What's Your Real Job?

Yesterday one of my first grade piano students finished her song and looked up at me and said "So....like....where do you really work? What's your real job?"

I said "You're looking at it kiddo. I teach 77 of "you" every week. That's a full time job! This room IS my office. I'm my own boss!" She said "Wowwwwww"

Stomp!

This weeks lesson plan was to find an everyday ordinary object and turn it into a percussive instrument and create our own version of Stomp. We finished the video "Stomp Outloud" and it really inspired the children (And me! I still want to be part of that group when I grow up!) It's amazing how something as simple as a broom can be transformed into an impressive instrument! We sang "There's only one of you" by Animaniacs and rehearsed the Hello Song one more time. I quizzed them on a few terms. I said "What do they say in Greece?" and sure enough they knew how to say hello in most languages! Next week we begin script rehearsal for The Nutcracker. I arranged Christmas carol lyrics to the music of the Nutcracker Suite!

Week Two lesson plan

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!

Week One Lesson Plan

Today was the first day of music class at my Homeschool. This is my third year teaching this wonderful group (and my 9th school year overall teaching in Hawaii! Where did the time go??) There were a few new faces today and I gave them a brief outline of what I have in store for this year.

Lesson Plan this week:

Learn about the Carnival of the Animals.

- French composer Camille Saint Saens (pronounced Cami' Say-Saw)

-Child prodigy like Mozart. At 2 he could pick out tunes on the piano; at 3 he composed his own piece; at 7 he was giving public concerts; at 10 he could play any of Beethoven's 32 sonatas from memory. He lived during the Romantic Period (1820-1910) He was afraid Carnival of the Animals would be too light hearted and harm his reputation as a serious composer, so he didn't allow the music to be performed while he was alive. But he did give permission for the suite to be published only after his death. He never got to see how famous it became!

*I wrote a list of animals and a list of instruments on the board. The students had to listen to each recording and guess the animal and instrument. We counted how many times the Cuckoo (played by the clarinet) chimed (23!) and told them often times there will be a clarinetist up in the balcony, one in the front, and one in the back so when the audience listens, the cuckoo sounds like he is flying around the forrest.

*Drama: Today we played Dr. Know-It-Alls. The students sit in a circle and are collectively known as "Dr. Know it Alls" I had them think of several different questions and I wrote them on the board. Each student may answer the question with only one word. One of today's answers went like this:

Question: "Dr. Know it All, what are you going to be when you grow up?"

Answer: When...I....grow...up...I....will....be....an.....astronaut....who....also....likes....to.....dance....

with....camels.

*Instruments: In honor of Labor Day (the only holiday in September) we played hand bells and sang the song "I've been working on the railroad". I wrote out the chords to the song and they chimed the chords on the proper words. Two students played percussion.