Score Back to School deals for Music Teachers

Welcome Back! This week I'm excited to let all my followers know about my back to school deals. I have several Freebies that you can download just by clicking on my TpT tab at the top of this web page. Just look for all the freebies and download them. Yes, they are completely free!I will also be giving a discount for all my TpT teacher products for this week only. Score some fun music lesson plans, exciting smart board games, music worksheets, folk dancing cards, lots of fun music games, guided composing lessons, recorder mad minutes and much more.

Look for my best seller: Substitute Plans To The Rescue- It has great ideas for music sub plans. These sub plans are editable and you can pick and choose any lessons that work for your class. Check out this one stop shopping for your music class by clicking on the TpT tab at the top of my page while they are still on sale. Check out the smartboard game below. My class love to play smartboard games and I like to use them in music centers.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great school year! Sherry Stucki :)

3 Essential Back to School Items For Music Teachers

Welcome back teachers! It's that time of year when we all start thinking about our list of things to do for the beginning of the school year. I thought it would be nice to share a few ideas to help out with your back to school challenges. Here are 3 essential back to school items for your classroom that I'd like to share. Bulletin Boards: here is a super easy Cake Themed Bulletin Board that can be put together very quickly. This eye-catching bulletin board reinforces rhythm reading with your class. If you want to use this bulletin board kit in your classroom you can find it at my Tpt Store by clicking here.

Scarves: there are so many fun things you can do with colorful scarves but they are quite costly. Here is how I got 26 extra-large scarves for less than $20 dollars.

I bought 13 yards of cloth (called tulle/ material to make ballerina tutus) at JoAnne Fabrics. I had the store cut the fabric into 1 yard sections which saved me so much time. The cloth is extra wide, so after I got home, I cut the fabrics in half(width). I ended up with 26 scarves. Not bad for spending less than $20 dollars. Music Games: as a teacher, I'm all about making learning fun for my students. My student's favorite ways to learn music is by playing music games, singing games or learning through movement activities. If you want to supercharge your class while teaching musical concepts, you can check out these super fun games for your class at my TpT store by clicking on these games: Crazy Ball Swatt Game Wipe Out.

I'd love to hear from you, so please take just a moment to leave a friendly comment below. Thank You! Sherry Stucki Want more fun activities and ideas for your music class? be sure to Sign-up by email on my side bar to claim a monthly freebie, teacher tips & tricks. I would love to hear thoughts you might have in the comments below. Sherry :) Check out some of my favorite games and activities! You can contact me via email: sherrystucki@aim.com

6 Strategies Teaching Your Chorus Class New Sheet Music!

6 Strategies Teaching Your Chorus Class New Sheet Music!

Welcome back teachers!
Today I'll be talking about chorus class. You can introduce new music to your choir by teaching it in a way that is engaging and fun. This requires a lot of planning. Here are some tips to help your choir learn a new song for chorus class.

Focus On New Music First
Introduce a new song right after warm-ups at the beginning of the rehearsal. Singers will be fresh and more focused to tackle new repertoire at the beginning of your class

Start With the Chorus Section
Starting with unison sections or the chorus section in the music involves everyone singing together right away. The chorus is repeated throughout the music. This way the singers feel like they're accomplishing something early in the rehearsal.

Keep Everyone Involved
Teaching several vocal parts all at once in a new song can be challenging. The rehearsal can quickly fall apart if you are working on a vocal part for one section and leaving the other sections without anything to do. I like to use the divide and conquer rule. As you are working with one section, keep the rest of the choir busy by giving them an assignment. Have them begin to learn the music on their own by using inner singing work (silently humming their parts inside their heads). They can do this by silently using the Curwen Kodaly hand signs to learn their pitches in the music. Just give them their starting pitch and you magically have everyone working on different parts at the same time.

Use Movement
Students learn better if you add movement to the tricky parts of a melody. Don't just tell the class to hold out a musical phrase longer or smoother. Instead, have them slowly wave their arm from one side of their body to the other side of their body to form an arch. Now have them slowly move their arm to form an arch and sing the musical phrase at the same time. They will instantly perform the music with smoother phrasing. Adding movement will also help keep the class more focused on singing and help maintain interest in learning new music.

Ask A Question
Get your singers involved by asking questions; don't just give them all the answers. Questions such as: Do we need to use more dynamics? Is the melody or the harmony more important? This will get them taking a more active role in understanding how the piece comes together and what can improve it.

Point Out the Short Cuts
Save rehearsal time by pointing out repetitions, similarities and repeated lyrics in the music. This keeps things moving forward in the rehearsal by quickly reviewing all the repeated parts throughout the music. Don't forget to have fun by celebrating their efforts and learning.

Thanks for stopping by today. I'd love to hear from you about how you tackle new repertoire with your choir. Sherry Stucki

Want more fun activities and ideas for your music class?
be sure to Sign-up by email on my side bar to claim a monthly freebie, teacher tips & tricks. I would love to hear thoughts you might have in the comments below. Sherry :)

Check out some of my favorite games and activities!
You can contact me via email:  sherrystucki@aim.com

          

Technology In The Music Class Part-2

Welcome Back!

Technology In The Music Class Part-2
This week I want to share 3 fun note training websites you can use with your music classes. I noticed that my students learn note reading faster when they play computer games. It is a win-win opportunity to have your students practice note reading while having fun playing a music game on the computer. I'm always amazed how competitive they get when they play computer games.  I am very exited to try these games with my class this year.

Music Teacher Games: This is a very simple note reading game. I like to call it the Speed Note Game because it challenges the children to read the notes quickly to earn the highest score within a certain amount of time. They can repeat the game to try to out score their last game.

Note Trainer: Simply click the note name that appears on the staff and the computer will keep track of your score as you go. You can also play another game using this piano. Your class can play fun melodies on the piano by clicking on the piano keys. I think it would be great to have each student write their own song on a music staff to share with the rest of the class.

Classics For Kids: This website has another fun note reading game to help your class read their notes. It spells out mystery words for the class to discover. You can have them list all the mystery words they used in the game for a note reading assessment. Check back next week for more ideas for your classroom.

Want more fun activities and ideas for your music class?
be sure to Sign-up by email on my side bar to claim a monthly freebie, teacher tips & tricks. I would love to hear thoughts you might have in the comments below. Sherry :)

Check out some of my favorite games and activities!
You can contact me via email:  sherrystucki@aim.com

          

Technology In The Music Classroom

Hello Teachers,
I hope you are having a fun summer!

Technology In The Music  Classroom Part-1

My classes love using technology such as smartboard games, ipod games, youtube and music software.  They can’t seem to get enough of them so I decided to spend some time checking out fun websites to use in my classroom. Here are two websites I’d like to use in my classroom.

Chuck Vanderchucks "Something Something" Explosion
I really had a blast with all the different games for this  website.  Your class can explore eight unique musical styles with the rockin' Chuck Vanderchuck and his bandmate, Ramona. Help the band write song lyrics, test your ears with a "Name That Instrument" game, and create your own tunes too!



Click on the picture to check out this website!



Music Exploratorium
Find out the scientific answers to some of your most common music questions such as "Why do some songs get stuck in my head?". Want to create your own music? Check out the Dot Mixer and Step Re-mix in the Online Exhibits.

Click on the picture to check out this website!

Next week I will be sharing some fun note reading websites I think will be fun for your classes. I can't wait to see if the note reading games will help my students become better note readers this year. See you next week for Technology In The Music Classroom Part-2. What music websites do your children like the most? I would love to hear about them. Sherry Stucki :)

Want more fun activities and ideas for your music class?
be sure to Sign-up by email on my side bar to claim a monthly freebie, teacher tips & tricks. I would love to hear thoughts you might have in the comments below. Sherry :)

Check out some of my favorite games and activities!
You can contact me via email:  sherrystucki@aim.com

          

Popular Music Activity!

Popular Music Activity!

Welcome Back Teachers!
End of The Year Challenge: By the end of the year my classes are so excited with all the extra activities going on in school such as  field day,  the school talent show and end of the year class parties, that it is hard for them to focus on learning new skills.

The Solution: I keep them learning by saving one of their favorite music lessons for the end of the year.  I save “The Carnival of The Animals” lesson for my 1st and 2nd graders for the last two weeks of school. I do a fun activity by highlighting half of the animals one week and then the rest of the animals the second week.

Mini Lesson: This activity is so fun that your class will beg to do it again. The last animal I do is called the  “Aquarium” .  I have the class sit in a circle around 2 black lights. For safety reasons, I tell the class they are not allowed to stand up during the music since the room lights will be turned off. They are also not allowed to touch the lights.  I show my class different ways they can move their fish to look like the fish are swimming, such as (move the wrist back and forth, moving the fish up or down or making the fish shimmer as it moves).

Using Fish To Swim to the Music

I tell them to pretend that the room is a giant aquarium and when the music starts, they can begin to let their fish swim. The picture above  is hard to see, but the fish are glowing in the dark and it looks just like an aquarium full of fish swimming .

Where I Got My Fish: I found these over sized fish at the Lake Shore Learning Teacher Store. I picked these fish because they are colorful and durable. Just  laminate them so you can use  them over again next year. Have a great Summer! Sherry :)

Want more fun activities and ideas for your music class?
be sure to Sign-up by email on my side bar to claim a monthly freebie, teacher tips & tricks. I would love to hear thoughts you might have in the comments below. Sherry :)

Check out some of my favorite games and activities!Contact me via email:  sherrystucki@aim.com

          

How To Rock Your Music Class With Orff & Kodaly

Welcome back teachers!

It’s that time when we all start thinking about the end of the school year and what we’re going do over our summer break. Here is a great way to enjoy our summer.  Let’s sharpen our saws by participating in summer workshops and classes. We can experience a new sense of enthusiasm within our music classrooms through Kodaly and Orff training. The instructors are highly skilled professionals and they will teach you "How To Rock Your Music Class".  These classes are so much fun and rank as high points in my musical training.

Orff-Schulwerk summer courses teach us to engage children with an element of "play", helping them learn through movement and experience music at their own level of understanding. Here is an example of an Orff performance I did with my 4th grade class called Sea Shells. Click on my Freebie tab to grab a fun worksheet that goes along with this song being played by my 4th graders in the video below. This song can also be found in my "Composing Music With Children" Grades: 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.

 

"Since the beginning of time, children have not liked to study. They would much rather play, and if you have their interests at heart, you will let them learn while they play; they will find that what they have mastered is child's play.”……… Quote by Carl Orff

Kodaly Summer courses

Kodaly teaches a step by step sequence for helping children to sing, read and write music. Singing, dancing, playing games, creating music, collaborating with others and having fun with friends are all part of these programs.

During the summer, there are many Orff and Kodaly music classes offered around the county. It’s not too late register for one of these exciting classes while getting graduate credits towards our teaching certificate.

Want more fun activities and ideas for your music class?
be sure to Sign-up by email on my side bar to claim a monthly freebie, teacher tips & tricks. I would love to hear thoughts you might have in the comments below. Sherry :)

Check out some of my favorite games and activities!Contact me via email:  sherrystucki@aim.com