#MusicWithMini

Form. It's definitely a part of music, but to call it "form" seems so...formal, don't you think? Only being in my second year, I am still trying to figure out what different grade levels are capable of handling. I was pleasantly surprised that my first graders were able to grasp the concept of form so quickly. More to my surprise was their enthusiasm about hearing different patterns.

My beginning form lesson with first grade involves teaching them one of my personal favorite songs from Music K-8, "Presto, Largo". I have the kids act out what each animal is doing on the screen--and they love crawling on the ground like the bunny. What works really well about this song is that it has two distinct sections, the presto section (A) and largo section (B). They very quickly understand that our song is ABABA form. Boom! Let's kick it up a notch.

Introducing, the finale from the William Tell Overture. Okay, it's kicked up a whole lot of notches, and even though the kids are overwhelmed at first, when assisting them in breaking it down, they realize the song is more manageable than they think (especially when you add really goofy choreography to the different sections). Then, as I saw multiple examples on Youtube, I was able to add in rhythm sticks to the choreography, of which the kids loved. Here is one of my first grade classes (and life-skills kids included!) taking a crack at the William Tell Overture Finale.

Let's explore today a grade that I haven't talked about yet: FIRST! Oh first grade. So much energy, and very little capacity to read. That leaves me in quite a conundrum. How do I survive the very primary grades? Playlists.

There is a lot of singing that takes place in the younger classes. We have routines with interchangeable songs for our playlists. They usually run us 15 minutes or so, and are a great way for me to get all of the kids having a familiar background with some basics (like Mister Sun, Shoo Fly Don't Bother Me, and other kinds of nursery rhymes). However, another concept that us music teachers try to drill down at the younger grades is that of steady beat. I found a fabulous way to do this with my first graders and it has been on our playlist for 2 full months. Using Leroy Andersons "The Syncopated Clock", I created a dance that helps us keep the steady beat on different parts of our bodies, and to put some bigger movements together, while still counting the beat.

The video below is from the first day the students learned the dance in September. Needless to say (now 2 months later) they do all the counting themselves, and only receive a few cues from me. My classroom is full of cheers when the music comes on. Try it out in your classes and see if it is a hit!

#MusicWithMini

Form...For Real?

The Clock Dance