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...