North Skelton Sword Dance

North Skelton is a village in the UK. Sword dancing is a tradition in this village that has been around for years. Groups of six men would meet to practice routines with real swords. The students are truly amazed that they would use real swords as the moves that they do involve holding both ends of the swords and moving in different formations. 

There are different troupes from the village would go out to perform. This occurred more commonly in the early 1930s but has declined. There is a new beginning of teams at the Lockwood Beck Primary school. 

Our fifth grade students are working on a sword dance routine that was popular in North Skelton. We are using yard sticks covered in silver duct tape with black electrical tape for the handle. Students are in groups of six and working together on some intricate moves. It involves students in counting the beats in the music, working together in small groups and practicing various sword moves. I will post pictures soon of students working on it! Students will perform the routine at our annual Thankful Eagle Luncheon in November.

Researching

One of our challenges as teachers this year was to incorporate roles for students. In class students have been rotating the roles of videographer, photographer and researcher. In Fifth grade yesterday, a student had a question about the meaning of the phrase "mutton stew." I didn't have an answer so I handed him my iPad and told him to look it up using Safari. It took him about two minutes to find the answer. We paused after speaking the poem again and he shared with us what he had learned about it.

Another student in the same class asked who the composer of our new song was. It is a beautiful melody and I knew it was a folk song, but didn't know the name. Again this student was handed my iPad to look it up while we worked on pitch. He found it and was excited to share the name of the composer, that it is a Russian folk song and has different text in some versions. He read the new text to the class and then shared that he had found it was also the basis of an opera. As well as sharing that  the entire song is over ten minutes long! Love the impact and learning that is going on in the classroom with our technology.  Students are asking great questions and giving great feedback!!

Second Grade

Mrs. Ward's class rocked it out today as they practiced moving up and down the xylophone together as well as playing a steady beat.  Their enthusiasm is contagious and they concentrated so well.  It was beautiful to hear them play!

Xylophone Rhapsody

Fourth Graders have been working hard on learning different ways to play beat on the xylophone (hands together, alternating hands, playing on high and low pitches).  Since this is the first year that Ethridge (and I) have started more Orff-based lessons, it is all very new to the students.  We have played the xylophones in years past, but not to the depth that we are doing it now.  And it is incredible!

The Fourth Graders have worked on a basic melody and playing in two parts together.  Today we began a new song called "Xylophone Rhapsody."  Students worked hard to keep their part together and to listen while playing correctly.

Here is Mrs. Tucker's class:

This Old Man - Mrs. Park/Keller's class

Today Mrs. Park and part of Mrs. Keller's class came to music.  They did a great job focusing on playing a steady beat to "This Old Man."

This Old Man

First grade has been working on performing "This Old Man" on the xylophones.  Mrs. Townzen's class did a fabulous job keeping a steady beat while they sang.

Tricky Thursday

A coworker once pointed out that students are the most tired on Thursdays. (or in the case of Kindergartners, most tired while also missing Mommy, needing lots of hugs and reassurance that they can do it and just plumb worn out)  After having it pointed out to me, I'd have to agree.  It is often the day of the week that I am also the most tired which means I must truly be on my A game and ready with more than enough energy to keep the day upbeat and exciting.  I have to say that what students produced today was quite spectacular.  And Tricky Thursday ended up being Terrific Thursday in so many ways!!  Here is a small snapshot of what students did today:

Fourth Grade students demonstrated a fabulous job on their creativity in creating their own rhythm patterns when clapping a section to a poem.  The students also began working on a Xylophone Rhapsody.

Fifth Grade students were really excited to learn the end of the North Skelton Sword Dance! I loved the "Ahhh's!" when they saw the final pose and what the swords create at the end of the dance.  I can't wait to watch them put it all together and perform it at our Thankful Eagle Luncheon!

Third Grade students floored me with their understanding and demonstration of beat vs. rhythm.  Yes, I realize that they have learned this the past few years.  However, the fact that EVERY student could demonstrate it and stay on their part is amazing.  When asked to speak a poem and keep the beat, everyone did the beat.  And no one did the rhythm.  YES!  And vice versa.

Their song "I don't care if the rain comes down" is coming along well.  Students have learned three (or in some classes, four) parts and practiced singing the song while playing the parts.  This includes the beat, a crossover part from G-C'-G, part of the melodic line and an introduction.  Next week we put them altogether and students help create the piece of music by determining how many times the introduction is played, who plays it, who plays the melodic line, how many times we repeat the melody and so on.  At one point, I even jumped up and down while clapping my hands.  They were quite impressive!!!  Began working on dotted half notes.  Whew - it was a jam packed class!

Second Grade students reviewed Tideo and practiced inner hearing (audiation) skills with the song.  It was neat to see them perform the body percussion patterns without the words.

Kindergarten students are working on identifying their four voices:  singing, speaking, shouting and whispering.  We've used a short poem that they love as well as learning a few songs to identify their singing voices in particular.  They are also listening for high and low sounds in one of their all-time favorite games: Giants and Elves.

**Materials for Giants and Elves as well as other amazing movement activities with kids are found in the Musikinesis books by Monica Dale.  I LOVE her movement activities and the kids respond well to them!  They can be found many places, but here is a link if you're interested in learning more:

http://www.musikinesis.com/books/

Frozen in statues so that the elves can move!
Great job Mrs. Morse class!

First Grade students worked on playing the steady beat on C and G to "This Old Man."  We had read the book the last two classes and practiced finding the beat.  They also played the Museum Game (an Orff movement activity I learned this past summer).  Students are incredibly creative!

What a fantastic day!

Choir Auditions

Wow!  What an amazing turn out for our choir auditions today!!  The students were organized into groups and auditioned in front of a few of their peers.  I was impressed with the desire of students to be a member of our choir this year!  Over 100 students auditioned!!!!  We have 99 students in fifth grade alone which means that just over 50% of our fifth and fourth graders auditioned.  That's an amazing thing!

I'm so blessed to have so many students that love music and choose to spend time outside of music class involved in musical activities.  This year is going to be amazing and I can't wait to get started next Monday!

The list is posted outside of my door and it will be fun tomorrow to see many happy and excited students!

Kindergarten Week 2

Every year I'm amazed at how little and young the kindergartners look!  By the end of the year, they have grown and matured so much!!

Our kindergarten students are working on beat with the song "Johnny works with one hammer" as well as learning to move in self-space (a toughie for some as they like to hold hands and aren't as aware of their space at first) and group space.  It's important for students to know how to move to music musically!  And figuring out how wide, tall and low they can make themselves helps.

We are doing a folk dance called "Les Saluts."  The students learn basics: walking left, right, into the circle and back out of it.  There are no words and it's a very gentle song with a good pace.  The students like the clapping part and the pauses in the music.

We also do a direction song that they ask for every class so far!  It's called "If you're a kid" and it's on Youtube.  Check it out:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fw6z94wJsWI

It's another great way to have them practice self space, follow directions and have some fun!

We read the book "Ten in the Bed" and practice using our singing voices on the "Roll over" part.

Our first few lessons we work on following directions (how we walk into class, how we exit class, how we make a circle, how we stay in a line) by using songs and clapping patterns.  We also learn about our self-space/shared space and how to sit on the blue lines.

In the month of September, we'll be learning about our four voices (shouting/singing/talking/whispering).  We'll also learn about beat and pitch (high and low sounds).

Choir Auditions

This Monday we have our choir auditions!  So far almost 80 students are signed up which makes me excited for them.  If you're not sure what time your child is signed up for their audition, please email me at my school address!  You can access it through our school website!!

Xylophones are amazing... but the kids playing them are even more so!

Teaching with xylophones is somewhat new to me.  I am used to teaching 25 children with six xylophones and rotating and trying to keep students on task who are not having a turn by letting them sing or do movement to the song or rotating often.  The last few days I've used quite a bit of the introduction to xylophone materials that I learned this past summer.  Rather than waiting to implement some of the new lessons later in the year, I have truly jumped in fully and am stretching myself as a teacher.  And it's working!

Third, Fourth and Fifth Graders have done some mallet exploration.  Sitting in the circle, 'playing' with the mallets (what can we do with them?  can you play light?  can you play this way?  What's something else we could do with them?).  We sit in silence and they copy my motions.  Made me smile when a student said "What is this for?  What are we doing this for?"  I told them to trust me and just enjoy it.  They did.  By the end of the activity, students had learned how to hold the mallet, how to strike the bars (though we practiced on the carpet), how to alternate hands, how to move from one side to the other and back down again, how to glissando.  And I hadn't said a word.

We moved to the xylophones at this point and students were told to play as soon as they got there and experiment with playing one note at a time.  Students were really excited.  They practiced what we had just 'played with' on the ground.  I counted down 3-2-1.  Our goal is that every student in the class is silent by one.  Not ON one, but by one.  That's different.  Some classes got that sooner than others and other classes we took the time to practice it a few times.  I told my students "I am not loud.  I am not a yeller.  But you can see my hands and as the conductor, it's important that you always have me in your vision so you are paying attention" and every class was able to stop by one without a hitch.

We then identified letter names and practiced moving up and down the xylophones (C scale) from C to C'.  Then I asked them put their mallets on C and G.  Chose a student to tell us to play 4 beats or 8 beats for an introduction before I sang a song while they played.  It was fun to see the students have the choice!  Some of them looked at me and were waiting for me to tell them exactly what to do.  I simply told them to play the beat using C and G.  They chose how that sounded to them.

In every class, someone played the beat by alternating between C and G.  Many students played C and G at the same time to keep the beat.  Some students really challenged themselves and created some hard beats.

We played it again and I asked them to do the same beat they had chosen.  Then I called on a student who had played it one way and asked them to demonstrate for the class how they had played.  The student shared and identified what letters and notes they were playing.  Then the class all played the same beat and did what the student shared.  I asked if there was anyone who had done it differently than the student had shared.  There were always hands up - students wanting to share - ideas being shown.  It was awesome!!!

By the end of each class, students had a basic knowledge of a few ways to play the beat using C and G, how to hold the mallets, how light/heavy to tap mallets on the bars and basics about xylophones.

I'm so incredibly proud of our students for being willing to jump in with all of the new things I am throwing at them and for trusting me to be there with them.