#38 Pre-School/Kindergarten Ideas - Updated 8/24/15
Topics
(Just click on the category you want to view) ----Activity----Beanie Babies ----Books----Hand Motions, Choreography ----Circles, Lines, Routines----Curriculum----Discipline ----Drumming----Dynamics----Evaluation, Grades----Games ----Getting K's to Sing!!----Hour Long Kindergarten Sessions ----Help!! Kindergarten Disaster!!----Kindergarten Graduation----Kindergarten from H.. ----Hi-Low Concepts----Instruments ----Large Classes----Left and Right! ----Listening (See also file #25 Listening)----Movement, Dance ----Musicals ----Learning Their Names! ----Orff ----Phonics----Puppets, Stuffed Animals, Beat Buddies ----Recordings----Recorders----Rounds ----Repetoire ----Pitch, Melody Concepts ----FOR PROGRAM IDEAS AND ISSUES see: Program Ideas I (A-M) and Program Ideas II (N-Z)----Rhythm ----Getting the Kids to Sing!----Songs ----Singing Game (See also: Singing Games)----One and Two Year Olds (Toddlers) ----Three and Four Year Olds----Shoe Tying ----Warmups----Web Sites ----Whining!***********************************************************************
ACTIVITY
12/09 EENCY SPIDER w/GLOCKS: My favorite Lynn Kleiner lesson uses the Eensy Weensy spider and little glocks - 8 notes with each a different color. With K I did it on my Orff glocks but it meant taking turns. I have a set of the little glocks -10 now. After singing the first line, climb the ladder by going up the octave, one note each beat. I always say "up, up, up....". After 2nd line, go down fast emphasizing down. On 3rd line, just move mallet back and forth on bars to create a shimmering sound. Last line like first. Kids learn what to do by imitation and you reinforce the concept of up and down. I got a spider puppet, and sun puppet (a set) one year at AOSA. I also use a rain stick for 1st and 4th lines. Kids will do this ad nauseum. With the book added you have a hit. --- Ardith Roddy------------------------
11/08 BEGINNING WITH K’S: First step with kids who are unschooled is for the teacher. You have to realize that you first teach them "school", then you can teach them at school. I had some of this last year and a lot the year before and manipulatives did the trick. I'd haul out the rhythm sticks and when I saw a kid participating, he'd get a pair of sticks because - gush - he KNEW what to do and they are SOO neat to play. Don't you just love that great "click" sound??!! You were ready too. Here are your sticks. No, you're not quite ready. When you are criss-cross applesauce and watching the other students for a minute, then you'll be ready too. When you're ready, I'll give you the sticks to play. And when they matched pitch, they got to play the chime tree cuz they got such a beautiful sound from their mouths, that they should get to play another beautiful sound. Wanna see uninterested kids suddenly pull perfect sol-mi's out of thin air??
And then I hauled out my 2 dozen little bath duckies all dressed up like musicians of some kind, and when their hands went up and down like mine did during vocal exploration, they got to take their duck on a ride, too! And the next week they got to bounce their duckies with the steady beat. And the next week they got to sing duck songs to each other. (Oriental Trading) And when FREEZE, one of the world's most popular tunes along with Elephants Have Wrinkles, comes up, Johnny gets to show us how to move move move FREEZE. And then Susy was paying attention, so Susy may get up, and individually, one at a time they may get involved.
Remember - with these guys, it's all about ME ME ME. One of my best things to do is to make individual attention frequent. Wow, look who's ready..... you you you you you you .... all the way around the room. It's fast and it works. Or just..... ready ready ready and point to each kid. Do it fast and at the end make a deal. Oh MY! Look at all you little sweethearts who got ready so fast. I think that all of you who were sitting crisscross applesauce should get up right now and let's play follow the leader ( or whatever - heck, do the Freeze again). Oh, I'm sorry, you weren't ready. You need to just watch us till you know what to do. Don't make them wait long if they turn it around fast. The object is to get their attention and to make what you're doing seem more engaging than the nothing that they are doing. And then get them moving along with rest of the group activity.
You may take a couple/few of class periods to do this. I remember two years ago that it took SIX weeks until the kinders uniformly remembered where their assigned seats. That was a new low and I was getting discouraged. And then - boom. All was fine.
Basically it's all about making the goodies a priviledge that you hand out in exchange for appropriate behavior and attention, rather than something that you just give them by default and take away as a negative consequence. This is a crucial difference. Dole it out - rather than take it away.
Your goal? You want the kids to say (unconciously), I WANT THAT / I WANT TO DO THAT. Sure, as soon as you are ready (and I'm the one who decides that - which I make clear by doling out or withholding positive experiences) --- Martha Stanley
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1. CHANT NOT TALK! Almost everything I say is chanted. As they enter the room, "walk on the black line, walk on the black line, walk, walk, walk, walk, walk on the black line." I have a big black circle and then a smaller red circle drawn on my floor. It is THE BEST.
2. Many have absolutely no concept of listening to a teacher. The funniest things happen when you use puppets. The k's were sitting on the black circle, chatting, and I took my big green frog, a stuffed animal, not really a puppet, and pretended he was whispering something to me, then I'd whisper back to him, shake my head yes and no, etc. Without saying a word, every last one of them turned and stared and me and Freddy! It was amazing. Part of what makes them hard to teach in an elementary way, makes them wonderful from an innocent way. They totally listen to and respond to the frog. We do lots of beat bonding, steady beat, whatever you want to call it. So, I play the Crazy Frog Song and they keep the beat the way Freddy does it. (on legs, head, alternating arms up and down, tap chest, etc.) Of course it's me manipulating that green glob of fabric but they really don't look at me or my hands moving Freddy. They BEG to do that song.
3. I have a big pink pig. I use her to introduce Bee, bee bumblebee. Then we sit in a circle, keeping the beat, and whoever is "it" taps heads to the beat. The person who is out goes and gets two sticks and plays the beat. Those in the game are on the red circle. Those out, move out to the black circle with their sticks. The point here is that they love circle games.
4. Another circle game is Charlie Over the Ocean. Right now we don't sing it as an echo game. We just sing it together as "it" travels around the circle and touches someone on "can't catch me". They love to chase each other around the circle. Later in the year, we will do it as an echo game, allowing me to hear each child's individual voice.
5. First graders enter the room to me playing a drum beat and that leads into an introductory movement activity. K's can't handle that right now without making too much noise or running into each other. Plus, our classes are pretty big, 25+. So we start out on the circle, stepping the beat. When I stop, they stop. The circle keeps them corralled. Sometimes when I stop I'll say, turn the other way, or walk backwards, etc. It's just getting them used to following simple directions. Then we sit down and I do the movement activity similar to what I do with first graders, but only in small groups. Girls, boys, blue shirts, red shirts, (we have uniforms) That way I can really watch. I'll say "Boys, did you see any girls bump into someone?" "Did you see anyone touch anything or anybody?" They sit still because they get a kick out of watching their classmates march, skip, twirl, freeze, etc.
6. I used to try to keep them from playing with sticks and other instruments. I had them put the sticks on the floor and their hands in their laps. Then I read this article, don't remember where, and it said to let them explore. That's what they do naturally. I really think of many of my K's as pre-school-ish. So, last week we got our sticks and then I had them make letters out of them. I would ooh and aah over what I saw. They became very interested in my observations and their new notoriety. "What a great T you made!" Then two girls naturally figured out they could use their four collective sticks to make an M. Then they figured out they didn't have to make it on the floor, but could do it vertically, and on and on. Then we talked about different ways to tap the sticks. By that time, they had used those sticks in many ways and were ready to do what I had in mind for them, playing a beat. --- Laura Bartolomeo
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RECORD THEM: I got a Belkin omnidirectional mic that I attach to my iPod (I understand it works with any ipod) the recording quality is great.I record my students, plug the iPod to the speakers and they can hear it on the spot. --- Gabriela Perez Ugalde
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RESOURCE: Jeff Kriske & Randy DeLelles materials: "Strike It Rich!", "Tyme for a Rhyme," "2nd Rhyme Around, "3rd Rhyme's the Charm" all have lessons suitable or adaptable for Kindergarten. My Ks did "The Dark House" from "Strike It Rich!" today and it worked great. I adapted it from what is in the book a little bit, but it was a fun lesson for all. Their materials are available from dealers and their own website,www.kid-sounds.com --- Barbara Lee
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Tyme for a Rhyme is wonderful. Also, get a Mother Goose book and have fun creating your own! Using literature is also a great way to incorporate Orff into a kindergarten class. With Halloween, there's the new book of poetry called Skeleton Bones and Goblin Groans, with good opportunities to get creative. The Little Old Lady Who Wasn't Afraid of Anything.......Shake Dem Halloween Bones........I've also used Gerald McDermott's retellings of several cultural folktales, Mortimer (in Mallet Madness)......You'll find out that once you start creating your own ideas, it gets rather addictive. With kinders, Orff doesn't have to be all about instruments. It can be about movement and body percussion, and movement is crucial for K's. And, with Orff, you can take the same source and use it in several different ways. You might also want to look into the Shenanigans CDs (you can get them from West). -- Karen Stafford
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01/07 RAIN MEDLEY
Pitter Patter (triangle) Pitter patter, pitter patter I can hear the rain ( repeat)
Ooooooo, Ooooooo, ( Ocean drum) I can hear the rain.
Rain song: CG (glocks)
Rain Rain go away come again another day Little children want to play,rain rain go away.
Thunder song (tambourines.Tap and shaking)
There is thunder, there is thunder hear it roar, hear it roar,
Pitter patter rain drops (repeat) I'm all wet (repeat)
ta ta ta ta (2x) ta ta ta-a (2x) titi titi ta ta ( 2 x) ta ta taa
d r m d m f s sl sf m d d s d'
It's Raining (glocks CG) It's raining it's pouring, the old man is snoring,
He went to bed and bumped his head And couldn't get up in the morning. -- elisa franca
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06/06 OODLES OF NOODLES (adapted from my original "Caps for Sale" activity) Materials needed: - laminated pictures of plates/bowls of noodles, each a different color and of appropriate size and stiffness for students' handling - small table cloth or other similar item for "table" Pitch inventory for teacher: - sol, mi, low do (Pitch "do" wherever comfortable for teacher's extended singing demands with this group. A wireless mic would be a great asset here!)
Formation: - Students sit in a circle around the "table." Each is given one "noodle" visual. Introduction: "Boys & girls, we are going to have a lot of visitors, and we need to put a lot of beautiful noodles on the table for them to eat." (or whatever yarn you'd want to spin to "set the stage")
Part I: tune: s m-m s m-m s m-m s m-m words: "Red noodles, red noodles, who has the red noodles?"
Part II: Student with the bowl of red noodles answers "I do!" while proudly holding up visual. (This can be spoken or sung on s-m or just shown by action.) >br?Part III: Class (or just teacher) sings: "Red noodles, red noodles, __________ has the red noodles. Put them on the table and shake, shake shake.!" (tune is the same as Part I but ends on s m d for "shake, shake, shake.")
Class points at student holding red noodles as Part III is sung, then as the student puts the noodles on the "table," ALL shake pointer finger 3 times on "shake, shake, shake." Repeat all parts untill all colors have been put in the middle. Repeat as neeeded for enough turns for all to have a chance to be the "named" noodle person. -- Connie Herbon
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BEES: A K-2 music teacher in Madison showed me the CUTEST activity to do with this piece. Materials: Make 4 flowers (just the flower head with petals and center) out of that foamie stuff Spread the flowers around the room. When the music starts each child (in turn) goes to each flower and pretends to pick up the nectar and put it on their legs (like real bees do) and then bring it back to the hive (some designated place where all thekids go when they are done...Try and get through as many students as possible in 1 listening! Of course, before she does this she talks about how bees collect the nectar and put it on the insides of their legs. It is so fun and cute! Rhonda in WI
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BEES: 1. Listening: Listen to "Flight of the Bumblebee" - guess what animal it was about.
2. Talk about why the composer wrote it the way he did.
Listen again and moved to the music.
3. Voice Activity: Hickety Tickety Bumblebee - students sing name to buzzy
4. Story time: The Honeybee & the Robber by Eric Carle
5. Song: "Bringin' home a Baby Bumblebee" Lesson
Learn Burnie Bee and talk about beat. Play the metronome and review the chant
"The beat is the part that doesn't change - the beat is the part that stays the same" while we pat-clap the beat. Have students come up and point to bees on the beat, as we sang.
6. Game: Play the game "Burnie Bee" - use tiny bumblebee (Buzzina) and great big stuffed bumblebee (Buzzy) to play the game. One child is beat keeper (bee keeper) and shows the beat with the bee. The child on the words you are "out" becomes the next beekeeper. We alternate between tiny bee singing in a very high voice and big bee singing in a low chest voice.
The purpose of this is to help the kids find head voice - the extreme jump really makes them aware of the different quality.
7. Instruments: Accompany "Burnie Bee" with instruments. Play the beat on the instruments. - Susan Henderson
Bee, bee, bumble bee Stung a man upon his knee.
Stung a pig upon his snout. I declare that you are OUT!
When the child is OUT s/he plays an unpitched instrument on the macro (steady) beat. -- Cak
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BEANIE BABIES
10/12 SINGING: I have also used them for singing with the my k's. If I have a shy class sometimes we sing in our beat buddies ear, then face to face. I did this last week simply b/c they were already out for steady beat and it was cute to see them singing to their beat buddy. I have also been doing the Farm Unit from Game plan and those darn beat buddies just asked if they could dance to too......They didn't like being cooped up in their box over the weekend hee hee!!! So on the B part of the music we picked up our beat buddy and gallop around in a circle. Sometimes those beat buddies just beg to be part of music class :) ---- Pam Hall-------------------------
O6/07 STEADY BEAT: We put our buddies face down on our knees and bounced them to the steady beat. I'll describe the simple actions with the lyrics below. I believe it's an old folk song.
Wake me, (clap, clap) shake me (Gently shake buddy)
Don't let me sleep too late. (Point finger on steady beat at buddy.)
Gonna get up bright and early in the mornin' . (Hold buddy up.)
Gonna swing on the golden gate. (Swing buddy left and right on steady beat.) (Note: we add a verse and sing “Gotta eat up my chocolate cake!” for this phrase. - Sandy Toms)
In the past we've played a wake up game with this song. I pair the children and one of them lies down to sleep and the other partner "wakes them up." We play it very similar to the way I described the game with beat buddies. This is a very simple idea, but I'm always looking for new "tricks" so I thought I'd share! -- Monica Autry
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10/04 SONG: Teach them the Eanie Meanie song from Music K8. http://www.musick8.com/ -- Judy in Wi.
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10/04 QUALITY: I have about three dozen of the beanies from OTC - I like their size, which is smaller than beanie babies. Only thing is, remember, sometimes you get what you pay for!! One set I ordered over the summer, but the other two I got last year and some of them are showing how "loved" they are - some seams starting to split and such. Last year, fairly early on, as I recall, I had to bring a the monkeys home for some surgery - their tails had come off and I had to reattach them. (But I did it with quilting thread and they haven't come off again!) So, they're great and still perfectly usable, and that's what I'll continue to buy and use, but just wanted you to know what would happen to them with lots of use! -- Ann in GA
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10/04 USED: I've purchased all mine from my local Goodwill store...about $0.25 a piece. A little here and a little there and soon...you have a hundred or so...which of course you do not need, but they are very cute! -- Kristin Lukow
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10/04 BOOK: "BROWN BEAR" We will read the book by Eric Carle. I then sing it to them using the tune Twinkle, Twinkle...works perfectly. They sing the answers with me the 2nd time around. After this, we form a circle and sing the song using bean bag animals as the subjects. Each child gets a bean bag animal, I have dozens, and I begin. If I am holding a purple cow, then we all sing, "Purple cow, purple cow what do you see?" Then I sing, "I see a brown dog looking at me." The child who is holding the brown dog, then sings the name of another animal after we sing the question. We go all around the circle until everyone has been sung to and the last child sings, "I see all the animals looking at me." The next music class, we will repeat this game song but using zoo plates. The next class, we will review with the book, Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear!" -- Contributed by Kristin Lukow -- --
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***********************************************************************BOOKS
06/09 BOOK: WHERE DO MUSIC NOTES BELONG? By Pamela Oliver Rezach, published by AuthorHouse, Bloomington, Indiana…Illustrator, Karen M. NicholSynopsis: Where Do Music Notes Belong? (juvenile fiction)…a book that uses a storybook style of writing while focusing upon one of the elements of music, rhythmic notation. Music notes travel through the world in search for their home. As they move through different eco-systems they discover what belongs in each part of the world they visit. The rhythms will also find out where they belong in the world and who places them in their “home.” The brilliant artwork captures the attention of the reader. The boldness of color will entice him to turn the page and travel with the notes. Pre-school – lower elementary children will enjoy the repetitive and sequential layout of the words. Non-readers will soon be reading the book all by themselves. You can purchase “Where Do Music Notes Belong?” at www.amazon.com
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CHILDREN’S RECORDS now as MP3’S – DOWNLOAD SITE (many good classics):
www.artsreformation.com/records
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Laurie Burkner is awesome if she just wants some things to sing and dance along with and the kids know the songs from Jacks Big Music Show. Radio Disney is good if you need some pop. --- Sara Power
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11/08 RESOURCE: Don't forget Denise Gagne's wonderful stuff! My kids love "Statue Game" in "Movement Songs Children Love", as well as "One Green Jellybean" and "elephants have Wrinkles" ---- Karen Stafford
06/06 DENISE GAGNE MATERIALS www.musicplay.ca I just wanted to publicly thank Denise Gagne and her materials. I have been using her Alphabet Action Songs this year plus her Kindergarten MusicPlay curriculum. Part of my class is to warm up the body, which includes traveling across the floor. This week I have been traveling from K-4th with Denise's Turkey Tango song from the Alphabet Action Songs. Kindergarten is studying the letter T, so we sing the song and do the actions. They are so cute moving across the floor for 5 beats and then not being able to stop, then suddenly change directions. We move 5 steps w/ one arm out and our noses in the air, then clap, etc. I tried it w/ 3rd and 4th just for fun. My 3rd and 4th graders loved it! I grabbed one girl and we danced together and the next thing I knew others had done the same thing. More, more, more!!! They were actually holding hands (girls w/ girls, etc. but holding hands) This is the first year I have used Denise's materials and this Turkey Tango has really grabbed me. It's like the Hi-Dee-Hi song someone sent in to MK8. I can't get that out of my head either. If I ever get onTV, I'm singing that one w/ motions.
If you think the Alphabet Action Songs are only for Kindergarten, think again. The Turkey Tango works great for Thanksgiving. I want to have a PTO program w/ my kids doing the alphabet songs sometime. It's also something to talk to parents about. ( Has your child danced the Turkey Tango? Has he shown you how to macarena like Morgan the Monkey?) The older children pass my room when I doing the songs w/ Kindergarten and see the fun movements we are doing and ask to do them. Next week we get to bite our arms off w/ Alligator Alarm. Check out Denise's website for downloads. That's how I got hooked. -- Susan Hanks
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INSERT A COLLECTION OF BOOK IDEA 06/06 LYNN KLEINER’S books and CD's (www.musicrhapsody.com) are wonderful for kindergarten. Today we all got to have a turn singing about some food from "The Bakery Truck". -- Nancy Reycraft
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[email protected] 06/06 KIDS MUSIC COMPANY from New Zealand has fantastic CD's for young children also. They have some from 3 - 8yrs, one from 1 to 5 yrs and a number for primary aged children. -- Heather Monro Australia
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06/06 I purchased the CLARK COUNTY CURRICULUM and it is great! I will try to remember some things that I did without the 2 above things. Right now I'm teaching instruments of the orchestra with Peter and the Wolf. My kids LOVE it! The KINDERMUSIK for the Young Child cd (green) has a lot of excerpts with certain instruments. Denise Arthurs
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07/05 RESOURCE: I love Feierabend's stuff, and use it almost daily with K-1 and sometimes 2nd. I think I use the "Circle Games," "Fingerplays" and "Songs & Rhymes with Beat Motions" the most! Also, nearly every day they come to music, I read a book to my kinders. I have hundreds of picture books for my music classes, and sometimes I read one with the intent of learning the song, sometimes we're going to dramatize the book or add instruments to it, maybe we're going to learn about a concept in the book, or maybe we're just going t read it because it is a great book! My kinders' all time favorite this year is "The Napping House" by Don & Audrey Wood. We do vocalizations for every character and event in the book: - When it says "where everyone is sleeping" we sing on M-S-S-M-L-S-M -
Cozy bed: mmmmmmmmmmmmm (Like we're snuggling down) -
Snoring Granny: obnoxious snores -
Dreaming Child: Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! -
Dozing Dog: whimper sounds -
Snoozing Cat: purr -
Slumbering Mouse: squeak -
Wakeful Flea: no noise yet! - As each character wakes up, their sound becomes one of surprise! -
Mouse: high pitched squeak -
Cat: MEOW! -
Dog: barks -
Child: grunts -
Granny: Whoops! -
Bed: Crash!
They'd do this book everyday! Dana in MN
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10/04 THE GINGERBREAD MAN: I used to have my kinders and low-achieving 1st dramatize the song. We assigned parts, sang what parts of the story would fit to easy pre-pentatonic melodies (sol-mi-la, maybe re and do) and then other kids played sound effects with small perc., since they were too young to really do much with the barred percussions yet. It was FUN--could easily grow into a performance. When the gingerbread man rode across the river on the crocodile's back (the child playing gingerbread man just wrapped his arms around croc's shoulders and followed him into the "river") and then the croc turned around and snapped him up--it was HILARIOUS! Of course the "slapstick" was the appropriate sound effect for that one. We just did it in class with no props or costumes, but the potential is certainly there to add these things. Have fun! (We also did a similar arrangement of "Chicken Little".) Louise Eddington, Muncie, Indiana, E. Luane Campbell Elementary Music Instructor & Talented and Gifted intervention specialist Mt. Gilead Schools, Ohio
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10/04 LITTLE SIR ECHO: I use this song with my K's and 1's. First I read "Happy Birthday, Moon," and we talk about echo. Then, I use a puppet to be Little Sir Echo. He indicates where the children echo in the song. They really like it and will sing along with the puppet. --
Monica in TN
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06/22/02 LISTENING RESOURCE: Early Childhood Units
This book has several ideas for programmatic music such as Peter and the Wolf, Flight of the Bumblebee, Sorcerer's Apprentice, Clock Symphony. Things to color, projects, Insruments of the Orchestra, Conductor Cards, Cross Curricular Ideas. A great book in my estimation!
Teacher Created Materials 6421 Industry Way Westminster, CA 92683
Ordering (P) 800-662-4321 (F) 800-525-1254
Customer Service (P) 800-858-7339
Outside the U.S. (P) 714-891-7895 (F) 714-892-0283
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02/02 GAME BOOK: There is a wonderful book called "Musical Games, Fingerplays and Rhythmic Activities for Early Childhood" that I use LOTS with my kindergarteners and first graders. It is published by Parker Publisching Company and is written by Marian Wirth (and others). These are all music teachers, the activities and songs are right on the mark for the little ones. <
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***********************************************************************CHOREGRAPHY
01/02 KEEP THEIR HANDS BUSY: I have found that children more readily sing when their hands are involved. Hence, for every song I do with primary ages (2-4), I create hand actions. It has made the teaching more fun and made a huge difference in the vocal responses. I suspect this has something to do with the need for visual/physical connections to the text. Even at the Kindergarten level, it is still fun for the children. The more I had to create actions, the easier it became to do so.
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CMAS SONG: Sing Noel from Music Connection Grade 1: Beginning of Sing Noel -20 beats head down (count to 20) and heads up ( I whisper head's up)- Sing Noel - at instrumental interlude take arms and clap them side to side - up and down at intervals (8 up 8 down 8 up) arms down (LIke left-right-left-right as you go up and down) Sing Noel-next interlude 8 up, 8 down, put hands up high and move fingers down like snowflakes (12 beats) Looks like twinkling hands going down. After 12 beats it ends and they put their heads down (looking at the floor) and arms straight down. Then they freeze until I bring them up. The parents love it. Of course I also tell the children not to wipe each other out as they clap. This gives the parents a chance to settle if they see the children's heads down and I am standing there waiting.
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EENCY WEENCY LESSON: We sing the Eency Weency Spider and then I turn it into a language arts lesson. (Could make it science too) Excellent Book is "Start with Song" by Audrey J. Adair-Hauser-201 Ready-to-Use Interdisciplinary Activities for Young Learners (ISBN 0-13-832734-3) I give these to my classroom teachers. After we sing the initial song: We read the Big Book version and discuss differences (ie children, pictures, etc)and 2 other versions. I even read Roly-Poly Spider once. Then we make up our own story. I embellish different ways each year.
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EENCY WEENCY got tired of hanging around the water spout and decided to take a vacation. So he packed his mini suitcase and took a bus to the country to visit his cousin Ebeneezer the "BIG FAT SPIDER (We sing that version) Then he got tired of hanging out with cows, pigs and hay (he really was starting to sneeze) and again packed his mini suitcase and took a train to the city to visit his cousin Morris "The Teensy Weensy Spider" (song) then he got tired of the rusty pipes and the smog and went to visit his cousin Wilbur by plane "The rock n roll spider" I then play Little Richards Rock n Roll Spider and they dance to it. I found it on Disney for Our Children CD. Then they danced all night and were so tired they went home and became "Couch potatoes" .
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EENCY WEENCY: When we perform for the parents they yell out the last part and help me tell the story. One year I had my 1st graders draw books of the "Travels of Eency Weency" . The spider went to Hawaii, Alaska, everywhere they could think of. it was great. Another lesson I do is "Wheels on the Bus" with Raffi's song, book and other versions. Even a pop up book. We discuss differences. One year we wrote another version.
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In general, I find that hand actions draw children into singing more readily. They don't have to be complicated. For example:
Baby Beluga in the deep blue sea (Hands make a fish swimming)
Stars: Hands over head, fingers opening and closing quickly
Way down yonder (thumbs over shoulders)
Splash (clap) etc.,
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***********************************************************************CIRCLES, LINES, ROUTINES
01/07 VOCAL EXPLORATION: Students enter and sit as directed - follow into rows of chairs, assigned chairs, or seated circle on floor. (For student comfort and name learning, we did assigned seats for several weeks at the beginning of the year.) - Sung greetings on s-m. This was first to me and later was sometimes to one of my variety of furry friends. - Vocal exploration. (See "Owl Conversations": http://www.musick8.com/listarchive/message_display.php?db_choice=listarchive2&e_id=86736.) -RHYTHMIC SPEECH: often with actions, movement, or sign language. Although originally for prek's, my K's liked to carry over "Five Little Owls." (See "Owl Activity for Pre-K" in the Idea Bank.) - body of our lesson for the day to include our musical concept(s), singing, moving, playing, creating, listening, etc. (See also: "Short Attention Span Kinders - Activities" in Idea Bank.) - Connie Herbon
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02/04 RESOURCE: I love Phyllis Weikart's "All Around the Circle" it has wonderful activities to do with k-1st students. Also, I use some basic level one dances from her "Successful Steps" book. The kids love to do these basic motor/nonlocomotor activities in a circle. - Contributed by Katy in GA
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10/02 CIRCLE FORMATION: I had a K class like that this morning!! Imust have been speaking in Greek......I actually put a cirle on the floor using tape. I use dotted lines to give the outline of a circle, and when they "go stand on the circle" VOILA! a circle is made. there is special tape you can use for gym floors, but I am currently using the bright blue tape painters use.
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CIRCLE FORMATION: When I have worked with the little ones about making circles etc. I have discovered that a floor rug (about 5 X 7 or so) works great. They learn to walk around the edge ("don't step on the grass" or the pond) and then sit on the edge. When playing games etc they put themselves off the rug.. and it keeps the circle from "creeping in" smaller and smaller. It has worked for me. Even a $25-30 rug from the discount store works great. I now have a 8 x 6 that the school bought in a nice grass green! There are times to sit on the grass and times to stand off the green. It works.
BACK to PreSchool topics
***********************************************************************CURRICULUM
06/15 GENERAL PLANNING FOR LESSONS: https://rhythmexpress.wordpress.com/tag/toddler-music-classes/---------------------------
06/15 FEIERBAND CURRICULUM: The book is titled, "First Steps in Music: Preschool and Beyond." He teaches you how to use his materials in a curricular setting and provides 3 years worth of lesson plans. The CDs are very helpful due to the folk nature of the repertoire, but I only use them to teach myself the song and then restrict myself to playing each song only once or twice for the children. I tell you what, these little children learn to love music and to love you. And it's real, human music, not that canned pop-py stuff you get on children's CDs. The book and 4 CDs cost about $90, and it is by far the best money I have spent on curriculum. The Move It DVD is also well worth the money. I have found myself using songs from this book with all grade levels. The front matter of the book is essential reading. He teaches you why vocal music is so important, why and how many times to repeat each song, and reveals how easy it is to elicit solo singing at a very young age. He also includes information on understanding musical improvisation at this age and how to help develop children who are beatful, tuneful, and artful. You seriously do not need anything else. ---- Mallory Martin
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06/15 DARVA CAMPBELL +: I just saw today that Darva Campbell's book "Feel the Beat, Move Your Feet" vol 1 is part of the "blowout sale" on West for a great price. It's great and has stuff you can do immediately with the PreK kiddos. Feierabend stuff is great, but IMO, not easy to implement. (I don't pull it off the shelf if a class is coming in 20 minutes and I realize I need another quick thing in my lesson, for example.) The book 101 Rhythm Instrument Activities for Young Children by Abigal Flesch Connors also has ideas you can do immediately with PK. ---- Mindy Krejci
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http://www.musikgarten.org -- has a great curriculum which I use with pre-school students. The cd's are great and I supplement with traditional material. musikgarten.com Email them and they'll send you a price list.----- Sandy Toms
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08/14 RESOURCE: When teaching music as part of your classroom teacher curriculum, you can use music to teach the Pre-K their core subjects. Google Shirley Handy, Singing-Reading Connection to get wonderful ideas in teaching beginning reading and math using songs. Her workshop is condensed to a DVD that you can find at the National Education Network along with materials that she suggests. I believe she also has something on YouTube. Once you understand her basic procedures, you can use can adapt her ideas using songs you know. The site sells song cards, but you can make your own by making a ppt and printing the pages off. Attach rings at the BOTTOM of the pages to allow for a quick flip while singing. After the children learn a song, those song cards can be placed in your class library for students to ?read and sing? during center time. I have used the CD, CJ?s Fundamentals, with Pre-K and they loved it. It is available at the NEM site. ---- Stan Vacek
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06/06 LYNN KLEINER’S stuff is really great - particularly if you are an Orff teacher - Website with all the information is: www.musicrhapsody.com. Lynn's materials are also available from West and LMI. - Ardith Roddy
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06/06 KINDERMUSIK has been very successful in many situations. http://www.kindermusik.com/
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10/05 ROUTINE: [A friend of mine] said if the kids have 1 of three things at anytime, they should be cooperative.
1) have something in their hands
2) an instrument to play
3) moving their body
If I had Kinders for an hour, what would I do?
1) Hello Song
2) Movement - Steady Beat follow the leader. I just love the CD For Our Children Too (there is also a For Our Children but alas I do not have it!) I especially love the You Are My Sunshine track 9. Put a piece of music with a good beat and pat and move your body in all sorts of ways changing every 4 to 8 beats. You can also have the kids lead after several days of this.
3) Read a children's book with a music connection 4) relate a music activity to the book and do the expansion
5) Freeze game or musical chairs
6) play instruments - circle game where everyone has an instrument (different ones around the circle), take turns playing or play all at the same time echoing rhythms or improvising, then kids shift 1 person around the circle and repeat. This can take 20 minutes easily! Or...xylophones, have them learn and practice a simple mi re do or so mi song. Sing it, sing the letters or syllables, practice playing it, play it. You might want to make 8 1/2 x 11 charts of short phrases using icons (i.e. for Pumpkin Stew I have pumpkins and a question mark to mare the phrase) Or...keyboards...let them explore the different sounds, rhythms
7) Listening...a classical piece of music, have them listen for something, hold a beat buddy, puppet, or some manipulative and feel the beat or use rhythm sticks or hands and conduct! My K/1's love to conduct!!
8)Closing Song for variety: singing games, scarves, an occasional video. -- Rhonda in WI
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07/05 RESOURCE: The [series] I use [Alfred Publishing] with K is for general music and features 12 lessons. The students love "Beethoven Bear and Mozart Mouse". There are lots of activities and songs with each lesson. One thing I really like is that there is a coloring page that I can leave with each child that shows the theme of each lesson. I ask them to take them home and show their parents what they learned in music today. Book 2 is hopefully coming out soon. Last year was the first time I tried it, and I would love to use that with first grade. At one of my schools I have music in the classrooms, and the K teachers were very impressed with what the students were learning.. [Last year] was my first time teaching K music in a while, and this was a lifesaver. -- Judy R. Haley
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10/04 ACTIVITIES: I have a class of 14 preK for an hour a week. I have one 2 year old, and the rest are 3 and 4 and1 five year old. I do the class for an hour because parents have to drive 10-15 minutes to get to class and I feel like I should make it worth their time. It is exhausting - takes more energy than teaching third grade for a whole day.
SEATING: They find a square on the music rug. I just got a new one and it's great for the pre-K. Has lots of symbols around the edge and a treble staff in the middle. I'll find out how much they cost if anyone is interested - I think it's about $140. If I want to do a circle game they stand around the rug - way easier than trying to form circles with this age group. It isn't huge, but all 14 can sit on it at one time.
WARMUPS: - Ring around the rosy: fast/slow, loud/soft, high/low After each repetition we chant this poem: The cows are in the meadow eating buttercups, husha husha we all jump up. I'm going to use "Andy Pandy" for warmups this week", but same idea - fast/slow, loud/soft (from Musicplay for Kindergarten) SOUND GAME: They are still being spectators and aren't singing as much as I'd like. Pull a picture out of the bag and make the sound. HIGH-LOW POEMS: This week, Pussycat pussycat where have you been? (from Musicplay for Kindergarten), More vocalising to get the voices working. Act out the poem. (choose different kids to be the Queen, pussycat and mouse)
MELODY THE ELEPHANT: They sing "hello" to Melody, and then sing different things they want her to do. Gets them singing alone, and they LOVE this activity. Don't remember who on the list suggested it, but it's great, so thank you! We often sing Melody's favorite song "Elephants Have Wrinkles" from "Movement Songs Children Love" - if you teach preK you NEED this CD. It's great. They loved Monkeys, 1 Green Jellybean, Skateboard Rider, Sam the Robot and Bunny Boogie.
LETTER SONG & GAME: Each week we do a new letter. Last week was T for Turkey. (We have Canadian thanksgiving tomorrow) We sing a phonics song, and then I teach them the alphabet action song. I'm using "Alphabet Action Songs" and they are working really well with 2-5 year olds.
LETTER ACTIVITY: I have them practice printing the letter. We brainstorm for a list of objects that start with the letter and then they draw some of them.
REVIEW - [Frequently] I like to go over the songs they've learned in previous weeks. Story: I do at least one story every week. Sometimes I do stories where the children create sound effects or sing a refrain: Mortimer, Mmm Cookies, Up, Love You Forever have worked well. Sometimes I choose stories that relate to the letter of the week.
RHYTHM INSTRUMENTS: We play copycat and echo games with boomwhackers. I'm going to do rhythm sticks with chopsticks next week and see if they can keep a beat to classical music. Explore many rhythm instruments. Avoid egg shakers that can come open - one of my two year olds last year was really fascinated by these and kept breaking them open. I had to go to commercially made shakers that are one piece!
LISTENING: We listen to classical music and keep a beat with instruments or by playing copycat (kind of like the Freeze) or moving to the music.
DANCE/MOVEMENT: They love the "Freeze" from Greg and Steve. We move to different selections from the Carnival of the Animals. (Listen Kit 1) We sing and move to Movement Songs Children Love.
SONGS & GAMES: This month we'll be doing many Halloween activities: Pumpkin game (from Musicplay for Kindergarten), Magic Spell (from Sing and Play on Special days - they move like a variety of animals)
POEMS & CHANTS: This week we're going to do criss cross applesauce and have parents do the actions on the kids backs. (from Musicplay for Kindergarten) End of Class: Review the new letter and letter song they've learned. -- Denise Gagne www.musicplay.ca
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02/04 RESOURCE: I love Phyllis Weikart's "All Around the Circle" it has wonderful activities to do with k-1st students. Also, I use some basic level one dances from her "Succesful Steps" book. The kids love to do these basic motor/nonlocomotor activities in a circle.
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09/03 SUGGESTIONS: 1. Learn their names as fast as possible. Insist that their classroom
teachers send them down with their nametags for the first month.
2. Start with lots of stuff they probably know, such as Farer in the Dell, This Old Man, Twinkle, Hokey Pokey, etc. They are more apt to sing what is familiar to themz.
3. Go over the rules every week for the first month. Be consistent. Make sure the consequences are understood BEFORE you have to enforce them.
4. Use literature as a way to introduce a new song or concept. There are many ideas in the archives and Idea Bank. Not only do they love being read to, it usually ensures a quiet few minutes without all the whining!
5. Work with their classroom teacher to know what units/concepts they are learning and tie your classwork into it.
6. By the end of September, make sure they know a few easy singing games, such as Doggy Doggy Where's My Bone, Who Has the Penny, etc. These are great when you find you have 3-4 minutes left in class and nothing left to do.
7. Plan, plan, plan. Always plan way more than you think you'll need. - Contributed by Ann Berman
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04/03 ACTIVITIES: I have them THREE times each week, so I've already explored a lot of materials this year. Here are a few things I use consistantly:
-props for vocal exploration: snow shovel, Spider Man, Sponge Bob, Beanie mouse, balls for tossing
- unpitched percussion, especially drums and rhythm sticks
- Raffi recordings, especially Singable Songs and More Singable Songs
* Get Ready, Get Set, Sing! Songs for Early Childhood and ESL by Sarah Barchas, High Haven Music
- Music for Little People by John Feierabend (book/recording)
- Movement Songs Children Love by Denise Gagne
- Signed English Starter or other resource for you to learn basic signs
I also use some songs from the 13 volumes of MK8 and write activities for our use as we need them. Look in your school and local library for some picture books to connect to your music class. Those can provide unlimited resources.-- Contributed by Connie Herbon
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10/02 RESOURCE: I had just found Kathleen Wojcik-May's CHILDREN SING, CHILDREN PLAY (published by Hal Leonard). It is a super month-by-month curriculum for pre-school. No cds with it, but you won't miss them.
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08/02 1. At the beginning of the year, I plan 10-12 activities for a 40 minute period. This I learned from the remarkable John Feierabend. Run, don't walk, to any place where you can hear him speak or purchase his materials. He's the expert. He teaches a class entitled Music in Early Childhood every summer at Silver lake College (Manitowoc, WI). It changed my life...and I've been at this businees for over 24 years. (Kindergarten music for 19) You can purchase his materials from GIA.
2. Find a place to take Level 1 Kodaly training. It provides a scope and sequence that works, if you understand the philosophy and use it. Kodaly is so much more than "so-mi and ti-ti ta." You owe it to yourself to take the training. It is exactly what you need.
3. After you take Level 1 Kodaly, go take Level 1 Orff training. It's the frosting on the cake. I am not saying that Kodaly is "better" than Orff. In my experience, Level 1 Orff training was much more understandable because I all ready knew Kodaly. Understand here that I am only speaking from my own experience. Other people may feel differently and that's fine. But, Kodaly and then Orff worked best for me. The important thing is to learn both approaches from excellent teachers.
4. Realize that you are building the foundation upon which everything else will be built. Go slow. Focus your curriculum on developing beat competence and in-tune singing. If a child can't keep a steady beat, s/he will never be able to perform something like the cup game...or dance...or march in the band. Some people find working on the basis boring and redundant. I consider it an investment in the future.
5. Kinders love to move, and they LOVE classical music! Plan lots of movement activities with classical music and scarves, hula hoops, ribbon sticks, fabric, flashlights and anything else that is safe and fun. You should see what they do with Vivaldi's Spring! (Squeals of delight!) Phyllis Weikert is the guru on movement. Look for her materials to give you good advice. Feierabend has a wonderful CD...First Steps In Classical Music: Keeping the Beat.(also from GIA)
6. As far as the exhausting part, you're right and there is nothing you can do about it. Be good to yourself. Get enough sleep and take a multi-vitamin. On the positive side, at age 54, I have wonderful aerobic health. Teaching all the K has kept me very healthy!
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05/21 I adore my K-1 self-contained classes, but they wear you out fast. Don't expect them to be able to do much singing at first. Have lots of CD's handy or your voice will go fast.
Keep the pace going. In a forty minute class, I usually plan 8-10 activities. Their attention span isn't that long.Plan lots of repetition! Do the same activities for a month. It may be boring to you, but they thrive on this. Also plan lots of movement and manipulatives (balls, beanbags, etc.)About a month ago, my little guys did their FIRST COMPLETE DANCE without directions or stopping.
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05/21 ADVICE: I have taught a life skills class for seven or eight years. Your best words to "wrap around your lessons" on are: repetition and routine. Always start your class with the same welcome song and end with the same goodbye song even if you don't use that in your other classes. The kids will learn but at a much slower rate, but oh the joy when they "get it". They are exhausting to teach but soooooooooooooo rewarding! Insist on the same level of aide help that the other teachers have (very important!). It took a year for me to develop confidence that I could handle these kids and then it became fun (but tiring!). Part of what they are learning is classroom behavior, following directions, raising hands, passing out supplies, etc. Plan on taking time for teaching those skills. Enjoy!
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01/02 RESOURCE: When I was teaching music to preK and K kids I relied heavily on the classic collection American Folksongs for Children by Ruth Crawford Seeger. Each year I find myself recommending it again...the introductory sections, which take up about 1/4 of the book are worth the price of the book alone. Seeger discusses how to approach using folk materials with the youngest kids, how to make it lively, engaging and most of all, creative.
The book includes game songs, "zipper" songs (where the kids insert different words) dance songs...from all over the US. Everything is indexed extensively. It's a wonderful resource and should be in every elementary school teacher's personal library IMHO. [email protected]
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01/02 RESOURCE: Lynn Kleiner materials are great for K. Since I have special pre-k and k students as well as regular k, I got her preschool and primary materials--books, cd, video--etc. A lot of the pre-k stuff can also be changed for k. She has songs, beginning Orff and instrument ideas, stories, and movement ideas, and her books also have drawings for manipulative ideas.
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10/01 RESOURCE: : (Ages 3,4) (Curriculum: Cycle of Seasons, Musicgarten)
Class meets twice a week 1/2 hour and 45 minutes 2 different days
KINDERGARTEN: (Curriculum:Combination of "Music Makers-Musicgarten", PreSchool Orff, Kodaly Methods, Folk Literature)
Class meets twice a week 1/2 hour and 45 minutes 2 different days
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Try the new early childhood curriculum MUSIC PLAY. (Student books are paperback - more affordable) It consists of a teacher's book with lesson plans and a cd recording of all of the songs and patterns. http://www.musicplay.ca/
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ACTIVITIES: She calls her operation CADENZA. The format for every session is the same. Her preschool students become confident through repetition, so she makes any changes slowly. The children, along with their caretakers, sit cross-legged on the floor. They start with "Happy and You Know It," then go on to 20 minutes of action songs. Then she gets out two big instrument boxes and the children make a selection. They then sit down. (She comments, "Discipline VERY important.") While the children play in time on the percussion instruments, she plays a song on the trumpet. Out comes her clarinet and they do happy and sad music. If the music is sad, the children don't play. If the music is happy, they all play. She might stop the tune in the middle by raising her hand like a conductor. When her hand is lowered, she carries on with the tune and they all play again. The next 15 minutes are spent in musical recognition. She plays a tune on her recorder and the children guess which puppet she has in her puppet bag. The puppet bag is stuffed full of animal puppets, each with its own tune, such as "The Eensy Weensy Spider." The child who first made the correct response gets a "well done!" stamp on the hand. They then sing the appropriate song. (She doesn't do this consistently. She states, "I don't like to discourage the ones who find it hard.") At the conclusion of the 45-minute session, there is a rousing rendition of the Hokey Pokey.
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SONGS: I have been doing alot of circle games this year. These really help reinforce steady beat, form (different actions for different sections), etc Ones that I have used are Looby Loo (MK8, Vol 10, No.2) , London Bridge, The Farmer in the Dell, All Around the Kitchen (World of Music, Kind.),and many others. If you have too many in your class to have all of them be in the circle at the same time, I let half of the class be the "Choir" on one day, letting them sing, and the other half of the class plays the game. We switch groups the following class session.
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***********************************************************************DISCIPLINE
06/15 MR. TAPE !! Here's Mr. Tape in the words of Martha Stanley:I put a piece of masking tape with three circles on the child's shoulder area (drawn with a sharpie as demand calls for it). That's it. Here's the explanation as I would tell the kids: If you're having a hard time making good choices about something and I can tell you need some assistance in calming down, I'll let Mr. Tape come and help you. He is your friend because he'll remind you to stay out of trouble. If you get Mr. Tape, you're NOT in trouble... yet.
Pretend that Susie over there (aside: an imaginary Susie) keeps giggling and poking her neighbors. I'll say, "Susie, will you please come here?" And while she is walking to me, I'll get some masking tape and I'll draw three circles on it. When she gets to me, I'll put the tape up here (close to her shoulder, away from any personal areas), and I'll ask her if she needs to have any more reminders to calm down. If she says "no," I'll say "Great." And that's the end of that.
If she needs another reminder, I'll say "Susie, come here, please," and I'll put an X in one of the circles and ask her if she needs any more reminders about her behavior. Or I might ask her if there is something I can do to help her be good. (Aside: Sometimes the kids will ask if they can move or make other appropriate suggestions, which I will delightedly agree to.)
And if that's all it takes, Great! So she has one X and she's all better, so no problem. If I have to call her up again, I'll give her the second X and I'll say, "Susie, you only have one more X. Do you need any assistance in getting and staying ready to learn?" If she says "no" and calms down, great! But if she doesn't, then...
I ask Susie to come up to me, and I give her another X. Then she's in trouble. I'll write a Bad Note home, and her folks have to sign it, and she has to bring it back to me the next day. (Aside: Our school has created a special area discipline form in duplicate that we use. Kids have to return it signed. This is a great idea that every school could use. That way, there's always a copy.) And then I'll call home and ask her folks if they can help her remember how to behave at school. (Aside: I'll also very off-handedly say...) Well, I might not call if I think that her parents will convince her to calm down. But if she doesn't bring the note back the next day, I WILL for sure call, and then I'll have to tell them about the note AND the behavior. Double trouble!
So, she'll get a note, maybe a phone call, AND the class won't get its star for the day. (Aside: They hate this part. When the whole class has NO notes home, fewer than five X's total, and they've done an overall good job, I give them a star. Eight stars and they get a free music day, which has very limited boundaries, but they love it anyway. No food, nothing that costs me money, has to follow all school rules, and no kissing in the corner... "eeeeeewwwwww," they always say.) If I give you Mr. Tape and you move it from where I put it, it's an automatic X. (Aside: Otherwise, it disappears or ends up on a nose or inside the jacket or on the chair. If I can't see it, sometimes I forget someone has it and then I forget to write it down.)
Now here's the thing, kids. Mr. Tape is your friend.
I've been using Mr. Tape for about 20 years. I've used up many rolls of masking tape. Do youknow how many times I've had to call home? Fewer than 10 times. (Aside: This is true unless there's extreme behavior, and then it's just automatic.)
When you leave the room, you remove Mr. Tape and put him in the trash can. We start up all nice and fresh the next time you come to music. Remember, Mr. Tape is your friend, but if you don't need him, that's the best way to do it. (End of intro to Mr. Tape.) Testimonial: This really works! ---- Lee in GA
I love Mr. TAPE! I can't remember who suggested it or started it, but I take a piece of masking tape and ask the student to come up to the front. They are all afraid that I'm going to put the tape on their mouth! THey know why they are getting Mr. TAPE. But I put the tape on their sleeve and tell them the first time they blurt, they get two little sad eyes, the next time they blurt they get a nose and the third time they blurt they get a sad little mouth. Then if that happens, we will have to tell their teacher to find out another consequence! It works really [well] with the primary grades... Caryn Mears
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***********************************************************************DRUMMING
12/11 PLAY ON THE RESTS: I think that with the Primary students you could very easily have them do the first part. The drums are easily use with Nursery rhymes as well. However, I usually have the students play on the rests. For instance, Hickory, Dickory Dock, drum, The Mouse ran up the clock, drum, The clock struck one, the mouse ran down, Hickory Dickory Dock, drum, drum! Try other nursery rhymes and you will probably be able to fit the drums in, in some way shape or fashion. Being in a school that has many languages within the population, our students have not heard American nursery rhymes, so this is an excellent way to introduce them to hearing the language and the rhyming, which is essential for reading and speaking English! ---- Caryn Mears--------------------------
12/09 RESOURCE: You really need to get some of Kalani's books. Here are some ideas of his I've adapted:
Echo drumming
Rumble ball: bounce a ball and have the kids strike the drum for each time the ball lands. Roll the ball, and the kids continuously play until the ball stops. Toss the ball, and have the kids play in a crescendo until the ball is caught. Make up thankful statements using simple rhythms the kids use. (Thanksgiving Day means lots of food, for example). Have the kids echo back that rhythm. Let the kids make up their own rhythms. I have a big Mondo drum I use as the "lead" drum, and the kids have fun taking turns being the leader. --- Karen Stafford
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12/09 TAKE TURNS: Set the drums up in the front of class in one line. Line kids up behind them like a "train" and do an activity where they play the drum and then move to the back of the line so the next person plays! Your activity could be as simple as echoing patterns - if you want a track to go along, Hap Palmers "Woodpecker" would work. You can get it on iTunes. During the chorus "woodpecker, woodpecker, knocking on the tree...." the kids would move. I think the playing/echoing happens 3 times. --- RaeAnna Goss
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ACTIVITIES: The Situation: Infants, Toddlers, and Childen (with some parents in their usual "observation" position)
- High interest - low skill
- Transient
- Outdoors
- Music playing in the background
- Drums and percussion set out in the circle
My Approach:
- Clear the center of the circle
- Play loud/soft, fast/slow (build some listening skills and a little structure)
- Sing-A-long -Drum-A-Long (ABCs, The Ants Go Marching, Little Miss Muffet, etc.)
- Support each player with eye contact, smiles, "great job!" and "What can YOU do?"
- Allow time for each child to share an idea with everyone - try it out.
- Echos (children play too), Rumbles, back to the groove.
- Make sure kids playing jembes have mallets and not sticks (Hand the child playing the jembe with the mini agogo a mallet!)
- Point out the pulse, March around, Dance around.
- Echos with movement and voice
- Make sure the parents know their child is doing a great job! (Yay - parents support music programs for their children!)
- Make sure the children know they are doing a great job! (Yay - children love music making and support music programs when they get older!)--- Kalani
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***********************************************************************DYNAMICS
5/01 FORTE/PIANOGrizzly Bear, Oh Grizzly Bear, who's sleeping in a cave. dddmrrrfmdrtd
Please be very quiet, very, very quiet. mmmsff z rrrfmm z
If you wake him, if you shake him, He gets very MAD!! dddm rrrf mdrtd!!
One child hides his/her eyes and curls up in the 'cave'; Another child is chosen to tap the bear on his/her back and hurries back to seat. On the word MAD!!, the bear whirls around looking very angry. The 'bear' gets 3 guesses as to who touched him/her.
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For loud/soft I play 'Torreadors' from Carmen and have the children play along on jingle taps. (I like to have a class set). They play loud when the music is loud and soft when it is soft, and shake them for the trills. I started this with grade 1's but other classes came in and wanted to play' it too!
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I have used Ghost of John with crescendo and decrescendo. The kids love it. I have them sing it with one crescendo a phrase, then decrescendo with each phrase, then both on a phrase (either direction) and even try three sets on each phrase.
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I love to play Haydn's Surprise Symphony. We all go to sleep on the soft parts and wake up on the loud surprise part. I also play Peer Gynts Mountain music, I tell the story and then use soft music building up into the louder parts to help capture the action of the story in the students minds. I also use drums to help create soft pitter patter showers and then loud music when it is heavy rain, kids can relate to loud and soft when related to everyday sounds. (My biggest battle is...they often equate fast with loud and slow with soft)
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Here's my idea for a Loud and Soft Game that works really well with K- 2nd grade: I teach the song "Oh Where, Oh Where has My Little Dog Gone." I use the illustrated book and a song chart I made also. We practice singing it with me on the ukulele for acc. the we practice in loud and soft singing voices. After they know it pretty well, I teach a game like a "Hot and Cold" game. One person "it" goes out the door while someone (the last "it") hides a small stuffed dog somewhere in my classroom. Then we invite that person back in to the room to try to find the dog. The class sings the person to the dog. We sing soft as they're far a way from the location of the dog and loud if they're near it. The closer they are, the louder we get. It's really fun and a good way to learn about and practice Crescendo and Decrescendo in the higher grades too. It's a natural for them! And they love the game.
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When the kids know the songs, split them into 2 groups (standing on opposite sides of room)
1 group tiptoes (ask them to act very timid) while they sing(quietly):
Twinkle, twinkle, little star, How I wonder what you are,
Up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky,
Then group 1 freezes and group 2 stomps and sings very loudly:
Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are.
BTW: Here is another verse for those of you that haven't come across it:
When the blazing sun is gone, when he nothing shines upon.
Then you show your little light, twinkle twinkle all the night,
Twinkle twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are.
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***********************************************************************SONGS
06/15 06/15 GAGNE'S MOVEMENT SONGS +: When I had Preschool students, I concentrated on Nursery Rhymes, Finger Plays and tons of beat keepting and rhyming. I had a puppet called Rhymin' Simon. He would say a sentence and have the kids finish the rhyme. They will love beat buddies and all of the things that you do with kinders. Don't be afraid to "save something for Kinders". Kids love repetition and they would love doing the same activities in Kindergarten that they did in Pre-school. I love Denise Gagne's Movement songs... ELephants have wrinkles, Sam, the Robot Man and One Green Jelly Bean. I ended up using Music Play for Kindergarten with my preschoolers as I already had a curriculum for Kindergarten through Share the Music. It worked out great! ----- Caryn MearsDenise Gagne's Alphabet Action songs - they love them! One older student came in for "Meet the Teacher" the other night & told me his little brother sang "Alligator Alarm" all summer. -- Carol in Texas
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06/15 SONGS: http://www.everyday-reading.com/2012/08/how-to-start-toddler-music-group-part-2.html
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07/11 SODA CHANT
Coca Cola went to town (walk 4 steps)
Dr. Pepper knocked him down (fall down slowly)
Diet Pepsi picked him up (get up slowly)
Now they all drink Seven Up! (strut in a circle)
INSTRUMENT VARIATION:
Line 1: tone/temple blocks
Line 2: bells
Line 3: guiros
Line 4: all instruments
DONALD DUCK (this is actually a sol-mi song too - it kind of confuses me cause it is doesn't match the rhythm written below)
Donald duck is one legged one legged one legged duck
Donald duck is two legged two legged two legged duck
Donald duck is three legged three legged three legged duck
Donald duck is four legged four legged four legged duck
Donald duck is bow legged bow legged bow legged duck
Donald duck is knock-kneed knock-kneed knock-kneed duck
Donald duck is wiggle-waggle wiggle-waggle wiggle-waggle duck
( ss ll s m s m sm d)
(ti-ti ti-ti ta ta ta ta ti-ti ta)
RONALD MACDONALD
All criss cross or friend claps are on the Ti-Ti REST BEAT unless noted otherwise)
Ronald MacDonald (rest rest) a biscuit
Lap, Lap, Clap, Clap , Criss-Cross (Cross hands in front of body 2 times), Thumbs Back (thumbs point over shoulders 2 times)
Ronald MacDonald (rest rest) a biscuit
Lap Lap, Clap Clap, Criss-Cross, Thumbs Back
Oh, Shoo shoo wa wa (rest rest) a biscuit
Lap Lap, Clap Clap, Criss-Cross, Thumbs Back
I’ve got a sweetheart (rest rest) a biscuit
Lap Lap, Clap Clap, Criss-Cross, Thumbs Back
(s)He’s so sweet (rest rest) a biscuit
Lap Lap, Clap Clap, Criss-Cross, Thumbs Back
Sweeter than a cherry tree (rest rest) a biscuit
Lap Lap, Clap Clap, Criss-Cross, Thumbs Back
Ice Cream soda with a cherry on top (rest)
Lap Lap, Clap Clap, Criss-Cross, Thumbs Down (point thumbs at floor for TA BEAT)
Ice Cream soda with a cherry on top (rest)
Lap Lap, Clap Clap, Criss-Cross, Thumbs Down (point thumbs at floor for TA BEAT)
Down Down baby down by the roller-coaster
Lap Lap, Clap Clap, Criss-Cross, Roller-Coaster (Make a Hill with hands in front of your body)
Sweet-Sweet baby don’t ever let me go
Lap Lap, Clap Clap, Criss-Cross, Hold Tight (Give yourself a HUG for a TA BEAT)
Shimy-Shimy coco-pop shimy shimy-POW
Lap Lap, Clap Clap, Criss-Cross, Punch Out (Punch air in front of body for TA BEAT)
Shimy- Shimy coco-pop shimmy shimmy-POW
Lap Lap, Clap Clap, Criss-Cross, Punch Out (Punch air in front of body for TA BEAT)---- Susan
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LET US CHASE THE SQUIRREL Game: Students make a arched tunnel with .....two students face each other, palms together, and pairs stand shoulder to shoulder.....so you have a long tunnel that the "squirrel" and the "chaser" crouch down and go through. It's a continuous feed motion so the foot of the line is always travelling through and becoming the head.-- Cynthia Sibitzky - North Pole, Alaska
Here's how I use the game with my 2nd graders: Children stand in groups of 3, scattered around the room. In each group, two children face each other and join hands, becoming the "tree." The third child in the group is the squirrel and stands between the other two who are the "tree." - Julie Jones in Williamsburg, VA
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***********************************************************************EVALUATION, GRADES
We have standards based report cards now. We give either BB=Below Basic, BA= Basic (approaching proficiency) PR= proficient (you can do it consistently) or AD= Advanced. I generally give K's --BA= approaching proficiency the first semester because most of them have not mastered basic skills at that point. -- Dianne Park, San Diego, CA------------------
my kids get graded in three areas each term (trimester): skills, participation, behavior:
O (outstanding)
S (satisfactory)
N (needs support/practice)
AC (area of concern)
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We have two grapes: achievement and effort/participation. That separates it out pretty well. If you don't have good effort, you may still get an A or E, and a 2 or 1 in effort, but then again, if there is lousy effort, it can effect the grade too. --- Martha Stanley
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***********************************************************************GAMES
12/16 Music Alphabet Buzz - my kids LOVED this and it's soooo cheesy. It helped them with learning the music alphabet which they HAVE to know before we start in with learning lines and spaces. We have been playing as a warm-up game Music Alphabet Buzz. For you who misremember...... the kids get in a circle and say the names of the music alphabet, individually in turn, A (next kid), B (next kid, etc.). Anyone who misses the pitch-letter, sits. Then start over again with A. The person who is after "G" has to say "buzz" and sit down. ---- Martha Stanley----------------
12/08 ONLINE: (check for appropriate material) Many games here: http://www.musictechteacher.com/musicquizzes.htm
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11/08 WEIKART-SEVEN JUMPS: We turned it into a Turkey hunt game this week. Directions were to squat every time they heard the violins hold the note and they were to jump and call out "gobble" [one for each chord]. --- Peg in MA
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Fishing for Instruments:
Materials: construction paper fish, each with a picture of an instrument on the back. (I reduced the ones that are in my Music and You set.) Also, a few fish with the word WILD printed on the back. Set Up: fish are attached to a bulletin board, picture side down. (Or scattered on the floor.) How to play: divide into 2 teams (I usually put boys against girls). Teams take turns sending a member to "catch" a fish. The student has to tell which family the instrument belongs to. Excitement comes when a wild fish is caught, because that team gets to take a fish from the other team. The team with the most fish at the end of the game is the winning team.
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Materials: cut-out stars with point values on them: 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 points. Mine have been laminated and have magnets on the back - alas, I no longer have a metal chalkboard... Place stars in a bucket/container. Divide into teams. Ask students review questions - I let students "help" each other with the answer, but only one person can answer. That person then draws a star from the bucket and places it on the board (section for each team). Almost everyone answers correctly - sometimes with a lot of hints from me - but the fun part is not knowing how many points you'll get for answering. Helpful hint: If you allow students to put the star on the board themselves, watch out for sneaky ones who will try to "steal" a star from the opposing team. Total chaos when this happens and the game is usually over...
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Circle games: (although you might think these are for older children, the younger children do just fine with a bit of help from mom or dad - who can also carry the child in arms while dancing in the circle - kids love to beheld while dancing!)
1. Ring around the Rosy 2. Sally go round the Sun 3. Hokey Pokey
4. Looby loo 5. Mexican Hat Dance 6. Pop goes the Weasel
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LINEUP GAME (Elimination) ...lining up, etc. It is the following:
I SAW YOU IN THE OCEAN I SAW YOU IN THE SEA
I SAW YOU IN THE BATHTUB OOPS! PARDON ME!
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WE ARE PLAYING IN THE FOREST
We are playing in the forest while the wolf is far away
Who knows what will happen to us if s/he finds us at our play!
Syllables: So so la la so so mi mi so so la la so so mi
So so la la so so mi mi so so la la so so mi
Rhythm: Ti ti ti ti ti ti ti ti ti ti ti ti ti ti ta
Ti ti ti ti ti ti ti ti ti ti ti ti ti ti ta
SPOKEN: (Wolf______ are you there?)
WOLF: (No, I'm ______ !)
Song again, then question again.
When wolf is ready, s/he yells "Here I come!"
This is a circle game. Wolf is in designated "den" and must not pass a certain designated spot. Each time the wolf says "No, I'm_____", the circle ventures just a bit nearer the wolf den. When the wolf yells "Here I come!" the circle breaks apart and the children run for the designated "base." Anyone caught before getting to base must be part of the wolf's pack; however, the original wolf is always the decision maker for the wolf pack. Eventually there will be more "wolves" than "children." I actually learned the game "We are dancing in the forest," the wolf game, as my students fondly call it, a bit differently. One person is chosen to be the wolf and the rest walk in a circle singing the song. At the end they all stop and say, "Wolf are you ready," in a rhythm of ta ti-ti ta ta. The wolf has 2 chances to make stuff up, such as, "No, I'm sharpening my claws," or, "No, I'm taking a nap." Then on the third time the wolf says Yes! All of the other students close their eyes and the wolf chooses a partner. Then at the end of the next round, they both choose people, and it keep going until all are chosen as wolves. They love it and request it a lot, in first and in second grade.
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***********************************************************************GETTING K'S TO SING!!!
01/07 GETTING THE KIDS TO SING! [Use the expression] “I want to see your words” (when getting all the kids to sing) - Valerie Borup12/03 One of the problems with young singers for me is not the singers, but the song. The Music Connection from Silver-Burdette & Ginn, for example, is almost useless for young children, because it consists of lots of "clever" little commercial ditties, all of which are too weird for the little ones, and most of which, I guess, were chosen by a committee which was bored by music suitable for little ones. (A few are gems, but that's another letter.) Make sure that the songs you are doing have plenty of pattern. They have to become predictable for the kids. Even "Must Be Santa" is too convoluted for them. The Wheels on the Bus is a perfect model. I agree also with the person who wrote about MK8 "I'm So Glad." What a work of genius. My K classes are as exciting as a good gospel service when we're doing that song. And that can be turned into a multiple verse song by simply putting in kids' names here and there: "I'm so glad that Tyler's here..." They about wet their pants in pleasure, like puppies. Zipper songs in general are the best, where you zip out a line, zip in a new one, and that makes a new verse. Be extremely wary of commercial songs with stories, like the junk in Music Connection. They really don't like them either, except for the *very* rare funny one used just for listening. - Contributed by Tess Hoffman
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***********************************************************************HOUR LONG KINDERGARTEN MUSIC CLASS
01/04 FOLLOW ME: The kids love this! Thanks to Lisa Hay in TN.Play the beat on a drum as you sing the following...(C Maj)Do as I'm doing, follow, follow me.
mi sol la mi-do, mi mi, re do, mi
ti ta ti-ti ta, ti-ti, ti-ti, ta z
Do as I'm doing, follow, follow me.
mi sol la mi-do, mi mi, re re do
ti ta ti - ti ta, ti-ti, ti-ti, ta z
Sing the above part then speak this:
At the end of my phrase, touch your _____.
ti ti ta ti ti ta, ta ta ta ta
Fill in the blank on the 3rd beat and hit the drum on the 4th beat - the kids should touch whatever you told them to when you hit the drum. They should freeze there until you speak the phrase again. I sing the song first, then speak the phrase 2 times and then sing through the song 2 times. I repeat this pattern as long as I have their attention.I teach 35- 40 4 and 5 year olds at a time and we march around the classroom doing this. I can keep it up for about 10 minutes. I had a K teacher my first year teaching tell me that she loved this and it could provide a good way to help teach K's the parts of the body like ankles, waist and wrists that they probably wouldn't know before coming to school. - Contributed by Missy Wainman
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N: Take a rhythm instrument and hide it behind the piano a chair, a box or whatever and play it. Have students guess which instrument it is.
2. Stop the Music: It's what we call musical statues. The kid love it! I use all kinds of music.
3. John Fierrabend (I never spell that right!) has a CD called First Steps in Classical Music "Keeping the Beat". It contains songs that you can do lots and lots of steady beat movement activities to. Have them watch you and lead them in keeping the beat on their laps, with their hands, on their heads, etc... You could probably plan one every class period.
4. Watch the Beat: Is a silly game that I use to get the kids to keep a steady beat. I'll have them watch me and I'll keep a steady beat (varying the tempo each time) somewhere on my body. When I stop the beat, they try to stop the beat EXACTLY when I do. If they miss I make goofy "yuck" faces and when they get it right I make goofy happy faces.
5. Solo Singing-My kindergarten class this year BEGS to sing by themselves. I sometimes give them a choice of songs that we've learned in class and other times let them pick their own (as long as its REAL and not something they just make up as they go *giggle*). I give them a little "I Sang By Myself" certificate. If they talk when someone else is singing they lose their chance to sing or I take their certificate back. I've only had to do this once. They learn quickly. *smile*
6. I keep a list of songs that they've learned in my lesson plan book and will do a quick review of 4 or 5 songs to stretch a lesson.
7. STORIES-I wish I would remember to do this more often. I love to tell stories and have been to a workshop or two that stressed how some students would remember concpepts or lessons more clearly if they can associate them with a story. I've used stories about my pets (true or fabricated) to introduce animal songs. Stories about my Great Grandma getting stuck in a blizzard to introduce snow songs. Etc... You could retell stories that you've read and start your stories with "I once heard of a man who...." Its all in the delivery, really. -- Contributed by Tracy http://www.musicbulletinboards.net/
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01/04 CALMING DOWN GAME: the Colors Game:
I see something ____ _____ _____
I see something ____ Guess what it can be?
Tune:
Do do do re mi-so, re-so, mi-do
Do do do re mi-so, re fa mi re do
dotted 8th, 16th, dotted 8, 16th, quarter, quarter, dotted 8, 16th, dotted 8, 16th, quarter
Teacher looks around music room (or classroom) and diverts eyes from object to be named, inserts the color in the blanks. Kids raise hands. Three kids guess. If a child is correct, they choose the color and either sing the song instead of the teacher, or whispers the color to the teacher, and s/he sings. Child chooses which students to pick to answer. If nobody guesses correctly, same person gets to choose again. - Contributed by Cak Marshall
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01/04 Movement is a biggie for this age and there are several movement songs you can use to break up the other activities and get the wiggles out.
Ella Jenkins Walk and Stop (check you library)
Rolling, Rolling Along 6/8 (You sing, they move) Key G I = quarter, / - eighth
1 verse Walking, walking, walking along, walking, walking, walking.
Melody B A G D E D E D B A G D E F# G
Rhythm I / I / / / / I I / I / I / I.
Have them Tiptoe, Jump, Giant Step (just tell them "Giant Steps" and sing: Stepping, stepping, stepping along, etc.,), Rolling (on the floor)
One fun addition is to have them "JUMP" in between each other action and do that one at a faster tempo.
I would suggest the following routine (50 min. right?)
Rhythms Echo clap teaching them the Kodaly system which will pay off later in notation.
Melody Echo pitches (using sol, mi and later la) Treat this seriously and congratulate any improvements (for kids not reaching 'high' enough - I ask the whole class to help 'John' reach a pitch by raising their hands along with him over their heads and have him/her try again.
Songs Old then one new one (teach by phrase - I have the kids form phrases with their hands by placing both hands together on one side of their body and after they hear a phrase (from you) they move the top hand in an arch to the other side of their body. They return the hand in the same fashion for the second phrase and so on. (no clapping, just quietly return hands to 'together' position) After they have this routine, have them 'count' the phrases and you will eventually see kids are thinking in terms of 'phrases.'
Concept choose a concept to concentrate on for the week and the more visuals you have to reinforce this, the better. Ex Dynamics (loud and soft) Have a cards that have 'p' (for piano) and 'f' for soft. After you have introduced the 2 words and the kids understand which is which, have them sing Twinkle Little Star while you alternate holding one card then the other up. They have to adjust their voices to fit the dynamic level. (be very clear that 'yelling' not singing - have them practice a good forte (w/o yelling before you begin the exercise.
Use a song to demonstrate what ever concept you are trying to teach.
Move - March, step, jump to the beat. (I use a guitar and allow one movement for each chord)
Singing Game
Seated Game
Story that has a song in it.
Creative movement (move like..., "let's be rain, now thunder, now wind, etc."
Instruments (rhythm) Frank Leto has a great cd for using r. instruments
Ella Jenkins has a good song "Play Your Instruments"
As they become more adept at rhythms, try 2 different rhythms in 2 groups.
Rounds Scotland's Burning, Are You Sleeping, etc.,
(See my website (angelfire) below my name and specifically these files)
Preschool Music, Literature and Music (for books/stories) -- Contributed by Sandy Toms
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09/03 ROUTINE (K)
First 5 minutes
Take roll. Pick a "Smiley Person" (Draws Smiley Faces on the Board anytime class completes an activity and does a nice job)
Next 5-15:
Warm- Up activity (Song with Movement Using CD or Guitar)
Review last week's warm-up, learn new song for following week.
Next 20-30 Minutes: Typical Kindergarten Lesson
Instrument, Movement, Circle Time
Last 10 Minutes:
Create a song bank. Have a student that has done nicely during class pick a song to perform as a class.
Line up:
If time is left, have students line up by color they are wearing, have students pick a quiet person to line up behind them, do a quiz time (first five students who answer review questions from the day's lesson lines up first)
If the class has a basic structure it should go smoothly. Just break it into a bunch of smaller activities. - Contributed by Jaime Ceruti-Stacy
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09/03 BOOK: MUSIC FOR LITTLE PEOPLE I'd highly recommend this book/album by John Feierabend. It has some great finger plays, and a variety of preschool and early elementary song material. Enchantedlearning.com is a great resource for supplementary activities and material for coloring pages. A small craft-type activity that ties in with music would not seem out of line for every single class meeting when you see them for such a long time.- Contributed by Connie Herbon
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09/03 1. PUPPETS! Use these to teach high and low (have them imitate the sounds) and have them sing along.
2. Buy some of the Wee Sing books and CDs...they'll give you 50 songs per CD and there is lots of opportunity for movement. Make it simple.
3. Raffi CDs...more great songs for kinders
4. Coloring sheets: see if you can get a local floor store to donate carpet squares for doing floor work. Each child can have their own magic carpet. Put them in small groups of about 4. Go to the Dollar Store and buy crayons and Rubbermaid-like containers for the crayons. I have 6 boxes of crayons that I compiled myself by dumping crayon boxes in. The internet has lots of downloadable coloring sheets for instruments, etc.
5. Do you have rhythm instruments? Put them on their carpet squares in a large circle. Have them watch you carefully and teach beat lessons.
6. "Beat Buddies": Ask the parents for donations for small Beanie-baby like stuffed animals. Someone gave this idea on this list to use them for teaching beat and the beat buddies keep the beat with the students.
7. Bean Bags: Like beat buddies but good for passing activities. Buy some cheap material at Wal Mart and some beans, etc. Send home a note for a parent volunteer to stitch you up some bean bags (if you don't sew). They can be very simple....just squares stitched up and pink the edges with pinking shears.
8. Books! Use lots of stories! They can add rhythm instruments to certain words in the stories as they hear them. Many books are actually songs that are illustrated. Check out your school library and your local library. Also check the archives (at the bottom of this list). The ideas are probably under Literature and Music.
9. Illustrate songs: Peter and the Wolf, Carnival of the Animals, etc. Have them listen and use their imaginations to illustrate a large mural or have them do individual pieces and combine them for a large bulletin board.
10. You asked what finger plays are: They are simple songs accompanied by the children using their hands and fingers to act out the songs. Any good children's bookstore will carry a variety. As would any music company. (I bet Plank Road has them!) Children love repetition and repeating the songs they know. I think the key with the little ones is to KEEP THEM MOVING...including their fingers! -- Contributed by Theresa in IN
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***********************************************************************HELP!! KINDERGARTEN DISASTER!!
10/05 For K, try planning in pieces.....listen..then do....listen...then do...etc.... They'll stay focused longer. It also helps to throw in a "carrot of two" using music and movement rewards as incentives. Something silly and simple that has also worked for me is to merely move to a different location and say "now turn your chairs and point your belly button and noses at me over here." When they move their chairs, they believe you're doing something different and listen differently. That little bit of movement can get you to the end of an explanation when they're starting to get off task. Try using count downs when making transitions from activities. Teach them "5, 4, 3, 2, 1...you're done!" Done means, sitting criss cross apple sauce, belly buttons & noses facing me, neighbors are a no-no for right now." If they miss the "you're done" part and aren't down and done (ready to listen for "teacher time") they get a strike and lose their game. If done, they EARN their next game. Sounds silly but works well for me. -- Linda in KY---------------------------------
09/03 ROUTINE: (20 min.) with K's:
An entrance song as they come in and find seats:
When You see me Wave Your Hand Hello Hello Everybody
It's Time for Music (one I wrote myself)After they get seated we practice my q/Q procedure (q=quiet talking is ok. Q=lips closed tight, face front and show me you're ready to begin).
Name game of some kind. I use several, but usually start out with a chanted one: Bubble Gum bubble gum in a dish How many pieces does ____ wish? (_____ chooses a number betwn 1-20 and we all count that no. outloud while putting the beat somewhere on body: clap, pat, etc.)
This week I'm using Hickety Pickety Bumble Bee Will you (say/sing your name for me) (I pass a beanie bumblebee for this)
After this I lead them in a familiar song like If You're Happy and You Know It, or one like that.Then I begin teaching them some procedures thru a musical song or activity:
1. To teach the 3 forms of clapping (full, quiet, and silent), I sing (tune: L. Bridge) Bend & straighten is the game is the game is the game Bend & straighten is the game, can you clap like this x x x x (they echo) x x x x (echo) (repeat 3x once for each type of clap)
2. To teach how we "travel" in the room w/o bumping or touching I play my "Drum walk" where I tap my drum and ask them to move their feet first in place to the taps (grad. speed up/slow down). Then I ask if they can follow my drum while moving about the room (traveling), but if they bump or touch, they must sit down.
3. I use my Solfie (solfege) glove puppet to help them with echo singing. When Solfie is touching my chest, I sing, when she stretches out to the class, they sing.
We also always close the class with a good-bye song. I use one I wrote called "It's time to say good-bye."
In general, I keep the pace moving, and I keep them moving with hand motions, marching, clapping, traveling, etc.
In my first unit, we focus on Beat, beat, and more beat. I basically follow my Share the Music text book with the songs and such. I use chop sticks with K's for their first instrument experience and build from there.
One thing I do a lot is chants. These eventually evolve into simple so mi melodies to get them singing. Then, when a simple chant/song is learned (with some added movement), I'll invite leaders to come up front and lead the others in the chant/song. They love this and I usually let 3-4 small groups go each session. After all have gone, we all do it together again.
When we listen to instrumental music (very short excerpts), I'll add props like scarves, balloons, bubbles, arm arcs, etc.
Here's a fun little ditty...get several pieces of construction paper that you've ripped into various sized pieces (not too small). Scatter about the room. Divide kids into 2 groups. One group sits on floor while other group stands at one end of the room. The object is for the group to travel across the room to the other side WITHOUT stepping on the paper. Use a variety of musical tempos and vary the way they are to travel each time (walk, tip-toe, skip, hop, etc). Take turns with each team. Fun fun. - Contributed by Gretchen in IL
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08/02 ROUTINE: I ask them to come in and sit on the colored lines (staff) on the floor. After going over their names, I ask them to look around and guess what we might do in this special room. As they point out the piano, stereo, instruments, etc., I lead the discussion to the four things we do in the music room: sing, play instruments, move (dance) and listen. We address each of those things in the 30 minute period in this order:
Listen to music: listen to a march, usually Stars and Stripes Forever Move to music: stand up and march to the same music Play instruments: although we don't play on the first day, because I have very strict rules about playing instruments that I take a class period to introduce the next week, we do visit the instrument shelves and look at the many instruments we will be playing.
SING: The last thing I do is teach them our hello song. I tell them that their brains are their computers, and that I am going to sing a song for them to input into their computer through their ears. I sing the song several times, and then ask them to make the song come out of their computer through their mouth. We pull on our ear to "save" the song, and I tell them that I will see if it is still in their computers the next time they come to the room. They always remember it! Because I have been in the same school for many years I know the kids names, except for kindergarten and a few new students in each grade. The kindergarten teachers have name tags for them, but I like to get those name tags off as soon as possible. During the first few weeks the 75 new K names and faces are a blur! We do all kinds of singing games and activities to help me learn their names, but it always seems to take at least 3 weeks before they can leave the name tags behind. It frustrates me, because I wish I could learn them faster!
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10/01 SITTING QUIETLY:
1. Criss-cross applesauce
Hands in your lap.
Eyes on the teacher
And that is that!
For lining up:
2. Eyes on the door
Feet on the floor
Hands at your side
Say no more.
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1. ROUTINE: Definitely have them sit on the floor! Forget seating!
(Another teacher: I DO have the students sit in chairs. I think it keeps them in better order and somewhat under control. The first day I write their names down on my seating chart and we do the song "Willoughby Wallabee Woo", which I put their names in. The first day I have to do it with the seating chart in my hand, but by the second day I'm usually pretty good at remembering who they are. They really LOVE this song and ask to do it continually throughout the year. At the end of class I have them all come up and stand in front of me and then see if they can find their seats, then have them come up again and turn around three times and see if they can still find their seats and they love this activity, but it certainly helps them remember where their seats are when they come in the next time.)
(Another teacher: I also use chairs successfully with the Ks. They begin class sitting on the carpet as we sing our warm-up pitch matching,I show them how to sit in the chairs, (knees, hands, feet, back) then they quietly tiptoe to their assigned chairs to some sneaky sounding music. I have an oversized seating chart in the back of my room which helps me remember all the new names, and also check to be sure they got to the correct chair. We probably sit in those chairs no more than 5 minutes, (we're moving a lot!) but the chairs do help me teach them body basics and self control.)
2. Ask the teacher to make nametags...she could easily write them on construction paper, laminate them and add a yarn necklace. She could keep these in her room and have them slip them on before you come. If she doesn't have time to do it, offer to do it! You need to know their names!
(Another teacher: I do the name tag thing. I put the tags on the kids, by singing If your name is _______ please stand up. This helps me learn the names. After a while I then try to put the name tag on without singing their name to see how many I can remember.)
3. Keep them moving! I wouldn't do a single song without movement...hands, feet, bodies, etc. There are quiet songs with hand movements...I'm sure some other wise souls will know books you can buy.
4. Any time they start to get out of hand...use the Echo Claps! Clap out a rhythm in 4/4 time...you don't even need to explain it at first...they're out of hand...just STOP and immediately clap (loudly!) a 4/4 rhythm. You can use this as their cue to freeze or explain that as soon as they hear you clap a rhythm, they answer you (the leader) back. That will usually pull some of them back to attention. (Remember when we were all sharing how principals like us to use that to get TEACHERS attention during faculty mtgs.!
5. After awhile, they'll be used to you, they won't be so tired from being at school all day (I'm sure you'll still have a couple say, "WHEN Is this going to be OVER????") and then you can add puppets and the dollar store microphones and pull in literature, etc. But right now, you need to get and keep their attention. I think you'll find YOU will be the one exhausted! But it will be worth it to get them used to your routine and settle them down for more stuff later on.
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ROUTINE: Sit them on tape, on the floor, on a number. Most of them will actually sit on the number believe it or not, and even remember that number when they come back. I actually get them up halfway through the first class to play Ring Around the Rosie (make them squat down, by the way, not fall down) and then have them find their number. The assistants can never believe that they manage this, but I rarely have any errors.
-Sing familiar classics-use that guitar! Old MacDonald, The Itsy Bitsy Spider, Mary Had a Little Lamb. For goodness sake don't use a piano, they can't handle the teacher behind a piano for a while I have discovered.
-Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes is a good action song for the first week. -I get out the slide whistle and have them stand and sit when they hear the sound slide up or down.
-Greg and Steve are wonderful-I use Finger in the Air EVERY year the first week.
-One of my standards is Where the Wild Things Are with rhythm instruments. I make it into a sound story-Keena in NC gave me this one- and I use it every year.
Forest=rhythm sticks, Boat=Triangles, Teeth=maracas
Eyes=tone blocks, Claws=sandblocks
They all play on the part about the wild rumpus until Max says, "Now Stop!"
I go over and over and over and over my rule about instruments on the floor and hands in their lap. Then, I proceed to take their instrument if they don't listen. I only have to take one or two. We practice each word several times first before I start the story, and it won't be perfect, but they get it right better than you think they will.
-Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear is also one I ALWAYS use!
-Greg and Steve's Freeze game works great-of course you can do this with any recorded music. Just tell them to freeze when the music stops!
Basically, wear them out with activity, structure the daylights out of them, and find ways to catch their interest! I swore the first year that I was, I quote, "NOT, NEVER WILL BE a Kindergarten person!" I have changed my tune, now they are almost my favorite group, we have a blast!
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MYSTERY PERSON: I came up with the "mystery person" idea. Kids were wacko and I took a huge breath as if I was surprised andexcited.."kids, we have a mystery person in the class" (all stopped theirwackiness and listened) "One of you is my mystery person, but I can't tellwho it is until music class is over" (Hmm, attention caught) "This mysteryperson can sit quietly, keep their eyes on me, and follow all the directionsthat I give. I can't wait to tell you who our special mystery person is!"Well, the wackiness disappeared and all were sitting straight as soldiers.If the noise returned, I'd remind them, "hmm, is my mystery person listeningquietly?" (all quietly listened) When class was over I randomly selectedthe mystery person who got to lead the class back to their room. Now Iwon't promise this trick will produce the same results, but it's worked forme over and over.
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We have all been in your shoes with the little ones. (Sometimes the big ones too!)
Take in a surprise bag. Today, my puppet whispered to me that I should turn on the metronome in the bag and have the kids guess the sound. They were all leaning forward in their places (on the floor!) to hear the sound. You could have heard a pin drop. They will listen for puppets and surprises! Also you might want to try:
"Hickety Tickety Bumble Bee, can you say your name to me."
triple ti triple ti trip ti trip ti triple ti triple ti trip ti trip
(High do) Do do do do do do do la so so do do do do do do do la so
Then the person you are singing to says or sings his name and class and teacher sing it back using the high do, la so pattern. I teach the kids to make clouds (two fists for high do) rain (la) and thunder (a clap for so). Then we use the hand signals as we sing the kids names. They love it and I learn the names right quick.
Meanwhile, for goodness sake, don't volunteer to make name tags. Let the aide do it. You don't have an aide! I am sure the art PE and library teachers would also appreciate the name tags! Also any substitute teachers.
(High do) Do do do do do do do la so so do do do do do do do la so
Then the person you are singing to says or sings his name and class and teacher sing it back using the high do, la so pattern. I teach the kids to make clouds (two fists for high do) rain (la) and thunder (a clap for so). Then we use the hand signals as we sing the kids names. They love it and I learn the names right quick.
Meanwhile, for goodness sake, don't volunteer to make name tags. Let the aide do it. You don't have an aide! I am sure the art PE and library teachers would also appreciate the name tags! Also any substitute teachers. And that's my two cents worth.
Also Denise Gagne's "Movement Songs Children Love" is a real winner for Kdg. ---------
I always start my class with a warm-up movement to music. This week we are marching to On Wisconsin. This warm-up emphasizes steady beat and introduces the students to a whole range of music. I do this with K-4.
We do a greeting song. Hello and We're So Glad To Be Here are two favorites. I do a lot of voice exploration with K and we start out with:
I have four voices.
This is my speaking voice.
This is my shouting voice.
This is my whispering voice
This is my singing voice. sol mi mi sol sol mi
We discuss when it is appropriate to use each voice. I have a program called Sound Concept that has posters for different voice sounds and I use these throughout the year. Wind, ghost for ooo, etc.
We do an activity, song or game to reinforce concepts for K: loud/soft, fast/slow, up/down, etc.
We play a rhythm instrument each class. This children love this. I did order the small rhythm instruments from Kindermusik. These are perfect for little hands and of such quality they will last for years. We have sticks, bells, shakers and I added eggs from Music K8 Marketplace this year.
I always read a story to go along with a song. This list has provided a great resource for music related books.
I have Beanie Baby songs. After we learn each one, we can pick out of the bag at the end of class when we have time.
So far I have:
Spider-Itsy Bitsy Spider
Lamb-Mary Had A Little Lamb
Dog-Oh Where Has My Little Dog Gone?
Fox-A-hunting we will go
Bear-The Bear Went Over The Mountain
Bumblebee-Bee Song
I keep adding more as the year goes on. My first graders like to continue this from K. I end with a good-bye song.
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ADVICE: Kindergartners are pretty tough to "corral"! After a lot of years of various attempts, here's what works for me. I have a circle of 2" velcro squares on the floor. When they walk in, I say: "Find a black square and put your toes on it". After they sit down, I always start singing "Put your Finger in the Air" after telling them "see if you can do what my song says. " I have an old puppet that sits on my shoulder (Ralph, the music mouse). He is always watching for good listeners. At the beginning of Kindergarten, I find I am spending equal time with teaching them how to act in school and teaching concepts. For most of them it is the first time they have ever learned in a group unless they have been in preschool or Sunday School.
Toward the end of class, I show them their assigned velcro number on the floor. (I already have a seating chart ready.) Then I play a steady beat on a hand drum. They walk away from their new velcro "address". When the drum stops, they walk back to their new "home". We walk further and further away each time. I have found this game helps them learn their seating assignment pretty quickly. When they come back the next week, we play that game again.
My entire lesson the first day is songs with directions they can follow- like "If you're happy and you know it". In between every song, I am reinforcing the behavior I expect. "Everybody show me what you do in school before you talk". When I ask a question, I tell them how I want them to respond. "Raise your hand and wait until I call your name". I never call on a child without saying "Good job raising your hand" or something similar. It requires a lot of work every year to get those kindies ready to learn in a group, but I don't know any age group that makes so much progress on one year. I have never started a school year yet, without being a little surprised at how much those kindergartners need to learn about learning in a group! BTW, my kindergarten classes have doubled to six this year so maybe I will really learn how to do it!
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ADVICE: I've taught kindergarten music for 10 years now and love it, even though I have frustrations with them multiple times every year. I use two rows of unassigned chairs. I figure the classroom teacher will have them lined up in appropriate combinations since he/she will have more experience with personalities that don't mix. The kids MUST stay in line and fill in the chairs in order. The stay in chairs until I take attendance and introduce the lesson. Then we move, move, move, but come back to the chairs when we need to settle down. For those days when Plans A, B and C don't work and I'm desperate, I use a great video called Fingerplays and Footplays by Rosemary Hallum and Henry "Buzz" Glass. It features Two Little Brlackbirds, New Shoes, Penguins, The Wheels on the Bus, Footplay, Five Little Monkeys, Peanut Butter, I Have Ten Little Fingers and Pease Porridge Hot. It always works like a charm.
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Even though I have brown metal folding chairs (which K's sometimes sit in), I am fortunate enough to have a dirty tile floor with blue squares on it. I have learned "quadro azul"(blue square) to help the non-English speaking ones.
My new favorite silencer is to start moving my hands slowly. They all watch and copy and then suddenly, I move them fast and freeze. It took one time of doing that and all K's eagerly watched and waited for the next round of quick m'vt to see if they could keep up.
Ex: Slowly raise hands in the air, then drop hands quickly to side and freeze.
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***********************************************************************GRADUATION
06/06 The Kindergarten Class (tune: The Addams Family)Chorus: Da-da-da-dum (snap snap) Da-da-da-dum (snap snap) Da-da-da-dum Da-da-da-dum Da-da-da-dum (snap snap)
It seems we've just begun This year's been so much fun
And now it's almost done. The Kindergarten Class! (chorus)
We learned how to share. We learned how to care.
Just ask us if you dare! The Kindergarten Class! (chorus)
We learned our 1-2-3's We learned our ABC's.
And now we know all these! The Kindergarten Class! (chorus)
We must say so long With this our little song
But we'll be back er-long. The Kindergarten Class! (chorus) -- Estelle Pace
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06/06 "Time to Graduate" from MK8 vol 8/5 and "Big Dreams" from vol 7/1 "Time to Graduate" is a really good one because it is short, repetitive and has a good marching tempo. -- Cheryl Elder
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10/04 I do a spring Kindergarten graduation program. I call it the Kindergarten Country Jamboree. I use Old McDonald Had a Farm and Home on the Range. I think both of them are from Music K-8. http://www.musick8.com/
I also use Music Express' Country Jamboree Song and Music K-8's Hayride Song. We also use the song "Gaucamole", but insert the words, "kindergarten, Kindergarten, I really, really like Kindergarten, I do! Instead of "take a chip, dip it" we sing, "Take a book, read it, read it." I use a large barn as the back drop. It turned out fantastically. -- Caryn Mears Kennewick, WA
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10/04 Our Kindergarteners always cover the rules the first day or two of school. Then they search out the ginger bread man who is of course breaking all the rules. Not only do the children identify with the new rules and find example of what not to do but they get a tour of their new surroundings at the same time. For snack after their adventure the have ginger bread men cookies. -- Lavinia Reidsville, NY
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06/04 http://www.preschooleducation.com/sgraduation.shtml
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MK8: (Plank Road Publishing: http://www.musick8.com/)
I've used "Golden Rule" MK8 Vol. 10, No. 4, and "A Child's Prayer", MK8 Vol. 10, No. 5. "Golden Rule" is always one the children want to sing long after they have graduated from kindergarten!
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I'm So Glad to Be Here MK8-10/1; Listen To The Children MK8-8/1;
The Kindergarten Wall - John McHutcheon
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The Kindergarten Wall" by John McCutcheon
05/21 For those of you who still need something to add to your kindergarten graduation program, here is a cute idea to the tune of the old army marching song "Sound Off." Sing it in call and response style.
Kindergarten March
We can say our ABCs /And we know our one, two, threes./
We are learning every day. /And this is what we have to say:/
Count off - 1, 2 /Count off - 3, 4 /Court off 1,2 -3, 4/
We know all our colors too /And we can write our names for you. /
We are learning every day /And this is what we have to say: /
Count off -1, 2 /Count off - 3, 4 /Count off -1, 2-3, 4
/Kindergarten's almost passed /But kindergarten was a blast/
We're still learning every day /And this is what we have to say/:
Count off -1, 2 Count off -3, 4 /Count off -1, 2 -3, 4
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I do use two of the MK8 songs for Kindergarten graduation. They havebecome a tradition, we do them each year. We do "Hey May" and "It's Hard to Say Goodbye". They go over well, I even have students who cry the first time they hear "IT's Hard to Say Goodbye". We talk about feelings and expressing them in music. We do verse and refrain work with "Hey May", I confess that I change the actions - this year we are doing "clap, stamp, snap, slap, wave, and yell" Wave is the substituted one - works better on our platforms and for our set-up.
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For those of you who still need something to add to your kindergarten graduation program, here is a cute idea to the tune of the old army marching song "Sound Off." Sing it in call and response style.
Kindergarten March
We can say our ABCs and we know our one, two, threes.
We are learning every day. And this is what we have to say:
Count off - 1, 2 Count off - 3, 4 Court off 1,2 -3, 4
We know all our colors too And we can write our names for you.
We are learning every day And this is what we have to say: Count off.....
Kindergarten's almost passed But kindergarten was a blast
We're still learning every day And this is what we have to say: Count off....
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Kindergarten Graduation:
Start spreadin' the news We're leaving today
We wanna be a part of it First Grade first grade
We've worked very hard We're ready to go
We're gonna be a part of it First grade first grade
We know our ABC's and our 123's so well
We've worked at sounding out words and stories to tell
Just ask us to rhyme We'll say tens and pens
We've learned to share and get along With all our friends
So now we've made it there We'll make it anywhere
We're on our way First grade first grade
To the tune of "New York New York"
Can't you just see them with little hats and raincoats slung over their shoulders? Heheheheheheh!
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Could you take the song "The Wise Man Built His House Upon the Rock" and change the words to make it appropriate for your show? I know the children at church love this song! Here's a start. (I'd have my students use sign language as they sing this.)
Ex. Verse 1:Our city's built a school for you and me.
Our city's built a school for you and me.
Our city's built a school for you and me.
So let's thank them all right now.
Chorus:Thank you, thank you, thank you very much!
Thank you, thank you, thank you very much!
Thank you, thank you, thank you very much!
We're proud of our new school.
Verse 2: We'll play and study, sing a little too.
We'll play and study, sing a little too.
We'll play and study, sing a little too.
In our great, new, wonderful school!
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My 6th graders join my kinders at my morning school each year to sing this song at the kindergarten graduation. It is the highlight of the year for my 6th graders and my kinders love it. I recorded the music into my Yamaha keyboard so I push a button and we sing.
I have the kinders sit on the laps of the 6th graders. The 6th graders sing the verses and the kinders join them on the chorus and do some actions. The 6th graders join them on a few of the actions.
Last year, I had 10 6th graders and 20 kinders so each 6th graders had 2 kids...one on each knee...it was adorable. This has become a wonderful tradition for us!
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***********************************************************************KINDERGARTEN FROM H...!
Someone recommends Lynn Kleiner - summer teacher trainingI second Lynn Klein she has good stuff. I also found these 3 music camps and even purchased one but haven?t done it yet. FULL of stuff!! You have to make things but well thought out and looks like loads of fun. Here is the address:
http://sherylwelles.blogspot.com/p/online-store_10.html
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Teachers Pay Teachers - motivational bracelets:
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Classroom-Management-Student-Brag-Bracelets-Great-for-Positive-Reinforcement-766022
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I'm going to try to state this as positively as possible but: I know the types of groups of which you speak. All the praise, structure, well-designed lessons and activities and reward systems in the world are not going to fix this problem. The short time you see them isn't going to change this behavior. Oh you may find ways that help you get through it, but the goal is to change this behavior everywhere, not just "get through" music class.
The ONLY way to fix this and create a peaceful environment is to have the entire school in on it and everyone needs to agree to be consistent with the plan. I'm talking administration to custodians. Create a school-wide system for rewards/consequences and stay with it. Target the extreme ones and find out what works. Spend time talking "non-school" with them.
Frequently (and sadly) so many of today's administrators are not willing or equipped to remedy these types of school difficulties so it may be YOU who needs to drive the bus to get this problem solved. If you get placated or brushed off, don't back down until something is done.
Music teachers bring a unique perspective to the discipline table. We see EVERY child and in most cases get to see them from year to year. Don't underestimate your insight when dealing with these types of issues.---- Norm Sands
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You must insist on these students following directions and don't be afraid to use a very firm voice with these type of children who are going to test your every limit. Have strict rules and stick to your guns on being consistent. I lead the beginning kindergarteners in a line singing "Following the leader, the leader, the leader" from Peter Pan. They get the fact that I am in charge and if any of them deviate from the line, they are told what they must do and we start again. Next I end up in a circle and I exclaim that there are spots on the floor and they are each going to get their own spot. Then I seat them shortest to tallest and write their names on a seating chart as quickly as I can. I have them jump on their own spot five times and then sit down, criss cross applesauce. Do this with each kid! This will let you know how they follow directions and whether you have established authority in the music room. Tell them that in the music room there are a lot of instruments that they can see. They are not going to get to touch them until they follow directions. For those who are really struggling at this point, have a hula hoop or small sample carpet sized mat for them to sit on. (I got mine at a carpet store where they were giving away old carpet samples.) Tell them they have to stay on the carpet be in charge of that piece of carpet. I never introduce instruments the first day. I'm learning names and establishing authority. We sing, "If you're Happy and you Know it" and they are saying things like, "Hey I know that song!" Then I tell them we are going to play a fun game. They are going to dance on their spot. We do the Move, Move, Move, from MK8 on their spot and then they Freeze in a statue. After we do this "Game", I tell them that I'm wondering if they can remember where their spot is, so I tell them to look at their neighbor and look around the room and see if they can remember where their spot is. Then we stand up and we do Greg and S
teve's THE FREEZE. The children are then allowed to dance around the room, but they can not touch anything. When the music stops, they have to go back to their spot and we'll see who will need help. I do this for the entire song... dance, got to spots, dance, got to spots, etc. Then we read a story about Friends and I remind them that Friends follow directions. Then we do another song that they are probably familiar with such as TWINKLE, TWINKLE. We talk about raising hands when they want to talk and we talk about sitting on their own spot with their hands in their laps. It's all about structure. Finally we sing our good bye song, ADIOS, AMIGOS from MK8.
I also have an observation deck...i.e. a chair at a table at the side of the room. Students who can't follow directions have to sit in the observation deck and watch the students who are doing a good job. When they observe someone who is following the rules, they are supposed to raise their hand. When I see their hand up, then I can call on them and have them tell me who is doing a good job and following the rules or doing something appropriate. I ask the student what they see and who they see and why they choose that person. For instance, they'll say, "I saw Tommy with his hands in his lap." Or later, "I saw Susie laying the instrument on the floor". Whatever they were supposed to be doing. I have someone role model this for the class. I ask them to be my helper and pretend they did something wrong and they are now at the observation desk. They go over and sit there and then I tell them, "When you see someone doing the right thing, raise your hand." We role play the entire scenario. Then I do it again with another student, so they totally understand the observation deck. We talk about how Tommy didn't get to play the instrument or be involved in the game because he was at the observation deck watching the others. We talk about the fact that if Tommy had been following the rules, he could have been having fun with the rest of us. It sounds like you might want to establish two observation decks! LOL
Every time these students come to your room, do the same song. I sing "I'm So Glad to be Here" from Mk8. After doing it twice a day, sometimes more, for 17 years, I am rather sick of that song, but it is their cue that we are beginning music and routine is paramount with these kids. They need to know what you are going to do next, so establish this as well.
I have a special music box that I only use for the kindergarteners. There is always a surprise in it. It might be a story, it might be a rhythm instrument or it might be a stuff animal for a song or a game, but it is something that they will not let you forget once you establish this in your routine. I made up my own little song: Oh Magic Music Box,
Oh Magic Music Box,
What have you brought today?
Then I walk over to the counter where it is stored and I bring it to the front of the room and we find out what we are going to be doing for the day. At the beginning of the year I will use a stuffed animal and we can pass it around and sing about it. When they have shown me that they can follow directions, and keep themselves under control, then the rhythm sticks will be in the box, but it might be after two weeks!
After the activity with the Magic Music Box, we do a movement song. They love Denise Gagne's Movement Songs; Elephants Have Wrinkles, Monkeys, One Green Jelly Bean and Sam the Robot Man. In fact I use Sam, the Robot Man to help them follow me to go line up at the end of the day. Don't do all of your fun tricks in one lesson. I introduce Elephants with an elephant in the Magic Music Box and tell them it is my favorite animal and my favorite song! Another week I will do the Monkey's song. They also like SONG in MY TUMMY, can't remember who does it right now. They also love familiarity and routine..
I usually try to include a story where we are back in our spots. In fact most of the activities I do are in their spots, but we do have times where we move around the room. Your spots can be in a circle if you want, but I have them in a grid on the floor. When I do a story, I have them scoot over closer together so they can see better. Plus it is all about following directions. This is also what we do for a lock down practice, so I establish what I want them to do during a lockdown whenever I read a story. So I will hold up a book and say, "LOCKDOWN" and they will scoot together!
There is always the same song at the end before we line up ADIOS AMIGOS and then I usually always have them line up the same way... Line Leaders, Row 1, Row 2, Row 3 and Row 4. then when they are in line we sing to the Addams Family tune;
My toes are pointing forward,
My fingers pointing downward.
My lips are zipped together
And now I'm in a line.
Show me a line. (pat, pat)
Show me a line. (pat, pat)
Show me a line that will be fine.
Show me a line. (pat, pat)---- Caryn Mears, Kennewick, WA
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***********************************************************************HI-LOW Concept
12/11 Have them listen to Also Sprach Zarathustra and show do - sol- high do when they hear it. They'll get a kick out of pounding their chests on the 5-1-5-1-5-1-5-1 ---- Jane RiveraThere used to be a Sesame Street Song that I just loved. It was called "high middle low." Very cute, and PERFECT for what you are talking about. There's also a good one about breathing. The lyrics are "Breath in, up goes the castle, breath out, the castle goes down" The kids lay on their backs and have an imaginary castle (I think that's it) on their 07/05 GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE BEARS. Read the story, using appropriately pitched voices for each of the three bears. If the book I am using does not make specific mention of the pitch of the bear's voice, I add that in ("'Someone's been eating my porridge!' said Papa Bear in his big low voice." "'Someone's been sitting in my chair' said Mama Bear in her medium voice." "'Someone's been sleeping in my bed, and there she is!' said Baby Bear in his wee little high voice.") When I'm doing pitch things, I do Goldilocks first, then I use that as my springboard for other pitch lessons - listening for high and low sounds, and size-pitch relationships. As I'm teaching pitch, I relate it back to the story - high is like Baby Bear's voice, low is like Papa Bear's voice. Big instruments make low sounds, just like Papa Bear is the biggest, and he has the lowest voice. Small instruments make high sounds, just like Baby Bear is the smallest bear and he has the highest voice. ~Ann in GA
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07/05 I play high, middle, and low notes on the piano...students show it with their body. Stretching high, somewhere in the middle, and squatting low...or even laying down. When you do your examples make sure that some low are loud and some high are soft. I play high low high on the xylophones and then every student practices. Later I ask them to play: High...and see if they can, and low:... adding middle sometimes helps too.-- Rhonda in WI
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07/05 I have started using my step bells for high and low with my K's and 1sts. You would be amazed at the difference that has made! I was shocked - something as simple as that, and poof! It's clear as a bell to them! I compare them to their steps in their house - as they go up the steps, they get.....????....and they answer "higher". Opposite for going down. Then I play some 2-note sequences on the step bells and ask them if they are going up or down. They can SEE them going up so they can SAY "up", etc. I emphasize that on "up", the first bell was LOWER and the second was HIGHER. They get it. Then after several of these, I have them close their eyes and do the same. They get 90% of them right. Never before did they get it this easily. -- Pat Price
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02/04 My K's and 1's like to play "Stoop and Stretch. We prepare for it by using the signs for "high" and "low" to show what students are hearing. Next step is stretching arms high or stooping low. For classes that can handle it, we add movement around the room, changing arm and body levels as the pitch level of the music changes. This is the part students like best and ask for when we have a bit of time left at the end of a class. The high/low sounds can be played on resonator bells, but I like to use the piano and play little tunes, Jaws theme, etc. - Contributed by Connie Herbon
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My K & 1 s like to do high/low body motion while I play a slide whistle. We started doing this in the fall with our streamer leaves. I also use 2 different slide whistles, one pitched higher than the other so they can realize that high and low is all relative to were the pitches are to start with. I have some who have trouble when comparing pitches. If it is on the left side of the keyboard it is low to them even if it is higher than the pitch it is being compared to.
I also have magnet backed leaves that i gave each K-1 .They would add the leaf to a bare tree trunk I drew on the chalk board as I played a high or low key on the piano. The class would watch and check their work. That and the slide whistle warm ups took most of a 20 min period(which is usually 15 min by the time they wander down to my room) with 24 kids each getting 2 turns. Later the children would play the high/low notes, not me. - Contributed by Julie Kellum in IN
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04/03 I sing the body scale with my little ones. We do it every day and they let me know if I forget. It is a great warm-up and shows the high and the low sounds as we touch our bodies and match the pitches.
Starting from the top:
do -I'm So Glad to Be Here 10/1
Zipedeedoodah
Listen To The Children 8/1
The Kindergarten Wall - John McHutcheon
I have the music for this one and recorded into my Yamaha keyboard. hands in the air above head
ti - hands on head
la - hands on shoulders
so - hands on collar bone
fa - hands on high waist
mi - hands on hips
re - hands on thighs
do - hands on knees
We start at the bottom and sing up, then down, then sing from low do to high do and back down. Most of my teaching is based on the major scale. By starting with the major scale immediately...they have the base for so many more activates and they get to hear and SEE the difference between high and low.-- Kristin Lukow " Contributed by Kristin Lukow --
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02/03 You might try "Long Eared Persons" from Saint-Saens Carnival of the Animals. It's got some cool string effects that sound like the high-low of a donkey's bray. You might also search the net and see if you could find a listening map for it. It's a popular one to map out!
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I think that children have to feel what we want to teach them moving their bodies . So, with 6/7 years old I use something that in the same time involve their fantasy and their bodies. I enter in the class with a "secret atmosfere" I say them that I have to tell them something very secret and particular. Then I give them a little piece of sewing thread to keep with two fingers. I tell them that that is a special leash to take a special musical animal that will change with differents sounds! If you manage to have the right atmosphere in the class you will see all the children looking immediatly at the thread.
Then explain that with a low note (play it with an instrument)the animal is a knomb that crawls on the floor (usually at this time some of them put his hand near the floor to follow the grub). Play a low note (always the same in the beginning)and then a simple melodie on the low notes and children will dance with their knombs. Then with the hi notes the magical animal will become a little bird (they will put their hands up) and you will play an hi note and then a melody on the hi notes. I continue with the medium notes and the animal become a dog. You can then draw on a big paper a child with the hands up, down and in the middle and you can draw 3 lines coresponding the 3 different hands positions and then you can do a dictate . Children (one fot time) have to listen first at the note and then to go to draw a little ball on the right line.
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I teach high and low in a number of ways:
Use a soft ball (rubber, preferably) to toss to students. Choose a student to be the receiver. As you toss the ball high in the air, have your voice go up with the ball and quickly down. the student then tosses the ball back, repeating what you just modeled. Notice, I said, "TOSSES" the ball, not THROWS! (Learned from experience!)
Use puppets speaking in high and low voices.
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I've noticed the same problem with Kindergarteners. I introduce "opposites" first. They are usually talking about this in class so it is pretty easy to get into. We talk about things that we feel that are opposites (soft/hard, smooth/bumpy, hot/cold), opposites that we smell (sweet/sour), opposites that we taste (sweet/sour, hot/cold, liquid/solid) and of course opposites that we hear (soft/loud, high/low, fast/slow). I then refer to high and low as MUSICAL opposites.
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1. I play examples on the piano (including high sounds, medium sounds and low sounds) . The children are asked to stand for the activity. If they hear high sounds, their hands reach toward the sky. Middle sounds: hands on waist. Low sounds: Touch their toes. They do all of this while facing the back of the room. They obviously can't see what I'm playing. Of course, they sometimes copy what the other kids are doing, but for the most part - I can tell if they're getting it. They do surprisingly well!
2. After the above mentioned game, I go one step further during the following lesson. I have a large wall chart (approx. 2' X 3') with a picture of bare tree. I decorated it with a sun in the sky, clouds, grass etc. I also have a box lid filled with small green cut "leaves". The leaves have masking tape rolled on the back. Each child is invited to come up for a turn to put a leaf on the chart. Again, sounds are played on the piano. High sounds: child places leaf on the branches of the tree. Medium sounds: leaf goes on the trunk of the tree. Low sounds: leaf is placed on the "ground" under the tree. After the child places the leaf, I ask the class "Did Joey put his leaf in the right place?" Most times, the first graders can do this. However, if they miss - I just let them try again. Every child succeeds. The kids enjoy making the tree look "decorated". After the class leaves, it only takes a minute to remove all of the leaves and set up for the next class.
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I have used a slide whistle with good success to help train their ears to the direction of sound, going upward/higher or going lower/downward. Have the students stand if the sound is going higher, or sit down if it is going lower. If they are already standing and the sound goes higher, they stay standing. I sometimes let them see the slide whistle, sometimes not, so they aren't just using the direction of the slide to guide them.
Then I "mess with their minds" and hold the whistle upside down above my head, so that when they see it going down, the sound is actually going higher. Fun, as they do it more, they learn to listen better, at least I hope! They seem to do better anyway by observing them. I also play high and low notes on different instruments and also have them do the same. Using the voice is also done, but using a physical object seems to get them understanding better, then have them imitate the sound with their voice.
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I do voice exploration charts with my Kinders and first graders. They are simply wavy lines that go up and down on pieces of posterboard, and the children follow the lines making their voices go up and down with the line. I have a pencil with a bumble bee on the end, and we buzz along with "Bartholomew the Bee" as he journeys back to his hive along these hills and valleys. The kids absolutely love it, and it not only lets them explore high and low, but also up and down.
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My kindergartners warm up their singing voices with their elevators: they hold their hand in front of them and follow it up to the top floor and down to the basement with different vocal sounds (can you sound like a ghost? can you sound surprised? can you sound like you just ate something yummy?). After a while we talk about how our voice sounds high on the top floor and low in the basement. This might be good preparation for the Kodaly hand signs too.Another thing I do (and this is more for head voice, but it could be high/low) is tell the story of the three billy goats gruff.
The little billy goat speaks in a high voice, the middle billy goat in a middle voice, and the big billy goat speaks in a low voice. My first graders know that they should (usually) sing like the little billy goat. See, I use this more for vocal quality and production than high/low; in second grade I tell them that their little billy goat voice is called their head voice. This seems to work well: they all sing in a light head voice when I remind them to use their little billy goat voices; of course, some kids sing *too* high, but a quick reminder to sing exactly like I sing (pitch-wise, although I don't use the term pitch) usually fixes that.
I think the three billy goats could definetly teach high/low!!I too use my piano and instruments and ask the students to reach high for the high notes and reach low for the low notes. I love to make them jump
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I teach high and low in a number of ways:........... Go to a Dollar Store and find one of those cheap, long tubes with holes in both ends and ridged in the middle.....about a foot and a half to two feet long. When you whirl it over your head, it makes a nice, high humming sound. First I have the little ones listen, then I have them imitate the sound ONLY when the "thingee" is whirling. When they can match the high pitch, I adjust the speed of the "thingee" so that their voices must go up and down to match it.....
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I gave up teaching high/low out of the textbook long ago, largely for the reason you explained. Now I introduce the concept with a song called "Let's Make Noises" from a tape called DID YOU EVER SEE A DINOSAUR. (It's at school, but I think that's the title.) The words are something like, "Let's make noises like a bird, (high tweets). Let's make noises like a pig, (low grunts)." It also uses instrument examples of high/low, and the K's seem to catch on really fast. The only thing we add besides doing the sound effects are a raised and lowered hand. Later we apply this to other activities such as playing and identifying high/low sounds on the xylophone and piano.
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I made a cardboard cutout of a firetruck and attached a long string to the top. I loop it over a hook along the top of the blackboard and pull it up and down. As the firetruck slowly moves up and down we make our voices do the same (like the siren). It takes some practice til they get the hang of controlling their voices to move evenly with the firetruck -- they want to ZOOM way up and down quickly and are sometimes already going down before the firetruck reaches the top! -- but eventually they can pace themselves. I also stop midway and they have to hold the sound until the firetruck moves again. As they become more proficient with their control, I stop several times at different heights and change direction of the firetruck's movement. I this making sense? It teaches high/low, gets them into that lovely head voice, and teaches them some vocal control.
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I use Goldilocks and the 3 Bears for high and low. Papa Bear's voice, Mama bear's voice and baby bear's voice.We also sing the eency weency spider song using a "big" low voice and then sing it with a "small" high spider voice. Another idea is to use a flashlight... Dim the room or turn off the lights. turn on the light. Use our voice to sing the high and low of the flashlight pattern..(.just another different way of singing a siren using high and low hand signs) The kids think using a flashlight with the lights off is really cool!
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I have the children sing glissandos up and down. I have them use their bodies, hands to show high and low. You can play recognition games when they have grasped the concepts of high and low (have each child sing a high or low for you) of up and down using 2 pitches on a barred instrument. (Disguise them and have them listen for high to low [down] or low to high [up].
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You can have children choose 3 instruments for low to high (basement - drum, low bass notes, etc., 2d floor triangle, wood block, etc., penthouse: finger cymbals, etc.,) Have 3 children play these instr. (when you touch their heads) and have rest of children squat (basement) stand (2d floor) and stretch with hands up (penthouse) then have them turn their backs and move similarly by listening to which sound is played. You can also produce the tones on a melodic instrument.
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Have the children draw up and down as they hear the sounds you sing. Have them draw (lines) up on top of a five line staff, down, etc.,
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When there is a passage in a song that is an obvious up or down movement, ask kids questions about it
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The "Grand Old Duke of York" would work for the opposites up and down. A movement exercise usually works well for teaching opposites to young children. Ex. "Without touching anyone, move like you are a big elephant. Now walk like you are a little mouse. Show me what you look like at night when you are asleep. What do you look like during the day when you are playing."
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"Water drops" (for coordination, recocnizing low and high notes) Record on a tape the sound of water drops not more(too?) frequent. Let children stand up on chairs putted in a line (sorry I thnch my english is terrible!). switch on the tape and ask to the children to jump down, starting from the first on the left, when they listen to a drop (I put ,naturally, the exercise in a little story).
After explain them that big and little drops make different sounds (low and hi) and decide who is a big , a medium and a little drop in the class. ( on my tape I have differents drop sounds). and start again the ezercise. At the big drop sound only the "big drop children" have to jump and at the little... ecc. ecc. Then you can do it playng a glokenspiel or a little xilofon and also the children can play it. They love to choose low or hi sounds and observe that due to their playing the others children jump down from the chairs.
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I use a book by Eric Carle "Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me". It has some neat foldout pictures in it. I use the step bells with this book. I also have a chart I use in the Fall with kindergarten. It has bats and ghosts on it. I have four rows with four pictures in each row. It looks like this:
Bat bat bat bat
Ghost ghost ghost ghost
bat bat ghost ghost
bat ghost bat ghost
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We talk about high and low sounds, basement and attic voices and then decide how bat and ghosts would sound. We use ekkkkk for a high bat sound and boo for a low ghost sound. We do other things with sitting and standing, etc. We then transfer these sounds to unpitched instruments. I have the students decide what is high and what is low for instruments.
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This week in kindergarten I am teaching "The Itsy Bitsy Spider". This song has great opportunity for teaching up/down; high, low. After "The Itsy bitsy spider went UP the water spout (a student plays the scale up on melody bells or xylophone). "DOWN came the rain and washed the spider out" (Another student plays down the scale). Out came the sun and dried up all the rain (Improvise a pretty sunlike tune on bells or soprano xylophone). "And the itsy bitsy spider went UP the spout again." (Play up the scale). We also sing the song slowly in our deep low voices: "The great big spider went up the water spout...etc. Very high voices sing: "The eency weency spider went up the water spout...
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"THE LOST CHILD"
I prepare in the class with the active participation of children a fantasy course using what I find in the class: little carpets, chairs, children draws, objects ecc. ecc. The course have to represent a mountain track.(with a lot of fantasy...) We sing a simple song about going to the mountain. We arrive at the top (decide first where in the class is the top of the mountain) I use a lot of mimic novements to climb, look at the panorama, find strange flowers ecc. Then we return "at home" while one child hids himself. At this point I sit on the floor with all children in a cirlce and we start to call the lost child. The child will return "at home" only when he'll listen his name in music.
All children call him:
1) Piano with voices (for example |AN-DRE-A|AN-DRE-A|AN-DRE-A| ecc.)
2) Mezzoforte withe voices
3) Forte with voices
4) Clapping hands (P;MF; F)
5) Hitting differentes parts of their body
6) Playng percussive instruments
7) Finally, singing the name (Ex. AN-DRE-A ) G -E -C accompaning with xylophone and glokenspiel or guitar.
At this point (children really love to wait also hole minutes listening their name in differents ways untill they listen it in a little song)the Lost child come back at home and you can be sure that all children will want to continue with the game being the lost child.
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***********************************************************************INSTRUMENTS
INSTRUMENTS (see also file: Rhythm Instruments) 06/10 Here are some things I do with rhythm instruments:1) Echo rhythms
2) Ella Jenkins's "Play Your Instruments" (We sing and play along then take each instrument category - those kids play those instruments.) Then play together again on 'Play Your Instruments.'
3) Kindergarten and older: "Willum, he had seven sons" (song in minor key) On first verse, we play together then each instr. group plays:
a) on first part of verse (A section) they play steady beat
b) after words, "this is what he did" - they play their choice of quarter, eight notes with rests (we've covered various patterns by this time)
4) March with instruments (encouraging steady beat)
5) Have each group play separately to a brief song or one verse:
Triangles: Twinkle LIttle Star, Tambourines: Zoom Gali, Drums: Aiken Drum,
Woodblocks and sticks: Hickory Dickory, Cymbals: You're a Grand Ol' Flag
Bells: Jingle Bells, Maracas and Shakers: Tinga Layo, Guiros: Down By the Station
Kids love being featured. They are not allowed to play until it's their turn. If the noise is too great, I ask for a quieter beat. --- Sandy Toms
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When I use instruments (such as the drums I have been making) with my 3-4 year olds and kindergarten groups, I require that the kids have Players Licenses before they can play instruments. The Players Licenses are clip- on nametags, each with a symbol such as a quarter note or a treble clef. To get the license, the kids must pledge to "play as well as they can, and to respect instruments and people." Kids can lose their licenses, and thus the priviledge of playing, by behaving inappropriately. This reinforces some positive values, adds a special quality to being able to play, aids in keeping order, and has resulted in a *lot* of interest in what the symbols mean. It could be used as a means of subdividing the class, as well--e.g., all the children with 'quarter note' symbol licenses play rhythm sticks.
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SMALL GROUPS
For early introduction (you could vary this according to skill) to rhythm, melodic and dynamics, I made a set of manipulatives(7 X 11 for me and 2 X 2" pieces of different color poster board) for each child, I them laminated them) including four different rhythms (4 beats using quarters, eighths and quarter rests)and four different 2 note patterns (using sol and mi on staff as whole notes).
The routine varies:
1. Teach the rhythm or melody (hand signs help) with only the large card.
2. Have students use their own cards practicing; then do activities 'finding' the correct pattern. (The kids love having their own set and are anxious to have a turn to 'show' their correct card.) It's almost 'too' simple but more of them do seem concerned in learning the concept when they have their own set in front of them. You can vary games using this activity and vary the level.
Note 1: on the four patterns (whether it's melody, rhythm or dynamics) I colored a different small shape at the top of the card for each of the 4 patterns of that set, (ex.: green triangle, red circle, blue square, gold star) and that way they are easily identifiable and it's easier to separate the sets.)
Note 2: For the melody on staff, I drew one set of mini staffs with whole note patterns and xeroxed it, but and pasted to cards.
It sounds like alot of work but it's paid off.
Melody: I use is large cards with colorful ascending and descending lines, steps, 'squiggles' (for glissando) etc., At the elementary level, I use a bingo game (I made) with rhythm patterns ( I have 64 patterns to choose from on each card that only has 16. The student who gets bingo performs the next round of 'calls.'
Big clocks tick so slowly tick tock tick tock
Little clocks tick faster, tick tock, tick tock, tick tock, tick tock,
Watches on your wrists tick faster, ticka, tocka ticka, tocka ticka, tocka tick
d d dddd m d m d
mm mm m m ssss ssss
ssss ssss d'd'd'd'd'd'd'd'
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***********************************************************************LARGE CLASSES
12/16 LARGE CLASSES - On the Orff projects, have one group do non-loco mvmt, one group play UPP, and one inst. Then have them switch. One group could also be the audience and give comments/suggestions. Use short, easy to complete accountability sheets with specific questions if needed. They also make a great exit ticket. If you do recorders, one group could play recorders too. Do you use chairs? If so, can you do without them? I don't use chairs all the way up thru 6th.-----Curtis McGill------------
12/16 I've actually had to get used to teaching all double-classes at my current school, which is K-5, and ranged from about 38-52 this past year. It's definitely tricky, and, like you, I don't have quite a "normal" shaped classroom, but I am lucky that it is a good size. About half sit on FlipForms and half on the floor. I also have groups, that I sort them in (both for my sanity and seating arrangements, as well as making it easier for the kids to remember). I change them around every 9 weeks, but may look into each semester this year. I name them after the families in the orchestra (Strings, Percussion, etc.), but there's also more than 4-5 in each group. I have a separate 3-drawer plastic bins on wheels near each group that has any supplies they might need (clipboards, pencils, crayons, glue sticks, etc.), and a leader who is in charge of getting the bins and putting them back in order for the next class before they leave. I love the idea mentioned about giving the teams points, too!! -- Lindsey Schroder from lyricsbylinds.blogspot.com
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----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12/16 Our district elementary classroom homeroom teachers assign a student number based on alphabetical order, 1-27 or higher and I use that classroom number for nearly all groupings. Students who transfer in get the next highest number and students who transfer out of the district we "save a space" for them and do not reassign their classroom number. I will group odd/even, 1-13/14-27, use multiples of 3, 4, 5, etc for groupings. Our phys-Ed teacher has "team squads" and I also use those for groupings for direct instruction lessons (few they are) but it also helps move students from our singing circle into straight lines efficiently. I also took a kinesthetic classroom course and the college instructor had decks of playing cards, Lego bricks, a packet of colored clothespin pieces, pick up sticks, lollipops, and all sorts of stuff. We would sort into groups based on the piece we picked out of the jar on our way into class. It was really fun to group up that way. My students love it because they try to Fix the system into being with their friends in a group but it always never works for them. ----Kathleen Riley, Western Wayne School District, Lake Ariel PA
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Honestly, I'd use Idoceo to make groups. Random is good. If any tweaking needs to be done, fine. But don't overthink it. Ability groups: mmmmm, no. How will you work with the lowliest? But i can see that it could be a useful way to differentiate but you would have to give the groups different / differentiated goals. If you want two groups, call one the home group and the other the special. Make it simpler and logical. Put them in random groups, make sure that the skills and abilities are pretty much equalized among groups. But don't sweat it if they're not. That's part of what's cool about groups. The group helps its members. And each group will have its own personality. That's fine. As you tweak the groups, don't forget about personalities and individualities along with musical abilities. ---- Martha Stanley
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11/08 Why not do songs that involve everyone such as circle dances that use hebi rings, or parachutes, or other songs that involve using the body for percussion. Try Welcome to Music by Susie & Phil Splitter, or Kids Music Company for some fabulous music that involves all the children all the time. They are great Aussie & NZ companies. www.kidsmusic.com.au and www.*welcometomusic *.net. Your children won't have time to complain if you use the songs from these companies --- Heather Munro
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***********************************************************************LEFT AND RIGHT!!
10/05 Left and right are very useful concepts in music so I have created a poster that has a very large L on the left. In the L is a left hand. On the right side are these words: Long low large loose left. The poster is called "The L Rule" and I use it and a dumb little hip-hop rhythm chant with motions for them to remember it by (don't ask, make up your own. The words are it's long, it's low, it's large and loose, left" Use motions to act out each word). They refer to it often. While I don't use it directly for left/right, it can help. I use it for identifying high-low visually. The L Rules helps you figure out which side of the piano plays low, which member of the string family plays low, which string on a guitar plays low.... etc. I made it in word and then used a poster-printer machine to enlarge it to 18x24, I guess, and then laminated it. It's a good poster. -- Martha Stanley-------------------------------------
10/05 At one of my schools, the kinder teacher puts a red yarn tie on their right wrist. Red - Right. They also teach the children to hold up their thumb and index finger in the shape of an L. The one that actually looks like an L is left. -- Kristin Lukow
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\ 10/05 For left/right -- I made signs for my classroom walls with a left lavender handprint and a right red handprint. One is located at the door leading out of my room, and the others are positioned on the other walls so kids can always see them. Sometimes while waiting for teachers to come, the kids start to play with the handprints. Now--IF I ever get some time--I thought about making some mats with two sets of handprints so students could practice partner hand clapping games. I also got a bunch of little hair scrunchy things for new recorder player left pointer fingers. The students can open up ther left hand to see if the L and the pointer scrunchy are positioned at the top of the recorder. At a Maryland Music Teacher Inservice conference a couple of years ago, a couple of teachers (whose names currently elude me) did a lot of mirroring and reverse mirroring activities to address the old L/R problem with recorder players.-- Donna B in MD
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***********************************************************************LISTENING
06/10 LISTENING LIGHTS: We have the "listening lights" on, the kinders are stretched out and I put on a recording of Mendelssohn's Piano Concerto #1 in B Minor- 1st movement (Rudolph Serkin performing). I love, love, love Mendelssohn (he's right after #1 who is Mozart!) I love this piece and especially the 3rd movement! At any rate, I gradually did a fade out and the kids got so excited - all at once - spontaneously - excited - "What's that piece! That was great!" "I loved the beat! Wow!" "Can you put it on again?! "Yeah! Again! Again! Can I hear it again? Please?"--- Kathleen Bragle-------------------------
06/06 VIVALDI: (Spring: Allegro)The themes are very easy to feel the change: It's a rondo form and goes like this:
Trees-Birds---Trees---Water---Stream---Trees---Thunderstorm - lightning and clouds---Trees Sun ...and birds (you'll hear the trills)---Trees---Sun and flowers---Trees
I have enough sticks that each child has a stick. Bamboo stick about 2 feet long with a foamie cutout or ribbon at the top of the object. I've had mine for 6 years and only have to do minor repairs. For the water...I take two long strips of blue ribbon and tape them on the end. As each theme is heard, the students stand up and move the stick to the steady beat (or lately...I had them move around the space in the room...skipping, walking, dancing, etc...Just no interaction with other sticks. - Rhonda Schilling
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07/05 You can read about "Music for Little Mozarts" at MusicK8.com: http://www.musick8.com/-- Kristyn Johnson, Web Editor Plank Road Publishing, Music K-8 Magazine
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***********************************************************************MOVEMENT
06/07 SONGS AND MIDIS ONLINE:http://www.songsforteaching.com/index.php?p=catalog&mode=search&search_in=all&search_str=movement
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OLD GREY CAT: The old grey cat is sleeping, sleeping, sleeping 6/8 s’ / d s’ d r m d r s m d The old grey cat is sleeping in the house. s’ / d s’ d r m d r s d (2. The little mice are creeping….. 3. The old grey cat is waking…….4. The little mice are running……)
I pick 4-5 mice and cats at a time and put them on opposite sides of the room. In the middle of the room I put a rug that will be the "kitchen." In the first verse the cats sleep, the second verse the mice creep into the kitchen. The third verse the mice nibble. The fourth verse the cats wake up and the fifth verse the cats try to catch a mouse. The fun part is watching the mice anticipate being chased!!! They can not leave the kitchen until we start singing the fifth verse! If a cat tags a mouse then the cats get one point. - RaeAnna Goss
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06/06 I [like] to have the kids counting as that is a kindergarten skill. I also like to use the idea of counting to 8 and 16 as folkdance moves are usually in groups of 8 or 16. When the children have to move forward for 4 beats I will use the counts but say forward 2-3 together (which means feet together.) back 6-7 together. We count that really we are using 8 beats but in order to change direction we need to think about feet together. - Sue Michiels
I use the word "turn" maybe telling the kids that they are butterflies (which fly all around in different directions wherever they want to go and do not follow anything or anyone) would help the kids break out of wanting to follow/copy your steps. Of course you might use a different instrument, like a triangle... Also, pretend they are frogs or rabbits. You could use the vibraslap, but if you want to use the drum, just tell them that every drum beat is a jump somewhere. Then tell them to stand up and that they are robots, zombies or Frankensteins who take a step every time they hear the drum.- Patricia Albritton
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10/04 EENCY (ITSY) BITSY SPIDER: I don't remember where I got this idea, but the Kinders love this "game". I divide the students into three groups. One group is the spiders. Another group is the raindrops, while the third group is the sunshine. I show the spiders that they must quietly tiptoe with walking steps to the center where our imaginary spout exists. Then the raindrops come "ti-ti, ti-ti" tiptoe running steps and "wash the spiders out", so the spiders tiptoe back to where they started. Then "out comes the sun" the sunshine students use giant steps with arms raised and "dried up all the rain". Then the raindrops scurry back to where they started, and then the spiders slowly creep back to the middle again as the sunshines watch. We form a square around the room, with the spiders on one wall, the rain on another wall, the sunshine on the opposite wall and me, as the director on another wall. They also have to sing with me. They love doing this and ask for it over and over. -- Caryn Mears Kennewick, WA
My preschoolers and kinders love to sing Itsy Bitsy Spider and then GRUMPY GRUMPY Spider with grumpy faces and I play it in minor on the piano, and then Happy Happy Spider with big smiles and Shy Shy Spider (who crawls up the waterspout behind our backs cause he is sooooo shy he doesn't want anyone to see him... etc. nothing new just something we do! -- Bill Ahlman
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One of the stories that I like to use at this time of year is the "Eensy Weensy Spider" or "Itsy Bitsy Spider" whichever you choose. First you can read the story... I believe there iare several versions of this book on the market. Next have the children use their fingers for the spider, which most of them already know from pre-school. Then tell them that you are going to play a game.
This is a VERY structured game, showing that there are three characters in the story. You can also discuss the setting, ie, the story takes place at the waterspout. The children need to understand what a waterspout is, so I draw one on the board. Then divide the class into three groups. I have row one stand up and move to a designated space, such as "Stand along the cabinet." "Row two stand along the back wall." and "Row three stand along the front board."
Then I have row four sent to be part of each of these three groups. Principals are looking for a couple of things with specialists. They are looking at how you control the group, and they are looking at how you bring them back down to pass them over to the classroom teacher.
This group is the spiders, and I demonstrate how the spiders will 'crawl' up the waterspout." Then I demonstrate how the Raindrops are going to "pitter-patter" down to the waterspout. Finally I demonstrate how the sunshine is going to come "out" with their hands up in a circle, taking big steps in toward the waterspout. I have each group practice their parts. Next we do the song with me singing because they are concentrating on their movement. They usually love the song so much that they want to do it again, so I ask them if they can sing it while they are doing the movement. Of course they can, so we repeat the song together with them singing. Then, I tell them that I want the spiders to come and stand by me. I very methodically move each group to its new station and say, "
Now you are the spiders. Now you are the raindrops and these spiders are going to turn into the suns. Let's see if you remember what that character is going to do?" We play the game again, move the characters again and then we come back to our spots on the floor. The children usually ask for this game over and over. If you have another spider song to finish the class that would help culminate the activity. -- Caryn Mears
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I'M A LITTLE TEAPOT: I pre-taught "I'm a Little Teapot" without the recording to my K-2 classes. After singing the song once we pretended to hold saucers in our hands with one hand held flat. Then we picked up our fancy-china-teacups-with-lovely-flowers-painted-on-them, stuck our pinkies in the air along with our noses and sipped our tea (all pretend of course). Then I asked them how many spoonfuls or lumps of sugar they wanted and we counted (I never went past 10) and spooned in the sugar; stirred it up; if someone mentioned cream we poured that in; looked around to see if anyone was watching so we could lick off the spoon and tasted our tea again. This helped to put the SUGAR BOWL in their frame of reference.
The next day when I played the MK8 Teapot song from the current issue we were all set up for "tea snobbery" and classical singing style. There were squeals of delight when my spout wouldn't go up! They giggled and begged for more. They want to sing the song everyday. Next I read them Iza Trapani's "I'm a Little Teapot" about a bored teapot sitting on the kitchen stove and the daydreams it has. I used different voices and different accents for the different places the teapot dreams about. This book is perfect to go with this song. It even has the teapot on a pirate ship. GREAT segue to "Talk Like a Pirate". Shiver me timbers; Yo ho ho and away we go - my primaries are HOOKED on music already. I overheard one student whisper excitedly to a friend as I walked by in the hall "Oh, I can't WAIT for music class" Iza Trapani's book could be a wonderful choral reading to add to a program using the Teapot song and the Pirate song. -- Contributed by Jerri Shuman in KS
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12/03 I've had success with kindergarten using these CDs: Around The World in Dance, Big Fun, Get Ready To Square Dance, Move Your Dancing Feet, Square Dancing Made Easy....-- Contributed by Dale Mize
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04/03 I selected 4 different sounds on the digital piano; drum, cowbell, tambourine, and windchimes. Each sound had its own "movement". In my case:
Drum: sit on your bottoms,
Cowbell: stand up
Windchimes: lay down
Tambourine was wave your hand.
I played the sounds and the kids responded in kind. When they had that down, we switched to the "real" instruments and matched the true instrument to the digital sound. I showed them how to play those instruments. Then I had four students come up and I conducted them. The students on the floor did the appropriate movements. If the students on the floor did the wrong movement, they were out and went to sit on the risers. When there were just four left, these students got a turn to play the instruments. When they had this down, I selected a student to "conduct". I got out the small tuxedo with tails and they looked the part! They were attentive, they listened and THEY FOLLOWED DIRECTIONS! What more could I ask on a Friday afternoon???
P.S. Hint - you can buy tuxedo tails cheaply from formalwear stores during their annual sell-offs. I got several for $5.00 each! Yes, they have adult sizes, satin vests ($3 each), bow ties, cumberbunds, top hats. Everything! I go every year and I have quite a stash by now! Check it out in your area. -- Contributed by Patty Oeste
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02/03 Greg and Steve's "Listen and Move," "Dance Medley" or their "Sports Dance" are fun fillers that wear 'em out!Chicken Dance or the Mexican Hat Dance, as well.
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10/02 My favorite CDs for preschoolers are all three by the Music Lady, Beverly Meyer, from Michigan (order from her email: [email protected]) and anything by Denise Gagne (I can give you the exact titles tomorrow, they're at school). Also, we like all of Greg and Steve's and Charlotte Diamonds. I teach in a religious school and my kids love Sandi Patti's Sing Along and lots of the praise songs for kids. I also use Wee Sing. Don't forget to get song books with tapes, like "Miss Mary Mack," "Little Bunny Foo Foo," "Hush, Little Alien (no tape)," "Peanut Butter and Jelly," and etc. I get a lot (cheap) from Troll and Scholastic. Let me know if you need any more information.
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08/02 To find Kindergarten dances go to pecentral.com than go to lessons than to dance lessons than to square dance. You will be able to find a number of choerographed dances.
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"Get Ready to Square Dance". It is for K - 6. It begins very simply and perfect for kinders. The progression works up to spoken calls and on to a fast paced singing calls. From there I will begin dances from the Chimes of Dunkirk.
One or two elements of a square dance call is practiced in a song.
1. Honor your partner/cotton eyed joe
2. Circle left/right and Into the Center and Back/Oh Belinda
3. Swing your partner and Cirle/Turkey in the Straw
4. Into the Circle and Back and Swing your partner/Shoo Fly
5. Promenade and Square Your set/Irish washerwoman
6. Forward and Back and Swing your corner/partner/Comin Found the Mountain
7. Do-Sa-Do and Promenade/Hinkey Dinkey
8. Allemand Left/Right and Star/Capt Jinks
9. Hoedown - spoken calls
10. Tie a Yellow Ribbon - singing calls.
This sounds like just the right cd to practice each element before I move them into the comple
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01/02 I own about 13 hoops that I schlepp to school during 2 weeks of the year for hoop activities. In addition to the activities I've used, I had the kindergateners do the following
1) Practice standing in place a)giant steps to the beat b)jump (both feet) then rest to the beat c) step, step, jump, rest to the beat.
2) I lined them up in front of a row of hoops placed on the floor placed so they're touching; one hoop was a different color and I placed that one about # 6 in line. The children, one at a time, were to begin moving as a) and when the child in front of the next person reached the hoop (different color) the next one began. I used guitar chords and called out "step, step, etc.," When the children reached the end hoop they returned to the end of the line by the first hoop. 3) Then we began b) then c).
This was really good for balance, coordination to the beat and gave me an opportunity to see where weaknesses were. The kids loved the large motor action.
(For additional Hoop Ideas go to Movement,Drama,Dance/Hoops) -------------------
01/02 One of my favorite activities I do early in the year with my kinder's. is rocking stuffed dolls to the beat while we sing simple lullabyes. i have quite a stash from my own childhood and am ever on the lookout for more. the kids love hearing me introduce them with all their wacky names and i share the stories behind a few very special ones. they feel so special when they get to hold Miss Elder's dolls. we rock to the beat while singing then trade/pass the dolls and repeat. short songs we sing 2-4 times before passing. another good beat movmnt: put doll over shoulder and pat his/her back to the beat. they love this one!
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Another simple, yet elegant idea that I have used with first graders is the "Eight-beat statue-freeze". The title alone, given the raised eyebrows and proper inflection, conjures up all kinds of excitement. The game itself is very simple: Play a steady beat on a percussion instrument. After you say "go!" the students rock back and forth while counting beats. On beat eight, they are to freeze into a statue. Tell them before each round what sort of statue to be -- a soldier, a tall building, statue of liberty, etc. The reason I came up with the game was to introduce the concept of using steady beat to measure time. It makes a graceful prelude to teaching note duration values. After reading this thread, it occurs to me that this would also be a good excercize in focused listening. Tell the students you are going to make the game more difficult by playing softer each time.
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The song "Rainbow 'Round Me" was written by Ruth Pelman and can also be found on Bev Bos' tape "Hand in Hand" (Turn the Page Press) This is a good song for scarf dancing: I invite children to the land of rainbows where the rainbows dance all day and then sing this song with added verses and movement suggestions. Another fun idea is to draw to music - get a big piece of paper, marker pens in many colors, and play different styles of music to draw to. Or do what we learned from a guest speaker at one of the National Conferences: have the children create a picture book together to Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World." Very appropriate for kindergarten.
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They use paper plates, which they call "magical ice skates." She says,"Just step on them and glide." The falls don't hurt on a carpeted floor, but be careful on tile floors.
With 1st and 2nd graders, she reads "Chicken Soup with Rice" and sings the song before skating. She suggests skating to "'wintry' 3/4 music, and encourage gliding to the strong beats. Kids of all grades love this."
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***********************************************************************PITCH MATCHING
07/05 After we did our first song, [using a cardboard “Magic School Bus,”] I said, "Oh listen, I think I hear the magic school bus." Then I would sing, "Oh Magic School Bus." and the students echoed without much prompting. They tried to guess what was in the box by the sound. They were so excited to find out what was in the bus, so once a week I would put something new into the magic school bus. I usually correlated it with their literacy/reading program. If they were learning the sound of the letter B, we would have bells, if they were doing the letter C, I would have castanets in there. Sometimes the objects were too big to fit in, sometimes there were plenty of scarves T-H-A-N-K, T-H-A-N-K, T-H-A-N-K, we thank you very much! Hey! (To the tune of BINGO) - Caryn Mears Kennewick, WA----------------------------
02/03 Here's a fun game combining the "Who has the ____?" singing game shared last year and Jenga (tower stacking game).Game objective: to see how high you can stack the blocks before knocking them over. Teaching objectives: listening without visual help, singing independantly, singing assessment (teacher), echoing, letter recognition, cooperation, following rules of game, patience.
Materials: wooden letter blocks, toy microphone (optional)
Procedures:
~sit in circle: kids and teacher all take one block and hold in hands without showing other people the letter(s). Put container of blocks somewhere outside the circle and away from the group (but still accessable).
~ teacher/leader closes eyes and sings into mic. "Who has the ___?" (any letter)
~ whoever has that letter responds (teacher still has eyes closed), "I have a(n) ___."
~ teacher/leader opens eyes and guesses who sang. That kid puts letter on the floor in the middle of the circle. He/she then takes another block from the bucket and rejoins the circle. If more than one student has that letter, same leader sings again until all have been guessed.
~ pass the mic. to the next kid in circle. he/she closes eyes and sings another letter question.
~ continue stacking letterblocks until it topples. Whoever topples it has to put them all back in the container and the game is over.
~ Also works great as a boy -v- girl game and two towers (whichever tower falls is losing team and lines up latter). DOWNSIDE: takes almost the whole lesson to stack them high enough to fall.
Contributed by Sandra Elder
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Pitch matching game (I got this at a Doris Hotaling workshop years ago, but have seen adaptations of it elsewhere): Materials: Picnic basket filled with "food" - I bought toy food at KMart a long time ago. Another good source is in the dog food aisle - there are squeaky hamburgers, hotdogs, porkchops, etc. In my basket I also have mustard, ketchup, and mayonnaise bottles, empty milk and juice cartons (I glued them shut, but that didn't last long, because students opened them up to pretend to drink). Another option is to make a posterboard picnic basket and velcro pictures of food to it.
The song:
Going on a picnic titi titi ta ta
In the park today titi titi ta rest
If it doesn't rain we'll titi titi ta ta
Stay all day ta ta ta rest
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I have been using mr. potato head for a pitch matching activity. Put his various body parts in separate paper sacks, and pass them out. Sing "who has the nose" (sol-mi) and have student with the nose answer: "I have the nose" and place the nose on mr. potato head. while that is being done, the class sings "Thomas has the nose".
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Pass out construction paper, each with one different letter of the alphabet written on it ......Who has the A? (S M M S-M) I have the A.......Tommy has the A. etc.. Kindergarten teachers will love you for this one.
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Go to a Dollar Store and find one of those cheap, long tubes with holes in both ends and ridged in the middle. (I don't know what they're called...sorry!) Anyway, they're about a foot and a half to two feet long. When you whirl it over your head, it makes a nice, high humming sound. First I have the little ones listen, then I have them imitate the sound ONLY when the "thingee" is whirling. When they can match the high pitch, I adjust the speed of the "thingee" so that their voices must go up and down to match it.
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For a child that cannot find his high voice--it's the squeaky voice trick; Use a puppet.
T: "This is my speaking voice" -- Kids echo
whispering
squeaky voice (make it as high as possible, silly like)
who who (so so mi la so mi)
singing "
playground voice (i.e., shouting)[only once in a while]
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***********************************************************************MUSICALS
12/07 [I have done] Rock Soup, The Little Red Hen, and Three Nanny Goats Gruff from Milliken Press with my K's. [As of 06/07 still in print.] We had fun doing all of them. It was probably 14 years ago when we performed them, but it seems to me my favorite was Three Billy Goats Gruff. -- Nancy Green--------------------
06/07 THREE PIGGY OPERA: I have done it twice; both times with 100 kindergarteners - very successfully! Excellent show. I had most stand on the risers, then some of the soloists enter from the back of the audience (brick pig, etc.). So there was "action" but mostly only among the soloists which was do-able. It was definitely a hit. Just SO many pig heads (paper plates) to make! -- Patty Oeste in AR
I raised the Overture from C to Eb; Mother Pig's Song from D to F; the Wolf's Song from A minor to E minor (I know that's a lot, but it worked for my little wolf.); Wolf's Huff Song also from A minor to E minor. All the others were left in the printed key, but I made new tracks for them, too.
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10/05 My kids love this game...even the Grade Fives ask to play it - they consider it a special treat! Thanks to a visit to the pet store, I have a huge "hunk o' cheese" to add to it. While buying cat food a few years ago, I found a cat toy shaped like a giant wedge of swiss cheese (coloured in ungodly bright yellow 'fun fur'). Inside it is a mouse toy which the cats are supposed to try to catch by putting their paws through the holes in the 'cheese'. None of my cats had any real interest in this toy after I brought it home, so I took it to school to use in the game. The kids are more fascinated with it than the cats ever were. Some of the fun fur has been rubbed off in places, as the kids like to pet and stroke it during the game - we had to talk about how the mice were supposed to pretend to eat the cheese, not pet it!! I've also told them that if any of the cheese in their house feels this furry, they must throw it out! Anyhow, it wasn't too expensive, and it was a big hit at school. I found it at a PetValu store, but I would think it's available at most pet stores. -- K. Burlow
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07/05 I am using LEMONADE right now with the 2nd graders and they love it! Songs are simple enough to be used in K-1 and simple costuming as well -- Michelle Combs
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07/05 GO FISH: I am actually purchasing "Go Fish" to do with K-5 for my spring musical this year. I listened to a preview cd that I got of it, and the music is really cute. Simple, but not boring. I figure that costumes would be pretty easy to figure out and scenery would be a blast-bubbles, rocks, seaweed-the whole bit. The music seems pretty straightforward, but sometimes lots of words..-- Sabrina in Upstate NY
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Also see: Elementary Repetoire/Musicals
10/02 I had a wonderful success with my kindergarten and first graders presenting "A Prehistoric Christmas" by Teresa Jennings. I also used "This Old Gingerbread House" with Kindergarten and first by Teresa (in case you want to stay away from the Christmas theme). Both were easy to put together and lots of fun for the kids and the audience.
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***********************************************************************PHONICS
PHONETIC AWARENESS: With the Kindergartners I use a special box... Each time they come into the music room, there is an item from the music room, or an item that would help teach a lesson coordinated with the letters or theme that the Kindergarten teacher is teaching. For instance, we have had a miniature basketball in the box. Then we practice bouncing imaginary basketballs to the beat. During the next lesson we actually bounce real basketballs to the beat.Using the Open Court Phonemic Awareness, the alphabet card for the letter 'B' is a picture of "Bobby's Basketball", so I try to tie into what they are learning. Some of the things that I have done are also things from the music room, so we did Bells when they were learning about the letter 'b'. I love being imaginative with this activity and the kids absolutely love it.
We sing a little song; Oh Magic Music Box, Oh Magic Music Box, What have you brought today? When we are finished with the box, I put the object back in the box and we sing, "Thank you Magic Music Box! T-H-A-N-K, T-H-A-N-K, T-H-A-N-K We thank you very much! Hey!"
We stress a lot of emphasis on the beginning sounds and now we are also doing the ending sounds.
I also purchased stuffed animals that coincide with the vowels as well and we turn that into a song:
"Old MacDonald had a farm, A, E, I, O, U.
And on his farm he had some vowels, A, E, I, O, U.
With an aa here and an aa there, here an aa, there and aa, everywhere an aa aa. Old Mac Donald had a farm, A, E, I, O, U.
And on his farm he had an E. A, E, I, O, U.
With an eh, eh, here and an eh, eh there. Here an eh, there an eh, everywhere and eh, eh, etc."
We also do "Apples and Bananas" and I say, "What if the letter A got to say his own name?" etc. so we are doing both the short and long vowel sounds on this song.
Another thing I do is sing songs which emphasis on writing and reading concepts.
PUNCTUATION For instance, to the tune of "BINGO". I know a punctuation mark that's used to show emotion, Exclamation point, Exclamation point, Exclamation point. It's used to show emotion!
To the tune of "Oh where Oh where has my little dog gone?" Oh where, oh where is the question mark? Oh where, oh where can it be, With a who, what, when, where and why and how? Oh where, or where can it be.
To the tune of Are you Sleeping? Verbs show action. Verbs show action. I like verbs. I like verbs. Verbs show what we're doing, They show us lots of action. I like verbs. I like verbs. My own tune: It's a noun. (clap, clap) It's a noun. (Clap, clap) do, re, mi do, re, mi It's the name of a person place or thing. do, re, mi mi mi fa fa mi mi re, It's a noun. (clap, clap) It's a noun. (Clap, clap) do, re, mi do, re, mi It's the name of a person place or thing. mi mi sol sol sol fa fa re re do
With the first graders I use a song about compound words. To the tune of On Top of Old Smokey Put two words together to make a new word. The two words are compound a new word will be heard. Then have the children come up with compound words with your first word... Such as snow... side... air... blue... etc.
1. Chanting, chanting, chanting! Lots of chants!
I now teach a new chant every week to my all of my el's - whether it's Miss Mary Mack, Engine Engine, etc. TRY USING POEMS OR CHANTS THAT MATCH THE LETTER OF THE ALPHABET THEY ARE LEARNING.
2. Syllables - ask them how many syllables are in a word - their name, animals, etc.
3. Rhyming - singing and chanting in rhyme. Having them name the rhyming words, etc. READ RHYMING BOOKS AND HAVE THEM PAT OR CLAP TO KEEP THE BEAT. ALSO INCORPORATE INSTRUMENTS ON THE RHYMING WORDS OR HELP THEM REALISE THE SOUNDS THAT RHYME.
4. She noted that it is very important that when you teach them songs, make sure that every child can accurately pronounce every word in every song. She also wants them to understand the meaning of every word they are singing. YOU ARE DEFINITELY ON THE RIGHT TRACK BECAUSE YOU ARE TRYING TO BE A TRUE TEAM PLAYER! I think we have such a special position because we can reach those students who learn through rhythmic patterns and music when they might not get it through just sitting in a classroom. It's exciting to make their learning fun! Caryn Mears
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***********************************************************************PUPPETS, STUFFED ANIMALS, BEAT BUDDIES
12/11 I use puppets ( they all with open mouths) with Nursery, PK and first semester of kindergarten.Mr. Lion/Ms. Giraffe- Low/high
Mr. rabbit/ Ms. Turtle- fast/slow
Mr. elephant/Ms. cat- Loud/soft
Ms. Cow- Open mouth-singing- shut mouth- humming or keep song in her head ( a little difference in her mouth) Kodály wood tap heads (you hear a tapping sound when they open and close mouth). I use two. A boy and a girl. I tell the children they don't sing. They say the " way the words go", the rhythm of whatever we are working on.Chant/rhyme or song. Just the first line. One does the words and the other the titis and tas.
A couple of whales and ghosts for drills. ---- Elisa Franca, EARJ LS Music Specialist, PK-3rd Grade
Every class I invite one couple for our greeting circle in the beginning of each class. ---- Elisa
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10/08 A favorite with puppets is the story "The Boy Who Lived with the Bears" from the book "Songs From the Singing Sack." You can add as many different animals to that as you want. --- Camille Page
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10/08 I've gotten some wonderful puppets from Mary Meyer. Think I just found them on-line, but now our local Hallmark carries them. --- Julie Jones
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01/07 My favorite puppets are my 3 little Monkeys and Crocodile. We do the Three Little Monkeys poem to teach low, middle and high voices:
Three little monkeys swinging in a tree, along came a crocodile quiet as can be
The low monkey said “You can’t catch me!” Snap!
Two little monkeys swinging in a tree,
Along came a crocodile quiet as can be
The middle monkey said “You can’t catch me!” Snap!
One little monkey swinging in a tree, along came a crocodile quiet as can be
The high monkey said “You can’t catch me!” Snap! “
Missed me missed me, now you gotta kiss me!” ( sung on so-mi)
I have photos of my puppets on my website; www.musicplay.ca -- Denise Gagne, Musicplay - the Sequential Text Series [email protected]
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01/07 I have Buzzy Bee who sings, not stings, and we have extended conversations (that only I can hear when he speaks). He comments on behaviors, songs, the weather; he gets sassy and in trouble; he gets his feelings hurt when someone says he looks like a dog I stick my fingers in his ears and say,"I know he does, but don't say so out loud cuz it hurts his feelings; and the best part is that he give bee kisses. He touches his face to cheeks and says "bzzzt" and the kids ask for it even in 3rd grade. Grown-ups gets kisses sometimes too and they too are soo cute and delighted. I have two kissing bears, the magnetic lip action is priceless, Miss Pinky and Mr. Purple, creatively named after the color of their outfits. I use them to teach call and response, echo, etc. It gives the kids a strong visual clue of when their turn is. Real effective. They also do an extended dance, using the same antiphonal idea, with Serenade by Schubert. Surprisingly effective due to the repetition of sections and little motives. Love puppets. I'm a big fan of hand stamps too. Martha Stanley
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10/05 I introduce the kids to "Melody the Elephant". Have the kids "sing" what they'd like Melody to do---jump up and down, wiggle ears, jump up high, give a kiss etc. As long as they sing it to Melody she'll do it. But if they tell her in a speaking voice, she won't. My K's loved the activity, and we'd follow it with song #1 from Movement Songs Children Love: Elephants Have Wrinkles -- Denise Gagne www.musicplay.ca Musicplay - the Sequential Text Series
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10/04 BEAT BUDDIES We put my Ks or 1s in a circle and let them each go in a choose a Beat Buddy. They give it a name and introduce it to the beat buddies on either side of them. Some days they are beat buddies and some days they are melody buddies, according to what you want to focus on that day.
They bounce the buddies on their knees (together or alternating knees) while we sing or chant nursery rhymes like To Market, To Market, Humpty Dumpty, Cobbler, Cobbler Mend My Shoes, etc.
Tap rhythm echoes on their laps with their buddies.
We do Itsy Bitsy Spider and they use the name of what their buddy is (e.g., the itsy bitsy monkey went up...). We sing Are You Sleeping, then Frere Jaques. We do Twinkle and Starlight Starbright and show the melody direction with our buddies. We do a song from a Wee Sing video that I learned to the tune of Frere: Walking, walking, walking, walking. Hop, hop , hop. Hop, hop, hop. Running, running, running. Running, running, running. Now we stop. Now we stop.
There's a little song about an elevator that we do and show the direction. Also Ebeneezer Sneezer to show the scale. The scale song Tommy had a Brother, Hot Cross Buns with our buddies on our heads for the high note, our laps for the middle note and the floor for the low notes.
We sing vocal warmups and have the buddies go the right direction and show the steps and skips in the music. We sing Brown Bear (the book) to the tune of Twinkle Twinkle and they put in their buddy's description. Example: The class sings to a child who has a rabbit - White rabbit, white rabbit, what do you see? The child looks around the circle and sings about whatever animal they choose - I see a yellow duck, looking at me. So now the class looks at the child with the yellow duck and sings - Yellow duck, yellow duck, what do you see? and the child sings something back, perhaps - I see a green frog looking at me. And so it continues. I ask the children to keep their buddies on the floor in front of them until someone sings about their buddy. Then they are allowed to pick it up and put it in their lap. That way children know which animals are left to sing about.
So, what it amounts to, is use any song or chant literature that you wish and use the Beat Buddies as focusing tools. You can get 10-15 minutes (usually I do no more than 10) from your little ones. They love their buddies and always shout a big hi when they see the Beat Buddy Basket out on the floor as they arrive. -- Artie Almeida
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10/04 I use Arpeggio to do anything I want to - - don't get him out all that often, but use him for drill, for review, for dismissal. . . And I don't have the integrity to get behind a chair and let him play on his own - - I just hold him in my lap, switch him from hand to hand (my hands each get tired - - making that mouth work is a JOB! Not to mention having to remember to do it backwards from the way I do it instinctively - - I "naturally" CLOSE his mouth when it should be open, and vice versa), and don't even try to keep my own lips still - - I just talk for him and for me, in different voices. So far, not one kid has said, "I see your lips moving!" Any IDIOT can see my lips moving. . . On one or two limited occasions, I have had a little crapper start in with, "HE'S NOT REAL ! ! HE'S NOT REAL! ! " I reply that he's a real puppet. If that doesn't shut the little spoiler down, then I have Arpeggio get his feelings hurt, whisper in my ear that he doesn't want to talk to people who are being rude, hang his little head, and get back in his box. I always comfort him, and tell him that MOST of the kids love him - - chorus of replies. . . That's all I have to do - - the other KIDS take care of the spoiler ! ! ! Talk about peer pressure! ! I love it! ! ! So, give it a try, Cheryl! You'll be surprised at what you can do with him. Actually, Cheryl, with your dynamics, I suspect that Arpeggio will be a very natural alter ego for you. The two of you will understand each other TOTALLY. Puppets are strangely magic. Arpeggio is intended for the younger set, of course, but when the older ones get a glimpse of him, they want him to put in an appearance for them as well. And when an adult comes around, and a puppet speaks to him or her, they ALWAYS respond. It's amazing. It reminds me of a time many years ago when my mother was in the hospital, quite sick, and I saw a clown in the hall, visiting a young girl a few doors down. I asked him if he would come visit my mother, and he was extremely gracious - - and Mother was just charmed and delighted and overjoyed. She laughed and laughed, and talked to him as a clown -- These personalities seem to touch a secret spot of imagination like nothing else does. -- Carol Cantrell
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08/04 1. Mr. Glissando (stuffed teddy bear): Toss him in the air and students make siren sounds
2. Mr. Embouchure (tennis ball): You can use any tennis ball and cut a slit about half way through the ball. As you squeeze the sides of the slit it will open like a mouth. I also add eyes (can get them at any craft store or even at Wal-mart). I get most of my tennis balls from "Pestmart". They have several different styles and sizes. Some are Polk- a-dot, multicolored, or just a plain color (mostly yellow or green). They also have small tennis balls for the small breeds of dogs. I just bought some new ones that are confetti colored (small sized only). I got them from the Birthday section at "Petsmart". Yes, they have a Birthday section with all sorts of stuff. They even have Birthday hats for dogs (too funny). I use Mr. Embouchure to help get students to have nice open mouths when they sing. It really does help the student to get them to open their mouths.
3. Staccato and Marcato (twin brother sharks): I know sharks have a reputation for being scary, but mine are not. I bought them at "Toys R Us". They are large rubber sharks and to make them look cool, I painted musical notes and symbols all over them with fabric paint (puffy paint). I also cut their teeth out and repainted the inside of their mouths pink. They are vegetarians and can only gum you. I use them as reminders for making good choices. They hang from my ceiling, but I move them through out the year. Whenever a student begins to make bad choices I begin to tell a story: Once upon a time there was a little boy/girl who came to music class and thought that they could (insert behavior), but they were wrong,etc. I improvise these stories and they include Staccato and Marcato coming over to them and gumming them (not really, figure of speech) Eventually the student has to walk over to my door and change their card (green=good, yellow=warning, red=recess). Sometimes I make them move a certain way like skips to the door or jumps to the door, etc. You do have to know the class and the student before attempting this (I don't do this with all the time). Staccato bites (gums) first (yellow card) and Marcato bites second (red card). The sharks really don't move and gums the students they are just visual reminders. My kids love Staccato and Marcato (strange).
4. Solfia Solfege: Toucan bird puppet (I got it from Oriental Trading Co.) she likes to hear good singing (singing on pitch) especially when we do solfege activities. She is learning how to talk, but mostly she squeaks and dances whenever they do a good job. I do daily Sight-Singing exercises. I use the book "The Sight-Singer Vol. 1" by Audrey Snyder. I also make some of the solfege exercise up by pulling phrases from songs we are working on.
5. Candida "Can-Dee-Da" (A stuffed monkey with long arms and legs and she's bright pink): I attached hair ties (big cloth ones) to her hands and I slip my hands through the hair ties. I use her for echoing rhythm patterns. If they do it well with lots of energy then she will do a flip or two.
6. Jonas "Joe-nas" A little boy (looks somewhat like a troll) I got him on line, he is a Folkmanis puppet: I put my hands into his hands. I use him for echoing solfege phrase with hand signs. He also helps with steady beat activities. The kids copy what he does. Like patting different body parts. I use him mostly with the primary grades K-2, but the 4th and 5th graders have ask if he would come out for them.
7. Mr. Pooch (a little stuffed dog): He likes to hear students answers to SQUILT questions. I also use him for singing. We stand in a circle and I play the CD accomp. to a song and as everyone sings they toss him around the circle (they can throw him across the circle). When I pause the music the student who has Mr. Pooch sings the next phrase. Then I push play and everyone sings the phrase. Works well for assessments. 8. Mr. Tweety: This is one of those old fashion type toys where you push the bottom of it and the figure moves (plastic pieces attached to strings). You can try to make them dance or fall down, etc. I use Mr. Tweety to discuss posture. This was my first year using characters so my collection is small. I'm sure as time goes on we will be adopting many more characters. I like to get one to help with recorder playing. -- Contributed by Tami Mangusso
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1. I use a puppet to "snuggle" or "kiss" students on the cheek when they begin to use their singing voices. I introduce the puppet by name and then talk about how he/she LOVES to hear children use good singing voices. I tell them that he/she gets very, very excited when children use singing voices. When a child sings really well (i.e. in a greeting or song w/ a solo part), the puppet becomes "uncontrollable" and comes to kiss or snuggle a student to show how happy he/she is to hear such beautiful singing. I haven't used a snuggle/kiss puppet for months in 1st grade, but they still ask where he is. I tell them that he is helping the Kindergarteners now, so he needs a break.
2. I use a stuffed animal to show the shape of high/low vocalizations/slides. I have a teddy bear called Mr. Glissando whom I move in large circles, bounce, or toss in the air and have the children follow his movements with their voices. He also sometimes "whispers messages to me," such as, "Tell the children to be sure to open their mouths when they sing." I haven't used him this week and the kids really miss him.
3. I use "Frankie the Flamingo" to encourage improvisation and using a singing voice. I tell them that Frankie likes to be bossed around, but he's very picky--he'll only respond if you SING your direction to him (though as the children have improved, it's morphed into more of pitch-matching). The children have sung thousands of different directions to Frankie--everything from "dance" or "take Teacher's shoes" to "fly to me." For "fly to me," I toss him to a student, then the student stands up and brings him back to me. They also suggest Frankie hug various people. Those are the only times they actually have their hands on Frankie.
4. For the younger kids, I use puppets to play the two roles in call and response songs. I sing the song over a period of time w/ the puppets "singing" the two roles. Then I ask the students to sing with one of the puppets while I sing for the other puppet. Then I gradually wean the puppets away and do true call and response.-Contributed by Beth in AZ
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At the beginning of the year I introduced a cat puppet called "Georgia".
1. Before you show them the puppet, tell them about your special friend. A musical kitty cat who would love to hear them sing but is very very shy. I bought a $6.00 cat puppet at the local teacher supply store.
2. Lay out the rules for dealing with the character. I tell them that Georgia gets scared if they don't behave when she's there and she goes away if they don't follow the rules (i.e. I hide her behind my back). I have about 25 kinders/class and they sit cross legged on the floor. The routine and procedures for the classes are pretty established and the children know that when they are sitting on the floor they are not to crawl around or move out of their spot.
3. Once we're clear on the rules. No touching Georgia or rushing to see her. I introduce her to the class. I use Georgia every class at the same time: to sum up and review what we've learned in the lesson. She always visits at the end of the lesson, the rest of the time Georgia is "sleeping".
4. Georgia comes at the end to find out what they've learned and to sing the goodbye song with them. It is amazing how the children really believe that the puppet is real and they are absolutely crazy about her. They usually perform a song for her at the end and then we sing the goodbye song.
5. I then use Georgia as a dismissal tool. The children sit on the rug and I go to each one of them individually and Georgia gives them a kiss. This avoids everyone running over everyone else to line up and the kids go one by one to the line.
I have been pretty consistent with using Georgia right from the beginning of the year. I use Georgia as a theme in posters or when I write out the words to song I usually draw a little picture of Georgia. The kids LOVE her! They can't wait to see her every lesson and they ask me about her in the hall when I see them. They bring her pictures and even little presents.Oh, my "puppetry technique" consists of talking for Georgia in a high voice. Georgia sings, Georgia listens to the children sing and Georgia asks them questions about the lesson that they just learned. The whole thing with Georgia usually lasts about 5-7 minutes. The kids don't seem to notice or mind that I'm the one talking. They just accept that the high voice is Georgia's not mine. - Contributed by Mary Ann Swerdfeger in NYC
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02/02 http://www.folkmanis.com/
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01/02 Here is the website for Ability Plus to get the Plastic eye Puppets.
http://ability-plus.com/
the address for the company is:
11300 Expo Blvd #1207, San Antonio, TX 7823 OR P.O. Box 407, Junction, TX 76849 --------------------------
10/01 PUPPETS & SLIDE WHISTLES
Then we put the puppets down as low as they can go and sing sirens and move up and down with my bird slide whistle. Then the puppets are put away while we sing them a lullaby ('Bye-Baby-Oh') to put them back to sleep.
>From there, the class changes monthly. I do lots of movement activities with action songs. We work on finding lots of different ways to move: fast, slow, hopping, tip-toeing, patting, crawling, spinning, and clapping. What I find most important is giving a name to every movement we do. That way when the child uses it at home, Mom can reinforce it and it becomes part of their vocabulary. In the preschool class, the kids are asked to tell me how to put it in my song (So they're the ones giving it a name.)
We sing lots of songs such as 'Bought me A Cat,' 'Mary Wore a Red Dress,' and such. I like to use songs that repeat. The children tend to catch on after about four verses!
We always play an instrument game usually allowing the kids to play many different instruments. I always insist they play only when I give them the signal to play. This way they 'make music and not noise.' Seymore comes out to sing goodbye and class is over! I don't know what kind of lifestyle Ms. Teresi wants, but I betcha this operation could go on a larger scale. It might be possible for her to schedule teacher training programs in this curriculum, and then print up enough song books, training manuals, and certificates for the persons who sign up. If you are skilled in public relations, maybe you can make her a deal.
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I recommend John Feierabend's books "Music for Very Little People" and "Music for Little People." Also I recommend a video entitled "Babies Make Music," which demonstrates involvement with making music, moving to music, and exploring sounds.
Objectives which should be relegated to a later age group are to "sit quietly in a circle, follow directions in a musical game, to sing in tune, or even to sing along with a song," or "to clap specific rhythmic patterns."
They LOVE doing motions with the songs. If there aren't any already incorporated in the song, make some up. The simpler, the better! It makes the song more interesting and exciting for them, and seems to help keep them focused. (Obviously you don't have to do this with EVERY song - - but it's a fun option to keep in mind!)
As we all know, this age group has favorite songs, and they are generally quite happy to sing the same ones that they love over and over! I've found that when I want to introduce a new song, using a puppet to do the introduction really helps. They love the different puppets and will pay attention to what the puppet is asking them to listen to and do! They especially like it if the puppet asks for their "help" in singing the song with him after he's sung it for them once, and then the puppet will come around to each of them so they can pet him after they've sung the song together.
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]10/01I recommend John Feierabend's books "Music for Very Little People" and "Music for Little People." Also I recommend a video entitled "Babies Make Music," which demonstrates involvement with making music, moving to music, and exploring sounds.
Objectives which should be relegated to a later age group are to "sit quietly in a circle, follow directions in a musical game, to sing in tune, or even to sing along with a song," or "to clap specific rhythmic patterns."
They LOVE doing motions with the songs. If there aren't any already incorporated in the song, make some up. The simpler, the better! It makes the song more interesting and exciting for them, and seems to help keep them focused. (Obviously you don't have to do this with EVERY song - - but it's a fun option to keep in mind!)
As we all know, this age group has favorite songs, and they are generally quite happy to sing the same ones that they love over and over! I've found that when I want to introduce a new song, using a puppet to do the introduction really helps. They love the different puppets and will pay attention to what the puppet is asking them to listen to and do! They especially like it if the puppet asks for their "help" in singing the song with him after he's sung it for them once, and then the puppet will come around to each of them so they can pet him after they've sung the song together.
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11/01 BEAT BUDDIES
I am actually bringing my two boxes of buddies to the meeting and am going to make them all bounce a buddy! Here are the ideas I collected. I attribute them all to Artie, except for the ones I have credited to me! Enjoy having them all in one place!
BEAT BUDDY IDEAS
1. Who likes Beat Buddies? ? Pre-K-grade 1 and special ed
2. Where do I get my Beat & Melody Buddies! ? I just put a note in the school newsletter saying the Music Department needed good condition, used or new stuffed toys, and I got about 100!
? Raid your attic. I got two boxes full of saved stuffed toys from my own kid's collection
3. What do I do with my Beat Buddies?
? take the big beat buddy box and dump it out in the middle of the circle, then let a few kids at a time pick their beat buddy (call them by clothing colors, hair color, birth month, pets they own, whatever).
? I'll use the buddies 3 or 4 times throughout the year.
? use them for steady beat, up & down melodic direction (climbing up our bodies and down), and loud & soft (put to sleep w/a lullaby, then woke w/loud "Wake Up!").
? We take them with us when we do a moving song and sometimes they take 'naps' in our laps when I'm talking. The beat buddies get lots of hugs and kisses before they are put back in the bag!
? always try to do at least 5 or 10 minutes of steady beat activities in each k-2 lesson
? We bounce them on our laps and sing nursery rhymes, or chant poems. Simple stuff is best, like Frere Jacques or Row Row Row Your Buddy (boat). Cobbler, Cobbler and To Market, to Market ,work well. When you do nursery rhymes like Humpty Dumpty, let the beat buddies take the tumble for fun.
? There's also a little parody of Frere in one of the Wee Sing collections "Walking, walking, walking, walking, hop, hop, hop. Hop, hop, hop. Running, running, running, running,running, running, now we stop (rest) Now we stop(rest).
? We stand up in the circle and do that one with our beat buddies in our hands.
? They like to sing Rock a Bye Baby to their buddies, even the little boys. If they get rowdy, or unkind to their buddies I take it until they remember their manners. (Taking one instantly insures good treatment by all of the other kids - and I return it to the offender in about 2 minutes.
? When we use them as melody buddies, we show the melodic direction with our buddies. For instance, in "mi-re-do"songs like Hot Cross Buns, or Mary's Lamb, we put them on our head for each mi, our shoulders for each re, and our laps for each do. We'll sing Do-a-Deer and move them up and down in front of us. Teddy Bear (with its repeating 5-5-3, 5-5-3 pattern ) works
great, and so does Twinkle. We add our own bodies on the repeats, showing the direction with our buddies in our hands.
? One of their favorites is singing The Itsy Bitsy Spider and they sing whatever their buddy is. Ex - The Itsy Bitsy Penguin . . . etc. This is also a good solo opportunity. One child brings his beat buddy up front and he sings the first line as a solo "The itsy bitsy doggie went up the water spout - the whole class sings the next two lines (down came the rain . . . out came the sun . .) then the soloist finishes the song with "and the itsy bitsy doggie went up the spout again." The soloist dramatizes the verse with their buddy up in front of the class. I usually pick 3 or 4 soloists each time we get the buddies out.
? Greg & Steve recorded Brown Bear to the tune of "Twinkle" on their album Playing Favorites. It's a very sweet arrangement, or you can sing your own. Then Karen Medley (I don't think she'll mind me sharing this) did a version where all students have stuffed toys and sit in a circle. The whole class starts by singing the song (tune of Twinkle) and putting in whatever animal the teacher is holding. For instance, "Yellow duck, yellow duck, what do you see?" and the teacher (holding the yellow duck) then sings the next line using an animal that some child is holding, "I see a pink elephant looking at me."
Now the class sings "Pink elephant, pink elephant, what do you see?" and the child with the elephant gets a solo "I see the brown dog looking at me." or whatever animal they want to sing (that another classmate is holding.) It's a wonderful way to get your little guys comfortable with singing solos, and you get an individual assessment opportunity. The game goes on until all animals have been called. It's hard to remember who's had a turn so I have the children hold the stuffed animals on their shoulder until they've gotten to solo, then they put it on the floor. That way it's easy to see who needs to be sung to.
? Use Music All Over Me mini-musical by Alan Billingsly and John Jacobson. 2 songs from this musical are "March Around the Room" and "Sway". March with buddies and sing along. "Sway" is good for settling down, rock your buddies to the music.
? When it was time to put the beat buddies away I sang new words to "Put Your Finger In The Air":
? Put your buddy in the air in the air...how's the air up there?
? Put your buddy way down low...see how far he'll go
? Put your buddy by your side...do not let him hide
? Put your buddy in the box...this game really rocks-put your buddy in the box, in the box!
HAVE FUN WITH YOUR BEAT BUDDIES!
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11/01 BEAT BUDDY IDEA
I had the opportunity to buy some historical figure beanies last year on close out: Cleopatra, Emilia Erhart, Christopher Columbus, Beethoven, Mozart, Leonardo da Vinci, Ben Franklin, George Washington, Hariet Tubman, to name a few. We talked about the historical significance (very briefly) - actually, I would ask them first to guess who it was (with a hint, if necessary) and then handed them out. We then performed "Eanie Meanie Beanie Beanie" from Music K-8, Volume 10???Spring???, bouncing to the beat to the directions in the song. Great song for this purpose.
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11/01 Here's an idea I have used with Beat Buddies that has been successful. (Thanks Artie, for sharing such a powerful idea!)
We put the buddies to sleep by signing and singing "Sol-mi, Good-night." When I say, "Let's put our buddies to sleep," the children automatically get the sol hand position ready.
We wake them up by signing and singing the Do octave "Do - Do, Wake-up." When I say, "Let's wake up our buddies," the children automatically get the low Do position ready.
Each student knows that his buddy will be put back in his cage if he touches his buddy during sleep time. This has really been a fun way to keep control, when I don't want them using their buddies. Yet, their buddies stay close at hand so that we can use them to help learn or practice a concept.
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11/01 I just started with Beat Buddies with first grade about two weeks ago. I ordered a box of assorted little ones from Oriental Trading.
I always do attendance with call/response, so I tried going around the room, looking at each Buddy, and singing "Who has the black bear?" It didn't work! A child looked at me funny, and said "That's a dog, not a bear!" So of course half the class had to correct me on how I named the animals! So last week I decided to let THEM be in charge. Each child sang about his own Buddy, and the whole class responded. "I have the bunny." "Sarah has the bunny!" We got through a class of 30 without anyone losing interest! And they LOVE Eenie Meenie Beanie Beanie.
Then I didn't get the box put away and the 4th graders begged to know what they were for, so they did the call/response and song too.
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I have taught pre-schoolers with the Suzuki "Precorders" for several years now. I even think they come in something other than grey...like bright colors. They are designed for smaller hands, don't come apart, and make a passable tone...not the best, but they certainly have all holes! They are very tactile - raised ridges around the holes. I have also had great success with them at the Children's Center for the Visually Impaired. Try their web site... -- Contributed by Marilyn Lake Bonjour Elementary - Shawnee Mission, KSBACK to PreSchool topics
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11/08 John Feierabend's stuff is also great for the wee ones. I personally like Dr. Jean's songs for curriculum integration, but I NEVER use her CDs because they are pitched way too low for the kids. Loretta Mitchell's One, Two, Three Echo Me now comes with a CD. Also I Sing, You Sing is good for echo songs. --- Judy Schneider-------------------------------------
11/08 Anything by Hap Palmer http://www.happalmer.com/. And Lee Campbell-Towell - Cat Paws http://www.mycatpaws.com/ --- Dale Mize
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11/08 *Kids in Motion - Greg and Steve (all their stuff is good, but this album got the most use) *Get Ready, Get Set, Sing: Songs for Early Childhood & ESL - Sarah Barchas Singable Songs (all volumes) - Raffi (lots of the old standard children's literature plus Raffi songs), Music for Little People: 50 Playful Activities for Preschool & Early Elementary School Children - John Feierabend, Movement Songs - Denise Gagne --- Connie Herbon
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One I like is Jill Gallina's "Hand Jivin."-- Judy in WI
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01/07 I just finished my first 6 day rotation (6 days in a row of "the first day of school") and for Kinder, I used the songs "Marching Around the Alphabet" with a laminated package of pre-die-cut letters and "Colors" with my set of bean bags. I also used the song "What are you Wearing." My Kinders are very high functioning, so when I pointed to them, I had them tell me a word that starts with their letter. They LOVED it. And each class bragged to their teacher about the words they came up with, ha! I also had them pat the steady beat on their bean bag for "Colors." - Marti Rankin
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01/07 I love Denise Gagne's books and activities for the little kids - all of them! Also, they thoroughly enjoyed Joe Scruggs' songs. (Joescruggs.com) I also got quite alot of mileage out of "Songs that Teach" by Sara Jordan. I had them for 40 minutes, and I can say that we hit on about 8 activities/songs per 40 minutes. Plan, plan, and over-plan. Vary activities; sitting, moving, singing,playing, reading a book, etc. Be very structured. Be joyful! -- Patti Oeste
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08/04 CALENDAR KIDS Songs of the months and holidays
"Sparky(R) & the Firehouse 5(4 C's & A Q)(R)"-Cd of fire-safety songs written under the auspices of the NFPA. (National Fire Protection Assoc). These can be ordered through Gloria Nissenson, 150 East 77th St.
NYC NY 10021, 212-249-2798, Fax 212-628-5819, [email protected] www.golliwoggalaxy.com
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02/04 CD: SIMPLIFIED RHYTHM ACTIVITIES:
Today was my annual day with kinders. I started with a song I saved from the list that gives singing directions "Walk around the room, jump around the room," etc. and each line ends "and now sit down." Then I used pictures of assorted critters and we said and clapped the syllables and then put them on rhythm sticks, which we held like sleeping babies when not in use, thanks to one of you. We did three songs from the CD: “Simplified Rhythm Stick Activities,” then grooved to Trashin' the Camp. Next we played "Jelly in the Bowl" which they all thought was hysterically funny.
Each child is jelly in a bowl. You do a song and dance about not getting the jelly outside the bowl because it's a mess to clean up, which keeps them in self-space. The rhyme is: Jelly in the bowl, jelly in the bowl, wiggle waggle, wiggle waggle, jelly in the bowl. On "jelly in the bowl" they freeze. On wiggle waggle, they can move what you do. The directions suggested moving from tiny (one finger) to huge (whole body) as the game progresses, reminding them to freeze at each "jelly."
I played a baritone and a piccolo and we talked about high and low. I transferred it to the piano and they still got it. We listened to a few short selections from Carnival of the Animals and guessed the animal, ending with the aquarium. We swam slowly around the room, ending on our backs on the floor. I popped on Enya and did a little guided listening bordering on hypnosis. Still underwater, they slowly rose and lined up. As they were leaving, several kids said that was their favorite of all the (millions of) things we did. - Contributed by Andrea Cope
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01/04 I use the students energy to my advantage and also work off some Christmas calories! I avoid all issues of holidays and the kids love it! I had 5th graders coming in (to a cleared out room) saying "Yeah we get to dance today!" This is good for anytime that you want them busy, busy busy. It also wears them out and teachers love that! I use basically John Jacobson's "Conga in the Kitchen" and "Around the World with Me". I throw in a little "Kids Dance Party" for good measure. This is about 40-45 minutes of dancing, you can add or delete as needed. I also leave time for drinks at the end. I do this 1-5 with a modified K version. I use a big map and we discuss things about each country as we "travel" there.
Have fun!
DANCING AROUND THE WORLD (note: For “Singing Around the World” see Repetoire in this file)
Start in Cleveland Ohio at the Rock N Roll Hall of fame: Dance to "YMCA" (shorten)
Travel to: Central America: Dance "Conga in the Kitchen"
Travel to: Hawaii: Dance "Do The Hula"
Travel to: Japan/Korea/ Taiwan: Dance to "Kung Fu Kicks"
Travel to: Austria: Dance "Who Wants to Waltz"
Travel to: Russia: Dance to "Russian Kicks"
Travel to: Israel: Dance the Israeli "Circle Dance"
Travel to: US on a cloud and play "Riding on a Cloud"
Dance to "The Twist" - Contributed by Linda Barnhart in MD
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12/03 Here's one link for you. I've had success with kindergarten using these CDs: Around The World in Dance, Big Fun, Get Ready To Square Dance, Move Your Dancing Feet, Square Dancing Made Easy....
http://edact.com/search.cfm?search_text=dance&page=1 -- Contributed by Dale Mize
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CDs by Jim Gill. Check out JimGill.com (I think). I believe he has a Master's degree in Child Development, and it shows. I greatly prefer Jim to people like Greg and Steve or even John Jacobson. What's funny about these CDs is that I also use them with my fifth graders, and have even had fifth grade boys ask me where they can buy those CDs! To me, that is one of the tests or true quality ( as opposed to, say, Barney, where kids outgrow and sometimes even despise it after a certain age).
Recordings by Ella Jenkins esp. "Walk and Stop," and "Play Your Instruments and Make a Pretty Sound"
Greg and Steve recordings.
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***********************************************************************LEARNING THEIR NAMES!!
11/08 My kids sit in a circle on the floor. First class of the year I arrange them so they're sitting in alphabetical order by their FIRST name. By the third class, they all remember their "spots". Then we pitch match their names around the circle. On So/Mi I sing.."Alex" he replies "Here I am" and so on around the circle. I usually have all names memorized by Halloween! --- Dotty Moffett----------------------------------------
12/07 MAGICAL, MUSICAL SINGING CROWNS: [..] saved me this year with my Ks Don't be turned off by the title! All they were were different colored sentence strips with their names on them, stapled together to make a "crown"! EASY! I would slide them on to a string and hang them on one of my closet doors in the room. Now, mind you, I LOVE the K's so I was very dramatic with them and how they couldn't touch them because they were magical and I just KNEW that they would become wonderful singers because they were wearing this crown etc. etc.! It was so much fun AND I just had to look up at them and SEE their names. I would sing to each of them "Where is Melody, where is Melody" and they would answer/sing back to me. Towards the middle of the year, using this, they learned what a duet or a trio or a quartet was. It was the best year I have ever had in terms of learning K's names. I only see them once a week so it has always been a challenge! The rest of the kids (Grades 2 -5) I have seating charts and I have to really make myself use them. If I do, then I can get those names learned pretty quickly. Try the sentence strips with the Ks though. It was great fun and they were out of the way etc. At the end of the year, they WORE them home. GREAT FUN and very effective! I teach around 460 students twice a week. -- Kathleen Bragle,NBCT '02
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12/07 SINGING GAMES: I use a lot of name games with my students at the beginning of the year, not only for me, but for any new students who also have to learn their classmates names.
Here are some of the ones I use:
Pizza Pizza
Paw Paw Patch
At the Bottom of the Sea (very sweet!)
Peas Porridge Hot (second verse)
Wallflowers
I also, with the younger ones, sing their name for calling the roll, and they have to answer back (on some variation of s-m). For instance, I may tell them "when I sing your name, sing back "pumpkin". -- Julie Jones
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01/16 INTRODUCING XYLOS TO KINDERGARTENERS: I had a lot of success today in teaching kindergarteners to play xylophones. Thought I'd share for any possible new people, and maybe others who have taught for years but haven't found anything that "clicked" for them. Our school has 3 xylos and a metallophone, so that's what we used. Glocks are too small for their level of hand-eye coordination. First the bass xylo was brought out. "ooooohhhh" and "aaaaahhhh" from the crowd of little ones seated on the risers. This is a xylophone, kids. We play it by picking it up and shaking it. ("NOOOOOO!" from the crowd.) Really? Well, how do you play it? ("You hit it!") So I hit the side with my knuckles. ("NOOOOOOO!") After several misguided attempts, we figured out that you use the round side of the mallets and hit them on the wooden bars. Huh... who woulda guessed? We discussed "turtle tails" -- holding the mallet with a little of the stick poking out from the bottom of your fist. Then we closed our eyes and pretended to put our hands on our bicycle handlebars. Now open your eyes, boys and girls. Which is higher: your elbows or your hands? ("Our elbows!") That's the way to play the mallets -- always have your elbows higher than the mallets. Do you ride your bicycle with your pointer fingers laying on the handlebars? "(No, that's silly!") Then you don't play with your pointer fingers laying on the mallets, either. We made a line of 4 kids behind each instrument. Small-town Texas, small classes. We picked up the mallets; checked our 'turtle tails' and 'handlebars' -- and then they played. We did a "kangaroo hop" -- playing both hands simultaneously -- and alternating hands. Then we 'swirled', going smoothly up and down the bars, because they always want to do that and you might as well have it controlled; then we 'walked' up the bars from the biggest to the littlest and down again. "Mallets down, back of the line -- hurry up, we don't have much time!" is the saying we use to rotate. Next kid up. Pick up your mallets. Checks tails, handlebars, and pointer fingers. Play...A FANTASTIC use of 30 minutes per class. They were well-behaved, everyone got to play, and they loved it. ---- Nikki Febinger--------------------
12/09 ORFF BOOKS: Exploring Orff and Discovering Orff. Both are from Schott Music. You may find them on ebay or amazon.com.
Buy "Mallet Madness by Artie Almeida from Heritage Music Press.
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12/09 TEMPLE BLOCKS: I have temple blocks from Peripole, and they are GREAT!!!! --- Becky in NH
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12/09 ORFFESTRATIONS - Orffestrations out there for simple 4-8 measure melodies (like Hot Cross Buns, Mary Had a Little Lamb, Twinkle Twinkle Litle Star, Scotland's Burning, etc...)
Chord Bordun: tonic and fifth of the scale played together usually on beats 1 & 3 in 4/4 and 3/4 time and beat 1 in 2/4 time.
Broken Bordun: same tones but play tonic first followed by the fifth. You could even vary rhythm: in C Major, for example, your might play C GG C G in 4/4 time. Maybe C GG G in 3/4 time or C GG in 2/4 time.
Level Bordun: same as chord bordun, but the second chord is an octave higher. Sooooo, in 4/4 and 3/4 you would play (C Major again) C & G on beat one and the higher C & G on beat 3. You can also split the Level Bordun between instruments. Example: the first C & G in the Bass Xylophone and the second C & G on the alto xylophone. And, of course, it would be on the 1C and 5G on the alto instrument as it sounds an octave higher. --- Cak
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11/08 QUESTION: I would love some good ideas for Kindergarten. I have “Mallet Madness” and the “Orff Source” and “In All Kinds of Weather.” What lessons from these are successful with K or what resources should I be looking at? --- Summer in AR
You have some good books for starters. I used The Orff Source a lot. Also get Lynn Kleiner's Kids Make Music. Her tunes are simple and suggestions are in there. Kriske and Delelles have some great stuff in Strike It Rich: mallet activities. They do a wonderful job giving you all the steps in processing the learning. You should also look at Gameplan by them for the future. A whole Orff curriculum is there. The most important things with K are just feeling comfortable playing two hands together in simple bourdons on the steady beat (not too easy for some) and then alternating hands. Choose songs which stay in pentatonic so that you are using 2 notes and remove other bars around them.
I had a lot of fun with sharing books with my Ks and soliciting their ideas for acting them out. That gets them thinking about the sounds of barred and unpitched. They also made a lot of use of my scarves!! I used a version of Mallet Madness with my 4s and 5s in Bible School with chants and simple songs which fit our theme, some of which I adapted or made up. Just keep in mind your goals for that age group: reinforcing steady beat, proper mallet technique, following directions, encouraging creativity, listening, and having fun. I find I can make most anything in literature into an Orff lesson.
Most fun and successful at this time of year was 1st grade. Their unit was Things That Scare Me. One of the books they read was "Where the Wild Things Are". In a 40-minute lesson we developed a play with the instruments and other sounds, the wildest kid in class as the kid (name escapes me right now), a wonderful noisy rumpus. I always invited the teacher and aide to come back 5 minutes early to see the play. With Ks I did similar with Dream Snow in the winter. I read that with soft Chinese music, Snow is Falling, in the background and then we began acting it out some. We spent a second session creating our own music with the instruments in a pentatonic scale. --- Ardith Roddy
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I have used "In All Kinds of Weather" with great success in pre K and Kindergarten. Lynn Kleiner's resources are some of my very favorites for this age! My favorite lessons are Five Little Leaves (we pretend our bodies are trees and we hold 5 felt leaves. During the song, we blow in the wind and show the descending melodic line as we drop them one by one. They ask for this over and over!), Five Handsome Sailors (I made newspaper sailor hats for five children; they act out the song while others play "running music" on the xylophones in f pent. The other orchestration suggestions are in the book), The Wind Blew East (we used resonator bars on the steady beat for part B, "wind" music on the barred instruments for part A; you can also add movement), Five Little Jingle Bells (made pipe cleaner circles, each holding one jingle bell, put 5 on a rhythm stick and sang the song, dropping them into the "snow" one at a time), Five Little Snowmen (5 children held laminated snowmen, with one child holding a sun stick puppet, melting each snowman; others created "melting" music on the bars), Chubby Little Snowman (used animal puppets and a feltboard snowman, with the food eyes, etc; sang this song and each child with an animal puppet came up to the felt board and "ate" their food part of the snowman), White Feathers (used a hand drum, disguised as a cloud, filled with white feathers; some children played bars, others "caught" the snowflake feathers) Warm Wendall (also used a felt board Wendall and acted this out, while singing), Who's That Hatching (used beanie baby animals andscarves to hide the animals to "hatch out of, while keeping the steady beat during the song)....You can tell that this has been a great resource for my classes! (I also used Eency Weency Spider (scale steps on bars) and Five Little Jack O'Lanterns (with laminated fence and velco pumpkins for each child), Snow (with laminated snowflakes) and Cuckoo Clock (with a cuckoo clock puppet). All of her activites that I've tried have been favorites with PreK and K!
Another great one from Mallet Madness (love it, love it, love it – want Volume 2!!) for K is the activity for "Rumble in the Jungle" book and "Peanut Butter and Jelly". I second Ardie's suggestion from Lynn Kleiner's book, "Kids Make Music" - my K's loved "Bell Horses", "Old Gray Cat", "Two Little Sausages" and "Percussion Family" (use this one every year!). ---- Maria in NC
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10/04 I highly recommend you order "The Orff Source" by Denise Gagne: musicplay.ca
It is filled with games that my kinders love. There are also games for older grades including John Kanaka (5th grade) and they are wonderful. Go here and order it. You won't regret it. And you'll have classes of Kinders that love to sing and do it well, also.
-- Patricia Albritton
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GETTING KIDS TO INSTRUMENTS Another good change of instrument chant to use is: 1,2,3,4 time to get up off the floor. 5, 6,7,8, hurry don't be late! -then everyone plays a "C" on their new instrument to complete the rhythm. I think I got this idea from Artie Almeida
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Every Spring I introduce my kinders to the xylophones with Hot Cross Buns. We learn to sing it and we perform actions: Clap, cross shoulders, patch. We sing it in the key of G so it's B,A,G. We use the same actions but backwards for "one a penny, two a penny." I bake or buy Hot Cross Buns and let them sample them as I tell them a little of the history from England. I show them how to play the barred instruments and show them the difference in the xylophone and the metallophone. We remember that every instrument has something that vibrates. We look at the thickness and length of the bars and have a mini science lesson. I draw the letters on the bars I have drawn on the board.
We practice singing the letters as we "air mallet." We sing the letters/note names, the words, and "high, middle, low." We practice using our air mallets on the floor on our imaginary xylophones and finally we take turns playing the instruments. They are so excited to play them and we take turns by using the chant I got out of one of the "Orff" books I have: "Move on over. Move on over. Move on over and we'll do it again.
The person that just played moves to the opposite end of his row and we do it all over again! I have a bass, alto, soprano and a metallophone at my morning school. I set up one instrument per row and we all get a turn during one class period. I have many sets of melody bells at my afternoon school so they get to play a bit more.-- Contributed by Kristin Lukow ~ Nebraska
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***********************************************************************ROUNDS
05/21 Rounds are a little too difficult for kinders. Mine are still learning how to match pitch consistently.I do lots and lots of echo singing in kindergarten and in 1st grade. I do start Frere Jacques in 1st grade. Row, Row, Row is next and then 3 Blind Mice. We combine these rounds as partner rounds at the end of 1st grade and they are very good at it.s
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MUSICALS
10/01 I do a lot of Orff, and so I like to use stories that have a repeated phrase or are cumulative. Caps for Sale (using simple sol, mi, la with 'Caps, caps, caps for Sale'). Or The Mitten you can have a different rhythm instrument or rhythmic pattern for each animal. So many of those 'musicals' are not developmental and have ranges that are not suitable for primary students, but some parents (and teachers) don't seem to mind kids yelling, or not matching pitch or forcing chest voice.
I am referring to the books (or stories) where the teacher or the teacher with the children create sung phrases or rhythmic patterns or colors for the repeated phrases or cumulative repetitions from the literature itself.
Other books you can use are Henny Penny, It Could always be Worse, Gingerbread Man, Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain, Dragon Stew, I can't remember the title now, but it's ____the Penguin, Over in the Meadow. Another fun thing to do is to take nursery rhymes - especially with a theme and string them together with melodic or rhythmic patterns (such as Wee Willie Winkie, Star Light Star Bright, I see the Moon, Twinkle twinkle). That can have more action with more "solos" if that's what you're into, but you can also dress up the set rather inexpensively.
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10/01 Ruth Roberts Musicals (through Plank Road Publishing) The Ruth Roberts musicals are pretty good. There are some musicals called Stone Soup, 3 Piggy Opera, and 3 Nanny Goats that are really good. I don't remember who they are written by right now. They come with an accompaniment tape and even lessons related to performances.
I teach K-5 and have used a couple of the Ruth Roberts items before. I used one last spring for my kindergarten and another for my 1st grade. I thought the accompaniments were not of the highest quality but the students really fell in love with the musicals. I would probably use them again and they are a terrific buy for the price. I used one called "Circus, Circus" and the other was called "Animals."
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SONGS & BOOKS OF SONGS
12/09 MUFFIN MAN: Greg & Steve have a fun one my kids love on their CD WE ALL LIVE TOGETHER Volume 2; Ella Fitzgerald did a great jazz arrangement of the song....her Old MacDonald is pretty terrific as well!
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06/07 TONY CHESTNUT: (each line 2x, point to each body part, on love, cross hands on chest)
Toe - Knee - Chest - Nut (head ) (d r m d )
Nose - Eye - Love - You (m f s s)
Toe - Knee - Chest - Nut (head ) (s-l s-f m d)
Nose - Eye - Love - You (d s’ d d) Increase the speed for fun!
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01/02 Sally Albrecht's "I Sing, You Sing" is great! Each song is sung as an echo, and there is a CD with it for those days when your voice is tired. My Kindergarten and first grade students love it, and it is so good for pitch-matching practice. There are many songs, and a lot of them have to do with weather, special days, and other good topics for integration with the classroom teachers. I sometimes pop it in for the last few minutes of class and just let them be the echo.
10/01 You might be interested in this website. www.uptownmusic.com.au Big selection of music backing tracks.
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01/02 My K's have never failed to eat up (sorry) "I'm being Swallowed by a Boa Constrictor" ... I think Raffi does it. I use my guitar for accomp and then strum loudly and hit the side for the ending.
Hokey Pokey
Allison's Camel in the "Music Connection" - the kids like to be the "humps"
under sheets ...
Apples and Banannas - Raffi and Music Connection (grade one i think)
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10/01 1. Sing 'Winnie the Pooh", letting the child do the "Pooh", then repeat the melody with La-la-las, clapping wildly if child catches on and says "la" instead of "Pooh" at the proper time. Then go through the entire alphabet, then move on to one-syllable words.
2. Sing "Eensy-Weensy Spider" with the hand movements. Notice what label (verbal or movement) the child gives to the song. Around here it's hands waving in the air.
3. Sing the tune of "Found a peanut" (also "Oh. My Darling") with names of family or friends, or special events - we love it like this:
Here is a song for toilet training:
Whinky potty, whinky potty, whinky potty right now, Right now we whinky potty, whinky potty right now. We use the arm motion of waving a pretend flag, left and right, high in the air.
4. We play Match Pitches. Adult sings a note for as long as they can, Child joins in when they feel like it. Then Child may take lead, and adult joins in. Eventually, Child leads and adult harmonizes.
A few months later, adult starts and child picks harmony. It's helpful to have more than one adult play. We like to have each player join hands by touching just the fingertip of the first finger. Lately we've been sliding the notes up and down and going into "ohms". It's a lot of fun.
5. Certain old rock-and-roll songs lend themselves to harmonizing with the almost-two set. "When the lights go down in the city." And "Take a load of Fanny" by the Band (By the way, if anyone know the correct woman's name, we sure would appreciate it. Some times we take a load off Annie, Mandy, Fanny, and Sandy - it's embarrassing) 6. Here's an alternate version of 'Three Blind Mice" that I made up:
Three kind mice, three kind mice, See how they run, having so much Fun
They jump in the air and they roll on the floor, Their friends always ask them to play some more,
They tip they hat and roll out the door! Three kind mice.
7. We have a small chewable vitamin. At 15 months our son loved chewing it. Our trouble was having to limit him to one per day. He would always ask for more (gesturing). So I would sing to him:
"One pill a day," that's what the doctors say! "One pill a day," that's what the doctors say!
You can take your fluoride, that will make your teeth strong. "One pill a day," that's what the doctors say!
And I would wave my pointer finger in the air. This worked great. He would still ask for more, but we got the feeling that it was usually just to hear the song, Then He would imitate the finger dance, then sing along, gradually adding words. Now he sings it himself. (We still keep the pills out of reach.)
Me again: I once tried to put on the Hindemith children's opera "Let's Build a Town" with an elementary school group. I had to give up on it because I couldn't teach the children to harmonize. I should have tried Robin's system of matching, then harmonizing pitches.
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SONG MATERIAL
5/21 Some favorites: Most of these songs are from the "public domain" and can be found in many collections.
"Going on a Bear Hunt"...can't go over it can't go under it...
Going over the Sea ("...going over, going under, stand like a soldier with a one, two three.")
Going Over the Sea: The kids love this activity. I do this song with bean bag animals. Students find a partner, and face them for the first part of the song. For "going over" they turn their backs to each other and pass the beanbag over their heads; "going under" the beanbag goes between their legs; "stand at attention like a soldier" they face each other and salute; "with a one, two, three" they pass the beanbag to the partner on three.
Five Little Ducks ("...over the hills and far away")
The Bear Went Over the Mountain, Bluebird, Bluebird (through my window)
Here We Go 'Round the Mulberry Bush, I'll Race you Down the Mountain
Hokey Pokey (you don't have to just do "put your... in/out; change for other aspects of directionality)
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, Looby Lou (again, you can change the words for other directions)
Pick a Bale o' Cotton, Charlie Over the Ocean, Old Brass Wagon, Sally Go 'Round the Sun
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INTERNATIONAL SONGS
Ella Jenkins
Check out ANNA MOO - at www.Annamoo.com Very multi-cultural music,
especially the new release, HOLY COW!...songs in English, Swahili, Greek, Hebrew, Spanish...
"The MusicMan", an Australian performer from English/Jamaican origins has a great song entitled " Around the world " from his "Around the world" Album. You can check him out on his website http://www.themusicman.com.au Paul has a very refreshing approach to childrens music and it is very palatable to adults too, and it really is.
David Jack has some wonderful music and the K's and primary grades love it. You can check it out at: [email protected]
Greg and Steve have some good movement pieces and some nice songs; several cd's/tapes. There is also a book with 6 albums of songs/activities:
"We All Live Together" published by Hal Leonard
Sharon, Lois and Bram have some good movement songs;
Great cd: Growing Up with good movement music plus activities involving opposites, left/right, etc., Phyllis Weikart's "Rhythmically Moving" music is always great for steady beat activities;
"Hop 'Til You Drop" is another movement tape;
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***********************************************************************RHYTHM
06/04 ENGINE, ENGINE #9I teach my students to sing Engine Engine with an 8 beat spoken and rhythmic interlude after each repetition of the song. First they say: "Yes, no, maybe so." Then they clap the rhythm of "ta ta ti-ti ta".
er they know the song with the interlude, I set up 4 "train stations" in my room. Each train station has a drum. I have two congas, a tenor drum and one tubano set up in different places in the room. The kids form 4 trains. I tell each train which part of the room their tracks are located. While they sing the song, the engine of the train leads their train in their part of the room. They have to listen carefully so that they arrive at their train station when the song is over. The kids then say and clap the interlude while the "engine" of each train gets to play the ta ta ti-ti ta rhythm on the drum two times. The "engine" becomes the caboose after playing the rhythm, the next student of the train becomes the new engine and off they go. The kids love this game.
I had one student who taught us a different spoken interlude of "Yes, no, maybe so. Riding on a buffalo. All the way to Mexico". You could add some train engineer caps and possibly train whistles if you wanted to really make a production out of it. -- Contributed by Loretta Harvey
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01/04 One of my favorites with little ones (K-1-2..) is a cd called "Simplified Rhythm Stick Activities." I think I got it from West Music. I put my kids in a circle, give them each 2 rhythm sticks, and away we go! It includes "Sesame Street Theme Song," "It's a Small World," "Mickey Mouse March," and others. The rhythm stick directions are stated. There's also a separate track with just music so you could do your own thing, or perform without the narration. - Contributed by Brenda Williams
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STEP ASIDE POKEMON, THE BEARS ARE HERE You can buy a tub of "counting bears" from most school supply cataloges, in the math manipulatives section. They are colorful plastic bears in 3 different sizes. We use them as pictorial representations of half, quarter, and eighth notes. I usually begin with the song TeddyBear TeddyBear. We sing the song make the rhythm using bears and count the patterns. The bears can also sit on an overhead projector and project their shadow. In groups the kids make their own rhythm patterns up with the bears and then the class claps the rhythms.
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Dictation: On the subject of rhythm games, I like to take the names of various children in the class and help them to determine how many syllables the name has and on which syllable lies the accent. In classes 2nd grade and older, we notate the names using eighth notes and quarter notes where "Tim" would be a quarter note, "Katey" would be a pair of eighth notes, "Mallory" would be a pair of eighths followed by a quarter, and "Andrea" would be a single flagged eighth note followed by a pair of beamed eighth notes. I also either put an accent mark over the accented syllable or make it a higher pitch if I want them to be sung. We string several names together on the board with their notations and chant or sing them in time.
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1. I play examples on the piano (including high sounds, medium sounds and low sounds) . The children are asked to stand for the activity. If they hear high sounds, their hands reach toward the sky. Middle sounds: hands on waist. Low sounds: Touch their toes. They do all of this while facing the back of the room. They obviously can't see what I'm playing. Of course, they sometimes copy what the other kids are doing, but for the most part - I can tell if they're getting it. They do surprisingly well!
2. After the above mentioned game, I go one step further during the following lesson. I have a large wall chart (approx. 2' X 3') with a picture of bare tree. I decorated it with a sun in the sky, clouds, grass etc. I also have a box lid filled with small green cut "leaves". The leaves have masking tape rolled on the back. Each child is invited to come up for a turn to put a leaf on the chart. Again, sounds are played on the piano. High sounds: child places leaf on the branches of the tree. Medium sounds: leaf goes on the trunk of the tree. Low sounds: leaf is placed on the "ground" under the tree. After the child places the leaf, I ask the class "Did Joey put his leaf in the right place?" Most times, the first graders can do this. However, if they miss - I just let them try again. Every child succeeds. The kids enjoy making the tree look "decorated". After the class leaves, it only takes a minute to remove all of the leaves and set up for
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Notation: 4/4 time; simple quarter and eighth patterns. I'll show rhythm in the solfege by pairing double eighths together and letting quarters stand alone. Z=qu. rest.
K: Bell Horses (lsm)
Bell horses, bell horses / what's the time of day Z
/s m--m s m--m / s----s l----l s Z /
one o' clock, two o' clock / time to run away Z
/s--s m s--s m / s---s l---l s Z /
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Game: form circle, choose one student to ride around on toy horse (or really go retro and use a mop) inside circle (ie. race track!), while others pat legs to the beat (pat head, feet, floor, knees, arms, etc...) and sing. Sing twice per rider. Old rider chooses new one. Repeat 'til all have had turn.Also can do lesson showing hands of a clock. Change hands and lyrics to match.
K: Milo, Baby-o (sm)
Milo, baby-o / off to dreamland you must go //
s m s-s m / s-s m---m s---s m //
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Game: bring in (or have kids do so) variety of stuffed toys. Rock them to the beat (pat their backs gently over your shoulder to the beat) while singing song. Trade dolls and repeat.
1st: Lucy Locket (lsm) Lucy Locket lost her pocket / Kitty Fisher found it /
s--s l---l s---s m--m / s--s l--l s m /
Not a penny was there in it / only ribbon 'round it //
s---s l--l s----s m-m / s-s l--l s m //
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Game: sit in circle One student goes around behind everyone carrying a purse (and no, boys don't mind taking a turn), drawstring bag, or whatever else you wish to use, while the circle-kids sing and "do the beat" on their bodies. End of song: kid drops purse behind someone wherethe song stopped (they have to listen and can't just put it behind their best friend) and runs back to circle-spot. Kid with purse behind him/her chases "Lucy" kid and tries to catch him/her before he/she sits. They are the new "Lucy."
Repeat.....
1st: Naughty Kitty Cat (lsfmrd)
Naughty kitty cat Z / you are very bad Z / s----s m-m s Z s---s m-m s Z /
You have white milk on your whiskers / Naughty kitty cat Z // s----s s-----l
s---f m---r / m---m r-r d Z //
Game: make milk puddle out of white paper (can also glue an open, empty milk carton on puddle) ahead of time. I also have made a kitty-headband with ears out of furry felt attached with velcro that we use. Form circle. Choose one student to be the cat in the middle. He/she pretends to be licking the puddle and looking sad (on all-fours). Others walk to the right shaking finger to the beat while singing. Switch and go to the left. Kitty then goes up to someone in circle, meow's, and that person is the new kitty. Note: in spite of the wagging no-no fingers, I've never had even the quietest kid shy away from taking a turn. The song is so charming, they all love it and don't mind being the naughty cat.
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Michiko Yurko's Music Mind Games. Some of her activities are geared toward three and four year olds, and they are extremely well thought-out. My Pre-K kids actually do rhythm dictation and can even correctly identify rhythms that include sixteenth notes, half rests, triplets, etc, etc ... but it is done in a very developmentally appropriate way. The kids feel very successful. All of Michiko's activities are very hands-on. For example, there is a giant staff board that kids can toss a note on, they identify whether it is a line or space note. The Pre-K assistant who comes with the kids each week is always very impressed at what they can learn to do.
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BEAT BUDDIES EIGHTH NOTE INTRODUCTION
First grade classroom: Take a phrase from a songs using only ta and ti-ti and determine the number of beats that it contains. Choose the appropriate number of students to be "beat buddies". These students come to the front of the class where they stand very straight and tall and STILL. The class claps the rhythm while you move from beat buddy to beat buddy. A volunteer in the class determines whether each beat contained one or two sounds. That volunteer tells each beat buddy who represented one sound to raise one and each beat buddy who represented two sounds to raise two hands. Then clap the rhythm again to check the hands. Once everything is correct, thank the beat buddies for their service and transfer the rhythm to the board in stick notation.
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Positive Reinforcement: Take a phrase from a songs using only ta and ti-ti and determine the number of beats that it contains. Choose the appropriate number of students to be "beat buddies". These students come to the front of the class where they stand very straight and tall and STILL. The class claps the rhythm while you move from beat buddy to beat buddy. A volunteer in the class determines whether each beat contained one or two sounds. That volunteer tells each beat buddy who represented one sound to raise one and each beat buddy who represented two sounds to raise two hands. Then clap the rhythm again to check the hands. Once everything is correct, thank the beat buddies for their service and transfer the rhythm to the board in stick notation.
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Your students will need to be comfortable with ta and ti-ti (or blue jello) rhythms to do this:
Read aloud Green Eggs and Ham (you will find that most students will recite along with you!). When finished, discuss how Suess's books used a type of poetry form. Then talk about things that make poetry special, like form, rhythmic features, ect. Also tell the students how a lot of composers chose poetry and wrote music to go with it.
Divide the students into groups of three or four. Give each group a Dr. Suess book, with one page flagged (I used Post-it flags), a large sheet or drawing paper, and a set of manipulatives (I use home-made cards made out of card stock, with each piece having a quarter note, set of eighth notes, and a quarter rest--you might also use popcicle sticks if you have them and the students have used these before).
Then instruct the students to wrtie a blue jello, or ta ti-ti rhythm to accompany the first line. My students understood what syllables were and we counted the syllables and used that many "notes." Once they have made up the rhythm using their manipulatives, the write it meatly on the paper. My students copied each line of text neatly and then wrote the notes below. When they were through, they clapped their rhythms.The next class, after I had checked the work, and had the students make a few minor adjustments, each group chanted and played their section of their book(I let them choose their instruments). It was a hit with the students, and we ended up videotaping it to include ina tape about our school.
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***********************************************************************GETTING THE KIDS TO SING!!
10/05 NON-PARTICIPATING STUDENT: She is playing a game with you and she is used to winning. Even when you think you are teaching the whole class but are so distracted by her behavior she can feel it and that is exactly what she is looking for. It is so sad that she doesn't know how much fun she is missing! I have found that many times the only thing that truly works in this sort of case for me is to talk to myself before the child comes in my room...Remind myself SHE IS FIVE AND LITTLE!!!! I AM THE GROWN UP and try to not get worked about it and just do what I do without bringing any energy to the behavior. More times than not they will be envious of the fun going on and want some kind of energy coming to them and little by little join in. Once they begin to make that journey the music wins them over without my constant prodding......my best advice is you are doing a good job....Look at your other students smiling!!! RELAX....... I have found that the hoodlums (I say this endearingly) are the very children that enjoy music the most....It is a class where they can be successful.....Express feelings....and be creative and wild and it is celebrated!! -- Cindy Smith--------------------------
07/05 I've learned that the little ones will rarely sing out when I'm singing loudly to get them to sing. Their instinct is to be quiet and to listen to you. If you're singing loudly to encourage them, try singing less loudly and request them to sing louder than you...but not to holler. Good luck, Linda in KY
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07/05 I had a first grade class like this one time. They were fine kids, but they were all watchers! Just politely sat and watched the class. My only advice is just keep at it. It took some of them till third grade to finally join in, but every last one eventually did! -- Linda in MD
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07/05 I have 5 rules for the music room. One is "Everyone Must Participate" and from day 1 I reward good behavior/singing and give feedback to each and every kid. If I get someone new or a kid is in a snit, I give them a warning, put their name on the board, give them a check, then send them to time out for 5 minutes, 2nd time they go to the principal. All of this is told to each teacher when they pick their class up and the kids sit out 5 -10 minutes of recess. It doesn't take more than 1 or 2 kids, and a lot of positive feedback during class while they're in time out, to turn the entire group into a monster singing machine! Are you using rubrics to grade them on rote singing? -- Kathy Kelly George
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07/05 I have found this to be an even bigger problem with the young pre-schoolers. They like to watch and listen. I think they spend lots of time watching TV at home, and the idea of making the music themselves is sort of new to them! What works? Bribery. If I was doing a fish song, I'd bring in fish crackers and tell them if I could hear them sing, they got a cracker. The favorite of course, was the jelly beans. If I can hear them sing the jelly bean song, they get a jelly bean. It's "One Green Jelly Bean" from the collection, "Movement Songs Children Love" - and they do love this song. They loved the jelly beans too. One other thing that really worked for me was to use lots of echo songs. In Musicplay for Kindergarten, I have the song "I am a Pizza" - we'd do this every class, and they all got singing with it. Repeat lots of simple games. They really liked "Andy Pandy" from Musicplay for Kindergarten. We'd do it the way it is recorded, and then do it fast, slow, soft, loud, low voice, high voice. The other one my very young preschoolers liked was "Ring around the Rosy". Same thing - fast, slow, soft, loud, low voice, high voice. In between repetitions we added a poem my sister taught me: The cows are in the meadow eating buttercups. Hush-a, hush-a we all stand up! I'll be sharing some of these activities in the Kindergarten session at TMEA, and I sure hope lots of the listees will come, because they have me in a frighteningly large room this year. I'm also doing a listening session at 6:30 on the Friday - do hope some of you want to go out for a late supper, and will come and learn some cup games, balloon beat, ribbon choreography and rhythm instrument playalongs before supper! Denise
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07/05 I had a group like that and basically I had to challenge them to a contest..."There's all of you and only me, but I'm going to win if you don't all sing together." Then we have a contest of singing... eventually I let them win when they show me EVERYONE is singing their best, and then you can work on taming the shrew if they actually do get going! :-) Caryn Mears
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07/05 NON-PARTICIPATING STUDENT: I WOULD give up...gently. Focus on all the other kids, have a ball, get them laughing and praise their learning, hype it up big time and don't engage Emily at all. When you pull out instruments, don't have one for her. Just tell her that you know that she'll let you know when she's ready to join in. Meanwhile, her report card should reflect her lack of participation (it will be important for her 1st grade teacher to be aware of this type of behavior). - Becky in NH
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07/05 NON-PARTICIPATING STUDENT: I do have a 2nd grade student who is an absolute darling now, who last year wouldn't participate in anything. I was so frustrated but as I had 49 other kids in the class, I had to try to overlook him and hope others wouldn't follow suit. Without any prompting at all this year he is involved in everything and is a model student. He smiled sweetly at me one day recently when I asked him why he no longer chose to sit out and just watch. --Never did get an answer out of him, but I have to wonder if it wasn't just a developmental thing. In retrospect, I'm glad that I just let him remove himself from the activities, because in his own time, he came around and now I have a precious little student, eager to participate and eager to please. Laura Bryant
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***********************************************************************THREE AND FOUR YEAR OLDS
07/05 I have taught pre-K for 14 years. One of the best resources I can think of is a book called "Song Play", written by Peggy Bennett, PhD. The ISBN is 73999 52328 She is one of the founders of Music EdVentures. The lessons are even scripted. I like the fact that the songs are simple and repetitive and behavioral objectives are also addressed. Good luck! ~Suzanne Knutzen--------------------------
I thought I'd share with you what I do with the picture book "Mice Squeak, We Speak" by Tomie de Paola. I use this with primary children 2-4 but it would be alright with Kindergarten I believe.
As I read the book I allow the children to make the animal sounds. There are 3 spots in the book where the text is "We speak", "I say", "I talk".
Immediate following those words I have the children say "Hello, how are you?"
Then I say "...and I sing" and the children sing (in sol-mi) "Hello, how are you?"
They seem to respond well to pitch differentiation.
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I recommend you use Musicgarten's curriculum (I think it cost me 100.00 for book, cards (all lessons, songs, activities are on cards - very convenient) CD's and animal pictures. It's called "Cycle of Seasons" I use it with my 3-4 year olds in a 40 minute session 2 X per week. The lessons are layed out for the year. (I adjust, add songs, etc.,)
Music Matters has curriculums for 0-2, 2-4, 4-6 and 6-9 year olds with music, lesson plans, tapes and cards for every song and activity. Music Matters, P.O.10846, Greensboro, N.C. 27404-0846; Telephone: 1-800-216-6864(workshop: 409 Blandwood Ave., Greensboro, N.C. 27401)
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Try using Themes To Remember, Volume 1. Our PreSchool (3 and 4 year olds) loved it and were able to identify classical music by composer. You can email me privately for more details.
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I love my little guys, too! Last year I saw them 2 times a week for 40 minutes each. As well as "formal" music, we did lots of movement games, variations on line games, and some drama. Their favourite movement activity was walking/running/skipping to the beat while I played the drums (if I played a quick 4/4, they had to run, etc.). To keep it interesting, I made large signs with characters in various poses and every time the music stopped they had to quickly get into position to mimic the character on the sign. This was a big hit, and it gave me a chance to see if they could move to an even beat, and later in the year to see if there had been improvement with some students. Also, if you can find a series called "Musicbuilders" get it! It's available here in Canada and has a wealth of activities for specific grade levels. For example, if you bought "Musicbuilders K", you'd get the CD, the ativity booklet, and the written scores. Two other suggestions: 1) Lois Birkenshaw-Fleming's "Come On Everybody, Let's Sing" and 2) her book "Music for Fun, Music for Learning".
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When I used to teach at a Pre-K, I always divided the class into 15-20 min. of singing and songs with motions, etc., then 10-15 min. of MOVEMENT. Be sure and get them up and moving around after 15-20 min., or you're right - you'll lose them! Great time to integrate that music/movement stuff.
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I would set it up like a preschool format:
Circle time: fingerplays, announcements for the day, introduce your theme
Game: play something that goes with your theme
Story Time: read a book that goes with your theme
Activity: do a craft type project to go with your theme
I agree what others have said about lots of movement. They love that stuff!
Also-don't forget www.childfun.com They have TONS of ideas grouped by theme including songs, stories, fingerplays, activities, games, snacks, and more!
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I'd take advantage of the Beat Babies! Do little 10 minute segments of projects. Also, I'd check out sites and information on Kindermusik or see if there is a local Kindermusik instructor in your area.
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Here are some ideas that have worked for me:
Have a puppet teach the concept. I have a Morris the Moose puppet that is very good at demonstrating speaking/singing/shouting/whispering voices, helping me learn everyone's name (he always gets the name wrong!). He takes vacations and send the kids special packages (usually a picture song book or a box of instruments for the children to play).
Try to plan a movement activity about every five to seven minutes. This gets the kids breathing and they are able to focus better afterwards.
Use lots of concrete materials - use scarves for vocal exploration. "Throw your voice up with your scarf," make a siren etc. Beat buddies, bean bags, lots of rhythm instruments.
Try to always have a surprise bag. Today I had a metronome hidden in the bag and they had to guess what it was. They were so surprised when it wasn't a clock.
The trick is to move when they drift and refocus afterward.
I always try to incorporate a story related to the lesson or a picture song book.
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One book I can recommend is "Come On, Everybody, Let's Sing" by Lois Birkenshaw-Fleming, copyright 1989 and published by Gordon V. Thomson in Toronto (but sorry, no ISBN # available). It was written specifically for children with special needs. When it was published, our board issued one to every elementary school in the county (144!) in order to address the issue of having ALL students participate in music classes. Hope this helps!
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***********************************************************************SHOE TYING
Here are a few different shoe tying songs/lyricshttp://www.famlii.com/rhyme-teach-child-how-to-tie-shoes/
www.youtube.com/watch?v=nC8pJ2iyVjQ
http://www.atozkidsstuff.com/shoes.html
http://teachers.net/lessonplans/posts/1952.html
http://www.kinderthemes.com/Songsideasandchecklists.html
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***********************************************************************SINGING GAME
12/16 MUSIC ALPHABET BUZZ - my kids LOVED this and it's soooo cheesy. It helped them with learning the music alphabet which they HAVE to know before we start in with learning lines and spaces. We have been playing as a warm-up game Music Alphabet Buzz. For you who misremember...... the kids get in a circle and say the names of the music alphabet, individually in turn, A (next kid), B (next kid, etc.). Anyone who misses the pitch-letter, sits. Then start over again with A. The person who is after "G" has to say "buzz" and sit down. ---- Martha Stanley----------------
“OLD GRAY CAT” To make this game safe and totally inclusive for my preK's we adapted it a bit. All the boys are cats and "sleep" in a line along one side of our floor space. The girls are all little mice, and I think they are "nibbling" and "creeping." (I don't have my words at home.) The cat's are "waking" and then "chasing" the line of mice back to their starting position, and no "catching" is allowed. All get to chase on hands and knees in a very controlled way without waiting for turns. We always repeat the song with cats/mice rolls reversed, of course! Before we get to this game, we learn the fingerplay "Five Little Mice," found in John Feierabend's MUSIC FOR LITTLE PEOPLE. In this fingerplay, the cats catch and obviously "eat" the mice one by one, and my little darlin's always love that. We lick our lips and "groom" our kitty whiskers at the end. Connie Herbon Preschool - 3rd Music
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OLD GRAY CAT I pair the "Old Gray Cat" song adn game with "Run, Run" # 6 in Lynn Kleiner's "Kids can Listen, Kids can move" It is in ABA form the mice move during the a section and the cats move during B. It was the absolute favorite of the first grades last year. -- Deanna Peters
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***********************************************************************TWO YEAR OLDS
06/07 This is the most stunningly beautiful lullaby CD I've ever heard: "Beautiful Dreamer: Lullabies for all ages" by the Dream Sisters (Molly Conole & Nancy Waldman) -- 1994 Mola Conola Productions, P.O. Box 4608, Vineyard Haven, MA 02568, ISBN 0-964901-0-0 Lovely arrangements and beautiful performance. My daughter is 10 and she still has to listen to this CD every night to help her sleep! I got it for her when she was ababy!! -- Becky Ventura------------------------------
07/05 Children’s Music Portal: Lots of links for ideas, songs, radio programs etc., at http://www.childrens-music.org/childrens-music/early_child.htm
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01/02 Toddler music
2) Movement with music (I use a variety of recordings - Music Matters has a curriculum with materials that go home with families for this age I believe Music Matters (Musicgarten) has curriculums for 0-2, 2-4, 4-6 and 6-9 year olds with music, lesson plans, tapes and cards for every song and activity. Music Matters, P.O.10846, Greensboro, N.C. 27404-0846; Telephone 1-800-216-6864(workshop 409 Blandwood Ave., Greensboro, N.C. 27401)
Also here are some other resources that may have materials.
Kindermusik International http//www.kindermusik.com 1-800-628-5687
Music Together 1-800-728-2692
3) Picture books with songs
All the Pretty Little Horses Susan Jeffers
All My Little Ducklings Monica Wellington
Five Little Ducks Raffi
Five Little Pumpkins Iris Van Rynbach
Bear Went Over the Mountain Rosemary Wells
It's Raining
At the Zoo. III. V. Michaut.
Baby Beluga, Raffi,
Cat Goes Fiddle-I-Fee by Paul Galdone
The Farmer in the Dell.
A Farmyard Song An Old Rhyme w/New Pictures.
Fiddle-I-Fee by Jakki Wood; Fiddle-I-Fee by Melissa Sweet
Fiddle-i-fee a Traditional American Chant. Boston Little, Brown.Stanley, D. (1979)
Hush Little Baby A Folk Lullaby.
The Itsy Bitsy Spider by Iza Trapani
Little Robin Redbreast Shari Halpern (this is a fingerplay; I wrote a simple melody if you need it)
London Bridge is Falling Down. Boston Little, Brown.Emberley, E. (1967)
Over in the Meadow Ezra Keats
Shake My Sillies Out. III. David Allender. New York Crown.Raffi.1987
Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star by Iza Trapani
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. III. J. Noonan.
The Wheels on the Bus by Paul Zelinsky; The Wheels on the Bus by Maryann Kovalski
Wheels on the Bus. III. S.K. Wickstrom. New York Crown.Raffi. (1990)
The Wheels on the Bus. New York Dutton.Zelinsky, P. O. (1990).
4) Recordings
Greg & Steve (some songs are young enough)
Hap Palmer
Sally Go Round the Moon Langstaff,
Sharon, Lois & Bram Great Big Hits
Very Favorites of the Very Young-Henry
Songs For Little Singers-Olsen
Tunes For Little Children-Saliba.
5) Sing to them irregardless of how "well" the parent sings
6) Any steady beat songs (tap knees or clap)
Down By the Station, Aiken Drum, Twinkle Twinkle
This Old Man (I do one-thumb, two-shoe, three-knee, four-floor, five-side(tap hands on your side)
7) Resource Texts
Music A Way Of Life For the Young Child by Bayless/Ramsey; MacMillan Pub.4th edition A thorough discussion of the 0 to 3 year development related to music with many songs and activities for the very young> (Good if you are teaching this age - has some great baby songs)
Friendly Bear's Songbook-Kulich, The Gemini Songbook, The Goat With the Bright Red Socks by Walden/Birkenshaw, Goodnight Toes! Bedtime Stories
Barbara Cass-Begg's method of Your Baby Needs Music
Today's Creative Children-Burnett & Wiggins
Activities for Early Childhood-Shotwell
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01/02 I used to teach toddler music classes but they were all at least 18 months. The greatest resource for you to check out would be John Feierabend's book called First Steps in Music for Infants and Toddlers - The curriculum birth through 36 months. It is a purple wire bound book for $37.50 (GIA Publications) There are also several Cd's believe with many of the songs.
The book shows teachers the curriculum you would deliver to baby and parent music classes. The book covers areas such as bounces, wiggles, tickles, tapping, clapping, simple songs, simple circles, beat motions with recordings, lullabies, planning lessons, and sample lessons. I found it very useful in my teaching because it is layed out extremely well and covers all areas of the babies musical development. The curriculum is built around American folk songs. The one thing I would definitely stay away from would be Sound Play. I like the idea of teaching kids songs that they should know, and that their parents and grandparents know. This would even be a great resource for parents to get. If they don't feel comfortable singing they can buy the Cd's to go along with the text because they are good quality voices.
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01/02 First of all, tell the parents to SING SING SING!!! Don't worry what they sound like-like a baby will know the difference!!! Also, it is great to imitate the sounds they babble. Start by singing a little "ba ba ba" thing. If the baby changes the syllable, you change, too. Dancing around to music is great, too.
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11/01 TODDLERS TODDLERS EVERYWHERE (reprinted with permission from the monthly newsletter (email) "Fun Music Ideas" I recommends John Feierabend's books "Music for Very Little People" and "Music for Little People." She also recommends a video entitled "Babies Make Music," which demonstrates involvement with making music, moving to music, and exploring sounds.
According to Amy, objectives which should be relegated to a later age group are to "sit quietly in a circle, follow directions in a musical game, to sing in tune, or even to sing along with a song," or "to clap specific rhythmic patterns."
They LOVE doing motions with the songs. If there aren't any already incorporated in the song, make some up. The simpler, the better! It makes the song more interesting and exciting for them, and seems to help keep them focused. (Obviously you don't have to do this with EVERY song - - but it's a fun option to keep in mind!)
As we all know, this age group has favorite songs, and they are generally quite happy to sing the same ones that they love over and over! I've found that when I want to introduce a new song, using a puppet to do the introduction really helps. They love the different puppets and will pay attention to what the puppet is asking them to listen to and do! They especially like it if the puppet asks for their "help" in singing the song with him after he's sung it for them once, and then the puppet will come around to each of them so they can pet him after they've sung the song together.
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11/01 ALWAYS KEEP 'EM MOVING
I have taught a class of two year olds in the past. I believe the original question indicated that the class was 45 minutes in length. That is not a realistic time period to successfully teach one and two year olds. Their attention spans are a fraction of that length. If you plan to go longer than fifteen to twenty minutes then I would recommend the class being a 'Mom and Baby class.'
The types of activities that I found to work the best were familiar early childhood songs and lots of movement activities. They loved to march and jump. I added hand motions to almost every song we sang. Many were too shy or distracted to sing much but the motions kept their focus on the song. I also used simple instruments like jingle bells, short sticks, and drums. When they were having a restless day, I could always entice them with a sing along video like Baby Songs.
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11/01 Think active bodies and simple repetitive songs... think songs that can be sung with nonsense syllables (good for emergent talkers) and use simple finger/hand/body movements as much as you can. Toddlers love to bang on things... use durable instruments and/or home made instruments. Keep each musical activity fun playful and short... include both sit-down-quiet activities and stand-up-move-around activities.
I'd expose them to lots of types of music, rhythms, tempos, and feelings. You could base each session around a theme or an idea. Look up www sites for daycare providers and early childhood and preschool/toddler education.
Open-ended creative movement can be used to explore lots of musical ideas as well as times when you are modeling what to do. When teaching actions to a song, teach it in small parts slowly and don't worry about perfection.
Toddlers also enjoy anything sensory/multisensory. You could include textures, smells, and real objects to illustrate words in songs. You could have them dance with dolls or have them make dolls or puppets do the dancing.
Toddlers have very short attention spans and keeping a group of them all paying attention at the same time is tricky. You and your activities have to be engaging and entertaining."
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11/01 HANDS ON...HANDS ON
Lots of little rhymes that are catchy to listen to.
Hand clapping. Are parents involved? If so, parents can sit behind a small child and help them to clap.
Lots of hands-on. I collect anything musical from anywhere I can find it, right down to pots and pans. Dollar stores have great items too. Of course you need to watch for parts that come off.
Obviously the youngest of these children won't be able to learn the words but giving them a chance to enjoy your singing and move with it is the greatest gift to them. Also, you could provide words to parents for the simple rhymes.
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11/01 DEVELOP A COMPLETE CHILD
My years of experience have led me to develop a program for preschoolers that does not teach musical skills, but rather uses songs, rhythm, movement, and instruments to facilitate ALL areas of development in the preschool student. In the process I am able to teach the student how to play and handle many types of rhythm and Orff-style instruments, to develop their singing voice, to improvise on instruments, and other musical skills.
If the teacher requesting help would like to contact me for more detailed information I would like to help in any way that I can. Thank you for your time. One more thing, I would be interested in reading the older material you mentioned located in the archives on this matter if you could tell me how to access them.
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1. Sing 'Winnie the Pooh", letting the child do the "Pooh", then repeat the melody with La-la-las, clapping wildly if child catches on and says "la" instead of "Pooh" at the proper time. Then go through the entire alphabet, then move on to one-syllable words.
2. Sing "Eensy-Weensy Spider" with the hand movements. Notice what label (verbal or movement) the child gives to the song. Around here it's hands waving in the air.
3. We play Match Pitches. Adult sings a note for as long as they can, Child joins in when they feel like it. Then Child may take lead, and adult joins in. Eventually, Child leads and adult harmonizes.
A few months later, adult starts and child picks harmony. It's helpful to have more than one adult play. We like to have each player join hands by touching just the fingertip of the first finger. Lately we've been sliding the notes up and down and going into "ohms". It's a lot of fun.
4. Certain old rock-and-roll songs lend themselves to harmonizing with the almost-two set. "When the lights go down in the city." And "Take a load of Fanny" by the Band (By the way, if anyone know the correct woman's name, we sure would appreciate it. Some times we take a load off Annie, Mandy, Fanny, and Sandy - it's embarrassing)
5. Here's an alternate version of 'Three Blind Mice" that I made up:
Three kind mice, three kind mice, See how they run, having so much Fun
They jump in the air and they roll on the floor, Their friends always ask them to play some more,
They tip they hat and roll out the door! Three kind mice.
7. We have a small chewable vitamin. At 15 months our son loved chewing it. Our trouble was having to limit him to one per day. He would always ask for more (gesturing). So I would sing to him:
"One pill a day," that's what the doctors say! One pill a day," that's what the doctors say!
You can take your fluoride, that will make your teeth strong. "One pill a day," that's what the doctors say!
And I would wave my pointer finger in the air. This worked great. He would still ask for more, but we got the feeling that it was usually just to hear the song, Then He would imitate the finger dance, then sing along, gradually adding words. Now he sings it himself. (We still keep the pills out of reach.)
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10/01 1-2 Year Olds I teach a class to one year olds and a class to 1 1/2 -2 1/2 year olds. I begin every class with fingerplays, puppets, felt board figures and lots of action. We then sing songs....I sing, they do actions (or not). Simple songs with repeated sections are easier for them to catch on to. The movement I do is limited with the 1 year olds but can be more elaborate with the 2 year olds. Any questions? Contact: [email protected]
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10/01 Two Year Olds
I have taught a class of two year olds in the past. I believe the original question indicated that the class was 45 minutes in length. That is not a realistic time period to successfully teach one and two year olds. Their attention spans are a fraction of that length. If you plan to go longer than fifteen to twenty minutes then I would recommend the class being a 'Mom and Baby class.'
The types of activities that I found to work the best were familiar early childhood songs and lots of movement activities. They loved to march and jump. I added hand motions to almost every song we sang. Many were too shy or distracted to sing much but the motions kept their focus on the song. I also used simple instruments like jingle bells, short sticks, and drums. When they were having a restless day, I could always entice them with a sing along video like Baby Songs.
Think active bodies and simple repetitive songs... think songs that can be sung with nonsense syllables (good for emergent talkers) and use simple finger/hand/body movements as much as you can. Toddlers love to bang on things... use durable instruments and/or home made instruments. Keep each musical activity fun playful and short... include both sit-down-quiet activities and stand-up-move-around activities.
I'd expose them to lots of types of music, rhythms, tempos, and feelings. You could base each session around a theme or an idea. Look up www sites for daycare providers and early childhood and preschool/toddler education.
Open-ended creative movement can be used to explore lots of musical ideas as well as times when you are modeling what to do.
When teaching actions to a song, teach it in small parts slowly and don't worry about perfection.
Toddlers also enjoy anything sensory/multisensory. You could include textures, smells, and real objects to illustrate words in songs. You could have them dance with dolls or have them make dolls or puppets do the dancing.
Toddlers have very short attention spans and keeping a group of them all paying attention at the same time is tricky. You and your activities have to be engaging and entertaining."
---------------------------
10/01 Lots of little rhymes that are catchy to listen to.
Hand clapping. Are parents involved? If so, parents can sit behind a small child and help them to clap.
Lots of hands-on. I collect anything musical from anywhere I can find it, right down to pots and pans. Dollar stores have great items too. Of course you need to watch for parts that come off.
Obviously the youngest of these children won't be able to learn the words but giving them a chance to enjoy your singing and move with it is the greatest gift to them. Also, you could provide words to parents for the simple rhymes.
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***********************************************************************WARMUPS
07/05 I have a bunch of fly swatters that are bees in the front, swatter on the back. I hold the bee in the air and we fly around up and down and in a straight line, fast and slow, etc. UNTIL I turn the flyswatter backwards and then the sound stops. It's fun and much more creative than I thought it could be when I started doing it. It's also preparation for conducting cues and cut-offs. Kids ADORE being the leader, too, and you otta see the little people stop their sounds on a dime!-- Martha in Tallahassee-------------------------------
07/05 I use a rubber band and make it match the melodic movement of the siren. It's no "biggie" but so much good has come from this: - it allowed me to compare the rubber band to what's happening in their throats when they sing. -it's another visual so they can SEE the music moving up, down .....etc. -
I often use the word "stretch" to encourage matching higher pitches. Now they can SEE the rubber band stretching as the pitch ascends. -when I have them echo solfeggio patterns back to me, again, they can SEE the melodic movement. -
Today, I asked for a child to replace me ("who wants to use the MAGIC rubber band and sit on the MAGIC stool?") - though I'm usually on the floor w/them - and this worked really well. I could do a little informal assessment of the leader. Also, I was amazed at their creativity. They didn't just do patterns that I had done. Some made different sounds for the class to echo. And every time, the rubber band they were using matched what was happening w/their voice.
One boy turned the rubber band sideways (something I'd never thought of) and sang one pitch..unchanging! Anyway, I want to move toward giving each of them a rubber band to use (will have to make consequences very clear because we all know what might happen!!) so they can really apply what we've tried so hard to do this year regarding matching.-- Dan Fee
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07/05 Put Sponge Bob in a net and have students follow with voices as they take turns bringing him up/down in the sea. Bath-sponge versions of Bob can be purchased for a couple dollars, but now there's a Beanie Sponge Bob and also other characters. For a net I use a free red plastic net veggie bag. -- Connie Herbon
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***********************************************************************WHINING!
11/08 WHINING (“I DIDN’T GET A TURN”) My response to whingeing about turns is to pick up my pretend violin, and then ill tell the child(ren) that i am going to play some sad music for them. After a few bars they all seem to get over it! I use it with the 5/6 year olds and they stop being grumpy immediately, dont know why it works but it does. --- Michael Roper, Melbourne Australia----------------------------------------------
11/08 If my turn is not today, It will come ANOTHER day!
Do you plan to come to music again next week? So do I! "I'm not getting a turn to play that triangle either, but I don't think I'll whine about it today...I'm much to grown up for that." --- Lynn
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11/08 I've discovered the best way for me to deal with the "I didn't get a turn" problem is to make sure I tell the class BEFORE the game starts that "everyone isn't going to get a turn today". An ounce of prevention.. .Of course, as often as possible, I do things where everyone does get a turn--even if it's not a full-fledged turn (for example-everyone gets to play the triangle once while I hold it during line-up.) --- Lynn B
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BACK to PreSchool topics
HOME to MUSIC ED RESOURCES IDEA LIBRARY!!!
***********************************************************************WEB SITES
06/06 Song site with midi’s and lyrics: http://www.smart-central.com/-----------------------------
06/06 Here's a link for information on building a website. It also has all kinds of things for preschool/Kindergarten. http://www.thevirtualvine.com/website.html
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06/06 Children’s Songs (lyrics, midi) http://www.smart-central.com/
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We’re Going on a Bear Hunt: http://www.timmyabell.com/music/lyrics/ol/bearhunt.htm Many categories of poems and songs: http://www.canteach.ca/elementary/songspoems.html
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Seussville http://www.randomhouse.com/seussville/games/
----------Games are activities based on Dr. Seuss books
Mister Rogers' Neighborhood http://www.pbs.org/rogers
----------Sing along section with lyrics
Lyrics to Childrens' Songs: http://www.kididdles.com/lyrics/allsongs.html/alpha-a.html