Our PTO sponsors a door decorating contest in conjunction with our trick or treat night. The winner gets $50 to spend on classroom supplies. Last year, I created a door that was linked to instruction with the students writing about how certain musical elements can make spooky music. I did not win the door contest, but I did win the costume contest!
This year, I designed a new door, integrating augmented reality with the Aurasma app!
The title is "Sneak a Peek, For a Musical Spook." Inside the windows and door you can see a photo of a class from each grade level. The photos have embedded auras. When you view the photos with the Aurasma app, they come to life and show videos of students singing, dancing, and playing music from the week of Halloween lessons. Take a look at the video below as demonstrate the app.
The tombstones and pictures as the bottom were really just an afterthought in an attempt to fill some empty space. However, the kids have really enjoyed seeing our silly zombie pictures. The free app I used is called Spooky Booth.
Next to the door, I posted instructions for downloading the Aurasma app and how to become a follower of the Cedar Grove Music channel as well as the learning objectives and core content for the lessons featured in the videos.
I know this post is a little to close to Halloween to implement in your classroom this year. Don't forget to pin this to your Pinterest board so you can remember to try it next year!
We just finished some games to help reinforce note reading. This was a 50 minute class. The first activity was completed with the entire class together and lasted about 15-20 minutes. My student teacher and I divided the class into 2 groups. My student teacher was the leader of activity 2 and I was the leader of activity 3. They spent about 15 minutes at each activity.
Activity 1: Review the Musical Alphabet
We reviewed the musical alphabet by singing the alphabet song, but just repeating "ABCDEFG" over and over again. The students then got into 4 teams. One student in each row raced to arrange some alphabet cards in order starting on a given letter. Below is a picture from this activity. The student in the 2nd row finished first by putting the musical alphabet in order starting on D. The cards were nothing fancy; just some construction paper and magic markers! I would have printed some on the computer with cardstock, but these were already in my file cabinet created by a previous music teacher!
Activity 2: Staff Races
We put gym tape on our floor to represent a staff. The students remained in four teams to perform relay type races. First, they took turns running to stand on a particular line or space number. After most students were successful with numbers, we reviewed the letter names of the lines and spaces. They were first given space letters by themselves and then line notes by themselves before mixing up the lines and spaces. Below is a short video of the races using line and space numbers:
For a few classes, we also challenged them to place each foot on a different space and line. Here is a short video showing the students using both feet on different notes.
The staff is going to stay on the floor throughout the year. It is very close to the door. I plan on using the last 5 minutes or so to review the letters of the lines and spaces as an exit activity to line up. They cannot line up in the hallway until they correctly race to the correct line or space.
Later in the year, we also plan on incorporating games from pianimation.com like Grand Staff Twister (but only treble clef) and Toss-a-Note (where student try to toss a beanbag and make it land on a particular line or space.
Activity 3: Alphabet Trail
This game is a free printable from pianimation.com. It uses flash cards to help students recognize short melodic patterns, both ascending and descending. They must identify a missing pitch in the sequence. There are cards with a two line staff, as shown below, and also cards showing a piano keyboard. I only used the staff cards for general music class.
I asked the students to get into 4 groups of 2 or 3 students (remember, I had half the class while my student teacher had the other half). I used bingo chips as the game pieces. I would show each team a flash card. I encouraged the students to talk about the answer as a team before giving me the answer. If a student yelled out an incorrect answer without consulting their teammates, that team lost their turn and I let the next team answer that card.
By allowing the students to be in small teams, the were actually learning from one another. For instance, one "star pupil" who caught on very quickly was answering immediately for their team. I was about to intervene and ask that they involve their teammates, but one of their teammates exclaimed, "How did you get the answer so fast?" While I continued to show flash cards to the other teams, that student was explaining the order of the musical alphabet to her teammates and they quickly caught on. I saw a similar peer teachings in other classes as well. It was very eye-opening.
I hope you enjoy these staff games. We used these games with students in grades 2-5. I hope your students enjoy them as well! Do you have an adaptation of any of these games? Share your ideas below!
I'm just sharing an amazing video that I pinned months ago. During lesson planning with my student teacher, this video came to my mind. I found it on my Pinterest board and watched it again. Take a look at the video below:
It still blows my mind. I can't wait to incorporate these activities with my younger classes, perhaps in the first or last 5 minutes of the class. Many of you know I am trained in Orff-Schulwerk and often incorporate improvisation in class. I begin melodic improvisation on the barred instruments in 2nd grade, but I am sometimes puzzled at how to help students hear that a melody should end on do. This video gave me an "aha" moment!
One of the teachers in my Orff levels created these questions to guide students when they improvise on the barred instruments:
Did it keep a steady beat?
Did it end on do?
Is it singable?
The students sometimes have trouble understanding question 3. I try to explain that they should use mostly stepwise motion or make a repetitive pattern (sequencing). However, I have discovered a weakness in my own teaching style. I need to include more vocal improvisation in my lessons. If my students can hear tonic and finish an improvised phrase while singing, it should improve their skills to improvise on the instruments.
One more observation... I couldn't help notice that Mr. Turner was teaching music class in the students' regular classroom. The classroom teacher was visible in a few of the segments. I wonder if she, and other teachers or administrators, would believe the students were actually learning. By teaching through exploration and play, the outside observer may see chaos and believe there is no structured learning. However, Mr. Turner allowed freedom to get the children engaged in play so music would come naturally. I fully agree with Mr. Turner's philospohy--"By doing, we learn!" I believe Carl Orff would share this sentiment as well!
It normally retails for $162! I know I paid more than $100 for my used copy years ago purchased from amazon.com. If you do not have this book in your library, do not miss out on this outrageous deal!
The instructions for the dances are very clear and include helpful diagrams. There is also a very extensive movement glossary in the back of the book. Here are just a few of my favorite games and dances from this book:
"Pop Goes the Weasel"-a triple circle dance for Grade 1-5
"I've Been To Haarlem"- double circle moving with partners and then separately in contrary motion. My students love to "wring the dishrag" and separate from their partner!
"Old Brass Wagon"-I love a dance where the lyrics tell you what to do!
"Paw Paw Patch"- a Kentucky song and a great dance to teach K and 1st how to "peel the banana"!
"Alabama Gal"-a "peel the banana" favorite!
"Obwisana"-an African rock passing game (we use beanbags)
"Tideo"- an arch-forming game
A full index of the contents is available at westmusic.com.
If you already have this great book, share your favorite game or song below!
Augmented Reality!
(This sounds like something from a sci-fi novel; but, I promise it is not as complicated as it sounds!)
I recently attended our district's technology conference and was introduced to the app Aurasma. With this app, you can bring any image to life. Take a look at this video:
Did anyone else imagine the newspapers on Harry Potter when watching that video?
Applications In the Music Room
Do you remember my post last September about displaying student work in the hallway? I took pictures of students actively engaged in music making and dancing and accompanied them with the state and national core content standards. Now, these pictures can come to life! Through the Aurasma app, anyone can walk down the hallway and view videos of my students making music together.
Take a look at this video:
I also have plans on using my instrument posters inside my classroom to trigger videos of actual musicians playing each instrument. I will post and share when this project is completed.
How to Get Started . . .
Create A Private Channel
I have created a private channel for my school videos. In the app, select the Profile icon in the bottom right corner. Select "My Auras" and tap the + sign. It asks you if you would like to add an aura or a channel. Select "Channel." You will be asked to name the channel and add a thumbnail. At this time, I have not found a way to edit the thumbnail later. This is your only chance to add a thumbnail. The thumbnail I created was not fancy. I used WordArt and Clipart on Microsoft Word to create a simple logo and took a photograph of the computer screen. It's kind of grainy, but at that time I just wanted to get started creating Auras. Double check that your channel is set to private.
How to Create an Aura.
First, you need to select a short video (approximately 45 seconds maximum). Watch the video below to get a capture a still picture from your video and create your trigger image for your videos.
After you have printed your trigger image, you can open Aurasma and overlay the video. Aurasma has a video tutorial demonstrating the basics of how to create an aura.
When selecting the video to overlay on the trigger image, you can rotate, reposition, or resize the video until you get it exactly where you want it. To reposition, just touch with one finger and move it. To resize, use two fingers to stretch bigger or pinch smaller. To rotate, use two fingers and twist.
How to Share Your Private Channel
In order for others to view your auras, they have to become a follower of your channel. When you view your channel under the Profile icon, there is a purple "Share" button on the right side of the screen. It gives you the option to share via email, SMS, Twitter, or Facebook. I selected "Email" to get the URL link to my channel. I used this link to create a QR code which is posted in the hallway above my pictures. A google search will connect you to several QR creators, but I used the QR Code Generator. You could use any QR reader to scan the code, but I use RedLaser.
Scan this QR Code to follow the Music With Mrs. Dennis channel.
Then, use Aurasma to find 2 hidden auras somewhere on this post!
Coda
After you fall in love with Aurasma, share it with your colleagues! Here are some ideas generated by some teachers in our district:
Classroom Library- The teacher can use the cover of books as the trigger images and record a video talking about the book. Better yet, have students give short reviews of the book after they finish reading a book. The next time a student looks for a new book, they can use Aurasma to view the videos and help make their selection.
Science/Art Projects- Take videos of the students talking about their science or art projects. For example, they can explain the process they used to complete the project or their favorite part of the project, etc.
Homework Help- If worksheets are sent home and the teacher feels the students may forget what to do (MATH!) the teacher can video themselves working out the first problem and overlay that video onto the worksheet. When the student or parent are struggling at homework time, they can open Aurasma and check for a helpful video example.
Interactive Anchor Charts- Attach videos of lessons to anchor charts hanging around the room so students can use them as reference tools weeks, or even months, later!
Here is another helpful link for using Aurasma in the classroom:
I have uploaded all my shared documents and files to my new Teachers Pay Teachers Store. However, I want to reassure you that the items will remain FREE OF CHARGE.
We have our first look at the new Core Arts Standards! The draft documents for Pre-K through 8th grade are now posted on the NCCAS wikispace. I have already downloaded the files to my Dropbox so I can view them on my iPhone or iPad easily. (If you are not familiar with Dropbox, you can read about it on a previous post.) There is a survey for each area (music, art, drama, dance) you can complete after you review the standards. These surveys are only available through July 15th.
Basic Elements?
Not really included, they are more implied. I love the nine standards that are currently in place. I wish they had just elaborated upon those. Another blogger, Tim Purdum, has already shared his thoughts of the draft and agrees that the standards focus on creating and improvising, but don't address the steps required to learn the basic fundamentals. Wendy Davidson, a middle school band and choir teacher in my district, shares the same sentiment, "I totally agree that there is no standard for ELEMENTS OF MUSIC! When I did the survey review, I mentioned that if they are not addressed, that is a major problem. It's like building a beautiful house on sand instead of a foundation."
How can a student analyze and create music without first learning the basic elements? The students need a strong understanding of the musical elements before they can apply higher-order thinking skills like analysis.
Student-Friendly Terms?
No. Our school and district requires that we post the learning objective as an "I can . . . " statement in student-friendly terms. (If you missed this post, click this link.) Many of the music standards are very long and technical. Here is a music anchor standard under responding, "Explain how your analysis of the structure and context of the work influence your response." The essential question related to this standard is "How does understanding the structure and context of the music influence our response?" No student I teach (K-5) would understand what this means. The writers of the standards are thinking about the teachers and not the students. I would like to see age-appropriate language under each grade level so that we do not have to reinterpret the standards for our student learning objectives.
Grade-level specific?
Yes! Each grade level (Pre-K through 8th) has a description of how they should fulfill each anchor standard. I love how the early grades use language like "with guidance" and "with support." The language also progresses through the hierarchy of Bloom's taxonomy. Take a look at the second page of the Music Standards under Responding:
The verbs change from explore in Pre-K, to demonstrate in Kindergarden. First grade is asked to identify and demonstrate while 2nd and 3rd grades are asked to identify and write or explain. Fourth grade and up are asked to analyze. If you notice, the writers have used italics to draw your attention to the simple changes from one grade level to another. This is extremely helpful for teachers to interpret the standards. It looks as if they will also include lists of suggested music in the future drafts. This would be helpful as well, although I hope districts interpret them as suggestions only and do not limit us to a short list of repertoire.
Secondary Applications?
My colleague, Wendy, also shared her thoughts on how the standards would apply the ensemble setting vs. humanities classes,
"I know from experience that by the time they get into middle school they are not ready (in a general music setting) for the 6-8 standards. I think the standards work very well for ensemble classes, but not for general music or arts and humanities."
The high school standards have not yet been shared because they will not be structured by grade level, since many elective classes may contain students of many grade levels all learning the same content. Instead, they will be written in terms of a student's 1st year of study, 2nd year of study, etc. Perhaps they should have done something similar for the middle grades to address this difference in learning curve between students enrolled in ensemble courses vs. students in a general music class or humanities class.
Consistency Across the Art Forms?
I also teach visual arts one day a week because we do not have a full-time art teacher at my school. I also try to integrate dance and drama into my music classes, when possible. Because of this, I took a look at the standards for all art forms. Aside from the common processes of Creating, Performing/Presenting/Producing, and Responding, there are major differences between each art from. The music standards include 4 or 5 pages under each artistic process. However, the visual art process of creating includes 11 pages. Also, the music standards only have one essential question under each Anchor Standard while the visual art standards have 2-3 essential questions under each anchor standard. I also feel like the visual art standards are written in more student-friendly language than the music standards. I think the writing teams need to communicate more with each other so that there is more consistency with language and structure across the art forms.
What Do You Think?
Take time to review the draft standards and feel free to share your thoughts below. But, most importantly, share your thoughts with the writing teams! The survey is only available until July 15th!
The tombstones and pictures as the bottom were really just an afterthought in an attempt to fill some empty space. However, the kids have really enjoyed seeing our silly zombie pictures. The free app I used is called Spooky Booth.
