What's New in Musicplay with Denise Gagne

Peter and the Wolf is work created by Prokofiev that is beloved by children all over the world. Each of the characters in the story is represented by a different instrument. It’s an excellent way to introduce young children to the instruments of the orchestra. At www.Musicplayonline.com we’ve created a Unit with 4 lessons to teach the story, introduce all the themes, introduce the instruments and in the final lesson, watch a video of the story with the music. This website is open for FREE STUDENT ACCESS while schools are closed due to Coronavirus.

With Coronavirus cases topping 100,000 worldwide, schools are starting to close and teachers are having to teach their music classes online. There are a variety of ways to do this. One of our Shanghai teachers has been teaching by making videos for her students, posting them on YouTube and sending them the link. Some teachers are going to try to teach virtually using Zoom, Google Hangouts or Skype. At Musicplayonline, our first response to the possibility of students need learning at home lessons was to open additional areas of the Musicplayonline website to students. The following areas of Musicplayonline are now open to students:

The newest unit at www.Musicplayonline.com is a dance unit.  (Resources are also available as print/disk or download!)
 
Start by logging into your MusicplayOnline account and head over to the Units section. When you click on the button you’ll see Festivals & Holidays is the default unit. 

Review and Request

The last week of school, I really enjoy doing review and request.
I ask the students to brainstorm a list of their favorite songs, singing games and activities from the school year.   If they forget what songs they’ve done, scroll through the song list at Musicplayonline.com to help them remember — or if you’ve kept a song log (see below) use the song log to help them remember all the songs/activities learned.

Lots of your students will spend some time in the summer camping.As the weather warms up and you’re thinking about summer, campfire songs make a nice unit.  In my view, campfire songs are songs that are familiar, that you may have sung at summer camp, and that are easy for all ages to sing along with.  There are lots and lots of songs at www.musicplayonline.com to use as campfire songs. And don’t hesitate to use Kumbaya in K, with a Grade 3 class.  These songs are timeless and ageless.