Re: Centers in elementary music class

Posted by SHIRLEY HINMAN on 8/02/07

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THIS WILL BE MY 18TH YR. TEACHING MUSIC, AND REALLY MY 3RD
OR 2ND YR. UTILIZING "CENTERS" IN 2-6 MUSIC CLASSES,
ESPECIALLY GR. 3-6. THE KIDS LOVE THEM. USUALLY, WE SING
AND DO VOCALESES FIRST, (12 MIN.) AND AND SOME RHYTHMS,
DRUMMING, OR CLAPPING, OR ORFF ACTIVITIES (ABOUT 8-10 MIN.)
AND HAVE THE "CORE" OF THE LESSON, SECOND, WHETHER IT IS
MUSIC HISTORY, ENHANCED WITH A VIDEO CLIP AND MOVING AS THEY
LISTEN, OR STYLES, WITH VIDEO CLIP AND READING AND
LISTENING, ETC. LASTLY: I USE PERFORMANCE/THEORY TOGETHER.
IN CENTERS: OR I USE THE FOUR COMPUTERS i HAVE TO "ENHANCE
AND EXTEND" THE CORE OF THE LESSON TAUGHT. 2 EACH AT THE 4
COMPUTERS, WITH RESEARCH ABOUT THE COMPOSER, SONG, STYLE
WHICH WAS THE CORE OF THE LESSON. I HAVE ONE TRUMPET, ONE
SM. KEYBOARD, TWO OLD UPRIGHT PIANOS, RECORDERS, XYLOPHONES
AND GLOCKENSPIELS (3) AND MELODY BELLS AND DANCE AND
SOMETIMES AN AUTOHARP WHICH I USE FOR CENTERS. FOR EACH TWO-
THREE WKS. IN A MONTH, I USE THE SAME GROUPS AT THESE CENTERS
THEY SIGN IN AT THEIR CENTERS, AND AFTER TWO WEEKS,
THEY "PERFORM" FOR THE CLASS. I USE SONGS WE CAN SUGGEST
FROM EACH UNIT, FOR THEM TO PLAY ON BELLS AND PIANO, I.E.
AMERICAN SONGS LIKE "HOT CROSS BUNS" AND MY COUNTRY TIS OF
THEE, ETC. THEY LEARN THESE BY MATCHING LETTER NAMES OF
NOTES WITH LETTER NAMES ON PIANO OR BELLS OR KEYBOARD. THEN
THEY PERFORM. SOMETIMES, A STUDENT WILL LEARN BASICCHORDS
IN LEFT HAND TO GO WITH RIGHT HAND MELODY (SECOND STUDENT)
FOR TRUMPET, THEY LEARN FROM A BASIC TRUMPET BOOK. I PLAY
TRUMPET, SO IT WORKS OUT. FOR DRUMMING, THEY ARRANGE AND
COMPOSE BASIC RHYTHMS AND BEAT AND/OR A RAP. (THESE KIDS
ARE BLACK SO THEY LOVE THIS.) THEN COMES "SHOWTIME". THE
CLASS THIS YEAR, WILL HAVE A RUBRIC, TO JUDGE EACH GROUP AND
VOTE ON THE BEST GROUP. I AM ALSO GOING TO ADD THAT IF A
PARTICULAR GROUP IS REAL GOOD, THEY MAY BE USED IN AN END OF
SCHOOL YEAR TALENT SHOW, PERHAPS. FOR DANCE, OR CHEER, THEY
MAKE UP A DANCE OR CHANT OR CHEER AND PERFORM FOR THE CLASS,
USING POM POMS OR STREAMERS. IN THE PAST, I HAVE EVEN
HAD "SILENT MOVIE" SKITS WITH RAG TIME MUSIC. KIDS USUSALLY
LOVE THIS FREEDOM FROM THE TEACHER, AND IT TEACHES THEM
MUSIC THEORY (READING NOTES), PERFORMANCE, AND MUSIC HISTORY
ENHANCEMENT.

Posts on this thread, including this one

• Centers in elementary music class, 6/25/06, by music teacher.
• Re: Centers in elementary music class, 4/11/07, by music teacher.
• Re: Centers in elementary music class, 4/20/07, by Kathy S.
• Re: Centers in elementary music class, 8/02/07, by SHIRLEY HINMAN.
• Re: Centers in elementary music class, 12/29/07, by Vickie Newsome .
• Re: Centers in elementary music class, 6/21/09, by Shirley .