I've been battling a cold this past week, and while today I FEEL much better, I SOUND the worst. A music teacher with a frog in her throat is not very musical! I originally had picked several singing activities for the kids today, but seeing that the act of singing sends me into a coughing fit, I had to come up with plan B.
This weeks drama activity was the game Moods. This game is ideal for practice in self expression. I think it's a great tool for speech and drama teachers to use with students to loosen them up, to desensitize stage freight/peer pressure (I told them "Look at me! I don't care what anybody thinks! The point is to have fun and be dramatic!"), and to practice different dramatic expressions. The game is simple: You have to say a phrase in a certain mood. The students number their paper 1-20 and write down their guess as to what Mood the actor is portraying. Whoever guesses right gets to act next (if more than one person guesses right, I'll say "OK David goes first and then Deighton). I went first as a demonstration (and to brake the ice). I also demonstrated things I could do with my hands or voice to portray some of the moods/emotions I wrote down. My phrase was "I love my rubber ducky" and I picked "Disappointed". I slowly shook my head, made a "tsk"ing sound and very seriously yet quietly said "I...(sigh)... love my rubber ducky". This of course made the kids giggle and instantly want to participate in this drama activity! There is something about this game that makes it impossible to not to want to join in! Even the shy kids!
I wrote down several different moods on the chalkboard: Bossy, Bored, Confused, Devious, Suspicious, Triumphant, Cranky, Disappointed, Giggly, Wishy-Washy, Sleepy, Tense, Cheerful, Sad, Shocked, Rushed, Playful, Sneaky, Frustrated, Ashamed, Jealous, Relaxed etc. I also typed out random phrases, cut them into strips, and put them in a hat to be randomly selected.
(Examples of my phrases: "I should have packed my hairspray". "Was I snoring again?" "The milk has gone sour". "My plane takes off in five minutes". "I accidentally ran over your bicycle in the driveway". "We ran out of shampoo so I had to wash my hair with soap". "I speak fluent Gibberish". "Are those real handcuffs?" "It's not my fault, it just exploded". "My first pet was a gorilla". "Check out the crazy hair on that guy!" "This sad music is bringing me down". "There's nothing more handsome than a lawnmower". "Hold on to your hat because it's very windy outside".
The students could have played this game for hours! It's a drama activity that's sure to make several more appearances throughout the year.
I wanted to do at least one singing activity, so I taught them how to say Hello in every language thanks to my all time favorite educational cartoon Animaniacs. Click
HERE to hear the song. I told my students that thanks to these songs, I can successfully sing the names of every country in the world and also sing all the US states and their capitals. I said "If you learn these songs, like this Hello Song, you'll find yourself later in life going: Oh, you're from Greece?...."They say Ya su in Greece". I printed the lyrics; had them listen to the song once and read along; helped them pronounce the foreign words; and then we sang along!
After singing and acting, my voice was officially shot, so we spent 15 minutes watching the VHS tape of the performing group "Stomp". I told them I had the chance to see Stomp live when I was in 10th grade. The musicians take everyday objects like brooms, garbage can lids, car keys etc, and make them musical and percussive. I told them my brother and I were so inspired by this group, we used to make our own percussion jams in my parents kitchen! I'd start with a simple rhythm using a spoon, Kris would walk in and add a second beat with a cup, then I'd throw in a third rhythm with a bowl, and before you knew it we were jamming in the kitchen! The kids found Stomp SO COOL! I told them we'd try a percussion jam next week.
And that was week 2 with the homeschool!
....from a blogging hiatus. In between all the music for 5 different Christmas concerts, I almost forgot about Christmas itself and had to do all my shopping online. I bought my mom (a fellow piano teacher) a book called "Music for the Busy Teen" and plan to try it out with some of my own busy teen piano students. 
