Snowflake Half Note Lesson

This one is so much fun!

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Kindergarten Music

 Recently I polled  teachers on social media asking what teachers needed the most. It seems a lot of people struggle with those sweet, other-worldly Kindergarteners! Others wanted singing games and canons, so for the next two weeks (at least) I will posting twice a day on my socials - insta/tiktok -@aimee_ofortunaorff. 

 Today, we will chat about Kindergarten. Oh, how I love these little special people. If I had to pick three words to describe Kinders it would be: 1. Adorable 2. Chaotic 3. Curious. 

 The songs, rhymes, movement experiences, and instrument play in Kindergarten form the foundation for all other musical experiences that will happen in later years. Musical concepts of rhythm, melody, form, expression, and harmony originate and are explored through the active musical experiences in Kindergarten. Students also learn crucial skills about interacting with others, following rules and procedures, and making music in a collaborative ensemble. 

Structure 

Structure and routine is oh-so necessary for our Kindergarten wee ones, and so is leaving room for exploration and play. Clear and consistent routines, expectations, and an organized learning environment help our little musicians develop self-control, manage emotions, reduce anxiety, and focus on learning. See more here. So, what does that look like in our music classrooms? Maybe something like this: 

Greeting/Walking In/Sitting Down 

Each of these has musical opportunities- even the music you may have playing as students walk in and sit down - maybe it is a song they have sung before, or maybe it is something you will use in the lesson or in a lesson to come. Maybe there is a rhythmic element you want the students to refer back to - there are so many playful and musical possibilities.

Beat & Melodic Exploration 

*The links below are videos - I would love to have embedded them here but unfortunately, blogger did not like it when I did that! 

Knees a Knees a Pizza Pie is a steady beat activity we use to start each music lesson. 

Movement and Name Song

Where is ____ Show Us Your Moves This is one I use after Knees a Knees a.

Reaction Training Games

Walk, Run, and Stop Dalcroze Game This is an activity that becomes a game and we do this at the beginning of each music class after Knees a Knees a.

More Fingerplays and Ways to Extend Them into Other Grades

Simple Songs, Fingerplays, Games, Dances & Instrument Play

Imitation, and Exploration 

Here is one example. There are so many available resources for Kindergarten!

I hope all of this is helpful!

Rap a Tap Tap Book and Improvisation Activity

This was a lesson posted in my Patreon community two years ago. My students love this book and has a lovely connection to the famous tap dancer, Savion Glover! Click here for the slides and please note, this will force a copy.

Enjoy! 

Using iconic or rhythmic notation, various voices, elemental forms, movement, non-pitched percussion, barred percussion, movement, and improvisation, this is a "kitchen sink" lesson using everything in the classroom you CHOOSE to use. You can use this with your first graders to upper elementary, varying the complexity included in the lesson. You can get the full slide set with all of the visuals on my Patreon community.  Add your favorite book about winter and voila! A lesson with no prep!

Enjoy!

March from the Nutcracker Stretchy Band Activity

 Yes, I love the Nutcracker! There is so much fun to play with that is also a ballet and.. CLASSICAL music that children have most likely heard before! 

Here is a fun stretchy band activity for you and your students to enjoy! 

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Enjoy!

Creepy Carrots

I struggle with all the Halloween themed things I used to do and no longer include as I have students who do not celebrate Halloween. I love spooky season and incorporate spiders, monsters, and other "Halloween-adjacent" activities into this time of year but always with a curricular focus. And if I don't have it, I make it. My third graders learn recorder every year and this year's group is just a wee bit behind other years, for whatever reason. Wonderful singers, and wonderful musicians, just not picking up on recorder as quickly as some other groups. So, I needed a quick piece to put together and have always loved the book, Creepy Carrots! Get the full slide set, with the animated book, here (free!). I wrote this yesterday and did the activity with two classes, who walked out the door singing the tune- love when that happens! Easy, accessible, and diversified for students who need to work on EG or BAG passages, or they can play everything, BAGE! 

Enjoy!

Pop Goes the Folk Dance Guest Blog Post by Melissa Flores

 Today we have a guest blog post from the awesome Melissa Fuller Flores.  Be sure to check her out on instagram! 

MANY thanks to Melissa for sharing her advice and dance adaptations using Pop Music with folk dancing! 

You’ve probably seen this quote: “Be the teacher you needed when you were younger.” That has been my driving force ever since a student of mine, early on in my teaching career, asked, “How come the music that we hear in music class is different from what we hear outside music class?” A pit sank in my stomach. It made me think about my own school music experience as a kid, and I realized that not only was I missing something in my classroom, but that something from my own experience growing up was the same. I know as a Filipino-American in the 90s/2000s I would have had a greater sense of belonging and connection in what we were learning if we would have danced or sung anything from the Philippines. Or even just listened to Oops I Did It Again, anything Spice Girls, something with a boy band!

The easiest way I felt that I could incorporate this relatability for my students quickly was by pairing it with folk dances that my students already knew from their own culture. Which brings us to today! 

🎶Break it Down Now Y’all🎶 (Choosing Dances/ Pop Songs)

How do I know if a folk dance is an appropriate level for my students? You know your students best. For kids newer to folk dancing, I choose dances that keep the same partner throughout the dance and song. Sometimes I adapt a folk dance to where the dance is pretty much the same, but without changing a partner. (I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that a good rule of thumb for all dance choices is that ritual dances, or dances of ritual origin, are always off limits to perform or practice in our classrooms.) 

How will I know when my students are ready for me to add the pop songs to the folk dance? Before adding a pop song to a folk dance I make sure that the students have had loads of past experience with the dance; even to where I don’t need to call directions! Because when you do add a pop song, there can be tricky situations that can come up. And if the students have a deeper depth of knowledge about how the dance works, they will be able to adapt and improvise better.

How do you decide what songs to use? Sometimes I take the lead of what songs my students are singing from movies or youtube, what is popular on the Hot 100, and most of all: what is Kidz Bop recording? Sometimes I start with Kidz Bop and seek out the original recording to check and hear if the original recording is good to have in your classroom. If a student suggests a song and you feel like it is questionable, ask a student who is in high school or college to have a listen and tell you if there are any hidden meanings in the lyrics.

Does tempo matter? Songs that are closer in tempo to the traditional music allow for a more seamless transition for students who are starting out layering folk dances with pop songs. But when the tempo really differs from the traditional music tempo, it opens up a chance to see more collaboration, creativity, and adaptability from your students. 

I have my song/dance, how do I choose which song/dance would go well with it? Check if they are in the same time signature and they have similar forms*. (See the next section about form).
To check if they line up I honestly just sit down, listen to the pop song while using my fingers to dance out the moves along with the directions, and visualize how it could line up. I recommend doing this while sitting somewhere comfy and not while driving and/or in traffic…seriously learn from my mistakes y’all! Another trick is to find a YouTube video of people dancing the folk dance, put it on mute, and start the music and see how it overlays.  

🎶It's Tricky... Tr-tr-tr-tricky🎶 (Possible Tough Spots)

Form*: Not all song lyrics and sections match up perfectly with the original folk dances. Sometimes it is off by 8 or 16 beats. When this occurs, have students repeat sections of the folk dance until the next section. If it doesn't line up, check to see if these next two tricky spots apply.

Introductions: I typically wait for the first verse of the song before we start dancing. Not only for syncing purposes, but also so the students can get the tempo and feel. Also, I like for the kids to really enjoy the song before we start dancing away. 

Bridges: Leading into the bridge I call, “Make it up!” During this time we either just pause and wait, or more times than not improvise dance moves and vibe with the music. Then when the next verse comes up, I call, "1, 2, ready go!". Make sure to set safe expectations before the song even starts. I’ve made the mistake of forgetting to do this, so you can imagine all of the almost accidents that came from the different breakdancing, gymnastics flipping, or karate moves that ensued… learn from my mistakes, y’all!

*Keep in mind that sometimes pop song/folk dance adaptations just don't work. If it feels wonky, find a different song or folk dance that might work better or add/adapt steps to make it work.

🎶Da-da-doo-doot-n, Just dance!🎶

Heel Toe Polka with Sunroof by Nicky Youre Dazy

Dance: 

Music: 

• Start moving on “Sunroof” (0:14) and it lines up perfectly until the end of the song fades out.

Kings and Queens Dance with Kings and Queens by Kidz Bop

Dance: 

Music:  

• Clap to the beat in the intro and start dancing at the verse (0:15).
• Dance as is shown in this video, but add extra 8 beats of dancing in place after the king and queen walk down the middle so that the beginning of the dance lines up with the chorus (0:45).
• Keep going through the dance as done before until the outro at (2:08), students will free dance in place until the end.  

Chimes of Dunkirk Dance with Signed, Sealed, Delivered by Stevie Wonder

Dance:

Music:

• This song is slower than the original instrumental music, but it also creates opportunity for moving with swagger and within the genre.
• Students start moving at the start of the lyrics (0:09). When it’s time to sashay (0:31) 3 pairs of students will start to sashay or groove down Soul Train style every 8 beats.                                                                                                                          
• Keep dancing as done before and the end of the song will finish as the 3rd pair sashays/grooves down.

🎶In the End🎶

When I first added pop songs to my folk dances I had no idea the positive ripple effect it would have, not only for my students’ sense of belonging but also as it related to my childhood experience. I can say I am the teacher that I wish I could have had; answering the question I had and my student asked, “How come the music that we hear in music class is different from what we hear outside music class?” And it all started with a pop song. 


As a first-generation Filipino-American and military child, Melissa Fuller Flores grew up showcasing Filipino folk dances on Air Force bases. The foundations of how to move to music primed and prepared her for a Bachelor’s in music education at the University of Alabama, and a Master’s in clarinet performance at the University of North Texas. Though it was difficult to leave her students in Houston after 6 years, Melissa currently teaches in just outside of Iowa City, Iowa. There, she continues to provide students with musical experiences that cultivate self-expression and help them thrive as positive, productive, and culturally mindful world citizens. When she isn’t teaching, Melissa enjoys presenting, creating, cooking, and being a couch potato watching her favorite shows.

Runaway Wok Updated!

 This has been a favorite post for several years but it was time for an update - get the google slide here! Please note this will force a copy. 

Here are a few pages from the google slides.

Enjoy!

Gong Xi ,Gong Xi Song for Lunar New Year!

 There is probably no other song more recognizable at Lunar New Year than Gong Xi, Gong Xi (Congratulations, congratulations!). 

Many thanks to my friend, M. Kang, for sharing the English translation and the fan dance ideas for this song! 

The full slide set is available here.

Enjoy! Xin Nian Kuai Le! (Happy New Year)

Hike by Pete Oswald

 Hike by Pete Oswald (of The Good Egg and The Bad Seed fame) is a beautiful (almost) wordless picture book. 

Follow a Dad and son into the mountains as they witness the magic of the wilderness, overcome challenges, and plant a tree to give back to the forest. This beautiful book is full of possibilities for movement and vocal and barred instrument exploration (images that move down or up, small and large trees, mountain peaks, hills and of course those beautiful winding trails).  Or, have small groups create movement tableaus for different pages or create 2-beat building bricks about what the father and son are doing or seeing.  

Perfect for back to school talks about summer trips or for Earth Day.  

This would work well with Trees 'Round the Earth from my new book, Singing Waters, Dancing Flames published by Beatin Path Publications.

For a clearer image of the song, click here to download.

Another great tie in would be the beautiful canon, This Pretty Planet.

Or use Seeds of Love by Gemini

Another extension idea using the book Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert, post click here

To see a video of Planting a Rainbow and the Seeds song by Gemini, click here. 

What is your favorite song or activity about nature? Drop a comment below. 

Enjoy!