The Inspired Classroom » music

Holiday Music Bringing Joy in the Classroom

Elizabeth Peterson — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 11:34:37 +0000

Music does bring us joy. We listen to it, sing it, perform it, stand in awe of it. Whether we are musicians or not, there is a place in our hearts for music. The holidays are no different. I love using music in many ways during the holidays: as we decorate our tree I like to play my favorite Glenn Miller Christmas CD, In the Christmas Mood, as we tidy up the house the kids love some of those traditional Christmas sing-along songs. In the classroom, I keep my Charlie Brown Christmas CD handy as it has beautiful, relaxing jazz piano music featuring the Vince Guaraldi trio and at home, late at night as I bake cookies or wrap presents, I turn to my favorite hard rock music to keep me going!

What is it about music? It’s the creation of atmosphere, the expression of joy and the celebration of our culture. What would this season be without it? Even if you can’t stand the music as a whole, there is usually that one song that just hits the spot. For me, it’s O Holy Night and the instrumental version of Sleigh Ride: two completely different feelings that come alive during the season. (To hear these and other great holiday songs, scroll to the end of this post.)

These are the things we should be sharing with our students and families.

As the last days before Christmas scurry by, I must remember that all these crazy things we do both in and out of school, are because we are expressing our joy and I need to pause and enjoy them.1

Enjoy your last day with your students (if you still have one) and the last hours before Christmas. Here is my little gift to you. Enjoy this short playlist of great holiday music to play in your classroom at certain times in your day. (Or at home just for you and your family!):

As students are entering your room and getting settled
As students are working on a holiday craft or art project
At snack time
As students are cleaning up the room
As you sit quietly alone for that one precious moment before your day begins or when it has ended

Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays! and Happy New Year!

~EMP

All-Beethoven Recital

Elizabeth Peterson — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 11:27:56 +0000

Thursday night I attended an All-Beethoven concert at the Fraser Performance Studio at the WGBH building in Boston. It was an intimate setting where the radio station was recording a tribute to Beethoven to be aired on his birthday! (It was awesome and I will elaborate in another post.)

So many musical organizations plan for all-Beethoven concerts and my mom and I try to make a couple of these a year. If you don’t know already, my family loves Beethoven: the man and his music. For the last few years of my grandfather’s life, I would even send him a Beethoven birthday card in December. It was our “thing” and when I started teaching, I decided to take that love of Beethoven and fun of celebrating his birthday into the classroom. (In fact, it was through my integration of Beethoven’s music into my 5th grade student teacher that all this Inspired Classroom stuff began!)

I continue to celebrate Beethoven’s birthmonth each year with my students. They love it! We do all sorts of activities: readings and listenings centered around the great composer. One fun thing I have done several years is have our own all-Beethoven recital in class. Based on the idea of the many all-Beethoven concerts I’ve attended, my students are invited and encouraged to prepare a song by Beethoven to perform for the class.

I begin my introducing the idea. More often than not, students already know a piece or two by Beethoven and are excited to share. Some of them take private piano lessons, others are learning songs on the recorder in music class, and others play his themes by ear. In the past I have had students play on the piano, recorder and guitar. I’ve even had a girl create a birthday rap for Beethoven. It was a hit!

Once students are excited about the recital, I set up a sign up sheet where students can write in their names, pieces they wish to perform and instrument they will be playing. Many sign up as individuals and other sign up in duets or small groups. There are always students who don’t sign up, but are still excited to listen!

I emphasize that students need to practice what they plan to perform and make some time available to them to rehearse in school or in front of me before the big day.

On the day of the recital we have a discussion about the importance of the audience. We talk about what it means to be a good audience member: face the performer, have a pleasant look on your face, clap when they are done. We also discuss how to present yourself as a performer and I always have each performer bow while the audience claps. These are great skills for students to practice and understand.

My students and I have this all-Beethoven recital on his birthday, December 16th as part of our all-week celebration as we integrate Beethoven into all areas of our curriculum from reading and math to penmanship and poetry. Consider inviting your principal to attend the recital, the music teacher, parents or other invited guests. You could even prepare such a recital for another class or even the school.

Anytime is a great time to encourage your students to perform for the class. But don’t miss the excuse to have one soon for Beethoven’s birthday this coming Friday!

~EMP

This is a modified excerpt from my new ebook Celebrating Beethoven in the Classroom. This resource has ideas for listening, literacy, math, penmanship and poetry all centered around Beethoven. If you are a fan of music, you need this for your classroom.

Celebrate Beethoven in the Classroom

Elizabeth Peterson — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 10:33:17 +0000

Special Announcement!

It’s finally here – a new addition to The Inspired Classroom’s book store…. and it’s a good one too!

Celebrate Ludwig van Beethoven in the Classroom: A Resource for Classroom Teachers and Music Teachers Alike by Elizabeth M. Peterson

This eResource is built for any teacher who enjoys music, especially that of Ludwig van Beethoven. Beethoven is one of the world’s most beloved composers of all time. Now, you can integrate the music and the man into other areas of the curriculum. This resource was created using activities and materials used in classrooms by students of all ages. Now it is compiled and ready to be used by you and your students. From reading to math, penmanship to performance, students are sure to enjoy the activities that are embedded in this 24 page arts integration eResource!

For years, I have been using the materials and activities that are compiled in this resource. My students love listening to his music and discussing his quotes, reading about his life and performing his music. Each year, we celebrate Beethoven’s Birthday as a December Holiday. His birthday is right around the corner – December 16th. That’s why I wanted to make sure this resources was ready in time for you to use in your classroom THIS YEAR! Of course, you can (and should) use these ideas any time of the year.

So, don’t wait! Get this in your hands so you can check it out and start using it on Monday! (or even sooner than that…)

Celebrate Ludwig van Beethoven in the Classroom

Arts Integration for the Art Teacher

Elizabeth Peterson — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 10:35:33 +0000

RED by Arash and Kelly This painting is one that is used in an example in the post.

This week, I wrote a guest post for Jessica Balsley’s website Art of Education. She is an art teacher who provides many resources and ideas for other teachers interested and invested in arts education. I decided to stay with my focus on arts integration and cater to her major audience – art teachers. Here is the beginning paragraph. I hope it will entice you to visit Jess’s website and read the rest which includes ideas to integrate visual art with other arts such as music, movement and poetry.

When a teacher hears about arts integration, they probably think of the general classroom teacher first. Then, they may think of other teachers: special education, ELL, reading specialist, etc. But arts integration can be implemented into the art teacher’s classroom too, creating rich, meaningful experiences….

READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE

Freedom in Structure – Lessons From Yo-Yo Ma

Elizabeth Peterson — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 10:21:41 +0000

My mom and I went to the symphony on Tuesday evening. We saw Yo-Yo Ma perform DVOŘÁK’s Cello Concerto. It was, in a word, amazing!

It was the way Yo-Yo Ma performed the music. He didn’t play it, didn’t even perform it, he experienced it right there in front of us making the music simply come alive!

Both my mom and I knew we were in for a different type of listening experience as soon as the music began. Yo-Yo turned to both sides of the orchestra around him as they played, a smile on his face. He was enjoying the introduction as much as we were! And when it was his turn to play, the music poured from him; from his entire body as he played the piece.

Yo-Yo Ma performs Dvorak's Cello Concerto with conductor Juanjo Mena and the BSO Tuesday night. Photo: Stu Rosner

What really stood out for me though, was the idea of freedom in structure. Here was a man who obviously is highly trained in musical theory, playing music that is meticulously scored, and yet, he emulated creativity and freedom. He knew every note, playing without the score in front of him. It was engrained in his mind and fingers, and that allowed him to be free. His body twisted as his cello conversed with the flute or sang with the first violin. He listened as he played, allowing his cello to speak in the moment, at every moment. It was beautiful!

In pasts posts I have made mention to freedom in structure. In fact, back in April of 2009 we composed an entire series on the topic. Being able to find the freedom within a structure is when true creativity can occur. It’s not until you have that structure, know that structure and own that structure that you can then be free to revel in your own creative spirit. It’s true in music. It’s true in art. Its’ true in teaching. It’s true in learning.

So, what can this teacher learn from a master musician such as Yo-Yo Ma? Plenty. Not only is he an inspiring musician – one that makes me want to sit back at my piano and find that joy in caressing the keys, but he makes me want to find the joy in all that I work for each day. I work hard to develop my craft of teaching and once I figure out my structure, whether it’s a day’s schedule, a method of conducting a reading group or how to manage certain behaviors, I am then free to work within those perameters and stretch my own understanding of good teaching.

Watching him the other night also reminded me of how important it is to teach those basic skills to my students: the drill and practice of math facts and grammar, providing structure for writing essays, so that one day my students can feel the freedom that comes with an intensely rooted foundation of knowledge.

The concert itself was wonderful. The performers were top notch, and the company was great. The fact that I was able to learn from a masterful teacher from 24 rows back through his music and interpretation made this more than a concert. It was a wonderful lesson of freedom in structure.

Thank you, Yo-Yo Ma.

(And thanks, Mom.)

~EMP

Picture by Stu Rosner from The Classical Review.

Learning about Dictatorship through Music

Elizabeth Peterson — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 09:22:26 +0000

You can imagine my excitement when I read about how an attendee from my presentation at #RSCon11 decided to use some of the music integration strategies in her classroom – and found great success. Stephanie Shouldis (@WizardOzTeacher) did just that. She was there for my 30 minute webinar entitled “Integrating Music with Literacy to Help Struggling Readers” in late July, 2011. What she did was take the active listening strategies found in Inspired by Listening and applied them to her teaching of dictatorship. (Awesome, right?) She says in her post, that music was never a strength for her, but that’s the point – anyone who has even the slightest interest in music, especially listening to it, can integrate music into their teaching.

In Stephanie’s music integrated unit, she introduced the students to Glen Campbell, and Everclear and even Megadeath (YES!) through active listening experiences. The students’ ideas and work were thought provoking as they were highly engaged.

So, enough from me! Please go to Stephanie’s blog Inspiring Change in Education, and read her post about this great integrated unit of study!

If you interested in seeing the webinar in part or in its entirety, please click this link. You will be asked to download the session which includes the presentation, list of participants, archived chat box and Q and A session. Integrating Music with Literacy to Help Struggling Readers

~EMP