Music Makes Me Hoppy!
Music Makes Me Hoppy! New poster outside my classroom. So cute for spring/summer!
Welcome Baaaaack to Moooosic!
Cute music room decoration idea for welcoming students back to school and music! I had this up in August, and just now got around to uploading it from my camera to my computer. It’s been my favorite poster so far!
Recorder Rules
All year long, I have my Recorder Rules posted in my classroom. Not only do they provide nice color on the white wall, but they remind students of the recorder basics. A better name for them may be Recorder Reminders.
1. Left hand on top
2. Head up
3. Always use good posture
4. Fingers in front, thumbs in back
5. Always tongue the notes, “too” or “tah”
6. If squeaking and squawking, FIX IT!
Writing a post about my Recorder Rules has made me think more about them, and I discovered two things I talk about a lot with my kids but don’t have on my rules!! For the most part, squeaking is caused by blowing too hard. So, I need to add something like “blow gently” or I tell my students to “blow bubbles, not birthday candles”. Another saying I use is “the lower you go, the less you blow”. Also, squeaking is caused by not covering all the holes needed to play the note(s). “Cover all holes” may need to be up there too! I will put those on my list of things to do!!
Here is a photo of my current Recorder Rules:
February 2011 Posts
Last year on the Elementary Music Teacher Blog:
Music Etsy: If you are looking for a cute, handmade music gift, please check out my mom’s etsy site at www.rosegardenembroidery.etsy.com. You may be looking for a piano lesson bag for your daughter, a gift for a teacher or a tote to hold your school materials in. If so, my mom has the perfect thing! Click here to visit this post.
A Year Ago… (Now two years!): How to Speak Moo! by Deborah Fajerman, emphasizes vocal exploration in younger students (K-1), but is a fun filler for older grades (2-4). Students practice “moo-ing” in different ways- wobbly, high, low, soft, loud, sleepy, in a funnel, etc. Then during the story, the different “moo’s” are integrated and students have to “moo” as the pictures ask them to. My kindergarten students enjoy participating with this book, and afterwards we do what I call a squiggle exercise. I draw a squiggle… {read more}
Recorders: Recorders gained popularity in schools in the 1950′s and are still a great instrument to teach to young children today. Students learn rhythms, how to read music… and how to put those two together along with fingerings. They also learn phrasing, breathing, tonguing, melody and many other musical concepts. Click here to visit my first post about recorders and recorder materials.
How Does Your Garden Groove?: This year, the 1st grade musical is How Does Your Garden Groove? by Michael and Jill Gallina. At first the kids were a little hesitant… a musical about vegetables?! But now that they’ve learned the rock song Vegematic, Automatic, the dancing/clapping/rapping song Hot Potatoand the hilarious Please Don’t Put Us in a Can-Can!, they LOVE IT! These fun songs, plus two more make this healthy, moving and grooving musical a hit! Click here to visit this post.