New song is like a new adventure Do you ever get excited about teaching a new song to your students? For me, developing teaching ideas for a new tune is as intriguing as going on an exotic road trip. There are so many possibilities! You never know what you will find along the way. Often, my best guides on this journey are my students. The challenge is to keep a good "travel log": remembering to write down all the different music games we end up creating and exploring. The song "Get Rolling" from my new Songbook collection is one of these songs. It started as a simple movement activity. On our musical journey, my students and I discovered many fun ways to play with this tune. I hope you enjoy it with your students. Please feel free to share new discoveries in the comments below! Get Rolling Early Childhood Emphasis  Take a nap:  Sing this tune during a “nap” activity. Turn down the lights, and invite everyone to lay down. Once the song becomes fami...

"Hello, Somebody" is a traditional greeting song that appears in Jump Right In  Grade 3 General Music Series. I've been using it for several years, singing the song and engaging students in improvising on a woodblock between verses.  Listening and Improvising: Rhythm Focus  This week I decided to try something new. Instead of singing the entire verse before demonstrating improvisation, I broke each verse into phrases, and modeled improvising 4-macrobeat (two-measure) rhythm patterns on a woodblock after each phrase. I also transposed it to D-major to make it more accessible for developing voices (usually between D and A). VERSE 1: IMPROVISE ON THE WOODBLOCK ( two measures) IMPROVISE ON THE WOODBLOCK ( two measures ) VERSE 2: Hello, somebody, hello.  Somebody wants to know your name  (Improvise) Hello, somebody, hello.  Somebody wants to know your name  (Improvise) After I modeled the sequence--alternating singing and ...

Songs without words are a wonderful opportunity to focus solely on music and movement. This week, we are musiking with the song "Bouncing Ball" from "Growing Up With Music" songbook, and experimenting with form, movement, resting tone ostinato, and rhythm. Originally, I composed this song for an early childhood setting, and often used a stretchy band to enhance it. With upper elementary students, I begin by singing to them, and exploring the song's phrasing throrough locomotor and stationary movement. There are many creative ways to modify this activity. Below are just a few examples. PHRASE 1 STRETCHY BAND: Seated in a circle, gently bounce stretchy band to macrobeats. MOVEMENT: Swing arms to macrobeats. Bend knees as you swing. PHRASE 2 STRETCHY BAND: Move the stretchy band in curvy pathways in front of you. Use indirect, bound flow. Avoid moving to the beat. MOVEMENT: Give a smooth ride to an imaginary object in the palm of your h...

On Wednesday, I had the privilege of directing over 200 students in our school's annual Spring Concert. https://youtu.be/v4p2Ldfgtt0 This year, we were focusing on good character. Our title was based on the closing song, "We Are One", by Alternate Routes. For me, the process of putting together a concert is very exciting. I get to learn, arrange, and perform new songs; see the songs change through my students' voices, and in the end, hear it come to life better than I could have ever imagined. These performances are reflective of my students' talents and personalities, and are an extension of the music making happening in the classroom.  The Story I like to think of a performance as a story, with all the qualities that make a story great: theme, characters, value, captivating plot, tension, resolution, and a strong ending. But most of all, a great story takes you away from reality, and touches you on an emotional level: it makes you FEEL.  My Set Lists...

Some of the best teaching moments in my classroom happen spontaneously, without prior planning or expectations. My favorite musical moment of this week was improvising with my choir the last two minutes of rehearsal.  As buses were lining up outside the music room windows, my fourth graders and I were interacting in Dorian tonality. I started by improvising a simple repetitive chord root melody, and invited the altos to join in. As they got comfortable with it, I demonstrated a slightly different part for the sopranos, using the fifth of the tonic chord.  Finally, I added an improvised melody over the two-part harmony. There was a magical feeling in the air: we were making music together, spontaneously, without any preparation or memorization. The music brought us to a logical conclusion as we organically slowed down and struck the last chord. I am inspired to continue exploring this musical journey with my students next week. Perhaps we can try a different chord progr...

Students are naturally curious about other languages Over the years of interacting with my students, I have noticed their natural curiosity whenever we discuss cultures, traditions, and languages. My students love learning new ways to say things. Their eyes light up when I introduce simple vocabulary in other languages: greetings , numbers, movement verbs, body parts, etc. My students get especially excited when I engage in an audible conversation in my native language: Russian.  Greeting songs One of the most accessible ways to incorporate other languages in the music room is exploring various greetings.  Hello and Goodbye songs  are a staple in most elementary classrooms. As students become familiar with the songs, change “hello” to “ hola ”, ”ciao”, or   “bonjour”. With a little creativity and good musicianship, any greeting song can be modified to include other languages.   A peek into my classroom:  “Hello, Everyone” Song Review...