Summer PD Free and Fee

We have experienced the worst of times.  We have also experienced outpourings of gratitude, appreciation, and love.  We have seen a country divided over masks, race, and so many other problems. But we have also seen a coming together to help others in need and, especially in the music education world, an outpouring of sharing, caring, and connecting.
There have been so many wonderful webinars and workshops online lately! This summer the possibilities and options are richer than ever before.
So, here is a partial list - please let me know what courses you find and I will add them to the list.

Free

Colorado Kodaly Tuesday Webinars - varied presenters.
 Facebook - International Sunday Sharing USA - every Sunday Live only
Midnight Music Monthly Training
Southern Methodist University Intro to Orff Course (offered 2x), Intro to Kodaly
Los Angeles Chapter of AOSA summer workshop plans, cost to be determined.
Teaching With Orff summer workshop plans, cost to be determined.

Fee/Credit Options

Detroit Orff Chapter Sharing session, Responsive Classroom for Music/Art/PE Teachers study, Book Study, $5.00-$10.00
Witchita State University Kodaly courses - $16.00-$52.00
MusicEd Forward course "Advocating for Sound Music Learning in Fall 2020 and Beyond, $27.00
World Music Drumming has MANY Summer Samplers - $20.00 per hour, most courses between 2 and 4 hours.
Musitex College has three courses around music technology and online teaching $39.00-$99.00
Kansas Orff Chapter of AOSA Online Workshop - $50.00
Kodaly Levels Seattle - 4 courses - $75.00 each or all for $250.00
MusicEd Forward - various courses and costs
International Music Education Summit $97.00
The Artie & Denise Online Odyssey - $100.00
Southern Methodist University, many course offerings, $150.00-$300.00
World Music Pedagogy course Teaching Music/Teaching Culture $195.00
University of Kentucky four Orff course offerings - $215.00 each
Kodaly Music Institute has eight course offerings - $275.00-$425.00
Anderson University Dalcroze and Ukulele courses $300.00-$800.00
Anderson University Orff Curriculum and Orff Masterclass courses $625.00-$800.00
George Mason University has five courses - $310.00-$1336.00
Vandercook College of Music offerings include Kodaly, Orff, Technology, and others. $350.00 per credit hour, courses are 1, 2, or 3 credit hours ($350.00/$700.00/$1050.00).
University of Bridgeport, MSED 530X: Inclusion in the Orff-based Classroom, 2 graduate credits $1330.00

What We CAN Do and Moving Forward

Can you relate to the question marks above?  I think many of us are stumbling forward with Remote/E/Distance Learning but also looking to next school year and asking the question of "What will that look like?"
Are you feeling the pressure of all this uncertainty?  Take a moment and watch and listen to Jimmy Fallon and crew (with pots, pans, glasses, even a toaster as instruments) perform Under Pressure:

We are all wondering and there are no clear answers. If you would like to see me talk about this, head over to these links - technology was not my friend today, so it is in two parts.

What We CAN Do Now and Moving Forward, Part 1: 

https://www.facebook.com/ofortunaorff/videos/292163971950026/

Part 2:

https://www.facebook.com/ofortunaorff/videos/576850692962689/

Here's What We Know

• Virus is not going away.
• Singing can be dangerous -Webinar:  What Do Science and Data Say About the Near Term Future of Singing with National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS), the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), Chorus America, Barbershop Harmony Society, and Performing Arts Medical Association (PAMA).

• Comparing your lessons to others creation of padlets, flipgrids, SeeSaws, Google Slides, Google Classrooms, and Virtual Classrooms damages your

1. Sense of Self
2. Doesn't Help You Get to Your Goals
3. Limits You

• Next year may include a mix or one of these teaching realities: remote, streaming live from our classrooms, face to face with small groups in our classrooms, face to face with large groups,  traveling on a cart, with a mask, without a mask, with a face shield, without a face shield, seeing our students on a different schedule, remote one week or day, face to face the next, etc.

We Also Know

We are creative.

We want to be relational with our students.

We will teach children.

We will teach children music.

We will teach the elements of music; rhythm, harmony, melody, form, and expressive qualities. 

Things to Consider

 Some things will be more important than ever - a focus on social/emotional learning. Students will need music to heal, to celebrate, and to move forward in a positive way.  

Structure and routine.  Students will have been out of school and away from tradition, routine, and socialization for almost six months. It will be a time of re-learning, particularly for our youngest students, and our more vulnerable students. 

Moving Forward

So, what can we do now?  SO much!!!Think about what you want your Kindergarten, Fifth Graders, ________ to know about one element of music - rhythm, for example.  What would you normally teach your students to prepare division of beat?  A song?  Ok - If we are unable to sing the song together due to restrictions, make a recording of yourself singing the song to play during the class. Students can sing the song "in their heads and hearts". Perhaps they can sing specific words or the highest, lowest or "home" pitch.  Learn the song the same way you normally would- maybe you record yourself teaching the song by rote in sections with space for students to sing "in their heads and hearts" until they can lip sync the whole song. Now of course, that is not the best and it will be awkward at first, but we are moving forward, right?  Then maybe you may have had students keep the beat with the song - use body percussion or non-locomotor movement- jump, twist, wiggle, sway, etc.  Perhaps students clap the "way the words sound". Then maybe you had them play instruments. Uh oh- sharing may be problematic due to virus.
But wait - what if each student brings in an empty oatmeal box, 4-5 pairs of chopsticks, and 2 plastic eggs filled with pennies, plastic beads, paperclips, etc. (no food items- bug/insect/vermin issue).  If parents are unable, others could donate. No plastic eggs?  Oriental Trading has 144 for less than $5.00. The best part - everything goes INSIDE the oatmeal box, AKA drum. These would be stored in classrooms along with art supplies, etc. They do not take up much space and everything for music class goes inside the oatmeal box. Play with lid only, use chopsticks as mallets or create rhythms using chopsticks as manipulatives or use as conducting batons, tap together for light wood sound, etc. 

  

Hopefully, you are getting the point here - we can still teach music!!! No, it won't be the same. Grieve that, mourn it, and choose to move forward.  

Technology

Obviously, there is some amazing tech, sites, and apps available to many of us that we will continue to use remotely or face to face.   

 If your students will not be able to use barred instruments next year or you are on a cart AND your students have access to tech in their rooms, Brent Geyer has created some fabulous internet based virtual xylophones for our students to use. Not an app, nothing to sign up/in, no personal info shared, and beautiful sounding!  Many thanks to Brent for providing these for FREE!!!

Full Diatonic:

https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/388230026

G Major Pentatonic:

https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/395530134/

C Pentatonic:

https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/389122389

F Pentatonic:

https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/395199236

       

   There is a line from my favorite medical drama that is in every episode. The director of the hospital asks a simple, yet powerful question - "How can I help?"  

Let me know.  I may not have an answer, but I am here for you. 

Manipulatives to Use for Remote/E-Learning

We music teachers love our manipulatives, whether they are the mini-erasers from Target, stuffed animals, popsicle sticks, or printed items.  Engaging students to actively create while in remote/3-learning is challenging.  I have been using Google slides to create manipulatives students can move around and wanted to share these with you here.  You can use these in many ways - the final slide has the ones you may want to use with students to go with the Bee Bee Bumblebee rhyme. 

Here is what the moveable slide looks like - with cards the students can click and drag to create new rhythms based upon the traditional rhyme.

There are other slides to use as well in the classroom:

Here's another to use with Bluebird Bluebird: 

Hope you enjoy these and let me know how you use them!