TIES reflection

TIES was a whirlwind! I was a big fan of Monday's Key Note speaker. There was a lot of technology to absorb. I think I most appreciated the poster session venue in which you could just go up and talk to someone or ask questions. You can zero in on the information you need and not sit through information you already know.

Take aways:
lots of apps: 30 Hands, iwrite, Showbie, plus the ones I already know and use
ideas: using google forms as a self-evaluation after a performance,
a new way to organize for parent communications: make your own app with appmakr.

I already had a presentation set up because I did the poster session but I have since added to the site some things that I want to use. I'm excited to share it with my colleagues.

https://sites.google.com/site/mrsprowellspresentations/specialist-classroom-and-digital-learning

December Reflection Part II

Had I been blogging this year (see the previous post as to the reasons for this) I would have been writing about my nodes.

Yep, you read that right. This fall I was diagnosed with vocal nodes. Luckily, it was caught early enough that the doctor thought I could fix the problem with vocal therapy and avoid surgery. Whew! What a relief! The most interesting part of the diagnosis was that the problem seemed to pop up in the summer and, as the school year went on, got better.

What!? Nodes that get better once a teacher starts teaching? How can that be? Well, apparently, my singing voice is very well trained. It was just my speaking voice that was a disaster. And after going back to my church job as a choir director on Wednesday nights, a summer filled with multiple family reunions and play dates with kids, and just the talking involved in parenting, I had damaged my chords enough that I was noticeably struggling to sing. It was frightening! How can I be a Music Teacher without my voice! Not only that, singing is just part of who I am. To lose the ability to sing with ease was horrible.

Now, thanks to weekly voice therapy with Carol Roe at the voice clinic at Park Nicollet, I have my range back and can sing with much less effort. I am also learning to speak with more resonance. At the end of the month I go back in for a follow-up appointment with the Doctor to see if the nodes went away. I am still struggling with serious vocal fatigue by Friday but I am hopeful that I will be better than I was in the fall and that these lessons will stay with me so that  I don't have to go through this again. Ever.

December Reflection Part I

Well, its been a very busy year. A phrase that immediately comes to mind is: Be careful what you wish for! Last year I was so devastated that I saw my students only once a week and their musical exposure was so reduced. This year, I get to see my students twice a week again but for 50 minutes a session rather than 45minutes! Hooray! This is a good thing...

If you're sensing a "but..." you are right. While I am so blessed to be able so see more of my students, the added 5 minutes of instruction in every class every day has resulted in 30 minutes less of prep time each day. That's 350 minutes of prep time a week that I have been accustomed to for 14 of my previous years of teaching that I suddenly don't have. In addition to this loss of time during the teaching day, I am also trying not to stay at school until 5:30 or 6pm (trying to be a present mom) so I don't have the luxury of after school prep time I used to indulge in.

Let's just say it's been an adjustment.

At a teaching conference in my early years, I heard a presenter say, "As teachers, your plates will be very full. If something falls off the plate and it was important, you will hear about it. But if it falls off the plate and it wasn't...that's one less thing to worry about." Well, obviously, blogging has fallen off the plate. In fact, much of my technology integration has suffered.

But, there's another "but..." because tomorrow is my first day of a 2 day TIES conference. Not only am I attending but I am also presenting a poster session. In preparing for said session (thank goodness for the workload relief day!), I have been forced stop flailing about in the water, lift my focus from the immediate, and look again at a bigger picture--specifically, my technology plans as plotted out in the Tech Cohort last year. I'm really getting excited about some things specifically geared towards music teachers tomorrow and Tuesday and am hopeful that this immersion in tech will spill over into my everyday teaching.

Kid's say the greatest things!

 School has been in session for a week and a day and I am just now finding time to sit and write a reflection on what has happened so far. 

Observations: 

1. I sort of like starting school before Labor Day because we get all the procedure and expectation discussions out of the way then have a 3 day weekend and are ready to jump in and learn. 

2. This year I have one Kindergarten class, one first grade class, and one fourth grade class (instead of the full load of each grade). I have a full load of three each of second and third grade classes and four 5th grade classes as well as two Continuous Progress third/fourth grad classes. It is very odd to prep for K, 1st, and 4th only to teach the lesson once. I'm so used to having 3 or 4 times with a lesson to refine it. An unexpected bonus of this schedule is that we can pace it to however the class needs it paced without the pressure to be in the same lesson all across the grade level.

3. Kids say the greatest things. A kindergartner just asked me if I wanted to come to his birthday party. It is a costume party, he told me, and I would have to dress up as either a ninja or a princess. Priceless!

Socrative is my New Best Friend

Wow! I've been using Socrative these past 2 weeks and it is so powerful! In a 3rd grade lesson I was doing a Kahoot quiz which went really well. When we were done we didn't have enough time to do both a new Brainpop and another Kahoot so I decided to do a dipstick test to see what the students remembered from the video and quiz. Students are in groups of 2-3 and just answered the socrative questions in teams. I didn't require them to put in their names but I might next time. I selected short answer and set it to unlimited answers then asked what they learned about Brass instruments. Great feedback from kids. The second question was what they remembered from our super fast presentation of Orchestra Hall behavior expectations. When done, I sent a report to myself of the answers which showed up in spreadsheet format. So. Cool!

Another successful day with iPads

Again, I used iPads in all three morning classes. I am so inspired about the potential use of these devices. It completely opens up motivation, participation, possible assessment, interaction with partners in new ways... My brain is exploding.

Anyone know anything about nearpod? I'd like to try that next.

What a great day--the iPads are amazing!

Today I used the iPads in three classes and it was AMAZING! Everything was done in groups of 2 or 3 students:

• The third graders watched a Brainpop! video about Strings. We are preparing for our field trip to Orchestra Hall and completing the curricular goal of identifying instrument families and instrument names/sounds. Then they took a kahoot quiz that I made this morning by using the brainpop! quiz and typing the questions and answers into the kahoot quiz maker. The kids had so much fun they asked to do it again (to get a better score). How incredibly motivating!!
• Fourth graders used iPads for recorder karate and I did some testing. This is still the messiest feeling iPad activity for me because I am still working out the kinks, making sure they are on task while also testing kids one on one. But I think its getting better every time.
• Fifth grade was the most fun for me because, after working on 5th grade recognition songs, we got out the iPads and just played and played with Socrative. The kids would say, "let's do a true or false!" then I would make up a true or false question ("true or false, I clapped the rhythm on the board correctly.") and they would answer. We did T/F, multiple choice, short answer, and exit card. What fun!!! 

Getting out the kinks

I learned from yesterday's seemingly disastrous iPad lessons. Today when I taught them again, I modeled with a student what recorder karate should look like. It was only AFTER they got rolling with practicing that I started to offer iPads as a "possible tool." It was much better but I think it will take a few more times to get it down.
Unfortunately, I see each class 5 more times after this rotation and I have so many other things I need to do during that time! Including getting my 3rd graders and 3/4 CP kids ready for our field trip to Orchestra Hall in a couple of weeks. It seems to be accelerating yet each individual day is very long.

a Collection of Things

First off, we finally recorded and uploaded our performances of Mbira Jam in 5th grade and Tropic Rondo in 4th grade. I put them into playlists and posted them on my website page "Things from Class" but thought I'd put it here, too.

Click here for the 5th Grade Mbira Jam playlist

Click here for the 4th grade Tropic rondos

Second, I used the iPads for the first time today for Recorder Karate. In one word? Messy. I had them review their classrooms' guidelines for iPad use rather than reinvent the wheel, created a Symbaloo for Recorder Karate (love this!) and printed a QR code that linked to it. Once kids got into groups I handed out the iPads, opened the scanner link, and even opened Guided Access on each one. They used the QRscanner to get to the Symbaloo and BOOM! they were at the resource page with sheet music, fingering charts, youTube videos, and sound clips to help them learn their music. Smooth. Except not really. I forgot about the Kid factor. When it came to using the iPads as a tool while also helping each other and listening to each other, it felt rather like a small disaster. There were groups of kids clustered around an iPad, headphones on, completely ignoring each other, some even with backs to each other. I had a student come up to test and discovered he had no idea how to even play B-A-G. I asked him if he had shown his group and he said they told him he sounded fine!?!! Granted, we haven't used recorders in a few months but I didn't expect the skill to atrophy quite so quickly! 

What I learned:

1. Students need me to model group work WITH the tool/resources MORE than I actually did.
2. I need to create smaller groups.
3. Students still need paper music so they can write on it.
4. I need to completely redo my video system in a more user-friendly way. 

Whew! I'm exhausted already.

New Favorite Kindergarten Spring Lesson

This is our last day for "Spring" in Kindergarten and it's been so rainy I decided to bring in a little video clip of Singin' in the Rain. (I used safeshare.tv as usual to make sure that there were no surprises at the end when the suggestions pop up. I can't figure out how to embed non-youtube videos here so I'll just post the link to the video. http://safeshare.tv/w/YxRyKPEGnc). After we watched the video, and talked about some of the fun stuff he was doing in the rain, I mentioned that I don't have umbrellas or puddles in my room but we do all have our imaginations. I handed out scarves and we turned the video on again and just played around, walking the beat, pretending to tap dance, pretending to jump in puddles and all around having a great time. So fun! Today I love my job!

My Lord, What a Mornin'!

And not in the good sense! Oh my goodness! It felt like a colossal disaster!

First, the Art Sub knocked on the door 15-20 minutes into the lesson needing help with the Art video. I asked her to watch my class while I went over and tried to figure out how to fix it but I couldn't. So, I returned to the class I was supposed to be teaching and continued the lesson at the SMARTboard until... Forced Computer Restart! I got a message that the computer needed to be restarted in order to complete an update. but there was no option to delay the restart! In the middle of a lesson! So, I saved everything I could and we just went with the flow. Needless to say, we had to truncate quite a bit of the plans. That was just in the first 50 minute lesson.
Then my 3rd graders came in and we had an Epic failure to perform or pay attention for a final performance of student compositions. Wow! We had been practicing for 3 classes and it was time to put the chunks together. There was no new information but they all looked at me with blank faces as if we had NEVER DONE THIS BEFORE! Eventually, I just gave up after an Epic attempt to keep my cool. (I don't think I succeeded. Some students said I was acting weird)
Next lesson, 5th graders came to music right after 1 1/2 hours of MCA science tests and were unable to contain themselves any longer. Listening or taking turns talking was not on their agendas. But, we did get to practice the recognition songs so it wasn't a huge fail.

Bright spot: I am finally getting to the end of setting up iPads from the grant! I think I'll be ready to use them for the next rotation. So excited!

I love this idea

Today I saw a tweet by Molly Schroeder and I had to pass it on:
#gafesummit pic.twitter.com/hKLPYgKkfa


I love the idea! Now, how can I apply it?

So far, kids have been really excited about making their own Happy video but I haven't seen any results. Will I? Will they show me even if they do? I really hope so! I think one of the tricky things about being an elementary Music teacher is not knowing how or if being in your class affected a student in the long run. It is my sincerest hope that this class has made a difference in adding confidence and creativity to my students that will positively impact their futures.

Laryngitis

Last Saturday I had a terribly sore and swollen throat. I could barely swallow and I was convinced I had strep. "Not so," said the Urgent Care doc. It's just a virus causing pink eye symptoms, the golf-ball sized swollen glands, and the earache (from congestion pressure caused by the virus). "Gargle with salt water, take a sudafed for the congestion, and take Tylenol or Advil for the pain." I didn't get any advice about how to stop the eye gunk. Why am I writing about my weekend health concerns, you ask? Well, apparently, the cold/flu/virus has migrated. I woke this morning with almost no voice.

Hmmm. A Music teacher with no voice? It's going to be an interesting day! (or week, depending on how long it takes to get my voice back).

new set-up, #HappyDay, iPADS!

New Set-Up
I've decided to change the look of the music room. I liked having the risers where they were in terms of lining up but the kids are just too far away from the board. So, I'm trying something completely new! I had some 5th graders volunteer to stay behind and help me move things around and this is what we ended up with:

Now it is a bit more intimate. I hope the kids pay attention to me rather than each other but it lends itself to more "Guide on the Side" than "Sage on the Stage." It brings the students closer to the board for both instruments and seats. It leaves a nice open movement space, too. Speaking of which. I barely got my 2nd graders up and moving today. Bummer!

#HappyDay
For the "international day of happiness," Pharell Williams worked with the United Nations to use his song "Happy" to create 24 Hours of Happiness. He asked people to video themselves dancing and singing along to his song then post it with #HappyDay. It was a huge success. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of videos on YouTube now in answer to his call. I showed them the London video and challenged them to make one of their own.

Then, I told them, if they thought it good enough to post, they should send it to me and I can post it on my website. I think I'll post it here, too, if it actually happens. Then, as usual, I trolled the web for other related videos and put them on my "Things from Class" page. This is just the tiniest smattering of what is out there...

Happy in Bermuda! | http://safeshare.tv/w/MvRqQZYccp

Happy in Boulogne Brilliancourt | http://safeshare.tv/w/qOJgzdWaIC

Happy We are from Paris | http://safeshare.tv/w/MCMQBQwvPH

Happy Flashmob (in French!) | http://safeshare.tv/w/DccmyELGnK

Happy--an A Capella Cover! | http://safeshare.tv/w/fyfNMQpeSv 

The iPads from the Grant have ARRIVED!

I started to unpack them and realized I have to do some serious cabinet reorganizing. But, hey, they came!! I can't wait to get them up and running. Oh the things we will do...

Let It Go-o-rama!!!

Our informances were FANTASTIC last week! So I thought I'd reward the kids with a game day. However, I wanted to sneak a little bit of teaching in, too. As I've mentioned before, I like to find videos of innovative and quality musicianship and show them to the kids to let them see what can be done with the foundation I lay here in music class. With the "Let it Go" craze going on everywhere, a friend of mine (thank you, Sara Lightbody) sent me a video of a very creative mash-up by The Piano Guys of Disney's "Let it Go" and Vivaldi's "Winter." Brilliante! I get to show the kids music they love but also introduce them to Antonio Vivaldi, Baroque "pop" music, and the importance of knowing how to write and read music (how else would we be able to hear a song written 300 years ago?)!

We began with watching the Sing along version of Disney's "Let it Go." We briefly discuss how this song won the Academy Award for Best Original Song this year. Then I mention that the story on which the movie is loosely based is Hans Christian Anderson's The Snow Queen, written in 1844. I told them that people have been fascinated with writing stories and songs about winter for a very long time and that, before Hans Christian Anderson was even born, a man named Antonio Vivaldi wrote a set of four violin concertos called The Four Seasons, one of which was, of course, "Winter." We discuss how it was his most famous work and that, even though he wrote it in 1723, before there were recording devices of any kind, we can still hear it performed today because he learned how to write music down and we know how to read it. We also talk about how his composition was sort of like the "pop music" of its day because there were no movies to go to or CD's to buy so people went to concerts for entertainment and this was the "current" music they listened to. Then we watch Julia Fischer's performance of "Winter, movement #1" at the National Botanical Gardens of Wales. I asked them to give me a thumbs up if they hear anything familiar. It was very interesting to see some classes had the majority of students recognizing it immediately while others only a handful knew the song. We talked about how some knew the music from video games, others from commercials, and one student said it was in one of his sister's Barbie movies.

Finally, I ask them if they remember the Piano Guys video I showed them earlier in the year. I tell them that these guys came up with a brilliant idea: combine the winter themes from Disney and Vivaldi, the popular music of 1724 and of 2014, in an instrumental mash-up of the two songs! I asked them if they remembered last year's ice castle at the Mall of America--many did--and explained that they chose to record their performance in a similar setting. As we watched the video, students were told to hold up their fingers in a sign-language "V" if they heard Vivaldi or  a "D" if they hear Disney's "Let it Go."

What a great way to make classical music relevant to kids! Thanks, Piano Guys!!

Once we were done watching these Videos, I showed them my website where I had not only posted these videos but also a bunch of covers or mash-ups people have done of "Let it Go" and let them choose if they wanted to spend the rest of the class watching how other's got creative with the song or if they wanted to play games. Most classes chose to watch the various videos. One fifth grade boy told me this was his favorite class ever!!

A Winter "Mash-up"

For those of you who are Crazy about Disney's Frozen and remember the Piano Guys, check this out. They took part of Vivaldi's Winter and mashed it with Let it Go from Disney's Frozen. See if you can hear when they go between each song.

• Let it Go from Disney's Frozen Sing Along
  http://safeshare.tv/w/RFBAdAiWPy
• The Original Vivaldi Winter played by prodigy Julia Fischer
  http://safeshare.tv/w/lmNCHquQyj
• The Piano Guys Frozen--a Mash-up
• http://safeshare.tv/w/PKxacvRymC

More spin-offs from Frozen

• Thanks to Peter S for telling me about this video from Late Night with Jimmy Falon, special guest Idina Menzelhttp://safeshare.tv/w/EHZCmpZQcu 
• Impressionist Brian Hull sings "Let it Go" while doing impressions of Disney/Pixar charactershttp://safeshare.tv/w/nBoPDOrYtm
• Let It Go - Frozen - 11 year old prodigy, Lexi Walker, sings an Africanized Tribal cover by Alex Boyé featuring One Voice Children's Choirhttp://safeshare.tv/w/tNLMYMJkke
• Another Mash-up from Sam Tsui: "Let it Go" (Frozen)/"Let Her Go" (Passenger)http://safeshare.tv/w/XfYPHQWtbG
• And yet another mash up. Katy Perry's "Unconditional" and "Let it Go" covered by Demi Lovato
  http://safeshare.tv/w/vMygPrTUBC 
• A Weatherman makes his own parody of "Let it go" from a traffic man's perspective
  http://youtu.be/jWw0WEtZJRQ

Note: All of these videos were found on YouTube then converted into SafeShareTV videos so that students wouldn't follow links to inappropriate videos. It is a free service and I love it!!

Informances are underway

We've spent the whole month prepping for informances. It's been at times stressful and at times a walk in the park. I've had a bit of anxiety about this year's informances being in March. Due to the rotating schedule, I've seen the kids almost half as much as I normally do at this time AND they are performing in March rather than May. Rather than getting eight days of practice this month (two practices a week), they've only had five. Will they be ready? Did I plan too much? They've completely forgotten some of the things we worked on a month ago. I've had some anxiety but it's also been freeing for me knowing that this rotation is only a pilot and so is doing informances earlier in the year. If they work out, great! If not, I won't try early informances again. I will say I was hoping that not competing with MCA's for their brain attention would mean that we wouldn't get the focus disintegration we usually have the closer we get to informances but I think that will just be a perennial part of informances no matter when they are. I am trying to cram so much into their memories or remind them of all the things they know and its a lot for them. Stress is an inherent part of performing. Plus, we are getting closer to spring break and struggling with the polar vortex, indoor recess, thawing spring-like weather, and returns of snow. Of course they are going a little stir crazy.

But, all that work, time, energy, patience, practice etc. has come to the culminating moment. Today we had our first three performances and they went FABULOUSLY! In fact, with each one, we had extra time left over! Unheard of! I think its because we didn't try to put on a mini-play and because our transitions were so smooth. I'm looking forward to the rest of the informances this week. Three down, twelve to go!

Stressful informance prep no matter the time of year

Wow! What a day. Three more practices for each class before our informances. I have always done these informal, informative performances in May which, as MCA testing has evolved, means we are prepping for a performance at the same time kids are taking high-stakes tests. Our schedules get messy, people are stressed, listening skills go out the window as does memory. On top of that, MAPs got added to the Spring.

So, this year I thought, why not circumvent that high stress situation by putting informances the week before the week before spring break? (No, that wasn't a typo, I do mean the penultimate week before break.) I thought it was a great idea and, yes, we are prepping informances with less frequency than usual (only seeing kids once a week now) which leads to less practice days (5 rather than 8--I always start prepping a month in advance knowing that it is a lot to ask kids to remember what we performed more than a month ago) but it has to be better that doing this on top of testing, right? It must be less stressful, right?

Apparently not.

This is what I've decided: Informances are stressful for me and kids no matter what. We want our presentations to be performance ready so we work really hard to make sure they are. This causes stress. We want to showcase our favorite and best material so we stuff the 50 minutes with as much as possible.  Students worry that they won't remember it all. This causes stress. We are either speeding through reviews and kids are being left behind or repeating something to make it really good which loses other kids who are ready to move on. This causes behavior issues. Stress coming out sideways. And at the end of it all, I wonder how much re-teaching I will be doing on the performance day despite all our hard work because, a) someone was gone the days we worked on this, b) they've crammed so much into their brains they forgot some of it, c) its been so long since we practiced some things they just don't remember it, d) they freeze once parents get into the room.

Maybe I need to take some stuff off the list.

Powtoon

I am currently in a Hamline University Technology Cohort hosted in Edina. Through that cohort, I am being reminded of things I new about but didn't take the time to try and learning about new things, too. In fact, I am writing this blog because of the cohort. I started one a few years back but only made one post. So far, this one is faring much better.

One of the requirements of the current class I am in, Curriculum in the Cloud, is to fiddle with a few web tools and use one to create a project similar to what a student could do. I chose to create a Powtoon because I had already heard of it an been intrigued. I will say that, instead of taking one hour, I took about 2.5 to finish this but that's because I am a perfectionist and I wanted the images and transitions to be just right. The end result is kind of cool. Now that I've done it once, I'd like to continue to experiment with it. But maybe after informances are done.

Disclaimer: I grabbed all my pictures from google images but, because I wasn't originally planning on showing this on a broad scale, I didn't keep the citation.
(this brings up an interesting point: if I ask my students to do a similar project this spring with the iPads we got in a grant--perhaps preparing them for the Minnesota Orchestra/Orchestra Hall fieldtrip--what will I have to prepare ahead of time to make sure we don't break copyright?)

The latest videos

We are taking a break from videos until we are done with Informances so we can use every minute for practice. Although I didn't show this one, I still want to post it here because I think it was very creative. I'm hoping my kids are still going to the website to watch old videos or see if I've posted any new ones. I'm going to announce that this one is up and hope they check it out.

A fabulous "Mash-up"

For those of you who are Crazy about Disney's Frozen and remember the Piano Guys, check this out. They took part of Vivaldi's Winter and mashed it with Let it Go from Disney's Frozen. See if you can hear when they go between each song.

• The Original Vivaldi Winter played by prodigy Julia Fischer
  http://safeshare.tv/w/lmNCHquQyj
• Let it Go from Disney's Frozen
  http://safeshare.tv/w/NbUOVCyaVV
• The Piano Guys Frozenhttp://safeshare.tv/w/PKxacvRymC

Technology Grant

Hooray! My Edina Education Fund Grant was accepted and approved! I would like to thank Abby Hilbelink, my student teacher this year, for all her help in compiling costs of various products, looking up standards and for giving me feedback while I tried to wordsmith the best way to make my case. I'd like to thank George Lundgren for blazing the trail and being the first of my colleagues to successfully complete a grant like this thus inspiring me to do the same. I'd like to thank my mother, the English teacher and Author who drilled into me the importance of grammar, proofing and an inherent ability to write well. I'd like to thank my father for bringing home that first Apple IIe which began my experimentation with technology and fanned the flame of interest in creating with it. Finally, I would like to thank my wonderful husband for his continued support and inspiration. Someone once asked me who of the two of us was more techie and I emphatically answered that he was. I learn so much from him and am so thankful for his willingness to share his knowledge.

Below is part of the grant request.

EDINA EDUCATION FUND INNOVATION GRANTS PROGRAM APPLICATION

1/ Grant Application Overview

1-1. Project Title:

iPads for collaboration, composition and performance

1-2. Descripe the project idea and how the funds would be used:  

The main purpose of the iPads is small group composition and the performance thereof which fulfills many of the National Standards in Music Education (numbers, 2, 4, 5, 6 and 7). Groups of two or three students would collaborate to create and compose rhythms and melodies using the SMARTnotebook app (standards 4 and 5). Then, using the Apple TV already in place, groups would project their compositions for the whole class to see and perform (standards 2, 5, 6 and 7). 

In addition to the primary purpose listed above, the iPads will be used to create learning stations for a program called “Recorder Karate” which develops independent musicianship in which students will work in small groups with iPads, jack-splitters and headphones to watch tutorials from the teacher YouTube channel, mrsprowell1, or listen to examples of songs for their skill level at the teacher website mrsprowell.com then practice that music together. This allows for differentiated instruction while I meet with individual students at the same time. 

They will also be used to create group collaboration stations for note recognition and practice, instrument identification, and virtual instrument practice using apps, and the five-way jack splitters and headphones.

Finally, they will be used as student responsive devices for informal assessment activities with programs such as socrative or kahoot. Funds would be used to buy 10 iPads with cases, 10 five-way jack splitters and a class set of headphones as well as 10 SMARTnotebook apps and 1 power strip.

1-3. What are the goal(s) of the Project? *  

The primary goal of this project is to enhance student creativity and collaboration in creating compositions as a group. In the past we have used paper manipulatives to compose but sharing compositions in this format is limited. With the addition of iPads and the use of AppleTV we can project student compositions and perform them in a way we have not been able to before. Students will use the SMARTnotebook app in which they download a notebook file that includes instructions and manipulatives. In their groups they will move the rhythms or pitches to create a song then practice it together. Finally, they will project their composition with AppleTV for other students to watch while they perform or to have the rest of the class perform with them. The compositions can be saved in the app or as a screen shot and used for assessment later. 

A secondary goal is to create a flipped classroom or stations model for student learning. Students can collaborate and learn musical concepts in small groups while the teacher works with individuals or small groups to remediate or enhance learning thus providing differentiated instruction. This will be most useful in a program already well establisted in the music classroom called "Recorder Karate." In this program, students are given 3 songs at each "belt" level, 2 of which they need to pass with fluency, accuracy, and good technique in order to move on to the next level. At the completion of each level, the student receives a yarn "belt" to tie around the bottom of their recorder. To help them in this program, I have created a thorough webpage (mrsprowell.com) with the sheet music, sound clips, recorder fingerings and helpful hints as well as a YouTube channel (mrsprowell1) that has video tutorials that show students how to read the music, play the new note, and for the lower belts, how to play the song. While one student is being tested by the teacher, the rest currently work in small groups. The goal of adding iPads and headphones is that students will use this time to work in small groups accessing the web-based help that has previously only been accessed at home and on an individual basis. 

A final goal is to aggregate data on student learning and comprehension through informal assessment activities using the iPads as student response devices as well as saving compositions after they are finished and recording their own performances and saving them.

1-4. This project most closely aligns with the following District Initiative(s) or Goal(s)

The Edina mission statement speaks of educating all individuals to be learners who possess skills, knowledge creativity, self-worth and ethical values. Working together to create fulfills this in a myriad of ways. Students must learn to collaborate with respect towards each other, listening and making compromises, and ending up with a finished project that they can stand behind. This process of sharing ideas and being listened to, as well as the process of creating creates in itself a sense of self-worth. Furthermore, having one’s creation performed by others is an extremely fulfilling experience. Working with iPads and accessories within apps not only teaches students responsibility for materials, but also the responsibility of being accountable to one’s group or ensemble. And, of course, they are using 21st century technology to do the creation and sharing which gives them foundational skills to thrive in a rapidly changing, culturally diverse, digital, global society.

1-5. Describe the student population served by this project: 

Each week over 400 students, K-5, come through the doors of this classroom and will have multiple opportunities throughout the year to uses these materials in a variety of ways.

Fabulous lesson for tim-ka (dotted-eighth-sixteenth)

This lesson just sort of happened. I didn't quite have it planned this way but I followed the flow and ran with it and it was a success!

Fifth graders have identified the new rhythm concept: tim-ka, or dotted-eighth-sixteenth notes. Now we are playing with it, seeing if we understanding it by echoing it, decoding it in 4 beat phrases, and improvising with it on instruments.

We started by just echoing a few. Then, as a class, I clapped a 4 beat phrase and they decoded it together. Next, I had them do it one at a time as part of taking attendance. I told them, "Welcome to the music room, mistakes are made here and that's okay. I just want to know how we are doing in understanding this new rhythm." (there is a banner on my wall that says the first part of this sentence and I quote it often. Big thanks to Roger Sams for teaching it to me.) Some got it, some didn't. No big deal. It was just a dipstick to show me how they are doing in comprehension.

Next we looked at the Japanese song, Yuki, which we learned last time (the excercise was to clap the rhythm which used all eighth notes then find which eighth notes needed to be turned into dotted-eighth-sixteenth notes). After singing the song, I improvised 4 beat rhythms using tim-ka on a glockenspiel and they echoed back the rhythm, improvising the pitches in F Pentatonic. We went back and forth for a while then I had a few soloists answer me in a "musical conversation". Next I asked for a volunteer to take my job and lead us. Finally, I had pairs of students do four 4 beat question/answer conversation phrases, making sure to end on F=do. Once that was established, we brought back Yuki and sang the song then students improvised their "conversations" back and forth until we returned to Yuki. At the end of class, one student said, "that was so fun!"

Yes!

Inspiring Videos

Every week I try to show a short video clip of a musician doing something extraordinary or innovative with the musical skills they probably started developing in elementary classroom music.  Of course, all of the these innovators then had to go out and practice in order to be able to do what they do. I want to show them that what we begin to do here in class can lead them to inspiring and creative endeavors if they take in the learning and run with it.

Two weeks ago we saw footage from the Norwegian IceMusic Festival in which all instruments were made of ice or snow. Fantastic! That got me interested in other "unconventional" instruments. Last week we watched footage of someone performing Bach's Tocatta and Fugue in D minor on a "glass harp" (wine glasses and water goblets filled with various levels of water and strapped to the table. Played by rubbing the rim to create friction which causes the glass to vibrate and "sing"). It was a 7 minute video. Most classes wanted to watch it all the way to the end when I asked at the 3 minute mark if they wanted to move on or keep watching.


Today I got this email from a parent...

Good Morning,
 [Xxxxxx] came home (whichever day he had music last week) excited about a video you had showed him in class--glass harp, or something to that effect?  Anyway, on Saturday he wanted to try it, so we got out a few wine glasses, put different depths of water in them, and had fun with it.  Soren loved it so much, because (this is a direct quote), "It's music *and* science!"  :-)
 Thanks again for harnessing [Xxxxxx]'s musical enthusiasms.  

 Mission accomplished.

I might have won them over...

I taught the final performance of the cinquain with one of my 5th grade classes today.

I began by announcing the goal and was answered with groans and moans. Apparently they don't like the song that I was planning to use as the A section, Snowflakes white are dancing down, even though we've only done it once. I use it to identify dotted-eighth-sixteenth and for an easy, accessible song for improvising with instant success. Maybe it was too easy?

I handed out the cinquains from last time then answered a myriad of questions reviewing the A section song then handed out B, C, D, etc cards to the students who were going to share their cinquains in the rondo. We had one practice run of the main song then did a final performance.

When it was all said and done, I asked if they changed their mind about the song and decided they liked it after seeing how it was all put together. Many of them said that they liked it better. Yeah! Still, I'm wondering if it needs to be tweaked for next year or if this is just a recalcitrant bunch?

What a crazy January

We have now missed three days due to cold and rumor has it we might miss one or two more next week on Monday and Tuesday. While it is exciting to have extra days at home with my kids, it is wreaking havoc on my planning. 

Seeing each grade level once a day means that it takes 4 days to see each class in the grade level. Each day I usually teach one 4th grade class then one 3rd, one 5th, (lunch) one CP group, and one 1st grade. The next day I do it again with a new group. And the next and the next until the cycle starts again. So at the beginning of each cycle, I teach  all new lessons the first day the repeat them on days 2-4. The whole idea of the rotating schedule is that you don't miss seeing a class on a particular week because of a holiday, you just pick up in the rotation where you left off. It's all nicely planned out int he calendar, too. Each week I had to label which day is which so I don't forget. However, with the cold days, everything is sporadic. You can't just pick up where you left off because then all the future planning (when to do field trips or have in-class performances) gets all off schedule. So that means, just like the old schedule, you never make up the time with those classes. And, because I only see them once a week, its harder to make up lost time by squeezing two lessons in together because I'm already trying to squeeze 72 hours of curriculum into 43 hours. Ack!

I have a very socially full weekend coming up but I will have to chisel out some time this weekend to try to figure out who I have seen and who got what lesson and who didn't. I might just have to scrap some of the projects we've been working on in order to keep everyone together but I am loathe to do that. At the same time, I am loathe to have all 16 of my classes in different places. That sounds terribly complicated. I know the Art teacher has always done it that way but the concrete sequential part of my brain rebels at the thought of it! "Chaos! Anarchy!" it screams in protest.

We'll see what part of my brain wins.

 

Hindsight

I really wish I could go back in time sometimes. This lesson about Poetry and Music has been so much fun and has grown into a really smooth lesson about comparing other Arts/Disciplines and Composer's Artistic Choice (national Music Standard 8). To begin, we talk about how Poetry is Music because it has Form, Rhythm, and Expressive Elements. After being shown the form of the poem we are composing (Haiku or Cinquain) we wrote in pairs or alone. Next, as students finished their work and checked with me to make sure it had the required syllables/form, I encouraged them to decorate their paper to make the poem a piece of visual Art, too, adding to the imagery of the words. I then showed them a poem I had written and asked them if they had any pictures that popped into their minds as they read it. We discussed how poets create imagery with words while artists use physical materials. From there we talked about how composers create imagery with music and choices in Timbre, Texture, and Expressive Elements as well as the basic elements of Rhythm, Pitch and Form. Then we watched the Snowman and shared our observations of Howard's Blake's artistic choices and techniques for creating musical images.

The lesson got better with every repetition (it was taught by me a total of 4 times) until it was smooth and flawless as a wave-worn pebble. Needless to say, today's students were far more creative and appreciative of the lesson than yesterday's.

That phenomenon (the one in which the same lesson can soar with one class and crash with another) will forever puzzle me and remind me that, no matter how much our district wants us to homogenize, it can't entirely be done because we are dealing with individuals who have individual sparks and strengths and weaknesses. One lesson taught 4 times can turn out to be 4 different lessons depending on the individuals in the room and their responses.

I'm so glad that, overall, this has been so positive. I can't wait to take it to the next level and put the poetry sharing and Orff piece together in Rondo form!

Backed by science and students.

I have a great job. I just found a great article that validates what I do as a music teacher...

"New research suggests that the complexity involved in practicing and performing music may help students’ cognitive development. Studies released last month at the Society for Neuroscience meeting here find that music training may increase the neural connections in regions of the brain associated with creativity, decision making, and complex memory, and they may improve a student’s ability to process conflicting information from many senses at once. Research also found that starting music education early can be even more helpful.
“It’s really hard to come up with an experience similar to that” as an education intervention, said Gottfried Schlaug, the director of the Music and Neuroimaging Laboratory at Harvard Medical School. Not only does it require attention and coordination of multiple senses, but it often triggers emotions, involves cooperation with other people, and provides immediate feedback to the student on progress, he said. Music, on its own, has also been shown to trigger the reward area of the brain, he noted.""

The article goes on to say that music can help students multi-task, focus, and grow creativity. This, along with evidence from The Harmony Project and research from Nina Kraus at Northwestern that show how music can close the achievement gap are motivators for me on a day that is less than successful. 

Yesterday I had the stomach flu and had to write sub plans for a non-music sub. Luckily, it didn't change too much what I was already intending to do for this lesson rotation. The down side is that I couldn't ask a non-music sub to assess recorder karate for me so third graders yesterday got a random lesson that won't be duplicated. The upside is that I had the 4th and 5th grade students write poetry that we will put into rondo form with an instrumental or movement piece we are already working on. 

5th grade is writing Cinquain, 4th Haiku, and one class of 3rd wrote Diamante.

After a successful 5th grade lesson before I got sick and positive notes from the sub, I was really surprised at the push back I had today with some of my 5th grade students. I didn't think the project was too hard because I've done the exact same lesson in years past. But this group really struggled. Many students asked why we were writing poetry. I told them that language, especially poetry, has rhythm and rhythm is an essential element of Music. So, Poetry is Music. Then we talked about imagery. Finally, I talked about how artists can create imagery with words, pictures and sounds. Then, at the end of class, I showed the Snowman and talked about how the artists who made this are creating images with drawing and sound and challenged them to listen to the auditory images. I wish I had put this detail into my sub notes. Originally, I just had her watch the snowman because I needed to find something musical and easy to fill the rest of the time. But the lesson that grew out of it is cool!