Three Things I've Learned This Summer

 

I'm joining Aileen Miracle in a linky party sharing three things we've learned this summer.  It's been a busy one for me!  School starts in a week and a half; meetings for a full week; yup, you read that correctly!  I know most teachers have a few days of meetings, we have meetings, lunches, and dedicated time in our classroom for 5 full days! Of course, most everyone is in their classrooms the weekend before this week because we have new student orientation that Friday before students return to classes August 17th!  Phew! All this leaves me asking the questions, "Where did the summer go and what did I learn?"  Here goes:

1.  I need my summer time. 

No, not just "want" my summer, but I need the time to refresh, recharge, listen to great music, find new lessons, regroup, reflect, and PLAN!  After school was out (4 days of planning/meetings after students were out), we were home for a week, then off to Maine for 2 weeks.  I am a Mainer, or Maineiac; from Maine! I love the ocean, and find nothing more relaxing and spiritually uplifting than to sit by the sea.  I also kayak with my Dad and get to visit family.  OH, and then there's the lobster! YUM!  My daughter and husband also love seafood and hunting for sea glass and driftwood is a family affair! 

We were home 2 weeks then my daughter and I went for a girls week with friends (our girls are both adopted from China and are 8 months apart) at the beach.  Our fourth year.  Which leads me to .....

 

2.  It is incredibly important for me to reconnect with family and friends near and far. 

While in Maine I reconnected with many friends and spent a lot of time with family, including 2 of my 32 cousins who I hadn't seen in 20 years!  I also was able to reconnect with some friends we made in China, which was wonderful, and to see how their family has blossomed; they have adopted 6 children from China!!  I also love spending time with my husband and my girlie.  She's 7.5 and I am really in denial that she will soon be 8! I decided this was the summer to teacher her to sew; we've done little projects before, but nothing meaningful.  We are building a new house and she is going to be getting a queen size bed; needs it to fit all her animals!! So, time for a new bedspread! Here she is sewing her quilt! 

 

3.  I have so many things to do this year!!

With the publishing of my first book, Hands to Hands, Clapping Songs and Games from Around the World, some other things went by the wayside, like my usual crazy planning and big projects!  One thing I have wanted to do for a very long time is to create a song index much along  the lines of Aileen Miracle's.  She has a GREAT tutorial you can see below! 

 

 

 

 

I have another project I began last school year; I'm creating an index of books that I use with music and the grade level and concept or skill area to be taught.  I am really excited about this as it will simplify using books in my classroom as I will be able to cross reference "quarter note" and find all the books I can use that teach/reinforce that concept.  I feel so incredibly blessed to have my summers, and to be returning to an amazing school that I love.  This is my 18th year there and I love our community! 

Hope you've had a summer full of learning!

What are you ready for this school year?

Preparations Underway!

Yup, this is it.. the final weeks of summer!  Two weeks from tomorrow I'll be back to school with all the requisite meetings required.. oh the meetings!  Ugh!  We have a few hours to actually get classrooms ready, but the majority of our time is taken up with discussions and meetings. Some of it is useful and thought-provoking, but then we have the other.  You know what I'm talking about.
I am going in this week to start setting up my classroom- I got new carpet over the summer and had to pack up my ENTIRE room.. and we music teachers have a lot of stuff.  Every shaker egg, drum, book, etc. had to be put in a box!  It was actually a wonderful opportunity to edit my room!  I found more books and "stuff" from 20+ years ago that I don't use or were horribly out of date.  So my room should have a sign like this right now:

  And if I could paint an image of my head it would look like this right now:

 I feel like there are hundreds of songs, games, and activities that I want to use this year that I've never used before.  It's a bit like embarking on a journey; opening up to the unexpected and unplanned.  I don't plan out my year in detail.  Shocking, isn't it?  I open myself up to possibilities!  I am very excited about starting our new COE: Cougar Orff Ensemble. No, not cougar because I am an older female.. bwah ha ha! School mascot, of course!  I will also be working on Volume 2 of my book, Hands to Hands, Clapping Songs and Games.  This one will feature mostly American clapping games and songs.  I'm possibly more excited about this one than the first one! I'll be posting a few beginning of the school year ideas in the next week or so! Check back soon! 

 

Songs of Summer

Ah... summer!  Long days, full of dreaming and being "off" schedule.  How we teachers LOVE it!!  Blessed, aren't we?  Yes in some ways, although personally I would like to teach in a year round school where student retention is higher and the students don't need August and part of September (here in NC we start mid-August) to remember what a quarter note is.  Summer brain drain.  Personally I would also love to be able to take a family vacation not centered around the hot months of June and July or at Thanksgiving or Christmas.  Although we get spring break in March, that is usually an extremely busy time for my husband so he can't take off.  But, oh, how I would love to go somewhere in October or February! 
As I write this I am sitting in a cottage 5' from the ocean in Maine.  The sun is shining, it's quarter to 8 in the AM and the water (high tide right now) is gently lapping at the rocks because a lobster boat just went by hauling traps.  I am a proud Mainer, or Maineiac as we say, born here as were my parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents.  I escaped and am now an MIE; Mainer in Exile.  Ha!  Just kidding.  I chose to move and love North Carolina, but really miss Maine in the summer so we make the long (!!!) drive every other year and rent the same cottage in Maine and it is amazing.  A few pics to make you want to visit:

Building rock sculptures/cairns, kayaking (yup, me with my daughter, who thinks she is a pro kayaker now), watching sunsets, pic on the right taken last night), finding sea glass (we have over 20# to take home this time!!), eating lobster, crab, scallops, clams, shrimp, haddock.. yum! I love swinging on the rope swing at Mackeral Cove, as does my daughter.. you swing over sea roses and beach and it's a blast. I also love seeing family and friends while home.  My sweet friend of over 23 years, C., is also a music teacher; we met in college after both of transferred from music conservatories; she from Berklee in Boston, me from Hartt in Connecticut. People thought we were siblings as we both had the same last name.  I visited with C. and her daughter yesterday and it was such a sweet time with such a sweet friend. 

Of course we talked shop; she teaches middle school and also directs six yes, SIX vocal ensembles ranging in age from itty bitties to grown ups, and has taken them on tours throughout the world; a couple years ago it was Africa, next year part of Europe!  She's insanely talented and an amazing jazz pianist!  We often "see" each other on FB and we pin many of the same pins on pinterest.  We had a great visit talking polyrhythms, bucket drumming, body percussion, Keith Terry, musicals, and song titles.  Ah.. the songs of summer!  I hope you are enjoying your summer season and that you rejuvenating your spirit!  Now, go out and sing a little!

End of Year.. Now What?

I've seen several posts on FB pages about what to do at the end of the year.  If you've been here before you know I started a tradition a few years ago singing camp songs. Picture on bottom is kids reaction when we get ready to start camp songs!

 

 They are the PERFECT finish *ta da* at the end of the year. It keeps the kids singing, clapping, and they are just plain FUN!!
This is a previous post I had that has several including tons of variations to "A Sailor Went to Sea" that my kids can't get enough of! This is the expression I usually see when I tell them it's time for Camp Songs!

In addition to these my students also love:

 "Highland Gates" from the Amidons book Down in the Valley- get the book.. you won't regret it!! http://www.dancingmasters.com/store/books-cds-dvds/down-in-the-valley  I use this with First Grade on up through about third.

Jump Jim Joe https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1m-DIa5QTA GREAT for littles- PreK/ Kinder/First Grade

And I see this from the older kids when we are doing camp songs:

 


Sashay the Donut also from the Amidons book of the same name (grades 3 and up) They LOVE this one!!

These are some of the youtube videos I watched to learn how to sing/perform the songs and chants and then personalized them.  I don't use these with the kids.  We actually put a crackling fire on the screen to watch and turn the lights out so we have a campfire atmosphere. 

Wisconsin Milk is here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Mr0ccX7RCc
Mac n Cheese: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xV46eduDyTY
Go Bananas: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFXitbTQ0-E
Ricky Ticky Toomba: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCmvCJU6v6E&list=PL9738E2086220EEBA&index=4
Tarzan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7w1aREkMnwY&list=PL9738E2086220EEBA&index=8
Herman the Worm:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCgwV-iI80E&list=PL9738E2086220EEBA&index=9
Singing in the Rain also called Chili Bop:  (LOVE this one!) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bbHVrtx0Ow
Pizza Hut:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ctjeZD0c0A
Humpty Dumpty: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYY7JHl_nFw  HYSTERICAL! instead of the pelvic thrust on "huh" I have the kids clap and jump as high as they can go.
Found a Peanut: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOh6tnceO3Q
Froggy:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VoLaQV8aE8
Baby Shark:  MUST DO!!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=da2IgWbkvI0  Start at 1:15

And a couple more:

Have fun and keep the music going until the bitter (or sweet) end!

Frog In Yonder Pond

This is a lesson I did just this morning with kindergarten and we had great fun with it! Hope you enjoy!

What Sound Do You Hear Now?

My kiddos love this game and BEG to play it again and again.  The beauty of it, well.. it's also a great informal assessment!  I use this with my Junior Kindergarten (ages 4 and 5) up through first grade.  This is based on a similar one in Gameplan.  The song and graphics are my own and so I am not stepping on Jeff and Randy's toes by sharing it with you but will give them all the credit for the game!! :)

 

NEW BOOK!!! Arriving mid-May!!

Well, it's official!!! Yee-haw!  My book, Hands to Hands, will be ready to ship mid-May! 

You can pre-order it directly from Beatin' Path Publications here: http://www.beatinpathpublications.com/ACP/home.html


I began to look at clapping songs and games after an end of year conversation about how kids of our digital age don't know what to do once they are "bored".  I researched and couldn't find a resource that had songs, music notation, directions, etc. I found many on youtube and then began to spread my wings farther by sending emails to people around the world.  This collection, Hands to Hands, will hopefully be Volume 1 and we will publish Volume 2 later.  I am incredibly proud of the pieces we included, from Kenya to Italy, Peru to Scotland, New Zealand to Japan, and everything in between.  It's a really diverse and approachable collection and my students have loved learning them!!

I am also excited as Brent, the editor, really liked my idea of using my doodles as artwork!  Here's the back cover artwork, although it looks a little different on the actual book (no white spaces; they are purple!).  I just finished this one Wednesday night while recovering from strep throat!

I hope you will consider ordering the book!  :)