Rhythm Ice!

Has the cold weather hit your area yet? In true Texas style, the temperature dropped to the low 40's with cold, cold rain and I broke out the heavy coats (and went to the store for my son who grew out of last season's coat).....and then it warmed back up enough for a regular jacket. As for the next week and half, who knows? It'll probably snow! Typical Texas. :)

(Is everyone in the north laughing at me that I think the low 40's is super cold? What can I say, I was raised in tropical south Texas wearing shorts nearly year-round!)

Anyway, my son and I were shopping last night and his comment ("Maybe it'll ice over and school will be cancelled!") reminded me of a favorite rhythmic activity in my classroom. During most of the year, I call them Rhythm Gems or Marbles, but in winter (and especially after the movie Frozen came out), they are known as Rhythm Ice:

I have a ton of each type organized into their own boxes and can pull out the appropriate types according to the grade and lesson. I love these little stacking boxes that you can find at your local craft store! I made the labels on my Silhouette machine.

I always use them with some laminated beats in whatever meter needed for the lesson. In this previous post, my students had been practicing half note (and then the student had to trade with a friend and read someone else's composition) and I've also used them whole group. Here's another example that could be used with your younger groups who have learned quarter/eighth:

What's great about these is that the student clearly sees that one piece of rhythm "ice" belongs on one heartbeat when they are placing them. When you get to half note (as shown in the earlier post link), you simply show them how to put a blank rhythm ice piece as a placeholder.

If you're interested in purchasing some of these already made, visit my Etsy store! I have them for sale in groups by level and by individual rhythm as well. They are listed as Rhythm Gems in the store. (Laminated beats not included in purchase.)

Rhythm "Ice" or Gems - Individual Rhythms

Beginner Set - Quarter, 8th, "Z" and Rest

Intermediate Set - Half note, 16th, synCOpa

Advanced Set - 8th/16th, 16th/8th, Dotted quarter/eighth

String Family Tech Hunt

My students are headed to the symphony after Spring Break so we are focusing in on the four families of the orchestra. We have covered facts and characteristics here and there over the years, but I definitely want to do a little more in-depth study before we get on that bus!

I'm very excited to integrate more technology into this year's orchestra study. To just tiptoe into the string family, I used a recording of a string piece with something familiar (the voice), yet a bit deceiving (the voice). I know....that sounds a bit strange, but if you know the piece, you'll know what I mean. I chose Bobby McFerrin and Yo-Yo Ma's recording of J.S. Bach's Musette.

I love this recording because the cello is just beautiful and it's just a fun, playful short piece. The vocals can be a bit distracting (whose voice is that anyway?! they all ask), but I do ask the kids ahead of time to be sure to listen carefully to all the sounds because there will be quiz about what they heard.

This takes us into a Plickers quiz. If you've never used Plickers, download those little code cards and print them now (or splurge on a set from Amazon.com like I did!). It is such a great app! All you need is one device and you can give quizzes with immediate feedback and recorded answers! (Here's the actual quiz that I gave, if you're interested in seeing or using it.)

Once that Plickers quiz was done (which I assured them was just a "see what we know" type deal; not a major test grade! though I do look forward to comparing their knowledge after we study our instruments a lot more in-depth), we split up into groups to start our tech hunt. Each group received a clipboard with their scavenger list of questions and a device. I had several QR codes taped up around the room, plus three permanent stations set up. The QRs were repeated just in case the groups were crowding around a certain one. The list is as follows:

• QR leading to information about pizzicato technique (text only)
• QR leading to a Thinglink about string quartets
• QR leading to a string instrument labeled with Skitch (major parts labeled)
• QR leading to information about how many strings in a harp (text only)
• QR leading to information about bows and the type of hair used to make them
• my personal Macbook in guest mode (yes, I'm brave!) with Artopia.com set up to listen and compare the four main instruments of the string family; they can do the matching game as well (if time)
• iPad mini with MSOLearn app to view interactive orchestra seating chart information
• teacher computer set up with a headphone splitter set to this YouTube video so one group at a time can view a short video about the string family which also introduces the harp

Edited to include Google Doc with QR codes <here>. I added labels to show which QR was which, but I don't have labels for the kids....that way it is a surprise when they open the QR, of course!

I wish I had some pictures of the kids working on their hunt....but every device I have was being used! These days I don't have a separate camera that I keep handy in my classroom.

In case you're wondering, I don't have a class set of iPads! (I wish!) I borrowed a couple from the 4th grade teachers (since they are planning, they aren't using them for teaching), used my class iPad and used a couple of my own personal devices. Unfortunately, that meant that the groups had to be slightly larger than I would have liked (4-5) but it worked out fine. The kids worked well together overall. The tech hunt will continue for 1-1.5 more lessons or so until they get the questions answered.

After this, we'll certainly explore some more string repertoire....what are your favorite recordings? Any great suggestions? Leave me a comment!! Also, any other suggestions or ideas to incorporate some more technology in my tech hunt? I'd love some feedback!

Melodic Stations

I tried out some more stations this morning and I think we're off to a pretty good start! I guess my 2nd graders are my guinea pigs this year for stations since they are (again) the grade level for this lesson.

Since we recently learned re and completed the pentatone of do-re-mi-so-la, I thought some melodic stations were in order. These were much more challenging to plan though, since melody is a lot more difficult to work on independently (if accuracy of pitch and contour is your goal!). I also wanted a variety of activities, of course, that highlighted reading, writing, listening and singing. Here's what I came up with:

Station #1: Step, Skip or Leap?
This was an interactive PowerPoint game that I made for the projector. The group had to work together to determine whether the notes were a step, skip or leap apart. The game told them whether their answers were correct or incorrect and they could try again if they were wrong. Edited to remove PPT....it had tons of mistakes that my 20th group found....hmmmm, makes me think the others weren't quite paying attention?!? Ugh. I will replace it soon once the mistakes are all found.


Station #2: What Does the Fox Box Say?

Okay, okay. Cheesy pun. (Hey, the kids loved it and my station sign!) This is my low-tech station. I recently ordered some Talk Blocks (or music boxes, as I call them) from School Specialty. I took a chance on them and while the sound quality is not great, they get the job done. My son helped me prep this station and we had fun doing it! What I really like about them is that you can insert directions or pictures into the top of them and then record 30 seconds of sound. (There are cheaper ones that have no picture inserts and about 10 seconds of recording time.) I have ten of them so I split them up into two different groups. Five of them were error detection. For example, one was a staff saying "m  r d" but I recorded me singing "d r m" and asked them to explain the difference. The other five were a mixed-up mystery song. I sang "Dinah" into the first one. The other four were me playing the four motives of "Dinah" separately on an instrument. The kids had to put them in order and sing along.

Station #3: Cookie Dough-Re-Mi
Since my new magnetic staves are actually cookie sheets, I came up with the idea of making some notes that look like cookies. I made mine out of little wooden craft circles and printed sticker paper, but you could easily do this by just printing on paper and cutting them out. I stuck magnet tape on the back, made some do clefs, made some solfa sentence strips and they were good to go. (This was something we had already been practicing in class, so writing on the staff was already familiar.)


Station #4: iCan Play Do-Re-Mi
This was the most coveted spot in the room! My coworker has a set of iPads for her classroom and was kind enough to let me borrow a few of them! We used the app Tap and Sing (Storybots) to play some do-re-mi melodies. I just printed out some melody cards and put them on the table, gave them a picture of which robots to tap, and let them practice. This was a bit more practical than using xylophones (which was my back-up plan if the iPads didn't work out) simply because we could plug in headphones and they wouldn't interrupt each other. Plus, the kids are quite motivated by using the technology!



Station #5: The Match Game
In this station, they simply got to work in teams or against each other. They had to turn over one card labeled stem and one labeled staff. If they had the same melody, they kept the match.


As you can tell, again, photography is not my strong suit. I will never understand how all these teacher blogs have such nice pictures! I look like a chicken with my head cut off trying to help kids, keep an eye on equipment (especially borrowed iPads!), making sure Talk Blocks aren't being recorded over, games are played correctly so learning is happening.....pictures obviously are the last thing to happen! :) But these stations went smoothly and we'll continue them for this week and into some of next week due to a (much-needed) holiday this Friday and a state-testing day next week.

What do you do for melodic centers? Leave me a note in the comments!

DIY Magnetic Staff

After playing with the colors about a million times, I think I like the shade of aqua that I see on my screen! (Who knows what everyone else is seeing, of course!) I also followed an incredibly clear tutorial on Bite Sized Thoughts on how to create drop-down menus. (Thank you, Kari!) It took a lot of experimenting with the code even after reading, but that blog entry was the only one that made any sense to me after many Google searches!

Anyway, you've probably seen this before, but just in case you haven't.....I thought I'd show an easy and fairly cheap way to make magnetic staves for your classroom.

You might get some weird looks, but get to your local Dollar Tree and head to the checkout with an armful of $1 cookie sheets:

If you buy more than 10 or 15, they may or may not call a manager over to approve the purchase. A little embarrassing, but well worth it. :)

For the next step, it depends on what you use as notes. I use little math counters that are 3/4" round and they came in 4 different colors. Basically, they look like tiny poker chips. (I added magnetic tape on the back of mine.) I did an internet search just now and can't seem to find the exact kind, but there are so many types out there. I do like the kinds that I can split by color though because it helps me manage groups in various ways - "Yellow notes, put your materials away first," or "Green notes, sing your pattern to me."

I used my craft machine to cut strips of vinyl, but you can easily use drafting tape as well. Just space out your lines according to the size of your chosen note size.

Spacing the lines to fit your notes...

Just 20-something more to go... :)

My next step, which I will have to update on a bit later, is to cut out some do clefs and some ledger lines. I'm waiting on this step because I'm going to cut them on printable magnetic paper and they only take up a small amount. I'm trying to think of something else to take up the rest of the paper....I don't want to waste it.

And if you're lucky, you might find these little storage containers at the Dollar Tree as well. They are great for storage for your little magnetic notes! I've seen round containers and these square ones and then sometimes they have nothing at all. I tend to grab a package when I see them in stock. They are popular!

Overall, I think these magnetic staves would be great for centers (if you only want to make a few and not a class set) and you can always use the other blank side for other magnetic manipulative activities!

The best laid plans...

My biggest plan this week was to have 3rd grade rhythmic centers focused on syncopation. While I did get them started, they are off to a rough start due to a sick child at home. My second group will be a day behind so I'll have to extend it a bit more than I had planned. So far, so good though.

I thought maybe I would highlight the technology center that I used for 3rd grade's practice. I did a homemade I Spy PowerPoint and it's not only great for music practice, but it's a great vocabulary and math skill builder. The initial home screen looks like this (but without the watermark of course):

It's not the best picture, but I just took objects from around the house (it helps to have overstuffed toy bins and overflowing craft drawers to select from!) and placed them on a white background. I'm not great with a camera and my professional photographer husband was not available that day, so I had to play around with different places around the house. Luckily, we have some great skylights upstairs and I was able to get some decent natural lighting. After some editing in Photoshop, I got a pretty clear image to use. (If you'd like to use my image, feel free to contact me in the comments and I'd be glad to send you the image without the watermark!)

After inserting the image into my first slide, I prepared several other slides containing my syncopated rhythms. Then I went back to the first slide and I drew a grid of squares on top, using the draw tool. It looked like this when I was done drawing them and making sure the boxes were clear, with no line colors:

After that, it's just a matter of hyperlinking. If you've never hyperlinked before, it's a great tool to make a PowerPoint interactive. In fact, I know PowerPoint gets a bad reputation these days but I find it to be an incredible tool in the classroom.....just not for presentations. I hardly ever use it as such. Anyway, right click on your first box and select "Hyperlink". In the next dialog box, select "Place in this Document" and then "Slide 2" (if that's the slide you want it to go to). Do this to every box, and make sure each box is linked a different slide (Slide 3, Slide 4, Slide 5, etc.).

Here's the trick though....you need a way for the kids to get BACK to the "home" screen after they are done reading their rhythm.  Easiest way....insert a clipart of a house on your first rhythm slide and hyperlink it. Except this time, select "Place in this Document" and "First Slide."  Copy and paste it to every slide except your home screen. If you want to get fancy, insert a text box with the words, "Go home" under the house. :)

Now you have your own interactive game! As far as it being a vocabulary/math game as well, come up with questions like "I spy with my eye....a polygon in a primary color," or "....a vowel,"....or "....one of your five senses," or ...."half of 10."  

3rd Graders spying a form of transportation

(Just a note - when we play in a group, I sing "I spy with my eye" on the solfa that we are concentrating on (drm or low la for example) and they have to echo me before I say the clue, but for the centers, I simply made little cards with a detective on the front.)

Let me know if you have any questions by leaving me a comment!

Thoughts on Second Grade Rhythmic Centers

Since my post about my centers was getting long and my day was being cut short by classes and an afternoon trip to the vet (have you ever taken a bearded dragon to the doctor? wacky stuff)....this is part two, my thoughts on how it went. Hopefully if anyone out there is reading and wanting to try this stuff, you won't make my mistakes or will make even better improvements on things that went well!

First of all, I have to just get it out: in many ways, I'm a control freak in the classroom. Yes, I said it. I know musicians are supposed to play well with others (ha ha, see what I did there?) and I do, but we also know how to pick up a conductor's baton and take charge. I had a hard time letting my students just go and do their thing on their own...that was so unsettling! This is something that "regular" classroom teachers have been doing all along, but it's not something that I'm accustomed to in my room due to the nature of my usual constraints. My main issue: I cringed each time I heard a wrong rhythm in the background. How do you deal with that? We can't possibly correct every one of them. I checked around at each station and guided but tried not to hover too much. The sound level of all the different activities at once was difficult to hear as well. And let's not even get into how they man-handled my handmade manipulatives....

Other than that, this particular grade level worked well with each other. That alone worried me and it was all surprisingly fine! I made careful groups ahead of time with the iPad app iDoceo and that really helped. I only ended up making one switch. I also plan on ordering some headphones and a 5-way splitter soon and adding a listening station next time. That will be some simple dictation perhaps?

This afternoon, I'm starting some third grade centers for practicing syncopation. The centers are very similar, just different rhythms (since they did not play these activities as second graders). Instead of Bad Apple on the projector though, they'll get an I Spy PowerPoint, and some writing practice.

Second Grade Rhythmic Centers

Is anyone else a bit afraid of centers for the music room like I am? :) With only 25 minutes, so much could go wrong....

I've never given centers a serious try in the music room before, but there are too many good ideas floating around the internet not to try them and give my kids more small group interactions. I started off slow with my second graders and the half note. Now that they're done, I can definitely say that some of it was successful and some of it can be improved for next time. (Also, please note that I tried to take action pictures, but I'm not the greatest iPad photographer.)

Since I can tell this is going to be ridiculously long, I'll just list and describe my five centers (I see my kids twice a week for 25 minutes each, so I knew that was about all we could reasonably handle in two lessons) and I'll reflect on the process in another day or so.

Center 1: Bad Apple
This was my technology center. In my district, we have projectors that work with a wireless BenQ pen (or wireless mouse, which is my preference). Throughout the year, I make interactive PowerPoints that often utilize hyperlinking. This particular one involved a screen full of apples to click on. Some apples reveal a "juicy" rhythm to read...some apples reveal a worm that eats your turn! The kids love this one and were happy that they didn't have to wait so long for a turn being in small groups.

Center 2: Musical Marble Composing

I went to the dollar store and purchased a million of those large flat clear gems from the craft aisle. I then cut vinyl stickers with a craft die-cut machine (more on that someday) and stuck them on the back. The kids then composed their own 4, 8 or 16 beat rhythms using quarter, eighth, quarter rest and half notes.



Center 3: Recycle It!
Again, a major score at the dollar store. My husband and I spotted some great miniature trash bins, just like the ones you put out on the curb. I stuck labels over them to change them to recycling bins, printed some water bottle clipart and put some 8 beat rhythms on the back. The kids took turns picking up bottles to read them and put them in their trash can. HOWEVER....if they picked one up that said, "Recycling Day - Empty your Bin," they lost all their bottles. They were excited at the game aspect of this one!

Center 4: "I have....Who has...?"
This is a pretty standard activity in the Kodaly classroom. I like this one a lot because it is a reading and listening challenge in one. I did have to sit down and play with the kids and model quite a bit though. (We had not played this one as a whole group in class.) That gave me a chance to hear them reading a bit closer though, of course!

Center 5: Oh Fiddlesticks!

This idea came from the internet somewhere, though I can't remember where! Kids take turns drawing sticks from the cup and reading their stick. If they get the tricky Fiddlestick though, they lose all their sticks! (Did you know you can dye plain popsicle sticks with food coloring? Guess who has popsicle sticks of every shade all over her house now? It helps with sorting sets of different rhythmic categories and I can see possibly mixing them to easily differentiate between my higher and lower level rhythmic readers. Ex: Student A picks only pink sticks and Student B picks only green sticks.)

Does anyone use these games or activities in their classroom? If so, do you have ideas to extend them further?