Fall Rhythms Activity for Kindergarten/First Grade

I was inspired by another blogger, Emily at thesweetestmelody to make my own "Fall Rhythms" pack. Used it yesterday with kindergarteners and it was a great first lesson in "reading" rhythms! Enjoy!

Great Big House in New Orleans with Student Created "B" Section

I've always loved this song since learning it during Orff Level I Certification. I was looking for another song to perform at our "Holiday Concert" which is in mid-November this year (usually in early December). So, I came across this song the other day and was so inspired by the use of the words, "pumpkin pie". I had quite forgotten about that part of the song and so I came up with a "B" section students can develop. My kiddos loved creating new "pie flavors". Have fun with it!

Inspired.. Another Center/Rotation Idea

I came across another blog the other day- have seen it before but was truly inspired by one of her ideas. She (blog can be found here: http://www.cphmusic.net/)is a Smart Board designer, teacher, trainer, guru and teaches in a 1:1 ipad school. Wow! I saw one of her ideas and really loved it. I re-created some of what she had, changed the wording and idea to fit my classroom and here it is! This would make for a GREAT addition to the centers/rotations and allow for a great deal of creativity! I showed it to my art teacher this morning and she is going to do something similar for her rotations! Wahoo!

Winter Vocal Exploration

I just added these on my TPT store, but for those who'd like a few "freebies", here are 4 from the collection! Enjoy!

Creepy Crawly Spiders Song

Creepy Crawly Spider song with simple Orff arrangement using Sol, La, and Mi, quarter, eighth, and quarter rest notes. Save as a picture file and then create a Powerpoint with these. Printable using cute (NOT SCARY) spider "notes" to create alternate B section or practice using rhythms. Perfect for Halloween; no mention of "Halloween" or anything scary! Enjoy!

How I process and plan a concert...

So usually our Holiday Concert for our Lower School ( I teach in an independent, AKA private school) is usually in December. However, this year I am having my 4th surgery (and hopefully FINAL one) at the end of November so we are going to have our holiday concert in early November. I am calling it "Falling Into Winter". I typically begin with a concert theme or title; not a whole lot of creative options with a holiday concert, although one of my favorites was "Songs of Night, Songs of Light" and we performed many songs about the moon, stars, starlight, and songs using, as one of my students said, "sparkly sounds"; glockenspiels, cymbals, and jingle bells. It was one of my favorites! Once I've settled on a theme, I then have to find or write music for that concert. This year I wrote an opening song with the concert title. It's a play on the word "falling" as both leaves and snow falls. As the concert is early in November, I begun this past week practicing a few songs with each class, then gradually, as students become more familiar with these songs, I start to add a couple more, then as these become familiar, we add more. Typically I review these at the beginning of class as a "warm up" and then we move into more complex (and lengthier) lessons involving a rhythmic or melodic concept, etc. Often once we start to learn a song, I will find that it might be "too" easy a song for the children, so I'll add a more rhythmic part on unpitched or Orff instruments to the orchestration. I keep in mind that what is added needs to challenge the students growth and use something that will focus on a concept (syncopation, half notes, etc.) that I can use as a practical application of a skill. Programming for me includes some novelty or fun songs, something in Hebrew (see my post last year about performing traditional Hebrew folk songs instead of contrived Hanukkah songs), something to do with "light" or candles, some more serious material for older students, and an audience participation number that I call "Surprise" in the program. Last year I used "Sleigh Ride" which the students rehearsed and at the concert I taught parents. It was hysterical and everybody loved the activity!!! I always find concerts and performances to be fun for all, and I really do love to create music or make a twist on something "old". Happy concert planning!

Dancing Bears Song

My junior kindergarten students learn about bears in the fall and I'm always trying to come up with some new songs and activities to enhance their studies of bears. Of course, I came across a poem called "Dancing Bears" but didn't like the words or the rhythm so I came up with this: Late at night, the moon is bright (X X X X) Bears are dancing in the light (X X X X) Round the circle here they go, they're bear-y hairy, bear-y slow (X....) Bear-y funny dancing bears. (X X X X) The X's are where students clapped for 4 beats, then we transferred that to triangles. The "X...." after "slow" in the third line is where we played a roll on the triangle. I played a simple bordun on the Orff instruments and they loved it.. giggles galore! Melody is as follows: Sharing instruments the first few times is tricky; helping them to understand that we have to share and take turns, etc. I set up the triangles as pictured (the line yellow and blue line is a stretchy band and creates a barrier so we know not to run over and pick up instruments to play). Then I create partners and demonstrate with one group of partners how one partner sits in front and one in back. I use a funny nonsense poem or nursery rhyme that is 8 beats long and speak it rhythmically. Whenever I speak this, students know (through my highest grades) that they have to switch. We use this system whenever we share instruments and it makes switching fun and quick (8 beats long). Be consistent with whatever you use; I use one poem with JrK and Kindergarten, add another to the repertoire in first grade, etc. They LOVE this!!! Once I have demonstrated how to switch with one partner group, I ask partners to go to a particular color and I choose who goes in front and who goes behind. Once they are there, I tell them they can play as loud/fast as they want to for 5 seconds and I hold up five fingers, then four, etc. until I have a closed fist. Then we practice switching and I give the partners a time to play also. PLAY is important; not only to play when we tell them to, but to explore making sound; it is the beginning of improvisation.. noisy, chaotic, but soooo important!! And FUN! Once they have learned how to do this, I take the spots away: We only do spots 2-3 times, then they've got it figured out! Happy end of the first week for most of you.. I'm ending my second week! Wahoo.. long weekend.. :)