#FlipgridFever Using Flipgrid in the Music Room

Ya'll! Have you tried Flipgrid?  If not- you need to NOW! It is seriously the best! It is so easy to use, and it's FREE!

What is flipgrid?  Flipgrid is a website where you can make "grids" for each class and then topics within each grid where students can record videos. Once they are done with the video, the are asked to "snap a selfie" and can add stickers to it.  This is what others see when they pull the grid or topic up. I have a grid for each grade, and then topics within each grade to break it down even more.  You can set the privacy settings differently for each topic.  Grids can be public, accessible within a certain email domain, or even accessible only with a code. 

I use it mostly for projects.  Some projects my students have done with flipgrid are Parodies, instruments of the orchestra, and more.  For the parodies, students wrote a parody and then recorded it using flipgrid.  Then others had the opportunity to respond to the parody to guess which original song was used.  This was a 5th grade GM project and they loved it. Some ended up just singing their song, while others got really into the video aspect and made up dance routines to go along with their music! 

For instruments of the orchestra, 3rd grade students worked in groups to research a family of the orchestra then used flipgrid to record a mini-lesson describing their family.  They could also upload attachments like slideshows or google docs to accompany their lesson. Students then watched the videos and learned about all the families of the orchestra from the experts in their class!  This was great before our trip to see the Columbus Symphony! After the field trip, we were able to record reaction videos saying our favorite songs or other favorite parts of the concert.  While everyone can respond and reply to videos- the teacher can always set each grid or topic so that approval is needed before a video is posted AND teachers can leave private feedback/ grades. 

I also use flipgrid to allow students to give each other shout-outs when they do something awesome or kind in class.  Each student recorded a video of just their name and then others can reply to this name video with a shout-out.  Students shout-out to each other for great singing, kind acts, awesome instrument patterns, being a good sport, and more. This has been a great way to build community in each class and grade.

Many music teachers use flipgrid for playing tests as well.  It is awesome for recorder karate and rainbow ukulele (or similar programs).

In addition to all the awesomeness from above, guests can be invited now! Make a highlights topic or grid and invite guests to view while keeping most your grids/topics private to the class.  This is an amazing feature that I am so excited to be using.  It is a great way to show off to parents and community members what is happening during music without making EVERY video or topic public!

If you want more ideas on how to use flipgrid you can check out their blog OR their "Disco" (discovery) Library where teachers from all over have posted grid topics they are using in their class.  You can search by keyword, subject, and level (elementary, middle, high, etc.). There are some awesome music topics in the DL. I found a 2 minute opera scene topic that my students will be doing soon!

Do you have #flipgridfever? Be sure to add me as a #gridpal!

Tuesday Book Club- In the Hall of the Mountain King

It's October! It's Fall! It's My Birthday Month!

One of my favorite stories to do in the fall is "In the Hall of the Mountain King".  The version I read is adapted from Henrik Ibsen by Allison Flannery, Illustrated by Vesper Stamper and, of course, includes the music by Edvard Grieg.

When I introduce this story/ song, first I show the doodle chaos video.  Students LOVE this video.  As we are watching I ask them what they notice about the song. Because the movie is kind of funny, I am sure to remind them I want to know what they notice about what they HEAR not what they see.  We talk about dynamics, tempo, orchestration and more in grade level appropriate terms.

After we watch the video, I then read the book.  We have a short conversation about how the story might fit with the music and then, the fun part, we get to act it out.  I read the story again, as students are up and walking through the forest, entering the castle, looking around, and then running from the Mountain King (all to the rhythm of the song).  If it gets to crazy, I tell the students that we need to hide frozen like a statue in an open doorway of the castle and we freeze silently and look side to side to make sure the King doesn't see us.

Students, and I, LOVE this activity and ask for it again and again and again. Have fun!

Get the book HERE

No One in the House but Dinah - Why I don't teach it anymore

Dinah used to be one of my favorite Re/ 16th note songs (and this post used to be how I used it).  However, since learning of Dinah's racist history I have cut the song from my teaching.  There are so many other great re or 16th note songs and I will be making super fun Orff Arrangements to a lot of them soon! 

Here are some great resources on the racist history of Dinah and other songs, and how we as music educators can ensure that we are always working towards greater equity and against systems of oppression in our own teaching practices:

Pancocojams- Pancocojams showcases the music, dances, language practices, and customs of African Americans and of the other people of Black descent throughout the world.

Decolonizing the Music Room-  Providing research for music educators on unsung narratives in U.S. music resources and tools for decolonizing practices.

Now What? Steps to Anti-Oppressive Music Teaching- Great strategies from Elizabeth Caldwell over at Organized Chaos. Be sure to click around on her blog- it is amazing and so many other resources are tucked inside as well. 

You Might Be Left With Silence When You're Done - This is an article by Martin Urbach, one of the members of Decolonizing the Music Room mentioned above. Read. Learn. 

I am always trying to read, learn, and act on new knowledge to ensure that all students in my room know that I care for them and their culture and their unique selves.  We all make mistakes, but actively working against racism and other forms of oppression should be a goal of every teacher. As I find more great resources and articles, I will be updating this post.

Tuesday Book Club: Bom! Went the Bear

Welcome to another Tuesday Book Club! This weeks post is all about Bom! Went the Bear by Nicki Greenberg.

Get the book HERE

From the back of the book:

              Bear loves to play his big bass drum, and march around like he's 

              king of all the land.  It's so much fun that soon he's joined by 

              all manner of animals. But with so many musicians determined

              to perform, is there room for Bear to march to the beat of his 

              own drum?  A joyous celebration of music and play. 

This book is so adorable.  It is great to introduce kids to many animals and instruments. There is a lot of onomatopoeia in the book as well many of our kindergarten comparative words like quick-quick, s-l-o-w, high and low.  At the end it also shows a great example of a decrescendo by repeating the same words over and over but printing them smaller and smaller to give the impression that the animals are playing quieter as they are moving away.  

I have read this book to my K and 1st graders and they loved it.  We are going to be doing vocal explorations with it next class where they echo some instrument sounds or reveal what they think some of the instruments should sound like.  

This book would also be great for a sound story for older students.  There are lots of opportunities to add in different sounds- even if the instrument students choose isn't the exact instrument in the book. It would be a great way for students to be creative to show different musical concepts.  

What are your favorite vocal exploration or sound story books? 

Check out the new Tuesday Book Club tab at the top to see more great ideas for books to read and resources to use in your music room! 

My Favorite "Getting to Know You" Games

Being at a new school this year, I have had to pull out ALL of my favorite "getting to know you" musical games.   Below is a brief description of each!

Billy Billy- This is a longways set game that students LOVE! Students stand across from a partner in a longways set formation.  For the first verse of the song, they connect hands with their partner and shake back and forth.  On the second verse, partner 1 at the top of the set travels down the alley in an interesting way (disco, model walk, etc.) and then staying at the opposite end of the set.  On the third verse, partner 2 travels down the alley copying the movement of partner 1.  Play until all sets of partners have gone.  I love seeing the interesting ways students choose to travel down the alley!

Here's the way we billy billy                           
billy billy, billy billy
Here's the way we billy billy 
all night long 

Step back Sally, 
goin' down the alley
Step back Sally
all night long

Here comes another one, 
Just like the other one, 
Here comes another one, 
all night long. 

Song is swung.  Each line below = one 4 beat phrase.  Solfa pattern is: 
d l s l (change notes each beat)
d l s l
d l s l
m r d

Pass the Beat Around the Room- When I learned this, we just stood in a circle and said "Pass The Beat A-Round The Room z" (each syllable = 1 beat and z=rest).  However, to help me learn names of students, I have been asking them to say their name during the rest instead.  Each student says one syllable of the sentence and it continues around to the left. If a student hesitates or says the wrong word (or name- it happens!) they sit out.  Continue until there is one student left.  If your students are rock stars, you can also replace a word with an action instead.  For example, have students STOMP instead of saying the word "beat". 

Sasha Folk Dance- This dance is in Sashay the Donut and is a favorite. If students love this dance, you could also do Heel and Toe Polka from Chimes of Dunkirk, as they are very similar partner changing dances!

Bump Up Tomato- While this one never says names, like Billy Billy you get to know students personalities. Students sing the song and do the actions while standing in a circle with one person in the middle.  At the end, the student in the middle chooses someone to try and make laugh.  They can do whatever they want WITHOUT TOUCHING each other.  If their target laughs, the target is in the middle for the next round.  If the target keeps a straight face, the original student is in the center for another round.

I Can Keep the Beat- This is a favorite chant which allows children to say their names in a fun way.

I can keep the beat
and I can say your name
sitting next to (Mrs. Church) is
Name *Name* 

The whole class says the chant and then at the end, one person says their name and the rest of the class repeats the name.  You then move around the circle in the same fashion, changing the names as you go.

It's Great to Sing with You- Sung to the tune of "Good Morning" from Singin' in the rain.  If it's morning I still sing good morning, but in the afternoon I just sing Hello.

Good Morning to ____ (name), it's great to sing with you! Good morning, good morning, today! 

Sometimes I sing the 1st phrase multiple times before moving on to the rest of the song to get as many students in as possible. While singing, we tap the beat in various ways on our bodies.  The first few times we sing this song, I have the students sing their name to me and then the whole class sings it again.  Once you know names you could sing their grade, or teachers name (Mrs. Church's Class), etc. This is a great welcome song to use all year!

*** note: these videos are just examples I found on youtube to help illustrate the games for you. ***

Tuesday Book Club: Summer Reading

Ok... so I know it is Thursday.  The first full week of school is getting away from me! I mentioned in a recent post: New Year, New Beginnings, that I had read a few books that were inspiring me for the new school year and I have since read a few more! Below I will give a brief overview of each book and what I loved most about it.   I will also mention what tips/ideas/chapters hit home, made me reflect, and challenged me as an educator.

The Pepper Effect- Tap into the Magic of Creativity, Collaboration, and Innovation By Sean Gaillard

I liked this book as a music teacher because, if you couldn't tell by the title (my Husband didn't get it...) it ties everything back to Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. The book goes through how the Beatles flipped the script, stopped touring, and focused on innovation for that album- and how we can apply the same principles to our classrooms. I learned some Beatles history and got some great classroom tips along the way.

After reading this book, I have ideas to be more positive, collaborate, and help students be their best.  First of all, I plan on making Mondays a positive catalyst for the week and starting each school day with a festive atmosphere- never holing myself up in my room, but greeting kids with more than just a "good morning".  Maybe I will play a song, maybe have a puppet, maybe I will give out high-fives or make secret handshakes with students- it will always be changing- but the goal is ensure that everyone feels valued and invited when they come to school.

When it comes to working with colleagues, I loved the keys to collaborate which were summed up in an acronym: LISTEN.  This will be super important this year, as I am brand new to my school and will need to get to know everyone there! "Education is a collaborative and joyful journey. Love your collaborators and demonstrate your belief in them... Belief is the ignition for inspiration and the foundation for dreams."

L= Look for the gifts of other colleagues in the schoolhouse.
I= Invite colleagues to share those gifts with you.
S= Strategize a plan to build and do something wonderful.
T= Take a risk and commit to do something bold and creative.
E= Enjoy the process of collaborating and camaraderie.
N= Now Make It Happen!

One other thing that really hit home,especially as I start at LU-T, is being intentional about taking moments away from the grind.  Sean Gaillard calls it "Here Comes the Sun" Space. As he says "An intentional move to gather time for renewal can stir inspiration in the most unexpected ways." I will be making a Here Comes the Sun poster (or buying one...) and making at least one plan a week time to just renew and connect with students and colleagues.

As for concrete classroom ideas aside from tips on collaborating, innovating, and hearing student voices- one thing really jumped out at me: "Flip your classroom into an Escape Room DESIGNED BY STUDENTS" (Emphasis added by me).  I have seen many teachers do escape rooms in their classroom, but I haven't seen students creating these escapes.  I plan on having my older students next year show mastery of certain units or vocabulary by creating an escape room for another class in the same grade to solve.  Students will work in teams to create parts of the escape and they will be combined into one big challenge for other classes to solve. I am SO EXCITED for this project!


Remember: "One teacher's words can set a life-changing course for a student to take bold, giant, steps towards building a dynamic future." 

The next PD book I read was Unleash Talent by Kara Knollmeyer.

This book was all about finding your T-3 (passions, skills and personality traits) and helping other staff members and students find theirs as well so the whole school can work together to be a positive, awesome environment where everyone can learn and grow!

I LOVED that each chapter was summarized with a "bottom line", journal prompts, and discussion questions that made it really easy to go deeper and really think about what was presented. I basically ended up highlighting quotes many of the chapters so I will just put a few here so you can get an idea of what the book is like and how it will work for you. Some of these I want to print and hang by my desk as daily reminders!

"Talent is not realized overnight but tended and nurtured day after day"
"We must understand that commitment, desire, and drive are not mutually exclusive. All three must work together to create true success."
"Contentment without desire and drive would keep us in a static state of 'good enough'"
"When passion is present, it spreads like wildfire to everyone who sees it"
"Courage is the willingness to step forward even as you are struggling with fear into what lies ahead. Your authentic self is more powerful than any monster living inside your head trying to hold you back."
"We need people who are trying to change the world for the better. And when you are trying to change the world, you do not do ordinary things."
"A compliment is verbal sunshine"
"Any day could be the day you and I were made for. Each day is our opportunity to live our destiny"
"Cookie Cutters are for cookies! Or in other words BE YOU!"
"Feedback does not need a meeting place. It needs a vulnerable space and someone to truly listen"
"Allow others to talk and look for that little spark of light that shows up in their eyes when something they are truly passionate about shines through. That right there is their life's purpose..."
"As educators, the more we share our talents, the more we empower others to share theirs"
"No. The sky is not the limit. It is only the beginning. Lift off."
5 Characteristics of People Who Inspire Others: 1. heart of a servant  2. Brave  3. Accepting of Others  4. Tenacious  5. Vulnerable

In addition to these great quotes, there were a few specific practices I plan on implementing asap.

Gratitude notes- The author states that when she is down she writes gratitude notes to those who inspire her with their love, actions, and talents and I can not wait to start this in my new school and daily life.  I love that she turns negative feelings into positive with this simple thing.

Observations- Another thing mentioned a lot in the book is observing fellow teachers and allowing them to observe you.  I made this "Observe Me" poster that links to a google form (I got the idea from twitter...) so any time colleagues or parents want to observe me they can give me direct feedback that I can constantly refer to.  I am so excited to see how this works.

Questions to ask- What is the history of the school? How can I help honor that history? What is unique about each staff member? How can I get to know who they are? how can I better understand the varied perspectives of members of the school and see where each person is coming from?


I also plan on reading the following 3 books VERY soon:

The Teaching Text (Your Welcome)

Troublemakers

Play it from the Heart

Did you read any awesome books this summer? Need more ideas to easily insert positivity, creativity, and just plain old fun into your room? Check out my FREE 30 day Happy Teacher Challenge! I love to do this challenge year round.  There are ideas for: Classroom Fun (classroom fun can be extended all week), Classroom Organization, Reflection/ Self Care, Professional Development, and Random Acts of Kindness

Room Tour 2018

I have had this painting in my room for years. It was a gift from a student who was redoing their bedroom to be "less babyish"- but I LOVE this painting and don't think it is babyish at all! My students love that it matches the last page of the book Giraffes Can't Dance.

This was my inspiration for my "Swingin' Through the Jungle- Music Room Decor" set for the year.  I am so excited to hang it some of it up in my BRAND NEW CLASSROOM. It goes perfectly with our mascot- the Lions- and I am mixing this Jungle Decor with some awesome watercolor prints and labels for decor that will last.

This set features everything you need to decorate your music room- from rules, to posters, to a fun bulletin board. You can also get a lot of things separately if you want to do what I did and mix and match themes.

I am in love with this room! It is so big and beautiful! The most utilized space for me will (I think) be the cabinet storage.  The first set of cabinets is less-often used instruments, the second set is all my manipulatives, the third is classroom supplies and then I also have space for cleaning supplies, magazine subscriptions and more.  On the cabinet doors I decided to put these little dry erase boards to write my daily objectives, as well as some great reference pictures for some musical symbols, dynamics, and notes.  Get the reference pictures HERE.

Above the sink I put my "gallery wall" of great music quotes and lion pictures. Get the beautiful quotes HERE. I think this just gives that huge area a fun look without being super busy or distracting. 

Moving around the room I have my piano (with a new light-board on top- I am so excited to use it!) as well as my staff dry erase board, my TV- which I can cast my computer to, and my movement prop storage in that small bookshelf. I have my bean bags, ribbon wands, and scarves all easy access right there!

Along the back of the room I have my desk as well as commonly used instruments on the small shelves with the orff instruments set up and ready to go on top.  We have a small collection right now, but I am hoping to expand our orffestra in the next few year.  Hanging on the windows are instrument flags from David Row at Make Moments Matter.

The last wall is my bulletin board space as well as my blank dry erase board.  My bulletin board right now is split into 2 sections- "What I'm Reading" where I will share my favorite books with students, and then "What to Listen For in Music" which you can get HERE from Rhythm and Bloom. I also have note magnets as well as a solfege ladder ready to go on the dry erase board for any time I need to reference it throughout the year.  The solfege signs are held together with rings and I can flip unknown syllables around when I need to.

My school is a Seven Habits school so I have the habits posted in various places around the room.  My favorite habits set is this clean black. Love it!

Also in the corner, I have a small rest area with more to be added soon.  Right now, hanging on the cabinets are some calming strategies and I have a worksheet printed out on top of the filing cabinets for students to fill out when they are in the rest area needing a break from class.

I hope you loved this room tour and got some great ideas for your own room! I tried to make it fun and colorful without being TOO overwhelming. I may add a labeled grand staff somewhere as well as a joke of the week to the black and red bulletin board, but I want to get to know my students first. I hope you have a great school year!