What's New in Musicplay with Denise Gagne

Beginning Recorder

For many teachers, January is when the students in Grade 3, 4, or 5 start learning to play the recorder.  While the recorder may seem like a simple instrument, there are many skills needed to be successful.  Students must be able to: *tell which is their left and right hands* hold the recorder with the left hand at the top, right hand at the bottom* cover tiny holes with finger pads - not finger tips* start the note with the tongue * continue the air stream between notes to create a legato sound* breathe in appropriate places* demonstrate correct fingerings for notes* read the names of the notes * read and perform rhythms * understand meter * follow a conductor* demonstrate appropriate rehearsal skills* articulate:  slur in some places, tongue in others* develop good intonation* develop a beautiful soundThis list is daunting for an adult!  Breaking the skills down, islolating and teaching one skill at a time will help all of your students become successful recorder players.In this newsletter, I’ve got some tips for teaching students to read the names of the notes. Tip #1.  Start teaching note names well before you order the recorders!Your students in K-2 should learn about the staff as part of their music classes.  They should learn how to number the lines and spaces from the bottom to the top, and you can teach them that the treble clef circles the note G.I like to use the floor staff and the hand staff to teach letter names.  In a previous newsletter floor staff games were discussed. (visit www.christmasconcert.com to download a copy)   In this newsletter, I’ll discuss the hand staff. If you hold your left hand in front of you with your thumb up, palm facing you and your fingers spread out, it’s easy to imagine that your hand is a staff.  You have five fingers, just like there are five lines on the music staff..  In K-2 have the students point to each finger starting with the finger that is closest to the floor.  Number the “lines” of the hand staff.  Play a pointing game.  Call out “line one” or “line five” and have the students point to the correct “line.”  Have a student be the leader and call out the line number.Then, point to the space between the fingers.  This is the “space.”  Call out “first space” or “third space” and have the students point to the correct “space.”  Students like to be the leaders of the pointing game.  When they are successful at just lines or just spaces, include both lines and spaces in the game. Starting in third or fourth grade, teach the letter names of the notes.  I use these poems to introduce the line and space notes.The notes on the line spell Every good boy does fine.The notes in the spaceSpell your face!Then you name the first line E, second line G, third line B, fourth line D and fifth line F.  Play the pointing game having the leader call out E, G, B, D or F.

Teaching Process/Suggested Activities:

Teach the song by rote. If you wish to use notation, you can use the video that we've posted on YouTube: 

A teacher from Edmonton emailed and asked if I had any St. Patrick's Day ideas. So - for all of you who are part Irish in March, here are a few ideas for celebrating St. Patrick's Day.

Responding to and Assessing Tempo

This newsletter is a follow-up to the Tempo newsletter, that will give suggestions for having children respond to tempo and assessing tempo.

Fun Ways to teach Tempo

This newsletter was inspired by a question received in my email:

Strawberry Shortcake is a song included in January lessons in Musicplay 1. This is a traditional skipping rhyme. You could include the singing game as one activity in your first class of the new year, or you could build an entire lesson around the song.

I just attended Artie Almeida’s session on teaching tempo and dynamics at TMEA. One of the songs she used for teaching and reviewing tempo terms was Tony Chestnut which is in Musicplay 2 for that very purpose. (Is this great minds think alike or fools seldom differ?)

In Musicplay K-6, many assessment ideas are included. In this newsletter, I’ll highlight some easy ideas for assessment of rhythm reading and writing. Students in elementary school are most often able to read language and literature at a greater difficulty level than they can write. The same is true of rhythm. In assessing students ability to read and write rhythms, include assessment of both the ability to read, and the ability to write or notate a rhythm that they have heard.

A daily intercom listening program is an easy and effective way to include listening to classical music in every child’s musical education. Using a track with the school PA system, the same piece of music is played over the intercom every day for a week. A brief script is read that will teach the name of the piece and the composer, and highlight some of the musical concepts in the piece. The script is written so that each day of the week, the students learn a little more about the piece, the period of music and the composer.

Materials Needed:

• tub of cinnamon hearts (sold at Walmart)
• plain white napkins.
• drum
• listening selections in 2/4, 3/4, 4/4 OR use selections suggested in Listening Resource Kit Level 2

Introduction:

Ask the students to move into the open area of your classroom. Play a 2/4 pattern on a drum and ask the students to move to the music. When you stop, they are to freeze. Ask them to tell you whether the beat was moving in twos, threes or fours. Have them move again as you play a pattern in 3/4 or 4/4. Exaggerate the meter so it’s easy for children to tell if it’s moving in twos, threes or fours. Stop, freeze and ask them again. Have them move again as you play a pattern in 3/4 or 4/4. Continue playing and moving until the students are able to answer correctly.