DYNAMICS!!!!

For the month of November, we've been discussing dynamics. We used our textbooks and various listening examples to learn the basics. Upper grade students had a relay race to match the Italian term or symbol to it's English definition to reinforce the meanings of various dynamic markings. I wanted to share some other resources that I found particularly helpful this month.

The Music Zone is an awesome book in general, but it has a great song to help remember Forte and Piano. Find it here for $30.

Music K-8 Volume 16 Number 4 has two simple songs for Crescendo and Decrescendo

The Bulletin Board Lady on TpT made some cute Dynamic Candy Corn Puzzles. Students in grades 2-5 loved putting these together! The download also comes with a little worksheet for students to copy down the symbol, Italian word and English definition. Easy peasy reinforcement after doing the puzzles!

Tweet Resources made a cute Spring time bundle of worksheets. Even though it is not spring, I loved the Color by Dynamics sheet and used it anyway!

My favorite part of the dynamics lesson? Bjork! Students in all grades loved moving to her song "It's Oh So Quiet" to show the change in dynamics. I wish I had a computer in my room so that I could have showed them the video as well, but they had a lot of fun just listening to the song.

Planning Binder 2014-2015

I am forever trying to organize myself. This year I have kept my planning binder pretty much how I had it last year and the year before that. However, this year I have changed how I write my lesson plans. I learned a long time ago that music isn't actually a subject and no one really cares what I'm teaching in my room unless I am due for a formal observation. Then I have my objectives and anticipatory set all ready to go and nice and neat. Otherwise, I just use post-its! I totally stole this idea from The Wise and Witty Teacher. It's just a one subject notebook and sticky notes. I can easily make changes, I only write down enough so that I know what I'm doing and it is helping me tie lessons together instead of instantly forgetting what we covered last week. One page is PK/K, 1st and 2nd divided into 4 weeks to cover a whole month, then on the next pair of pages I do the same thing for 3rd, 4th and 5th. After that I have a "To Do" page where I can make note of what materials I need and what I need to do (copies, order, organize, make, laminate, whatever). I am loving it! :)

Halloween

I wanted to share some of my favorite Halloween songs.

For "Skin and Bones" we would learn to sing the song and then add A-G-F-D with either Boomwhackers or Handbells during the "ohhhs"

"Witches' Brew by Hap Palmer" is a big time hit with my Pre-K and Kindergarteners! My 1st graders love it too just because it brings back memories. (We discuss using a high pitch voice for the "Ooo" and lower pitch for "Boo!")

I was in Little Shop of Horrors when I was in high school, so I got so excited when I saw this song was in my 4th grade textbook! I get my older students singing and moving for a fun halloween-ish song and it also opens the door to discuss styles of music (doo-wop and Broadway).

For some reason it won't let me add this video, but you can hear the song here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-x-DdFg2SKE

"Hey Jack!" from Music K-8 Vol. 22 No. 1 is my all time most requested Halloween songs.