Month: May 2020

Using Classical Repertoire to Inspire Creativity – Kindergarten Edition

A primary music class is a very busy place. We are singing, moving, playing games and instruments. I sometimes don’t have time to introduce classical repertoire to my kiddos.  (Classical music is also notoriously long winded for 4 to 9 year-olds.) “The Flight of the Bumblebee” is the perfect length and full of creative possibilities.

The Flight of the Bumblebee – Nikolai Rimski- Koraskov

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sparking creativity in kindergarten is always fun when you add props. Bring on the scarves!!

Creative Movement 

Process

  • Tell a story about watching a little bumblebee flitting from flower to flower. Cross-pollinating so we have healthy food to eat.
  • Give a movement scarf to each student.
  • 1/2 class are flowers. 1/2 class are bees.
  • Bees move from flower to flower. Can they move high? Low? Left? Right?
  • At the sound of the finger cymbals (Teacher or student volounteer), students switch roles.

My K to grade 3 students find this super satisfying. And it is a springboard into some vocal exploration.

Vocal Exploration – Creating bumblebee pathways.

Finding your singing voice. It can come naturally or it can take years. But this is where it starts – breaking free of your talking voice. I tell my students about my Mom. She was labelled a crow because she couldn’t match pitch. She believed she couldn’t sing. I explain to my littles that she just didn’t have the right teacher.

We spend all day talking – our voices don’t go super high and they don’t go super low.

We need to find those higher places and lower places and vocal exploration cards are an amazing tool.

I use the poem “Bumblebee” as an A section and we do the vocal exploration card for the B section. They LOVE this.

Bumblebee, Bumblebee

Stung a man upon his knee

Stung a pig upon his snout

I say you are out

Now to the creativity!!!! I give them this little worksheet and they create their own vocal bumblebee pathway. They can work with a partner and they can perform the ABACA pattern together. (A – Poem; B and C – their vocal explorations)

Process

  • Intro the poem “Bumblebee” by rote.
  • Intro the vocal exploration cards. Trace as students move their voices to match the shape.
  • Perform ABACA.
  • Pass out the pathway worksheets.
  • Students explore their creations with a partner.

Bumblebee Compositions – Rhythm

Composing in kindergarten needs to be scaffolded. I also really enjoy when they collaborate. We begin by exploring rhythms using “Bumble” for 2 sounds and “Bee” for 1 sound.

And yes, I use these 4 beat rhythms as a B section with the poem. I LOVE FORM!!!

Once they are comfortable reading these rhythms, they do group work using the following tools:

In their group of 3, they create a 4 beat rhythm. Then, they can add it to the poem ABACADA. FUN!!!

As always, I have left a PDF of the visuals used in this post on my PDF page at the top of the blog. You can also purchase my new product “All about…”The Flight of the Bumblebee”. Click on the picture below. Let me know what you think. I love receiving feedback and hit that subscribe button.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Take care,

Syndi

 

Interactive Music Choice Boards – KIndergarten. SO MUCH FUN!

A pandemic is a great time to learn something new. For me, I was inspired by a webinar by Midnight Music Technology. Katie Wardrobe is a music tech specialist from down under. Here is a link to her FaceBook page.

https://tinyurl.com/ybspvj2c

She is engaging and full of amazing information. After watching her tutorial, I set to work to create my own interactive choice board.

TADA!!!!!

I will be honest. It was an INCREDIBLE amount of work. It took approximately 24+ hours to complete.You can click the picture above to access the full product on my TpT store “Just Orffin Around”. I have included the PDF version for you here.

Just Orffin Around – Kindergarten Choice Board

Let’s take a peek.

Each category includes a music experience that can be used at home.

Let’s Sing

For my K’s, we would be still working on finding our singing voice. “Mr. Wiggle and Mr. Waggle” is a favorite story that I use at this time of year. The sound effects help students “Break Free” from their talking voice. I created a little Doodly video for the kids and it is linked directly from this page in the full product listing.

Let’s Move

“The Radetzky March” by Johann Strauss Sr, is the perfect tempo for littles. A Public Domain youtube video is linked within the document.

Let’s Play

I continued with the marching theme and guided the students in how to make a drum at home. I included some pre-reading rhythms to play.

Let’s Create

I tried to connect each activity as we would do in an Orff lesson. This time, students create the rhythms and then play them on their found sound.

Let’s Listen

Learning about new composers is always fun. A short Kindergarten version bio on Johann Strauss.

Let’s Draw

The patriotic sounds of the “Radetzky March ” make me see a parade in my imagination. I wrote a little guided drawing activity since patriotic parades are not as popular any more.

Let’s Read

I wrote a little poem called “March”. I wanted my K’s to practice reading the steady beat. They can point to the stars as they say the poem.

Let’s Write

Color the steady beat.

I’m proud of my first attempt at new learning. I hope you liked it too. Here are the links once more. Remember to hit that subscribe button in the bottom right hand corner!!!

Just Orffin Around – Kindergarten Choice Board PDF

Take care,

Syndi

From me to you – Distance Learning

What a wild ride!!!! In January, I wrote a post entitled “Come What May”. I certainly didn’t think we would be living through a pandemic. And teaching REMOTELY. WOW!!!!!

In our school district, the role of the specialist during home learning is to promote health and well being. Our Department of Education did not want to overwhelm parents so I am posting choice boards for my K to 3 students. They are still based within our core music curriculum but it offers some choice and wiggle room for the parents. They do what they can.

The concept of a spiral curriculum is really helping me with time management. I use the same ideas, songs, activities and poems with different achievement indicators. I thought I would share my process.

I try to post choice boards on my blog as follow:

Monday – Kindergarten choice board

Tuesday – Grade 1 choice board

Wednesday – Grade 2 Choice Board

Thursday – Grade 3 Choice Board

It is A LOT of work. But very satisfying. I post the board including the mini lessons, and links that are needed for each activity.

My Orff roots led me to add categories.

Let’s Read

Let’s Sing

Let’s Move

Let’s Play

Let’s Create

Let’s Experience

Let’s Listen

Let’s take a look at what I create for this week. All the PDF’s are on the grade level pages at the top of the blog.

Kindergarten

Presentation2 Kindergarten PDF

Let’s Create

I made these little buggy cards for them to use for some rhythm practice. For my K’s, they are at the stage in their development where they can successfully put the words into their hands. It also is really easy for parents to understand when you explain rhythm in this way.

I made a mini lesson using Flipgrid. (Super easy, by the way). I asked the students to pick 2 cards and clap the rhythm. What would happen if you chose 4 cards? Can you create an AABA pattern?

Let’s Sing

I am a little uncomfortable being on camera. Middle age and all!!!! So… I started to explore a new program called Doodly. I created a little doodly video of a story I wrote to go along with the partner songs “One Bottle of Pop” and “Don’t Throw your Junk in my Backyard”. My students can sing along with it at home.

I also included this visual with the numbered bottles. My K students can touch the number of each bottle as they sing.

Let’s Move, Let’s Play, Let’s experience ABA

For this week, I used the poem “Roly Poly”.

Moving is so important. I like this poem because after they perform the poem with their hands, you can ask “How would you do it with your feet?” Can you do it loud, quiet, fast, slow?

I created this little mini lesson to go along with “Roly Poly”.

I am so sad that we won’t get to continue our exploration on the instruments. But … we can find sounds at home!!!! I asked my students to find something they could use as a drum. I chose a book. I directed the kiddos to play on:

Up, Up, Up

Out, Out, Out

Tap, Tap, Tap

Lap

In the visual, I made these words stand out to support playing these rhythms.

Let’s take it one step further. Can you perform an ABA pattern?

A – Say the poem with movement

B – Say the poem and play the drum on those special words

A – Say the poem with movement

Let’s Listen

I love this performance of “Hornpipe” from Handel’s “Water Music”. I asked the students to listen and draw what they see in their imagination.

Grade 1 and Grade 2

       

Grade 1 Choice Board PDF

Grade 2 Choice Boards PDF

So… I mentioned spiral curriculum – Same ideas; different achievement indicators.

Let’s Read Rhythm

I used the same “Buggy” theme but created rhythms that were more suited for my grade 1’s  and grade 2’s.

         

           

Let’s Sing and Let’s Listen

These both stayed the same as the K choice board.

Let’s Move

“Roly Poly” was a little young for the grade 1’s and 2’s for moving. I also want them to be working on doing a cross body hand pattern so they get to work on “Head and Shoulders, Baby”. I LOVE how much creativity comes with the creationg of new verses!!!!. I made another little mini lesson to help my students explore the possibilities.

Let’s Play and Let’s Experience ABA

I used the same idea of finding a drum but developmentally the grade 1’s and 2’s can handle a little more.

This week, it took a lot of time preparing these materials. I didn’t get ot my grade 3’s. Am I beating myself up over it? Yes, a little. But we all run out of time and the scary part of working from home is there is no set end to your work day. Remember to be gentle with yourself. All the PDF’s and links are on the grade level pages at the top of this blog. Feel free to use them. And I will post again soon.

Take care,

Syndi