Today was the first full day back, and by full I mean FULL! We had three sixth grade classes, a meeting with Ms. Wu who is observing me at the elementary level, lunch, percussion class, one fourth grade class, three second grade classes, then two percussion private lessons after school!
Despite all of that, the day ran pretty smoothly. I taught some of the kinders and first grade classes the Star Wars version of the Fast Food song, and apparently word has been spreading around school! They've been singing the song in their classes and at lunch, so the sixth graders asked that I teach that to them too. It worked perfectly since we've been working on part singing the past few weeks and that was able to become a round with nice harmonies! Since they were older, I challenged them to the ultimate task: combining the two versions while doing the round!
In case you don't know the songs I'm talking about, the original Fast Food version goes like this:
A Pizza Hut, a Pizza Hut, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and a Pizza Hut (x2)
McDonalds, McDonalds, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and a Pizza Hut (x2)
Seems simple enough, and the actions go along with the words. Next was the Star Wars version:
A Jabba the Hut, a Jabba the Hut, Luke Skywalker, and a Jabba the Hut (x2)
Hans Solo, Hans Solo, Luke Skywalker, and a Jabba the Hut (x2)
Again, the actions fit with the words and include turning your arms into Jabba's mouth, Luke's lightsaber, and Han's spaceship.
Finally, combined is much more difficult, even just with the words!:
A Pizza the Hut, a Pizza the Hut, Luke Skychicken, and a Pizza the Hut (x2)
McSolo, McSolo, Luke Skychicken, and a Pizza the Hut (x2)
It was really neat to see how focused even the third sixth grade class was, and they are usually the most unfocused with the "just try and teach me" attitude. Ms. Wu and I left the room and set the dates for my observations, and that class will be my first observation next week, so I am just going to need to make sure I plan my lesson to keep them intrigued.
The fourth graders received their orange belt in Recorder Karate today and made it halfway through the green belt song. Green adds an E to their first three notes (B A G), and I discovered that having them show me the "peace" sign with their first two fingers on their right hand works perfectly for what they need to add on!
Last classes of the day: second grade. Yikes. Second grade, up until today, was the only class I hadn't taught yet, and it seemed like the first class was testing the water a little. When I asked them to, they got pretty quiet, and we made it through most of the lesson. The second class...not so much.
In second grade, we've been doing a world tour with previous stops in North America and South America, and today was Africa. We listened to a song to figure out where we were and then moved up front to read about it on the screen. After that, we all got up and learned a traditionalesque dance to go with the song, and that's when things started heading downhill in the second class.
One little boy apparently had been having a rough day in his classroom, but I didn't know anything had been happening. As I was teaching the different moves (while Mrs. Stamer was out somewhere in the hall or in another room), he started making his own moves up VERY LOUDLY. When we stomped our feet twice, he stomped them twelve times. When I asked everyone to make sure they were following directions so we would be able to dance with the music, he got even more out of control so I simply asked him to sit down, without making a big deal out of it. He sat, then decided he wanted to get back up and keep dancing. When I asked him to please sit down again, he shouted NO! and kept on distracting those around him.
At this point, I chose to ignore him to hope that he would behave with the lack of attention. Boy, was I wrong! We sat back down and learned our next song: "Sorida," from Zimbabwe. When we started learning actions for this one (with Mrs. Stamer still out of the room), he started shouting "If You're Happy and You Know It" and "Patty Cake" at the top of his lungs. I kept going with the lesson and turned the music up so we could try and hear it over him to no avail. The rest of the class was awesome and tried to pay attention to me and the lesson despite the noise, and this little boy was NOT ok with that.
He decided to take off his ring and chuck it across the room at another boy. I simply walked over, stuck out my hand, and the second boy gave it to me. The first boy was FURIOUS. He started screaming, "It's MINE!" and quickly turned around and lunged at a boy behind him. He pushed the boy over to the ground and started choking him. At this point, I'm getting really stressed and kinda mad at the situation myself, going over in my head what I must have done to make this happen! I gave the boy his ring back in hopes that he would calm down and tried to keep going.
*ENTER MRS. STAMER*
She walked in and asked how everything was going and I just looked at her and said, "not well." She must have seen the panic in my eyes and asked what was wrong so I told her the Cliff Notes version. She told the boy to go speak with her out in the hall, and he gave her the same "NO" answer he had given me earlier in the class. She started walking towards him and he stood and sprinted to the back of the room towards the percussion instruments. She went towards him more and he started running in circles around the room, singing a mantra to the same idea as the Gingerbread Man. He ran by me and she told me to grab him, so I reached out and got his arm. She caught up, picked him up, and carried him all the way to the principal's office.
Holy. Cow.
The rest of the kids in the class were completely awesome. After that final distraction, we were able to continue where we were and still got through everything we needed to for the day. The last class was awesome as well, and that ended out the day. Once all the kids had left, Mrs. Stamer and I talked about what had happened. She told me she had just been in the hall talking with the classroom teacher and they thought everything was going great because they couldn't hear anything off task through the door. That made me feel good that I wasn't raising my voice or drawing too much more attention to the boy than he drew to himself. At the beginning of the last class, she had noticed I was still at a high-stress level because of the incident, so she whispered to me that it was ok and I just needed to relax. I didn't realize how apparent my thoughts were, but that simple comment cleared me up for the rest of the day.
After everything is said and done now, I feel pretty good about the way I handled the situation. Let's just hope there isn't a repeat any time soon!!!
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Weeks Two and Three
Week two went very smoothly, and I taught most of the classes already. I have been keeping a list of all sorts of ideas for my lesson plans and future classroom, and will have to sync those sometime very soon. Despite a rough time at NAU and in my personal life right now, I am able to separate all of that and maintain a professional attitude at work without letting any of those outside issues affect me in the classroom.
Week three was a different story. I was prepared to teach every grade except 6th this week, and only excluding that grade so Mrs. Stamer could still do some classes. Unfortunately, we received over five feet of snow and I never went in all week. Apparently we don't need to make up these days because there is some rule that if more than three days in a row are missed, that's considered a natural disaster or something like that. That means the days don't need to be made up which is kind of nice since there is only one more snow day scheduled into the calendar and I really, REALLY don't want to lose Spring Break!
Tomorrow is a two-hour delay due to slow progress across town with the snow clean up, but who can blame them!? Hopefully that will be the last interference with student teaching because I don't want to miss out on any more!
Week three was a different story. I was prepared to teach every grade except 6th this week, and only excluding that grade so Mrs. Stamer could still do some classes. Unfortunately, we received over five feet of snow and I never went in all week. Apparently we don't need to make up these days because there is some rule that if more than three days in a row are missed, that's considered a natural disaster or something like that. That means the days don't need to be made up which is kind of nice since there is only one more snow day scheduled into the calendar and I really, REALLY don't want to lose Spring Break!
Tomorrow is a two-hour delay due to slow progress across town with the snow clean up, but who can blame them!? Hopefully that will be the last interference with student teaching because I don't want to miss out on any more!
Saturday, January 9, 2010
First Week Down
I have officially made it through my first week of school, and am EXHAUSTED! It's nice that Fridays are early release because I was able to get caught up on evaluations for recorder karate (I'm going to need to check and see if I have explained this already!) and I have the lesson plans made for each class next week! Now, this weekend I need to relax and sleep!
Thursday, January 7, 2010
When Two Worlds Become One
Today I was on my own (with a sub in the room), but it was a pretty light schedule. Two flute players came in before school for some extra help so we did some tutoring, then I knocked three pages off of my paper that's due in five weeks until the sense-comm class came in at ten. I was amazed by how the kids reacted to the music. We sang songs with lots of movements, such as pointing to different body parts and one of the girls was really excited about singing. The thing with this class is that they are non-verbal, special needs kids. When one girl was trying to sing, it would have sounded to anyone walking by the hall like she was just screaming as if she were in pain, but it was so neat to see signs of enjoyment on her face as she tried to participate in the best way she could.
These students are integrated into other music classes during the week as well, and she was actually in one of the sixth grade classes yesterday. I didn't know who she was until partway through the class when Mrs. Stamer explained her style of singing, and I was one of those people who was wondering what the screaming was about at first. Music is just that kind of communication that is for EVERYONE. Another song we did in the sense-comm class was about a silly chicken who laid eggs, but not just any old eggs...Shaky Eggs! The kids all had egg shakers and their one-on-one aids helped them move them first fast, then slow, then around their heads.
After that class, I had another long break until fifth, then sixth grade bands at the end of the day so I got some lesson planning done for next week. I had lunch with some of the other teachers, and I feel like I'm starting to fit in as one of the staff at the school, even when Mrs. Stamer isn't there for my "protection".
The fifth grade band was working on page 15 in the Standards of Excellence book, and we started with what was essentially an arrangement of Twinkle Twinkle. Instead of just hammering through the book and tackling as many songs as possible regardless of performance or depth, we spent some time talking about Mozart. I asked the kids if they recognized the name at the top of the piece, and one trumpet player raised his hand and read it off the top of the page. We got to talking about how Mozart was able to write music before he could write words, and I told them a story about how he was locked in a tower, "Rapunzel-style," for a week with only a pen, paper, and a bed so the people could find out that he really was writing all that music at his early age. The kids LOVED that story and couldn't believe he wrote over 600 pieces in his thirty years of composition.
By the end of class, we were working on Bingo--you know, the song about the farmer's dog. We finally made it through the piece after catching different problems, and then I challenged them to play it leaving out a note each time. They had some troubles remembering, but by the time class ended, we went from B-I-N-G-O to *-I-N-G-O to *-*-N-G-O which was QUITE the accomplishment!
Sixth grade band ran pretty similarly, although they were much more talkative and harder to get under control. We started with their first natural minor and then harmonic minor scales in the second Standards of Excellence book on page eleven. Again, rather than just playing the notes, we talked about what major scale they had already played in the book lined up with that one and what the differences were between the major and minor, then between the two minor scales. Next, we played Marche Slav, talking about Tchaikovsky (another young composer, starting at age four!) and the Russian context. After we finally made it through the piece at a higher level than Tuesday, I told them that it was actually an excerpt from the full piece and how the full piece is divided into three sections: a funeral march, an old Russian national anthem, and a song of victory. We took a vote and they debated why they thought it was from which part until we finally came to the right conclusion as a class.
After that, we moved onto Greensleeves--a piece that every one of them was familiar with. The problem we found though was that since they were familiar with the song, they played it the way they usually heard it rather than the way it was written down in some different rhythmic instances. We got everything straightened out, then I had them listen to the last movement of Holst's Second Suite in F and raise their hands the two times when Greensleeves is heard. We talked after that about how a song can be used as a melody like when we played it in their books, or as a background figure such as in the Holst Suite. After that discussion, it was time to pack up and go home for the day.
One trumpet player asked if he could stay after school for some help and I told him that wasn't supposed to really start until next week, but I caved and we worked for almost half an hour. He passed off different medals in his book, but we were able to talk about each one, such as how the Sousa one was a march and a little history about that. One of the songs he was passing off was titled, "Habanera," and I asked him if he knew that was from an opera. I went over to the piano and played that melody with the bass line and we talked about how it sounded and what he thought might be happening in the opera at that point.
After school, I met up with some friends and we went to sit in the student section at the basketball game. A little after halftime, three little girls came over to us, and I recognized them as some of my sixth graders. They came to say, "Hi, Ms. X!" which everyone I was with got a kick out of. It's weird to be on the other side of the "your teacher is a normal person who you might run into in the grocery store" scenario and it made me realize how much more careful I will need to be now to make sure nothing happens that I could get in trouble for!
Through all my instrumental experiences today (flute duo, fifth and sixth grade band, and the after school trumpet lesson), I really feel like I made a difference. I've observed so many teachers over the years who just drill performance in their classes and hammer through pieces without really making an effort just so they can get through the books, and I was pleased to see that I did things differently than that. I'm starting to realize just how much I am loving this music thing, and am thinking it was definitely the right choice.
These students are integrated into other music classes during the week as well, and she was actually in one of the sixth grade classes yesterday. I didn't know who she was until partway through the class when Mrs. Stamer explained her style of singing, and I was one of those people who was wondering what the screaming was about at first. Music is just that kind of communication that is for EVERYONE. Another song we did in the sense-comm class was about a silly chicken who laid eggs, but not just any old eggs...Shaky Eggs! The kids all had egg shakers and their one-on-one aids helped them move them first fast, then slow, then around their heads.
After that class, I had another long break until fifth, then sixth grade bands at the end of the day so I got some lesson planning done for next week. I had lunch with some of the other teachers, and I feel like I'm starting to fit in as one of the staff at the school, even when Mrs. Stamer isn't there for my "protection".
The fifth grade band was working on page 15 in the Standards of Excellence book, and we started with what was essentially an arrangement of Twinkle Twinkle. Instead of just hammering through the book and tackling as many songs as possible regardless of performance or depth, we spent some time talking about Mozart. I asked the kids if they recognized the name at the top of the piece, and one trumpet player raised his hand and read it off the top of the page. We got to talking about how Mozart was able to write music before he could write words, and I told them a story about how he was locked in a tower, "Rapunzel-style," for a week with only a pen, paper, and a bed so the people could find out that he really was writing all that music at his early age. The kids LOVED that story and couldn't believe he wrote over 600 pieces in his thirty years of composition.
By the end of class, we were working on Bingo--you know, the song about the farmer's dog. We finally made it through the piece after catching different problems, and then I challenged them to play it leaving out a note each time. They had some troubles remembering, but by the time class ended, we went from B-I-N-G-O to *-I-N-G-O to *-*-N-G-O which was QUITE the accomplishment!
Sixth grade band ran pretty similarly, although they were much more talkative and harder to get under control. We started with their first natural minor and then harmonic minor scales in the second Standards of Excellence book on page eleven. Again, rather than just playing the notes, we talked about what major scale they had already played in the book lined up with that one and what the differences were between the major and minor, then between the two minor scales. Next, we played Marche Slav, talking about Tchaikovsky (another young composer, starting at age four!) and the Russian context. After we finally made it through the piece at a higher level than Tuesday, I told them that it was actually an excerpt from the full piece and how the full piece is divided into three sections: a funeral march, an old Russian national anthem, and a song of victory. We took a vote and they debated why they thought it was from which part until we finally came to the right conclusion as a class.
After that, we moved onto Greensleeves--a piece that every one of them was familiar with. The problem we found though was that since they were familiar with the song, they played it the way they usually heard it rather than the way it was written down in some different rhythmic instances. We got everything straightened out, then I had them listen to the last movement of Holst's Second Suite in F and raise their hands the two times when Greensleeves is heard. We talked after that about how a song can be used as a melody like when we played it in their books, or as a background figure such as in the Holst Suite. After that discussion, it was time to pack up and go home for the day.
One trumpet player asked if he could stay after school for some help and I told him that wasn't supposed to really start until next week, but I caved and we worked for almost half an hour. He passed off different medals in his book, but we were able to talk about each one, such as how the Sousa one was a march and a little history about that. One of the songs he was passing off was titled, "Habanera," and I asked him if he knew that was from an opera. I went over to the piano and played that melody with the bass line and we talked about how it sounded and what he thought might be happening in the opera at that point.
After school, I met up with some friends and we went to sit in the student section at the basketball game. A little after halftime, three little girls came over to us, and I recognized them as some of my sixth graders. They came to say, "Hi, Ms. X!" which everyone I was with got a kick out of. It's weird to be on the other side of the "your teacher is a normal person who you might run into in the grocery store" scenario and it made me realize how much more careful I will need to be now to make sure nothing happens that I could get in trouble for!
Through all my instrumental experiences today (flute duo, fifth and sixth grade band, and the after school trumpet lesson), I really feel like I made a difference. I've observed so many teachers over the years who just drill performance in their classes and hammer through pieces without really making an effort just so they can get through the books, and I was pleased to see that I did things differently than that. I'm starting to realize just how much I am loving this music thing, and am thinking it was definitely the right choice.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
The Power of Music
Day three brought on full lesson planning and teaching for sixth and fourth grades, while I observed the second grade classes at the end of the day.
The sixth grade lesson today introduced them to different kinds of part singing for the first time this year. Through two different songs, "O, Desayo" and "Elijah Rock," we learned about unison/harmony singing v. split/descant singing. After studying and learning the first song, we listened to Elijah Rock as performed by the Moses Hogan Chorale. I silently observed the kids listening to this the first time in each of the three sixth grade classes, and was amazed by the students' reactions to the power of the music. Take a minute, and listen to this with your eyes closed and the mind of a twelve-year-old: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLR31UyuFP0&feature=related
The kids couldn't hold still. There was just no way that even I could not help but move to the music and think the words in my head since I have sang an arrangement of the piece before. When it was done playing through, their faces turned from amazement to horror as they asked if they had to sing the "opera" parts (the descant). I laughed and told them only the boys would need to and then quickly told them I was kidding.
Music has the power to cause emotions to well up within us, even with the sixth grade students I taught in my first classes today. These feelings are gripping--often irresistible--and seem to emerge from nowhere. These feelings color our moods, affect our perceptions and generate a behavioral pattern. The indisputable fact about music is its power to evoke emotions. Is there anyone, for whom, music is completely emotional, or neutral? Music has the ability to inevitably tap the still, mysterious deep well of our emotions.
Music is an extremely versatile medium of communication. It is capable of exploring all the features that are used in verbal communication. Moreover, it does so in an explicit and structured way, which makes it an interesting and useful window into human communication, in general. Mrs. Stamer told me to look up this clip of Bobby McFerrin at a Science Conference back in June of 2009, and I was amazed at the natural understanding of the (what I presumed to be) scientists through their musical communication: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ne6tB2KiZuk
The repetition of a line as in a lullaby, the regular beating of a drum--they produce a feeling of physical ease and lull the child to sleep. The rhythmic sound of the train, of waves breaking on the shore, the song of a cricket at night--why, even the electric fan is able to produce a soothing physical quiet. But good music does not stop there. It touches our emotions. True music really far deeper and touches our very soul and leaves its imprint on us. It may not be possible to explain or describe this reaction in ordinary language. It can only be felt. It is one of those mystic experiences, which baffle analytical explanation.
Music is known to endow the listener with aesthetic or intellectual pleasure. It can be simple, complex, subtle, overt, and these features may reside in one of the different aspects of the music e.g. rhythm, melody. Some of the greatness of music however, lies in its holistic nature that all the elements form a unique wholeness which may not be understood by studying the parts separately. However complex, music is readily appreciated by the mind without the need for formal knowledge.
The lay listener may not be able to hear which instruments are playing, or which pitches are used. After listening to a brass fanfare today, the second grade classes had trouble identifying that french horns were the only instruments playing. At the same time, people may have no problem appreciating the music as a whole. An experienced listener, on the other hand, may be able to transcribe every note, but might still be at a loss to understand why the music is so pleasing to listen to even for the time!
As a performer, I believe that music can recreate emotions and get the listeners involved with my emotions. Scotty and I have discussed before how any particular music has an inherent emotion, and there is the emotion that one feels while rendering. Besides, the listener is in an emotional state while listening to that music - which is also important because it could be possible that this will now be linked to the emotional state of the listener. So he or she can use the song to recreate this emotion. Very often we hear people say, "This is my song," and feel that special emotion again.
Rhythm and melody are two facets of music that lend themselves to enjoyment in their individual capacities. The experience of beat and rhythm has a simple relation with joy, well-being and even excitement. Babies spontaneously start to rock and move when they hear music with a pronounced beat in a medium or fast tempo. By changing rhythm, we can change the aesthetic appeal of a piece of music. Even a change of tempo can cause variations in the aesthetic appeal.
Similarly, melody, which is the soul of music, can create different types of feelings in listeners. Some melodies bring soulfulness, some sadness, some bring jubilation, while even others bring tranquility.
Music is created from the heart and moulded by emotion. As musicians, we are inherently creative, or so people say, and we have the ability to derive intense pleasure from a particular piece of music, which we listen to or produce. Here, I am referring to an aesthetic experience, which everybody must have felt. Tears of joy, a tug at the heart, goose pimples...True art always comes as an irresistible inner urge. All such works of art are the result of an inner urge. That is why it is something inherently beautiful...And there can be no enjoyment more impersonal and sublimating than what it offers. It prepares the very soul for something higher.
Listening to the observations made by elementary school students on the different pieces in the classes is quite eye-opening! My very first day, when we were asking the fifth graders what the differences between major and minor were, one student spoke up saying it is "a change in atmosphere." How deep is that for a fifth grader?!
New Perks: (From now on referred to as P+)
*I have officially begun my Candidate Work Study that is due in five weeks!
New Things I've Learned/Ideas: (From now on referred to as TILI)
*Enharmonics are two names for the same note, just like Megan Elizabeth are two names for the same person
*Microphones/sound systems in the classroom help so you don't lose your voice by the end of the day, and students can hear you no matter where you are in the room
*Make sure I have a way to cue students when it is their turn to sing to avoid confusion and wasted time
*When kids are sitting in front of the projector, give a thumbs up instead of raising their hands to avoid making shadow animals on the screen
*Jumbo butterfly clips work really well to hold books open under the document-camera
The sixth grade lesson today introduced them to different kinds of part singing for the first time this year. Through two different songs, "O, Desayo" and "Elijah Rock," we learned about unison/harmony singing v. split/descant singing. After studying and learning the first song, we listened to Elijah Rock as performed by the Moses Hogan Chorale. I silently observed the kids listening to this the first time in each of the three sixth grade classes, and was amazed by the students' reactions to the power of the music. Take a minute, and listen to this with your eyes closed and the mind of a twelve-year-old: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLR31UyuFP0&feature=related
The kids couldn't hold still. There was just no way that even I could not help but move to the music and think the words in my head since I have sang an arrangement of the piece before. When it was done playing through, their faces turned from amazement to horror as they asked if they had to sing the "opera" parts (the descant). I laughed and told them only the boys would need to and then quickly told them I was kidding.
Music has the power to cause emotions to well up within us, even with the sixth grade students I taught in my first classes today. These feelings are gripping--often irresistible--and seem to emerge from nowhere. These feelings color our moods, affect our perceptions and generate a behavioral pattern. The indisputable fact about music is its power to evoke emotions. Is there anyone, for whom, music is completely emotional, or neutral? Music has the ability to inevitably tap the still, mysterious deep well of our emotions.
Music is an extremely versatile medium of communication. It is capable of exploring all the features that are used in verbal communication. Moreover, it does so in an explicit and structured way, which makes it an interesting and useful window into human communication, in general. Mrs. Stamer told me to look up this clip of Bobby McFerrin at a Science Conference back in June of 2009, and I was amazed at the natural understanding of the (what I presumed to be) scientists through their musical communication: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ne6tB2KiZuk
The repetition of a line as in a lullaby, the regular beating of a drum--they produce a feeling of physical ease and lull the child to sleep. The rhythmic sound of the train, of waves breaking on the shore, the song of a cricket at night--why, even the electric fan is able to produce a soothing physical quiet. But good music does not stop there. It touches our emotions. True music really far deeper and touches our very soul and leaves its imprint on us. It may not be possible to explain or describe this reaction in ordinary language. It can only be felt. It is one of those mystic experiences, which baffle analytical explanation.
Music is known to endow the listener with aesthetic or intellectual pleasure. It can be simple, complex, subtle, overt, and these features may reside in one of the different aspects of the music e.g. rhythm, melody. Some of the greatness of music however, lies in its holistic nature that all the elements form a unique wholeness which may not be understood by studying the parts separately. However complex, music is readily appreciated by the mind without the need for formal knowledge.
The lay listener may not be able to hear which instruments are playing, or which pitches are used. After listening to a brass fanfare today, the second grade classes had trouble identifying that french horns were the only instruments playing. At the same time, people may have no problem appreciating the music as a whole. An experienced listener, on the other hand, may be able to transcribe every note, but might still be at a loss to understand why the music is so pleasing to listen to even for the time!
As a performer, I believe that music can recreate emotions and get the listeners involved with my emotions. Scotty and I have discussed before how any particular music has an inherent emotion, and there is the emotion that one feels while rendering. Besides, the listener is in an emotional state while listening to that music - which is also important because it could be possible that this will now be linked to the emotional state of the listener. So he or she can use the song to recreate this emotion. Very often we hear people say, "This is my song," and feel that special emotion again.
Rhythm and melody are two facets of music that lend themselves to enjoyment in their individual capacities. The experience of beat and rhythm has a simple relation with joy, well-being and even excitement. Babies spontaneously start to rock and move when they hear music with a pronounced beat in a medium or fast tempo. By changing rhythm, we can change the aesthetic appeal of a piece of music. Even a change of tempo can cause variations in the aesthetic appeal.
Similarly, melody, which is the soul of music, can create different types of feelings in listeners. Some melodies bring soulfulness, some sadness, some bring jubilation, while even others bring tranquility.
Music is created from the heart and moulded by emotion. As musicians, we are inherently creative, or so people say, and we have the ability to derive intense pleasure from a particular piece of music, which we listen to or produce. Here, I am referring to an aesthetic experience, which everybody must have felt. Tears of joy, a tug at the heart, goose pimples...True art always comes as an irresistible inner urge. All such works of art are the result of an inner urge. That is why it is something inherently beautiful...And there can be no enjoyment more impersonal and sublimating than what it offers. It prepares the very soul for something higher.
Listening to the observations made by elementary school students on the different pieces in the classes is quite eye-opening! My very first day, when we were asking the fifth graders what the differences between major and minor were, one student spoke up saying it is "a change in atmosphere." How deep is that for a fifth grader?!
New Perks: (From now on referred to as P+)
*I have officially begun my Candidate Work Study that is due in five weeks!
New Things I've Learned/Ideas: (From now on referred to as TILI)
*Enharmonics are two names for the same note, just like Megan Elizabeth are two names for the same person
*Microphones/sound systems in the classroom help so you don't lose your voice by the end of the day, and students can hear you no matter where you are in the room
*Make sure I have a way to cue students when it is their turn to sing to avoid confusion and wasted time
*When kids are sitting in front of the projector, give a thumbs up instead of raising their hands to avoid making shadow animals on the screen
*Jumbo butterfly clips work really well to hold books open under the document-camera
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
I've a Pair of Fishes
I taught my first lessons today--to first graders! I was able to go through the entire lesson in the half hour with appropriate pacing and Mrs. Stamer said she liked my proximity. (Drs. Stamer and V would be so proud!) When some things weren't working with the different classes, I was able to adjust without losing my flow, and I felt really confident with how it went after!
Perks so far:
*I get to take an iPod touch class on Thursday nights from 4-7pm for graduate credits for free!
*I am getting copies of all of Mrs. Stamer's electronic materials so I can use them in my own classes!
*I already know what I'm doing for my TaskStream assignment and get to start it tomorrow which will get that over with faster!
*I am going to be an official Recorder Karate Sensei!
*I've made my own bulletin board (see yesterday's post)!
Things I've learned so far:
*Don't ask the students if they want to do something again! I made this mistake today and ended up with a room full of first graders screaming "NO!" when I asked if they wanted to try singing a new song again.
*Kindergarten girls are NOT afraid dancing even when they are wearing a skirt! (Thank goodness for tights!)
*Fifth graders do NOT know what deodorant is...especially fifth grade boys!
Tomorrow I get to teach sixth and fourth grade, which is a little more than half the day! I guess I'm just working my way up to Thursday and Friday when I am subbing. Mrs. Stamer said she was surprised that I don't drink caffeine during the days or in the morning, and little does she know what those effects would be!
Perks so far:
*I get to take an iPod touch class on Thursday nights from 4-7pm for graduate credits for free!
*I am getting copies of all of Mrs. Stamer's electronic materials so I can use them in my own classes!
*I already know what I'm doing for my TaskStream assignment and get to start it tomorrow which will get that over with faster!
*I am going to be an official Recorder Karate Sensei!
*I've made my own bulletin board (see yesterday's post)!
Things I've learned so far:
*Don't ask the students if they want to do something again! I made this mistake today and ended up with a room full of first graders screaming "NO!" when I asked if they wanted to try singing a new song again.
*Kindergarten girls are NOT afraid dancing even when they are wearing a skirt! (Thank goodness for tights!)
*Fifth graders do NOT know what deodorant is...especially fifth grade boys!
Tomorrow I get to teach sixth and fourth grade, which is a little more than half the day! I guess I'm just working my way up to Thursday and Friday when I am subbing. Mrs. Stamer said she was surprised that I don't drink caffeine during the days or in the morning, and little does she know what those effects would be!
Monday, January 4, 2010
First Day of School! First Day of School!
Nemo: First day of school! First day of school! Wake up, wake up! C'mon, first day of school!
Marlin: I don't wanna go to school. Five more minutes.
Nemo: Not you, dad. Me!
Marlin: Okay...huh?
Nemo: Get up, get up! It's time for school! It's time for school! It's time for school! It's time for school! Oh boy! Oh boy!
Marlin: All right, I'm up.
Nemo: Oh boy--whoa!
Marlin: Nemo!
Nemo: First day of school!
As I got ready for bed last night, my mind was conflicted with both Nemo and Merlin thoughts. I couldn't get over my excitement, but apprehension was still apparent and I wasn't sure of what to expect for student teaching. The alarm went off at 6:40am, and when I looked out the window I realized this was the first time in a LONG time that I was up before the sun. When I walked into school this morning though, Marlin was gone and I was completely excited. The overwhelming amount of teachers I met, along with five classes comprised of both 5th and 3rd graders did not disappoint my expectations, and I have already had a chance to teach!
Not only teaching, I have officially created my first public school bulletin board! :) We cut out 22 foil "kisses" (one for each class) and a saying about kissing the old year goodbye, yadda yadda. As each class enters, we have been talking with them about resolutions and encouraging the students to suggest class resolutions for this semester. After voting on one, I type it in a blue, squiggly font and that is the paper streamer for their respective kiss on the board in the hall. It's really cute and should be done by the end of the week!
Tomorrow, I am in charge of teaching all the first grade classes! I brought the book home tonight so I can design the lesson plan, but I am really excited about how that will go! By Thursday and Friday of this week, I will already be completely in charge because Mrs. Stamer will be at the AMEA conference. I can't believe how fast everything is already moving!
Marlin: I don't wanna go to school. Five more minutes.
Nemo: Not you, dad. Me!
Marlin: Okay...huh?
Nemo: Get up, get up! It's time for school! It's time for school! It's time for school! It's time for school! Oh boy! Oh boy!
Marlin: All right, I'm up.
Nemo: Oh boy--whoa!
Marlin: Nemo!
Nemo: First day of school!
As I got ready for bed last night, my mind was conflicted with both Nemo and Merlin thoughts. I couldn't get over my excitement, but apprehension was still apparent and I wasn't sure of what to expect for student teaching. The alarm went off at 6:40am, and when I looked out the window I realized this was the first time in a LONG time that I was up before the sun. When I walked into school this morning though, Marlin was gone and I was completely excited. The overwhelming amount of teachers I met, along with five classes comprised of both 5th and 3rd graders did not disappoint my expectations, and I have already had a chance to teach!
Not only teaching, I have officially created my first public school bulletin board! :) We cut out 22 foil "kisses" (one for each class) and a saying about kissing the old year goodbye, yadda yadda. As each class enters, we have been talking with them about resolutions and encouraging the students to suggest class resolutions for this semester. After voting on one, I type it in a blue, squiggly font and that is the paper streamer for their respective kiss on the board in the hall. It's really cute and should be done by the end of the week!
Tomorrow, I am in charge of teaching all the first grade classes! I brought the book home tonight so I can design the lesson plan, but I am really excited about how that will go! By Thursday and Friday of this week, I will already be completely in charge because Mrs. Stamer will be at the AMEA conference. I can't believe how fast everything is already moving!
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