 School has officially begun. Well, technically it began a few weeks ago, but this site wasn't up yet. I think I will start by blogging ahead of the game. October Plans!!!! Third, Fourth, and Fifth grade students have already begun recorders and Quaver Music has some excellent recorder resources, especially for beginning recorder players. We have been playing around with Perry The Sheep using the notes B and A or BA...get it???? I am going to also introduce some flash cards to them that I created a few years ago. These cards are in 3 levels: basic notes with the names in them, rhythms with the names underneath, and then the melody on the staff. If you would like a copy of these, let me know.     Kindergarten – I love, love, love reading the Berenstain Bears “Spooky Old Tree” out loud while Debussy’s Gardens In the Rain arr. by Tomita is played in the background. It is something that needs practice, but it matches up nicely. I also like to use Miss White Had a Fright for rhythms, and In the Hall of the Mountain King to teach slow vs. fast and soft vs. loud. For mountain king, I tell the story of Peer, and how he had to tiptoe slowly through the halls and eventually had to run to get out. The kids play the part of Peer and LOVE IT!!! For some pitch fun, we read Skeleton Hiccups and say all the “hic” sounds in our high voice. 1st Grade – I read Shake Dem Halloween Bones with the kids singing the refrain when the book calls for it. Just like K, the kids thoroughly enjoy In The Hall of The Mountain King. We also use Miss White Had a Fright and match rhythms to the words. If there is time during class, we listen to Fossils from Carnival of the Animals and discuss the instruments used as well as why the piece is called “Fossils”. 2nd Grade – If you haven’t used The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything in your classroom, what are you waiting for?!?!?! Each “character” gets an instrument, the shoes get a woodblock, the wiggling pants get a tambourine, the shirt gets maracas, and so on. The kids absolutely love this lesson. I stretch it out over two weeks, reading the book the first week w/out instruments, and then adding them the week after. More 3rd-5th Grade – There was an old woman all skin and bones….oooooooooooooooo! In the coming weeks, Low E will be introduced, and this song is one of MY favorite ways to do it! I love the look on their faces the first time we sing the story and at the end I shot BOO! The second week, we add orff instruments and the kids really get into singing it. I also introduce the book I Need My Monster to them with a refrain I learned from a good teacher friend of mine Rachel Robertson. 
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