Saturday, December 2, 2017

All School Christmas Sing-Along? No sweat!

This is the craziest time of year for most musicians and music teachers - why is it that we cram so much into a time that's supposed to celebrate peace on earth? Ha!


After years of trying different formats for sing-alongs and Christmas assemblies, I'm trying out a half and half version.

My 4th graders will be on the risers, singing and performing 4 songs. This will be their special moment in the spotlight. Then, we will play the Reindeer, Christmas Tree, Candy Cane freeze game (see below for details!) and transition into a short sing-along, with words projected on the screen.

Here's my plan:
1. In the Spirit - this Music K8 song has a jazzy style that will make a great opening number and catch the kids' attention. We hold paper props for this song and use them to make our hand choreography pop. A third of the singers will hold large green triangles (trees), a third will hold yellow stars, and a third will hold red circles (ornaments).

For the main chorus, they bounce their props to the upper right, then upper left, then lower right, then lower left. The remainder of the song they wiggle the props up, down, to the left or right, etc. It's VERY simple.

2. After the opening number, I have a polka/rap version of Jingle Bells that the kids love. It starts off as a "serious" polka and then repeats in a rap style. When the rap music begins, I bring out 4-5 of my best dancers that will dance the "robot" while we sing and clap the beat.

3. Jingle Bell Rock seems to be a hit no matter where I'm teaching, so I bring it back every year. We do the hand jive for the A section, sway with a step-touch to the B section, pretend to play air guitar/saxophone for the bridge, and bring back the sway and hand jive as the music progresses.


I like to add a little silliness to each performance, so I have a bunch of inflatable guitars and saxophones - I have the front row step forward and pick up the inflatables for the bridge and they really get into it! (Get the 39" ones - not the little bitties!)

4. Hip Hop Reindeer is another song I've collected over the years from Music K8. It's a very repetitive (think: easy!) piece that the kids love and pick up on quickly.

The riser choreography is simple (clapping and pointing to the dancers in the front), and the dancers in the front get to make up their own moves.

One year, I invited the principal and several teachers to be 'hip hop reindeer' and surprise the kids - it was hilarious!

***Break*** 
In the middle of our assembly, I want to get the kids up and stretch. Some years I do the Jingle Bell Dance that I found here, but this year, we will play the Reindeer, Christmas Tree, Candy Cane freeze game - it's always a HUGE hit!

5. Frosty the Snowman is a fun piece that the kids love but the words/story order tends to be tricky. I found an upbeat, more modern version here and project the words on the screen. While they are concentrating on the words, I bring out one kid in a snowman costume to give high-fives to the kids who are sitting in the audience. It makes this long (and sometimes tedious) song doable.

6. Feliz Navidad - the kids at every school I've taught at love this song for some reason (ha!), so I do it every year. I bring out "Mr. Feliz" and "Miss Feliz" dressed in costume with maracas to give high-fives to the kids while we sing. (Yes, repetitive, but the kids don't ever seem to mind!)

7. I have a great karaoke version of Rudolph that gives a few soloists a chance to shine - and then, you guessed it - I bring out one kid dressed as Rudolph to give high-fives as they walk around in the audience.

For riser choreography, every time we say "Rudolph" or "Reindeer" we do the reindeer pose, point to nose for "nose," point to eyes for "saw it," driving hands for "guide my sleigh" - very easy motions that act out the words.

8. 12 Days of Christmas - I learned this one from a dear choir director friend back in South Texas - and it's always a hit! I divide the singers & audience up into 12 groups (the first 4 or 6 groups assign to the performers on risers, so your kids can show the audience how it's done before they have to get up and move) and assign them each a day.

Everyone squats down and then we start to sing - on the first day only one group stands up and sings, "Partridge in a pear tree," the second day group 2 stands to sing, "2 turtle doves," and then squats back down while group 1 stands up to sing, "Partridge in a pear tree," etc.

By the time the audience has to stand up, they've seen 4 groups stand and know what to do. I assign some of my student leaders to each group to help them know exactly when it's their turn. It's a riot to do with parents - especially if they are good natured and do the hand motions with the kids.

This year I had so many kids sign up to be dress up characters, I decided we would dress up for the 12 days - I have 2 kids assigned to each day.

Here are the costume ideas that I used (but you can do whatever you like!):
1 - Partridge -  pin a boa across their shoulders to resemble wings; they will hold a tiny tree ($3 at Target!) that I've glued little pears onto
 

2 - Turtle Doves - I googled ninja turtle DIT costumes and came up with painting roasting pans green, adding straps and a bandana; they'll also get a set of cardboard wings with feathers. (Ninja Turtle Doves! Bwahaha!)
3 - French Hens - berets and feather boas
4 - Calling Birds - toy cell phones and feather boas
5 - Golden Rings - rings
6 - Geese-a-Laying - grey feather boas, easter basket with eggs
7 - Swans-a-Swimming - I googled DIY scuba costume and made air tanks from 2-liter bottles, borrowed some goggles and made cardboard flippers; add a feather boa and done!

8 - Maids - aprons
9 - Ladies Dancing - dressy dresses
10 - Lords-a-Leaping - crowns and king robes
11 - Pipers Piping - I made a DIY wrap skirt / kilt out of plaid fabric, add a beanie or beret and gave them each a recorder
12 - Drummers Drumming - Tie Dye Shirt, bandana on their head and a pair of drum sticks (I have fingerless leather gloves as well if you have those, it adds to the effect!)

The Game:

If you have an all-school sing-along or winter assembly coming up, you need to check out the newest addition to the Sweet Sounds store: Reindeer, Christmas Tree, Candy Cane - it's a freeze game for large groups.

Currently, I'm teaching every class how to play - then we will play a mega-round at the all-school sing-along right before we get out for break. The kids are so pumped - even the Kindergarteners have loved this!

Inside this resource pack, you get very specific, detailed directions for teaching this game. The idea is very simple, but it helps if you teach it ahead of time and practice so that the kids know the rules and aren't surprised.

I've included cards to print in case you don't have a screen or projector in your performance area. I have found that technology can be hit or miss when it comes to performances, so it's nice to have a backup plan in any case.

How to Play:
The game slides are projected on the screen - after we say the chant, students pick a pose and FREEZE! Then we click to the next slide to see who is out! It's that simple - but there are some helpful hints in the pack to keep the energy positive and upbeat. In this resource pack, I go through how to teach this game in your classroom step by step.

After we learned the "easy" version and moved to the "harder" version of the game, I added drums. My 4th graders will be leading the all-school sing-along in a few weeks, so they will be the ones playing drums at the assembly. If you are a classroom teacher playing this game, drums are optional, just have the kids chant the words.


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Sunday, October 22, 2017

Four Magical Phrases Every Music Teacher Should Know (and Use!)

Teacher talk... Eduspeak... Whatever you want to call it, there are some life-saving phrases that every music teacher should know - and use! It's almost magical how well they work!


Here are four (or five!) phrases I find myself repeating over and over in my class. Hopefully they will be helpful in your classroom!
"Now you sing!" 

This is one of the most basic phrases you can use to remind the students (and yourself!) that you won't be singing with them. 

Most beginning music teachers sing with their students for one main reason: we love to sing! It's an honest mistake that can be detrimental to vocal chords. It's best to model the song and echo-sing phrases, instead of singing along with students. 

It not only helps voice strain, it allows you to step back from the sound and listen closely. When I started really listening to my students, I began to hear wrong notes and intonation issues that needed addressing.

The first time you allow the students to sing without you, there will be a natural dip in the sound as they realize that you're serious and that they will have to carry the sound. And they do! 

I use this phrase a lot in Kindergarten and 1st grade and of course when I'm at a new school, while I'm training the students with non-verbal conducting cues. 

"Who's Going to be First?"

I use this phrase all the time in all levels of music! Usually, it is when we're getting ready to transition and I need students to move more quickly. Every time we are stacking up Unifix cubes, I say this and it's like magic! The students suddenly move with purpose and energy! 

Another way to use this phrase is when you're picking a student to go first. You've never seen students sit up straighter or "catch a bubble" faster than when you are trying to find someone to go first. 
"Tell me Later"

This phrase is a gentle way to let Kindergarteners know that it's not appropriate to share their story at that time. Has anyone else had a class derailed by the sweet stories of 5-year-olds? Teehee.

Before I learned this phrase, it happened daily. And of course, when one student shared, the rest of the students would raise their hands (or just start talking! LOL) and want to share as well. I've learned to let them know that I care, but that we won't have time for storytime during music every day.

"Repeat after me!" 

I have never found a phrase more useful for echo-singing than this one! I literally make them repeat that phrase, too! "Repeat after me!" "Repeat after me!" And then off we go!


It almost completely cuts out the stubborn few that refuse to wait until I model. I use it for giving instructions, echo-singing phrases, or just to get their attention! It's magical!


Bonus! 
"No Big Deal! Maybe Next Time!"

This is one of the most-used phrases in every Kindergarten class of mine! I blogged about it here - check out how I use this to curb those super-sad/kinda-mad faces when they don't get a turn.

And the best part?!?!?!? Now I don't have to play every game 47,953 times! Hallelujah!

Sunday, October 15, 2017

YouTube in the Classroom - without the ads!

You Tube "Popup" Fix

I love using Youtube in my classroom! It's a fantastic source of musical styles, instruments, funny clips, famous musicians, and of course silly instruments made from carrots. Ha!

Currently, I am showing this clip of America the Beautiful to my classes to demonstrate some beautiful vowel shapes. <click below>

As you can see, there are ads before the video begins and ads for videos on the sides. I learned about an awesome popup fix last year that removes the side pictures and the ad at the beginning for most videos!! (not all of them)

Here's the fix: click on the address bar and find the word "watch" with a ? beside it


Between the word "watch" and the ? type in _popup


That's it! Here's what you should see if you do it right:


No ads and no suggested viewing on the side - super easy! It doesn't work on all videos, but it's very helpful for the ones that work.


Biddy, Biddy: Folk Song Fun

My friend Lisa taught me a fantastic non-locomotor game that my older students love! I'm always on the lookout for non-locomotor, non-chase/race games for my students that are differently-abled.

For this game, we sing the song Biddy, Biddy (aka Lost my Gold Ring) in a circle (either seated or standing) and students hold their hands in a cup. I walk around the inside of the circle with a fantastic blingy ring that I think I got at the Wals-marts.
As I walk around the inside of the circle, I have a student walk around the outside, watching my hands. This can easily be adapted - have the students sit in a special chair and watch as I walk around the circle. I drop the ring into someone's hand and at the end of the game, the person who is "it" gets two guesses.

I make it very clear that the students need to act like I gave them the ring even if I didn't drop it in their hands, because we are trying to trick so-and-so who is watching very closely. They become really good actors and try to trick each other into thinking they have the ring. It's a riot!

At the end of the game, I try to pick a student who is a good sport and then I keep the ring and don't drop it in anyone's hand - they love it when I do that! I make sure and thank the student for letting me trick them.

This is a great recording if you don't know the song:


Literature Connection: Little Bunny Foo Foo Play-Along

My Kinder babies love the song Little Bunny Foo Foo! Did you play that hand game when you were a kid? Here are the very simple finger play that I use to teach this in Kindergarten:

Phrase 1: Little bunny Foo Foo went hopping through the forest (bunny hands - 2 finger hop across)
Phrase 2: Scoopin' up the field mice and boppin' 'em on the head (scoop with one hand to make a fist, hit the other hand on top)
Phrase 3: Down came the good fairy and she said (jazz fingers sliding down from above the head)
Phrase 4: Little bunny Foo Foo, I don't wanna see you (bunny hop 4x, shake pointer finger 4x)
Phrase 5: Scoopin' up the field mice and boppin' 'em on the head (scoop with one hand to make a fist, hit the other hand on top)
Phrase 6: I'll give you 3 more chances (3 fingers up), but if you don't listen (tug on ear), I'll turn you into a goon! (shake finger)
"The next morning..."  and repeat!

Ending: I gave you 3 chances (3 fingers up), but you didn't listen (tug on ear), so I'll turn you into a goon! Poof! (spread hands)
"The moral is: 'Hare today and goon tomorrow!' Sounds like 'Here today and gone tomorrow.'"

It's hilarious and fun and really engaging for a beat activity. After they know it by heart, we do it without saying any words!

This is a fantastic SILENT 'game' to play in the hall in line when you're waiting for the teacher to pick them up, or when you're waiting for an assembly to start. Get a group of kids audiating "Little Bunny Foo Foo" while the rest of the gym is screaming and you'll get some appreciative looks from your admin.

Bring it Back!
Of course I get a little more mileage out of Little Bunny Foo Foo in first grade when I bring it back for instrument play! 

After singing the song, we read this story:

And then we add instruments to our song! 

Woodblocks and claves for the hopping of the bunny each time (on the beat) and a big "bop" on the drums for the "boppin' 'em on the head." When the fairy comes down, we use jingle bells, finger cymbals, triangles or anything magical sounding (chimes!) for her entrance. 

My students love playing this song - it's goofy, but still a good musical experience.

Let’s Connect!

Wednesday, October 4, 2017

Veterans Day in the Music Room


I love Veterans Day! I love the music, the colors, the energy. As an Air Force brat, it's important to get the kids excited about singing about our country, saying thanks to our veterans, and expanding their performance experience in the meantime.

How do you celebrate Veterans Day at your school? Here are some of my favorite tips and tricks and songs!

Favorite Songs

You're a Grand Old Flag - with ribbon dancers in the front.
I use the version that comes in the Spotlight on Music (McGraw Hill) textbook series. Figure 8's for the first verse, Circle & "lassos" for the second verse (instruments only) and figure 8's for the final verse. End with a snap down. This is a great opening number! (Usually sung after Star Spangled Banner or America the Beautiful.)
I get these from Oriental Trading - 
you can trim them shorter if needed.

This is My Country - super short song that affords a great opportunity for solo singing.

Motions:
Beginning - bounce soft claps side to side & bounce knees for the first section;
"I pledge thee my allegiance" - hand over heart;
America the "bold" - make muscle man pose, bend knees for bigger impact;
Ending - bounce soft claps side to side & bounce knees
"Have and to hold" - grab hands with a person next to you and raise into the air

Oh I Love America - I have a bittersweet relationship with this Music K8 song. The words are super easy, fun and repetitive. The "heart dance" that I came up with is surprisingly tricky. During the chorus, I have students broken into three groups; red, white or blue hearts. The phrase repeats three times, so we do a contagion with the hearts.

Students hold their paper heart props at their side until it is their turn to bounce the heart - red, then white, then blue - and wow that's hard! We spend most of our time working on the movements to this - but when we finish it looks so good!! Variant: Have the red-white-and-blue hearts all move at the same time; I've done this successfully with students as young as Kindergarten.

At the end of this song, they turn around their hearts to reveal a "surprise" flag on the back. So cute! Grab this flag heart printable in my TPT shop!
Yankee Doodle - our textbook recording offers three verses, so it's a great song to feature some tambourine "dancers" in the front. The tambourine team copies the hand motions of the entire group, but with a tambourine in their hand.

What was Yankee Doodle's horse's name? Macaroni! (just seeing if you're paying attention!)

Fifty Nifty United States - I sang this when I was in 5th grade and I still love this song! When I first started doing this song, I had a parent cut out the shapes of the states and glue them to paper. Now, I use a set of State Cards that I had printed in color on card stock, and laminated. Each student is assigned to a state and raises their card when they hear their state.


I blogged about it here! I shared tips for how to teach this song with my State Cards resource and how to do a surprise on the back and a Fifty Nifty Club!

We Will Not Forget - very short and repetitive song. For this song, I have students hold a photo of their favorite veteran. Not a dry eye. After years of requesting, it's finally available on a separate CD from Music K-8 - no subscription required! Woo!

or

I'm Proud to Be an American - emotional and powerful! There's a great version by Jump Five that's kid-appropriate, and a little jazzy. I've seen the hardest of students sing this song with great emotion and tears in their eyes.



American Every Day - This is a great crowd stopper and a good finale for your Veterans Day program! I teach it to the whole school and we all stand (either on risers or in their places in the audience) to sing this at the very end.

Motions
We are American every day - Both thumbs pointing to self, bounce 4 beats
Livin' we are livin' the American way - Hands on hips and nod head 4 beats

If you listen, you can hear it - one hand cupped around ear
All around us, there's a spirit - switch hands, other hand cupped around other ear
It's the freedom we are living - arms crossed over heart
And the blessings we are given - spread out arms towards ground

For the days of the week, I have seven students hold cards that say the day of the week. They hold them up when we call out the day of the week. On the back, there's a surprise - we spell out A-M-E-R-I-C-A at the end for the last repeat of "America!"

Bonus: If you have a super responsible group, you can add a stomp-clap during one of the last choruses, when the brass drops out and it's only voices and percussion. For my students, a pretend stomp works best; they lean to the side and do a pretend step, then do a soft clap.

Tip: I learned a long time ago that when students clap at a program, they rush. Any time I want the students to clap during a song, we talk about how clapping is loud. If we clap louder than the music, we can't hear the music! (It's a shock, I know!) We listen to how loud 25-30 people sound when they clap and then talk about how many kids are in the grade level that is performing. The kids generally understand that we have to almost "pretend-clap" when we have such a large group.

Logistics

I start practicing songs with my students about 8 weeks ahead of time. After learning the songs in class, I send home packets to each student. I hold "auditions" in class several weeks out. I have interested students do group auditions (I use a simple rubric to give a score) in class and they get a note to go home if they get a part.

Most of the students who audition get some kind of special part - I write up extra speaking parts and buy extra ribbons, borrow extra tambourines to cover all the kids that want a part. I try to find a way to make it special for each student! Can they hold up a picture of the Statue of Liberty? Can they hold up a letter to spell out America? What about passing out programs or getting people at the door? Passing out flowers is another job to fill, as well as passing out tambourines, cards, or ribbons.

Finishing Touches

Local Veterans, Scouts:
In addition to inviting local veterans (we send home an invitation to each family to invite a local veteran friend or family member), I invite the local Boy Scout troop to do a flag ceremony, and recently, I had a Girl Scout troop serve cookies and welcome the veterans as the entered our school.


Make sure to label the space where you want the veterans so that they feel comfortable as guests at your school.

Thank You Flower and/or Note/Poem:
I usually reserve the tear jerker song for my oldest/best group. Either before or after their song, I have each student who brought a veteran come to the stage and get a flower to take to their veteran.

It's a touching moment when the students take their veteran a flower, shake their hand, and say, "Thank you for your service." (We practice that in class!)

Decorate:
Off course you want to make it look festive, but it doesn't have to break the bank! Once I started doing this vertical flag design, I've never looked back! Trust me when I say hanging sheets of paper vertically is much easier than horizontally! Ha!


Wall of Honor:
One of my absolute favorite additions to the Veterans Day programs that I've done is the Wall of Honor. Every student in the whole school is encouraged to create a "brick" for a veteran friend or family member. This is a sample of the note I send home. Grab it here in my TPT shop!

My mom and I pointing out some of our favorite veterans!
   


The start of the Wall of Honor







By the end of Veterans Day, this wall was completely covered as people added their own "bricks" to the wall with their loved ones. I made some bricks for the U.S. Presidents that were veterans as well!

How do you celebrate Veterans Day at your school? Connect with Sweet Sounds on Facebook and share your favorite Veterans Day songs!

Let’s Connect!






Wednesday, September 27, 2017

Patriotic Music Program: 50 States to Sing About

I happen to love a certain song about the 50 states - I sang it when I was in 5th grade and I still think it's pretty nifty, almost 25 years later!

I like to teach my students the nifty state song for Veterans Day each year. It's a great way to celebrate our country, but also learn something along the way. 



Every year, I assign each student a state to hold during the song. I printed a set of state card props that we use that has one state on each card. I have 2 sets because there are always more than 50 students in my participating grade level. I also make a few extra of our home state, just in case that student doesn't show up at the performance. (AmIRight?)

Write their name on the back of the laminated card with a sharpie - you can wipe it off later by coloring over it with dry erase marker!



After years of printing out the state outlines and cutting them out, gluing them to card stock, writing the state names, laminating, and cutting out one last time, I made some on my computer! These can be sent to the print shop or printed on any color printer. I like to print them on card stock & laminate for durability. 

During the naming of the states section, students hold up their card for 3 seconds and bring it back to ‘ready’ position, under the chin (I say, “1-2-3 and down!”).

For years, I used a fantastic version of the song (McGraw-Hill) that has a slow section, followed by a fast section. The students LOVE holding up their card during the fast section, too - I remind them to count to 3 before bringing their card back down - otherwise “mamaw and pawpaw” in the audience can’t see the state on the card. 

At the end the students raise the cards above their head in a “slow-mo” wave. It’s very simple, but effective!

Surprise on the back!

At the end of the song, the version that I use leaves a blank to fill in your favorite state. If you live in a state with a ginormous amount of state pride, you can print the name of your state on the back of each card. Then, just before it’s time to yell out the best state, have students quietly turn cards around. When it’s time to yell - pop the card up high so the whole crowd can see the state’s name!

For other states, a little saying might be added during the 3-note or 2-note instrumental pause. (For example: Indiana - the best!) You can also write this on the back.

Logistics

Attach a paint stir stick (free from many stores that sell paint!) to the back to make a nice handle. I have also had students place their hands in the middle of the card so that the card doesn’t flop around. Have a student demonstrate the right way & wrong way to hold these.

I have students place their card between their shoes (vertically) while singing all of the other songs in the show. Then, when it’s time to sing, we gently bend our knees and get our state cards ready. 

Make sure to sing this song BEFORE any song that has locomotor movement or feet choreography!! I learned that the hard way!


Fifty Nifty Club 

I got a great idea from my new co-teacher this year! Any kid that can say the 50 states by themselves gets to be in the "Fifty Nifty Club." I'm putting up a big banner and each kid will get their name on a little flag on my wall for being in the Fifty Nifty Club. It's that simple!


Need More Ideas?

Need more ideas for your Veterans Day music performance? I'm sharing all my tips and ideas in my Veterans Day Starter Pack! You'll find resources to print and send home, as well as ideas for movement and decorations! 

Follow Sweet Sounds on Facebook to stay updated on new resources & ideas!


Let’s Connect!

Wednesday, September 20, 2017

Behavior Management in Music Class: Double Star Day

Let's be honest - some classes are more difficult than others. Some combinations of classes are rough.

Most specials teachers can name the day of the week that is tougher than others. (And the day of the week that they wouldn't miss for the world! #AmIRight?) 


At one school where I worked, Thursdays were ROUGH across the board - no matter what we did, Thursdays "spun" like the Friday before a break. Kids were wild and wooly on Thursday and the SAME KIDS would come back on Friday friendly and happy to be there. Whiplash!

This year, my Wednesday schedule is turning out to be one of my tougher days. I have a group of kids in the afternoon that try to argue constantly on Wednesday, and come back to me on Thursday morning like little angels. There are differences in time of day, circumstances that happen, and of course differences in body levels (are they hungry? did they just take their medicine? did they just wake up?). Regardless of the issues, we still had work to do and things to learn!

So, today I tried something a little different - double star day! 


You might remember from this post that I use a system of stars to track group behavior in my classroom. For the older kids, we do points. Classes set a goal at the beginning of class and attempt to reach that goal during the day. 

This year, I added charts (thanks to Sing Play Create!) that track weekly goals. So, for example, if they reach their goal that week (4 stars, or 40 points), they get a smiley face on the chart. 

The chart has 8 blanks per class, since I see the classes twice a week this year (wow!). This means if they reach their goals consistently, they can earn a "reward" every 4 weeks or so. 

Today I took a page from my old principal and did double star day! It was a HIT! Not only did the kids get excited, but I could move them all closer to their goal (even my roughest classes finally got to move up!!).

At the end of class, I took the total number of stars (or points) earned and doubled it. They were SO excited to get the huge number of points or stars and that's half the battle! As an extra incentive, I allowed some classes to earn "double moves on the chart" - aka 2 smiley faces. This helped me move those classes that were behind a little closer to the same schedule as the other classes (for my sanity!).

I can't wait to try this out with my Monday classes (whom I feel like I never see and they are constantly behind - anyone else?). I'll let you know how it goes!



Tuesday, September 19, 2017

Bobby Shafto: Teaching Canons with Younger Singers

I know what you're thinking - canons in first grade - no way! But it's actually not as hard as you'd expect.


1. Independent Singing

First I teach Bobby Shafto with hand motions:
Phrase 1: Bounce a salute at your hat rim 4x
Phrase 2: Bounce your fists on alternating knees 4x
Phrase 3: Pretend drive a steering wheel (back and forth 4x)
Phrase 4: Alternate hands and salute 4x (Right - Left - Right - Left)

After a few weeks of them singing and me doing the hand motions*, I say, "Ok, boys and girls, let's see if you can do it without my help!" And then I don't even do the hand motions with them.

*Teacher voice note: Don't sing with your students every time! Sing as a model and then get out of the way so you can hear them! 

2. Teacher-Only in Canon

IF they can do this successfully, I say, "Now I'm going to try to trick you!" and I do the "wrong" hand motions.

Of course, music teachers will know - I didn't do the "wrong" motions, I did the motions in canon! I started with phrase 4, then phrase 1, 2, 3. Differentiation: Some classes can't handle if I start at the same time, so it's ok to start when they get to phrase 2; that's what we are eventually moving towards.

After they do this I say, "That was too easy! This time I'm going to sing with you, but I'm not going to sing the right words. I'm going to try to trick you. If you sing with my words, that means I tricked you!" After they start (with motions), I sing it in canon with motions.

Then I ask, "What was I doing that was tricky?" Almost always, a student will say, "You started after we did!" And then I explain, "In music we have a fancy word that means "started after" we call it canon!"

I always say, "Your mom and dad probably call it a round and that's ok - tell them canon is just a fancy word for round." It's so cute to hear back from parents - they really do tell them!



3. Small Group w/Teacher in Canon

The next step is my favorite!! I pick a group of students and have them sing with my and "try to trick" the other kids. They stand around me in a small circle and we start after the whole group.

4. Large Group w/Teacher in Canon

If this is successful, the next week, I pick another group of students. After a while I say, "Let's see if the whole back row can do it." I have the back row turn and face back (with me) and we sing in canon with the class.

Generally, that's either a disaster or a huge hit! If it's a disaster, I go back to smaller groups until they know the song better independently. If it's a hit, I say, "I wonder if we could break the class into two groups and sing in canon?" Then we play around with dividing the class in half or by rows. With an exceptional group you might be able to do 3 rows!

It's a movement canon, so it's really cool to see, as well as hear. Make sure you have your class turn and face the back and go the opposite direction so all kids can see the canon coming towards them. It's a really neat experience.

Catch up with me on Facebook and let me know how it goes!

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