Feel free to comment below, and enjoy the apps!

I hope everyone has had a good start to your summer (or, if you're still in school, I hope your school year is wrapping up nicely!) Today, I'm blogging about three goals I have this summer. If you are a blogger, see the directions at the end of this post for linking up to write about your three goals. Here goes:

#1: Focus on family

Just as I blogged about last summer, my goal for this summer is to really focus on my family, which includes my husband Scott, my 12-year-old daughter Jenna, and my almost 4 year-old daughter Macy. I'm hoping for campfires in our yard, time going for walks or playing Wii, trips to the park, and maybe a mini-vacation! As I've written about before, Macy has had some delays with her development; she has Sensory Processing Disorder, is speech delayed, and has motor planning issues. (I didn't talk until I was five, and after learning about SPD and motor planning, I think I actually have some of the same issues!) She has shown TONS of improvement in just the first few weeks of summer, so we are hopeful that all this time with her will really help! It will be nice to have time to just sit, relax, and enjoy the company of my family!

#2: Revise my whole store

I've been selling on TpT since 2012, and I've learned a LOT since then, so there are tons of products that I would like to go back and revise! So far, I've made it through four pages of my store. For some of the products, I've only changed the cover, but for most of them, I have changed more than that--perhaps adding printer-friendly worksheets, adding games, aligning lessons to the NCCAS standards, etc. I will blog later this summer once I've done more revisions, to highlight the biggest changes, but if you go to "my purchases," then "recently revised," you might find a few products that have been revised! You can then just re-download and enjoy the updates!

#3: Learn to play the ukulele

My husband bought me a ukulele a couple Christmases ago, and I still haven't figured out how to play it. So this summer, I'm determined I will! Even if I become comfortable with a few common chords so that I can accompany my singing or my students' singing, the time spent would be worth it! I found a book called 21 songs in 6 days, which includes video tutorials, and I've enjoyed it so far. You can purchase it by clicking below:

I also purchased the Rainbow Ukulele Teacher Pack by Shelley at Pitch Publications, and am going to use that to practice as well!

I'd love to hear about your goals this summer! Feel free to comment below, and if you're a blogger, I'd love for you to link up! To add your link, write about your three goals, use the "Three Summer Goals" picture in your blog post with a link back to my post, and then submit your information by clicking the button below. Thanks, and Happy Summer!

An InLinkz Link-up

Today, I'm blogging about singing games in the music room. I know, it's summer, and you probably aren't thinking much about singing games OR your music room, but here are some ideas to consider about using singing games, keeping track of turns, and more, as you plan your next school year!

Looking for tips for use singing games in your music classroom? This blog post has great ideas for implementing games, keeping track of turns during your lessons, and more!

First of all, why should you use singing games in your music room? I am Kodály-trained, so singing games were a big part of my pedagogy training. Here are my main reasons for planning singing games in my lessons:

Singing games are FUN and students enjoy them.
They provide a relaxation aspect to the lesson, especially after students have done something concentrated, like rhythmic dictation or writing on the staff.
Singing games also allow students to connect to their cultural heritage, as well as the cultures of others.

Over the years, I've learned a bit about how to use singing games best in my classroom. Here are five tips:

#1: Leave them wanting more

This is probably the best piece of advice I've received about games, and it was from my Kodály Level I instructor, Julie Swank. Previous to level I, I would play a game until EVERYONE had a turn...you know, to be fair. But what ends up happening is that the game drags on for SO long that most of the kids are bored by the end. You never want them to feel bored! So leave them wanting more. Play the game 3-5 times, and move on. Will you hear complaints that they didn't get a turn? Yes. Will they want to play it next class because of that? Yes.

#2: Reward them

That being said, sometimes, when I have a few extra minutes at the end of class, and the class has been well-behaved, we play that game again, the one they were disappointed that it was cut short! Mrs. Macaroni is a huge favorite with first grade, one that they beg to play if we have time, and of course there are many others kids just LOVE to play! Another option is a reward day, which I've written about here. This gives them an opportunity to play games JUST to play!

#3: It's okay to run

There are lots of running games, which are SO fun to play, but I've heard music teachers here and there say that they don't let their kids run. Now, you may not have a room conducive to running, so fast walking it is. But if you do have a big room, as long as you make sure there aren't music stands or instruments in the way, I personally think it is totally fine to have them run. Have I ever had a kid get hurt? A few times. (Actually, I've had a kid get a bloody nose from "Our Old Sow" simply from changing the directions of his arms, not from running!) But do kids get hurt at recess? Of course they do! Should we stop them from running at recess? Please, no.
That's my take on it. I've taught for 17 years, and nothing bad has happened from kids running in my room. And they've had FUN!
Now, if you are still hesitant, and/or you don't have a huge room, you could take my friend Andrew Ellingsen's advice and have them run on their heels. It stops them from running full-speed and is still a fun challenge! (And if you've never seen Andrew present, you really should...he is AMAZING!)

#4: Teach them more than one version

You know how there are often seventeen different games for one song? Well, that might be an exaggeration, but there are easily 2-3 for most singing games I know. I have typically just decided which one game I like and taught it to the students, but in the past year or two, I have at times taught students more than one version. It's fun for them to see there is more than one thing we can do with any given song, and then once they know more than one version, they can vote on which they'd like to play! It's an easy way to allow students to choose, and it broadens their horizons a bit!

For example, for the song "Dinah," I know three games:

Dinah: Three different ways to play the singing game in your music classroom!

The lyrics are:

No one's in the house but Dinah, Dinah, no one's in the house but me I know.

No one's in the house but Dinah, Dinah, strummin' on the old banjo.

Dinah, Dinah, no one's in the house but me I know.

Dinah, Dinah, strummin' on the old banjo.

For the first game, students stand in a circle. One student goes in the middle and closes his/her eyes. The teacher makes a gap in the circle between two kids, then turns the kid in the middle around three times. Then "it" has to look for the gap while everyone sings--but his/her eyes have to stay closed, and they can't use their sense of touch. (They have to use their sense of hearing instead!) Kids HAVE to sing for this game, because if they don't, the person who is "it" might think they are the gap!

The second version is very similar to the first, except there isn't a gap. Instead, a second child is chosen to sing a solo on "Dinah, Dinah." The first child, with his/her eyes closed, has to figure out where the soloist is by using his/her sense of hearing. The second student can try running away, but has to stay within the circle. So fun!

The third version is really more of a dance than a game. Students stand in a circle, and do the following motions as they sing:

Step close x 3, pat x 3.

Step close x 3, clap x 3.

Step close x 3, snap x 3.

Step close x 3, pat/ clap/ snap.

You can put students in an inner circle and outer circle, and have students do in opposite directions!

#5: Keep track of who has had a turn

In the past, I have simply chosen students each class to be "it." I've asked them to only raise their hands if they haven't had a turn, but inevitably, a.) a student doesn't remember, b.) a student does remember, but chooses to raise their hand anyway, and/or c.) another student yells out, "He had a turn!"
This past year, I decided to try something different. I bought an interactive attendance set by Pink Cat Studio, and used it for keeping track of turns for singing games. I was going to write out a whole explanation of how I did this, but decided to make a video instead, so you can see how cool this set is! Here is the video:

Since I'm doing a monster theme in my classroom this year, I started off buying just the monster set, but have since bought the bundle. It's so fun, and a great way to keep track of turns!

If you're looking for singing game resources, I'm including some here. My favorites are those that give historical background to each song, and they include:

Click each picture to view the resources at West Music.

What are your tips for using singing games? Feel free to comment below, and have FUN!

Hi everyone! It is time for my five favorite pins of June!

5 favorite music education pins of June, including Twitter tips, flexible seating, and more!

If you are a teacher blogger, feel free to join the party! Directions are at the end of the post. Here are my five favorite pins this month. To see the pin, click each picture.

#1: So you have a Twitter account, now what?

Twitter can be a bit confusing...I remember when I first signed up for an account, I was a bit puzzled where to start. This blog post has some great suggestions for getting started! (And see this blog post for more tips!)

#2: Student Center

This pin led to a blog post with lots of great classroom setup ideas, but the picture in the pin is the one which got my attention. I LOVE the idea of having one place in the room where students can hand in work, get work, get pencils, etc. Right now, I have an area that is kind of spread out, so I am going to think about how to implement one central location in my music room!

#3: Flexible Seating

I am hoping to do some flexible seating in my classroom this year, in which students can choose a place to sit that works for them and their learning style. I will definitely be blogging more about this later, but I found this pin a great place to start (and I had never seen the chairs shown in the picture...will be looking into buying some!)

#4: What Specialists Wish You Knew

This blog post had some GREAT insights into being a specials teacher (written by someone who used to be a classroom teacher). Although I do make a point to learn all of the students' names (see this blog post about that topic), the rest of the points she makes really resonated with me.

#5: Instrument Storage

I love this blog post by Patti Anderson, with some really practical ways to store instruments! From hand drums, to recorders, to ukuleles, she has lots of great suggestions for storing the instruments so they are out and ready to use!

There are my five pins! If you'd like to see more pins like this, make sure to follow me on Pinterest. If you'd like to share your five favorite pins, here are the directions:

Save the "Five Favorite Pins of June" graphic to your computer, and include it in your blog with a link to this blog entry.
Blog about your five favorite pins. Include pictures with links when possible.
Submit your information by clicking on the button below.

An InLinkz Link-up

Hi everyone! I'm excited to have Caroline from Culture Coverage guest post for me today! Caroline will be writing about 7 great educational apps to occupy your children this summer. Make sure to check out Caroline's bio at the end of the post.

7 great educational apps for your child this summer: Comprehensive list for any parent and/or teacher!

Image: Shutterstock

The Summer Slide is a well-documented phenomenon, researched by everyone from the University of Missouri to Johns Hopkins University, that puts students who continue their studies throughout the summer as a huge indicator on whether they will continue the college prep track.

So for parents eager to see their child graduate college, it’s time to get to work.

While summer booklets can be an excellent way to engage the kids in all their subjects outside of school, it is a little bit dated when everyone is digging their laptops and tablets, so why not adjust to fit the times and engage the kids with technology?

From geography to math, reading to science, these seven apps are the perfect picks for various age groups to keep the brain juices flowing while they’re out on holiday. So strap up and get to downloading!

1. The Magic School Bus: Oceans by Scholastic

The Magic School Bus was a favorite of mine growing up, and the Magic School Bus: Oceans will be a favorite app for your kiddo. Winner of multiple awards, The Magic School Bus: Oceans is an interactive story app that allows your kids to experience the wonderful underwater ecosystems in a comic-book style format that includes games, science, videos and more. For the reluctant summer reader, this app will provide hours of fun and learning.

Available on iTunes. $3.99.

2. Stack the States

Stack the States is for those geography-friendly young gurus who can't get enough of American maps. Whether you're going on a cross-country road trip or just want to help your kid brush up on the states, regions, and capitals, Stack the States helps children become more informed about where everything is in the U.S., which ultimately results in a more well-rounded kid. And who wouldn't be interested in that? Stack the States to reach new benchmarks and complete levels—it's fun for any age!

Available on iTunes. $2.99

3. ClueFinders

With grade-specific curriculum, kids can explore the fun and games of the ClueFinders while brushing up on their logical thinking, mathematics, science, geography, social science and language arts skills. While these apps aren't free, they're worth the expense as your kids will be able to explore a storyline that feels like a video game but is chock full of activities that will engage their cognitive skills and keep them learning throughout the long summer break.

Available on iTunes. $14.99.

4. Winky Think Logic Puzzles

Perfect for ages six to eight, Winky Think Logic Puzzles will thrill your kids for hours by engaging their memory skills as well as their problem-solving abilities. With 180 logic problems to choose from, obstacles, mazes and interactive gaming potential, these games will improve your child's reasoning and quantitative reasoning abilities, all great things observed by Common Core Learning standards.

Available on iTunes. $2.99.

5. Pixie

Pixie is a new and improved way to help your kids explore and share what they know. Perfect for creating book reports or even their own documentaries, Pixie utilizes literary, artistic and recording options to provide a multi-dimensional platform for your kids to express their creativity and knowledge. Utilized in many tech savvy classrooms, paired with a competitive reading schedule this app can boost your child's analyzing and interpreting skills—two things that will definitely pay off!

Available on iTunes. $9.99.

6. Epic!

This unlimited library app comes with over 15,000 titles for kids aged 12 and under for $4.99 a month and is worth every penny for helping your kids keep up with reading goals. From Charlie Brown to Goosebumps, Epic! includes tracking and achievement benchmarks, as well as read-to-me options and up to four individual users per account. Great for the whole family and perfect for keeping track of the 20 minutes a day standard.

Available on iTunes. Free to download, $4.99 for the monthly subscription.

7. Thinking Blocks Multiplication

This app excels at helping kids get over any hesitation they have about mathematical word problems. Through number blocks, kids can break down the different parts of mathematical equations, which Common Core standards say is the perfect approach for getting the visualization of word problems down pat. For kids that struggle with the train questions, this app is ideal for putting them ahead of the game.

Available on iTunes. Free.

Learning during a time when kids are supposed to be running around, exploring playtime and getting plenty of outdoorsy ailments, such as a sunburn and bug bites, can be something of a difficult task. But employing apps such as these a few hours every day can significantly increase your child’s ability to pick up their school work once September comes back around. And with apps, they can even do it on the ride to Disney World. What else can you do in a car ride for that long?

For those of you going abroad this summer, try downloading before takeoff to allow your kids to enjoy on the plane ride sans hours of movies, but be sure to install a VPN like ExpressVPN as well to make sure geo-locators don’t halt any learning progress while abroad.

Until next time...happy learning and bon voyage!

About the Author: Caroline is an entertainment and technology blogger with a passion for lifelong learning. She hopes these apps will help you teach your children how to maintain a passion for learning even during the summer months.

How to survive the end of the school year: Ideas for music teachers to plan for the end of the year and organize for next year!

#1: Plan out the rest of the year

#2: Find out about field trips, parties, assemblies, etc.

#3: Decide what you HAVE to teach...and what you can teach next year

#4: Organize your stuff now!

#5: Think about next year

Dry erase marker erasers, and other great organizational ideas for your classroom!

And I'd like to try having students write their names on plates when they go to the use the restroom:

Great way of keeping track of restroom breaks, and other great organizational ideas for your classroom!

When to lesson plan

Five Favorite Pins of February

St. Patrick's Day in the Music Room

Music of Japan Mini-Unit

Guest Post: Music March Madness

Three Things {Rhythm game, making instruments, and a book}

My Favorite Music Education Blogs

Third Grade Performance {The Gratitude Tree}

Music Teacher First Year Flashback

Five Favorite Pins of April

Surviving the End of the School Year

Using Pop Songs in your Music Classroom

End-of-the-Year Music Lessons

Creating an end-of-the-year slideshow

Ten favorite music iPad apps

Three Summer Goals

Singing games in the music room

Five favorite pins of June

Guest Post: 7 Great educational apps to occupy your children this summer

1. The Magic School Bus: Oceans by Scholastic

2. Stack the States

3. ClueFinders

4. Winky Think Logic Puzzles

5. Pixie

6. Epic!

7. Thinking Blocks Multiplication

Surviving the End of the School Year