Friday Finds #5

Boomwhacker Sheet Music

Now, I'm sure you've all heard of Boomwhackers and just how much fun they can be as an alternative instrument in the classroom! But did you know there are some awesome boomwhacker sheet music resources on the net? 

This website has bunch of sheet music resources for boomwhackers. Some easy (Twinkle Twinkle Little Star) and some challenging (The Pirates Of Caribbean Theme!). And the best part is all the music is colour coded to match up with the boomwhackers. Awesome!

Check it out and let us know what you think in the comments below or if you have any other boomwhacker resources you'd like to share.   

Debbie's Quick Teaching Tips #6

Quick Roll Marking

For quick check listing, have the students sit in a circle in the order of the roll. You can whiz around the group in no time and you don't have to take time to find the students name on your list! Also great for those of us with so many children that learning and remembering their names is hard enough without having to scour your list on every turn!

[Joel's Edit: This can also be used to do your bit as a music teacher with students' literacy. Have them organise themselves in alphabetical order the first few times. Then have them do it in reverse alphabetical order another time. Or starting from a particular letter of the alphabet. Or by first name instead of last name. Have them do it silently if you find that your brighter students are getting a bit bossy about the whole thing!]   

Friday Finds #4

The Value of Music Education - TedX

This week's YouTube clip is a little more serious than the last but we think you'll find it just as interesting. Richard Gill, a powerhouse proponent of music education in this country discusses the relationship between music and our imagination and the power music can have as a tool for helping children's minds to grow. 

Check out the clip below and then check out our YouTube channel for resources to help you in the music classroom. 

Debbie's Quick Teaching Tips #5

YouTube and Music Literacy

Did you know I have created a number of YouTube clips that you can use in your classroom? The clips feature rhythms to help assist you in creating musically literate students. 

I thought I would list a few ways to use the YouTube Clip below in your classroom.

See YouTube clip here.

• Clap the patterns or play simple percussion
• Use different body percussion
• Improvise melodies (on the echo) sung or on tuned percussion (or an instrument being studied)
• Half class play the dotted crotchets and half play the quavers (I love this!!! Use two different instruments - sounds great - good inner hearing activity)

If you have any other suggestions for activities, leave a comment below! 

And subscribe to my YouTube channel by clicking here for more useful videos.

Friday Finds #3

A Cat Plays A Theramin

This week on Friday Finds, we're posting something a little less education and a little more entertainment. But can you blame us? It's a cat playing a theramin! Check out the YouTube video below. 

And while you're there, check out our YouTube channel here. You might find something a little more useful and classroom worthy there. (See, we got there in the end!)

Debbie's Quick Teaching Tips #4

iPads and GarageBand - Collaborative Composition and Performance

You may have seen this teaching tip in our February newsletter from the wonderful Alison Lunnon. Are you receiving our newsletter? Sign up here. Just enter your details on the right hand side of the page to join the mailing list. 

"I was using iPads this term to do some compositions with Garage Band with my year 5-7s and all of them were successfully able to create an 8 bar riff with a simple vocal phrase and melodic and percussive stabs. My higher achievers added verses and turned their simple vocal phrases into the choruses. 

Next year I am petitioning for each iPad to have a rock star (headphone jack with 5 ports to plug in so 5 students can work on the same iPad) and for my classroom to have a class set of headphones for this purpose. 

Students originally had studied the genre they were composing for and had brainstormed ideas before making groups of 2-3 to work together and make the final product. Some of the better ukulele players even strummed in their progressions - some very clever students! 

Another colleague of mine has been doing class compositions and then recorded each student singing onto the composition and used it as their singing mark. A very clever idea I thought."

Friday Finds #2

Blank Sheet Music!

Have you ever needed a piece of manuscript paper, rifled through every pile in the staffroom and come up empty handed? This website allows you to print off blank manuscript paper so easily! And the best part? It's fully customisable! You can add clefs, keys, brackets, link as many staves together as you like and even adjust the number of lines on the stave! 

Check out www.blanksheetmusic.net 

Debbie's Quick Teaching Tips #3

A Rhyme for Upset Young Children

This is an idea that had a MAJOR impact on my teaching of young children. Since introducing this rhyme, I have not had one crying child upset because they did not get the one (instrument/toy/item/scarf...) that they wanted.
Magic? No, but it works like magic.

Ready - here it comes:

"You get what you get 

And you don't get upset."

Yes - that is all - and that is IT!

My students all chant that when I am about to give something out where they do not have the choice. If someone starts to complain, they all quote that rhyme, we all smile and disaster is averted!

I would like to thank my source, but I can't recall where I learnt it - if it is you - thank you so much, from the bottom of my heart, you have made my teaching life easier!

(I have been told by several parents that this rhyme has crept into their homes - it helps there too apparently!) 

This idea first made its appearance in the September edition of my monthly newsletter. Click here and fill in your details on the right hand side of the page to subscribe!

Friday Finds #1

Friday Finds

Introducing a new regular blog series for Crescendo. This time we will be sharing our favourite things seen around the web this week. 

We will usually try to keep them music and education related but, hey, it's Friday! We can't help it if something frivolous or funny sneaks through to help you get through to the weekend!

Today's Friday Find is a website run by Joy Morin, a piano teacher in Ohio. She's put up a bunch of worksheets that she uses with her piano students that we think you could appropriate and use for your classroom. 

Check out her website here. And remember, you can also head on over to our website for more useful resources.