“My Big Event” Improvisation Game
Below is a link to a lesson plan from Music Teachers Helper (I am a follower on Twitter) that I loved as soon as I read it (less than ten minutes ago). The journal would be too much for all the students I teach and for the short time I see them each week, but the actual improvisation activity is great! I can’t wait to try it out!
Follow the website link below (may need to copy & paste) to go straight to this Music Teachers Helper blog post.
http://www.musicteachershelper.com/blog/my-big-event-improvisation-game-a-fun-way-to-teach-form/
Decorate!
Do you need a poster outside your room to brighten things up? Do you want a clever saying to invite kids into your music classroom? Well, homemade posters are the best! And coming up with those clever saying are a piece of cake. You just gotta tap into your creativity!
I change my decor outside my room roughly 4 times a year. This changes up the scenery for the students waiting at my door! (I usually have 3 huge recycling cans along the left wall in this photo… a creative decoration makes the outside of my room less ugly!) All I do it take a quip that I’ve seen or made up, put it on a big piece of butcher or wrapping paper, and decorate it accordingly! It’s that easy!
Here are my ideas from last year:
1. Making MUSIC is FUN! – Decorated with instruments
2. Fall in LOVE with MUSIC – For Autumn, decorated with leaves and a french horn playing scarecrow… and the picture is posted under “Classroom Photos” on the right.
3. Chill out with COOL MUSIC – For winter, decorated with snow flakes and a cool snowman… and the picture is posted under “Classroom Photos” on the right.
4. It’s Spring! – For Spring (obviously), decorated with cute bugs all saying something about music (Bee = I heart bee-autiful music!). No photo.
Here are some ideas I have rolling around in my brain for this year:
1. Music is treat! Come and get a scoop! – Back to school, decorated with a three-scoop ice cream cone with a word in each one (sing, dance, play).
2. We’re WILD about MUSIC! – Jungle themed! Decorated with a tree and a Carnival of the Animals poster (www.musicmotion.com).
3. Hit a HOMERUN with MUSIC! – Baseball themed…
4. Dive into MUSIC! – Underwater themed
Photos of these new themes and any others I do will be uploaded into the gallery as soon as I make them! The outside of your music classroom should look inviting and happy! Get to it! And have fun!
Newest eBay Puppet
My kids are going to be thrilled when this little guy visits them in the music classroom next year. At the workshop, Lynn Kleiner used him as the star of A Mouse Lives in a Little Hole, from Farm Songs and the Sounds of Moo-sic! A group of 25+ music teachers were enraptured with his little performance! I scoured eBay and bid on him…. $6.00 with free shipping. He is originally $12.00 without shipping. Can’t wait until he gets to my house!