What's New in Musicplay with Denise Gagne

Our kids had way too much screen time during lockdowns, and we are still seeing the effects. How do we keep children's attention in a classroom, when they are used to watching 6 second TikTok videos? Even Disney movies are moving at a pace that's much greater than they used to.  In this newsletter, I'm going to begin a discussion on increasing engagement in your music classes. This is too large a topic for just one newsletter, but this is very necessary for our tired, hard-working, dedicated music teachers.

MusicplayOnline

Features:

• Search now includes documents (e.g.: search for solfa worksheets)
  • These documents are downloadable as PDFs or you can print from the website
• PDFs can be added to a "My List"
  
  • The "+ Add to My List" button is on the bottom right of the documents

Units:

• Alphabet Songs and Activities
  • Long Vowels videos and concept slides have been added to the unit
  • Concept Slides from Alphabet Songs have been linked in the unit
• Musicplay Madness 2023
  • New unit added to MusicplayOnline
  • Uploaded pre-made bracket for class use, which coincides with the Musicplay Madness 2023 song selections 
  • Uploaded blank template bracket for class use

Song List:

• Updated "The Old Gray Cat" Illustrated Minibook
• Uploaded Canadian and American coin word rhythms
  • Linked to Shiny Penny
  • Linked to Johnny Lost a Quarter

MusicplayOnline

Units:

• Peter and the Wolf:
  • Updated Peter and the Wolf Minibook

MusicplayOnline

Units:

• Programs:
  • Added Friends Forever, A Musical Revue
  • Added Composing America, A Musical Revue 
• Listening Units:
  • Added Level 1 Worksheets to Rossini's Ghost
• Theory:
  • Added custom word rhythm tool to Composition Unit

Song List:

• Chumbara
  • Added word randomizer tool to Interactives

A teacher in the Musicplay Teachers Group on Facebook asked what I thought was a great question.  Why teach solfege?  

MusicplayOnline

• Our Musical World
  • Added "Brazilian Capoeira" video to the Brazil unit 

It's tough to decide what to focus on in February!  Whether you want to celebrate Lunar New Year, Valentine's Day or Black History Month --- or ALL of them, MusicplayOnline has units, songs in the song list and listening activities for you.

MusicplayOnline

• Bucket Drumming with Mr. Frank
  • Added "Eh Soom Boo Kawaya"
  • Added "Good Mood"
  • Added "Won't You Be My Valentine"
• Solfa Practice
  • Added Echo Sing videos to Level 7 (d m s d')
• Our Musical World
  • Passport Mini Book added to each unit in this section

MusicplayOnline

• Song List
  • Added "Lift Every Voice and Sing" 
    • Also added to Black History Month Unit
  • Added "Waddling Ducks"
    • Also added to JJ Juniors Unit
• Black History Month Unit
  
  • Added section on Notable Black Canadian Musicians and Composers
• High Seas Program
  • Added kids demos to each song
• Beethoven Lives Upstairs
  • Added worksheets to accompany the movie

MusicplayOnline

• Song List
  • Added "Waddling Ducks" 
• Solfa Practice
  • My Talking Pet Videos added to Level 1 (s m)
• Vocal Warmups
  • "Snowman Bobo" videos added to Vocalise section
• A Place in the Choir
  • Added "Wave of Kindness"
  • Added "Harmony"
  • Added "Family"