I am so proud of my meet the music teachers video.
Meet the EW music teachers
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Friday, July 26, 2013
Summer camp
Summer for me has been nothing but classes so I was expecting more of the same at my 3 day tech camp.
Wow, three days of fast moving tech learning with lots of time to play on the new tools. So glad I took this and recommend it to anyone wanting to incorporate new tech into their classroom. Warning! Some background on tech required!
Thursday, June 27, 2013
NEW THINGS!
As I type, I have just uploaded my first downloadable lesson on to teachers pay teachers!
I can be searched under this name, Katiemakesmusic, or under my real name of Katherine Bush!
The Chickadee lesson is up and is free. Not my greatest and most beautiful lesson but a start for me on the site!
I am almost (1 more day) done with my Kodaly Level I intensive and what a change it will make to my teaching. SO much work but so worth it.
I can be searched under this name, Katiemakesmusic, or under my real name of Katherine Bush!
The Chickadee lesson is up and is free. Not my greatest and most beautiful lesson but a start for me on the site!
I am almost (1 more day) done with my Kodaly Level I intensive and what a change it will make to my teaching. SO much work but so worth it.
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Sharing ideas
For an end of the year project, my fist graders and third graders are making dance instruction videos and "sending" them to each other. It is so cute to see them caring about their look and how they want the other class to see them.
First grade is doing Jim Gil silly songs and Third grade is making up different animal dances because first grade is learning about the carnival of the animals too.
We make lists, practice, and record on the class ipods.
First grade is doing Jim Gil silly songs and Third grade is making up different animal dances because first grade is learning about the carnival of the animals too.
We make lists, practice, and record on the class ipods.
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Pupils
This is a story from the art teacher I am paired with. We share the same students and schedule. We also have become good friends and a great team of collaborators.
Student: I'm done with my family portrait!
Teacher: why don't you use the black to give them pupils. It will look nice.
Student: my family doesn't have pupils.
Teacher: I am sure they do. With no pupils they would be blind. Here is how you can make the tiny dots with the other end of the paint brush. (Demos here)
Two minutes later there are black dots everywhere.
Student: I kinda forgot what pupils are.
My guess is he thought freckles. I will never know for sure.
Student: I'm done with my family portrait!
Teacher: why don't you use the black to give them pupils. It will look nice.
Student: my family doesn't have pupils.
Teacher: I am sure they do. With no pupils they would be blind. Here is how you can make the tiny dots with the other end of the paint brush. (Demos here)
Two minutes later there are black dots everywhere.
Student: I kinda forgot what pupils are.
My guess is he thought freckles. I will never know for sure.
Saturday, February 23, 2013
mid year jam
We have come to the point of the year that is filled with concerts and business in the music education world. Add the business of testing season in the rest of education too.
Personally, I have a second grade concert next week. Sadly, the problem that seems to always arise is frustration, mess, and less attention to the children who are not part of the performance. My classroom has lost it's beautiful organization. Lessons are planned and taught but with less of the fire that drives me in the beginning of the year. I still love my students and all that I do. It could be the winter blues we all get from the dark days and cold weather.
I feel that every year I get a little farther into the year before all heck breaks loose. As my experience as a teacher grows, my ability to persevere into the toughest part of the year grows as well.
How do you get through the mid winter stress in your classroom?
Maybe I will send cookies to any commenter to help them finish their February.
Personally, I have a second grade concert next week. Sadly, the problem that seems to always arise is frustration, mess, and less attention to the children who are not part of the performance. My classroom has lost it's beautiful organization. Lessons are planned and taught but with less of the fire that drives me in the beginning of the year. I still love my students and all that I do. It could be the winter blues we all get from the dark days and cold weather.
I feel that every year I get a little farther into the year before all heck breaks loose. As my experience as a teacher grows, my ability to persevere into the toughest part of the year grows as well.
How do you get through the mid winter stress in your classroom?
Maybe I will send cookies to any commenter to help them finish their February.
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Keeping concerts curricular
"Our concerts are a showcase of our curriculum" is written inside every program of my student concerts.
When I work with my students on a performance, I want it to be curricular. To me, this means that we are not sacrificing learning time for the concert. So often today we are testing kids. They can take a test but they are not learning. Just learning the performance music and then leaving it there is essentially the same thing.
When I teach my students music for a concert, it is first and foremost, appropriate to their developmental stage. There is note reading, instrument playing, movement component as well as a connection to culture/history. If the kids are just learning how to find notes on the staff, at least one of their pieces should be learned with the new method.
Second grade is on my mind right now because their performance is in two weeks. They are playing instruments on parts that they learned by reading the notation in standard form. They are also playing boomwhackers with a part they learned with a picture representation of the walking bass line.
All songs were read with a lyric sheet and on standard notation. Learning by rote might get them to know a song. Learning it and seeing it will help them create connections to future music.
Good singing can never be sacrificed. There is no such thing as not enough time for a warm up. With my 7 year-olds, it is just a few sighs and invisible slide whistles.
I am also lucky enough to work with art teachers who incorporate the concert theme into their curriculum. This year too, the second grade LA committee centered their thematic unit with the concert theme.
I keep a running record of some of my concert material here if you need any ideas.
When I work with my students on a performance, I want it to be curricular. To me, this means that we are not sacrificing learning time for the concert. So often today we are testing kids. They can take a test but they are not learning. Just learning the performance music and then leaving it there is essentially the same thing.
When I teach my students music for a concert, it is first and foremost, appropriate to their developmental stage. There is note reading, instrument playing, movement component as well as a connection to culture/history. If the kids are just learning how to find notes on the staff, at least one of their pieces should be learned with the new method.
Second grade is on my mind right now because their performance is in two weeks. They are playing instruments on parts that they learned by reading the notation in standard form. They are also playing boomwhackers with a part they learned with a picture representation of the walking bass line.
All songs were read with a lyric sheet and on standard notation. Learning by rote might get them to know a song. Learning it and seeing it will help them create connections to future music.
Good singing can never be sacrificed. There is no such thing as not enough time for a warm up. With my 7 year-olds, it is just a few sighs and invisible slide whistles.
I am also lucky enough to work with art teachers who incorporate the concert theme into their curriculum. This year too, the second grade LA committee centered their thematic unit with the concert theme.
I keep a running record of some of my concert material here if you need any ideas.
Saturday, February 9, 2013
Technology in my classroom
I love technology in education. I have fought to bring it into my room, because as is the case in many schools, the music room gets left out. Luckily, I have a venue and a means of getting things into my room, slowly but surely. Right now, I have just received an IPad and earlier this year a SMART board. Here are some things I use regularly to quickly get the technology in the hands of my students.
For anyone who has cost restrictions or learning time restrictions, you need to know where to find resources that are ready to go. The app "Apps Gone Free" has been great for finding new apps at zero cost. I can try things out without losing all of my money. If you have the opportunity, go to an Ipad training session. It doesn't matter who runs it or if it is all review. Go to theses sessions and you will probably learn at least one new thing. I went to a session with Meg Ormiston and left feeling energized and ready to use what I learned.
For the SMART board use their exchange. You just type and click and download. Ta-Dah! Ready to go SMART lessons at no effort.
I could go for days on the new things I learn on both of these technologies. Mostly because I learn something new every day.
For anyone who has cost restrictions or learning time restrictions, you need to know where to find resources that are ready to go. The app "Apps Gone Free" has been great for finding new apps at zero cost. I can try things out without losing all of my money. If you have the opportunity, go to an Ipad training session. It doesn't matter who runs it or if it is all review. Go to theses sessions and you will probably learn at least one new thing. I went to a session with Meg Ormiston and left feeling energized and ready to use what I learned.
For the SMART board use their exchange. You just type and click and download. Ta-Dah! Ready to go SMART lessons at no effort.
I could go for days on the new things I learn on both of these technologies. Mostly because I learn something new every day.
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Field work
We are taking the kids to the art institute today so casual tones down is good. I have on my tennis shoes just in case I have to run down a bus.
Monday, January 14, 2013
Socks
Interesting patterns and colors make the kids pay attention to you. I have found that interesting socks are great for my small ones and they really do look out for it. I have never once told them to either.
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Piano City
As it is Friday, I can wear jeans to work today. This is what I chose to wear instead of a school spirit t-shirt. My students and colleagues have grown accustomed to my Friday Music need shirts.
Hi 5
Today's crazy music teacher outfit is brought to you by the threadless company and their awesome hi 5 shirt. Also by trendy pants from old navy and a crazy sweater my mom purchased for me. It is pretty much a perfect outfit for the first week after break.
Side note: we use high five at my school as an everybody listen strategy so it is doubly awesome for me.
Simply Seuss
Today's crazy music teacher outfit is accented by the amazing earrings purchased for me by my partner teacher.
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Concert planning
My second grade concerts are coming up and the real secret is getting tons of work done before the kids even know they have a concert. I am so lucky to have a partner teacher who also understands this. We were planning out details last night until about 6:00. One of those details included researching costs of a pirate costume for our principal.
It may be lots of work with early mornings am late nights but I still have the best job.
It may be lots of work with early mornings am late nights but I still have the best job.
Friday, January 4, 2013
Grading
I am in the midst of a massive grading session. I am really not the best at getting all of my grading done right away. I have about 175 students of every grade so the first class of 25 is no problem, then you get to kid number 100 and you can't look at the assignment any more.
One of the most difficult parts of being a specials teacher comes with keeping all of the work organized and getting it to the right classes every day. I don't typically have a lot of paper and pencil work in my music classroom.The work I am grading now is assessed this way though due to the nature of the task.
Second graders just finished some note reading work with recognizing the direction of the notes either up, down, or repeated notes as well as writing the notes as a step, skip, or repeat on the staff. This has to be assessed in some sort of paper/pencil way until I have a tech app that can be used across the whole class.
Third grade was writing their own music and performing it. The parts I am grading on paper are the students' writing works. I am checking for their understanding of how to write notes on the staff, put the correct number of notes in a measure, and checking to see if they wrote their own music of just copied my example off the board. It is amazing to see how I can do the example on the SMART board and then take the whole thing down and they can recall exactly what I did and reproduce it with no changes. I had one class where 6 kids came up to me for checks, all having my example note for note.
I also have been watching the videos they took of each other playing their songs. This gives me a performance grade as well. Can you write it? Can you do it? It is so much fun seeing my students not only create their own work but work together to practice and perform their works.
One of the most difficult parts of being a specials teacher comes with keeping all of the work organized and getting it to the right classes every day. I don't typically have a lot of paper and pencil work in my music classroom.The work I am grading now is assessed this way though due to the nature of the task.
Second graders just finished some note reading work with recognizing the direction of the notes either up, down, or repeated notes as well as writing the notes as a step, skip, or repeat on the staff. This has to be assessed in some sort of paper/pencil way until I have a tech app that can be used across the whole class.
Third grade was writing their own music and performing it. The parts I am grading on paper are the students' writing works. I am checking for their understanding of how to write notes on the staff, put the correct number of notes in a measure, and checking to see if they wrote their own music of just copied my example off the board. It is amazing to see how I can do the example on the SMART board and then take the whole thing down and they can recall exactly what I did and reproduce it with no changes. I had one class where 6 kids came up to me for checks, all having my example note for note.
I also have been watching the videos they took of each other playing their songs. This gives me a performance grade as well. Can you write it? Can you do it? It is so much fun seeing my students not only create their own work but work together to practice and perform their works.
Thursday, January 3, 2013
A New Start
As I bring more and more to my profession, I have been putting more and more online. I realized that I don't always want to blend my home and work life. So, I will be keeping this blog as a space for teaching ideas, lessons that worked, and all things revolving around my classroom.
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
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