Substitute Teacher Power Point

Here is the power point from our last training all about substitutes.  I hope this information is helpful for you!  It was a super fun training and we had a fantastic turn out!  I hope you all have looked through all the sub plans you received and are ready to go when you need a sub.  We are here to support you in any way you need so please reach out to us! 

 

Shoo Turkey

I'm writing this post quickly, so hopefully I don't miss anything...

Here's some video of Shoo, Turkey. This was done with a second grade class, and this was their first time doing it.

A few things to know about Shoo Turkey: 

• It doesn't have to be the exact story every time. The most important parts are:
• "Are my turkeys gone?"
• "Will you help me find them?"
• "Get ready, lets go!"
• "Shoo, turkey, shoo, shoo."

I prefer to have the students hop like turkeys in a circle shape, but there's not always room for that. If they hop in a circle shape, it sets them up for the harder variant where there are in a circle and place their hands on the shoulders of the person in front of them. 

Skills and concepts in Shoo Turkey:

• singing
• alone
• in a group
• using appropriate rhythm and pitch
• playing (if you add instruments or body percussion)
• students must keep a steady beat during "shoo, turkey, shoo, shoo"
• Listening and responding: students must listen to questions and respond with the appropriate answer, either "yes, ma'am" or "so so." The form of this song is call and response.
• Notating (if this extension is used)
• Improvisation (The leader of the song improvises the melody and questions posed to the class.)
• Connecting: students think about their own Thanksgiving traditions, their favorite foods, what they could make with eggs, etc.
• Non musical skills include control of self in space, working with peers, problem solving

Ways to extend Shoo Turkey:

• Have a student improvise/sing the questions in the song
• Have students write their own turkey story (literacy integration)
• Write the notation for "shoo turkey, shoo shoo" on the board. Have students guess the song
• Have students play unpitched percussion during the parts they would sing or dance
• Have students play pitched percussion to accompany the song
• use for a transition from one place to another, or to get wiggles out

If you'd like to try this and have questions, feel free to give us a call, email, or comment here! Please comment if you think of other ways to use this song as well!

Lesson Plans

Several of you have expressed you'd love more lesson plans! Here are a couple links to some great resources for lesson plans:

BYU Arts Partnership lesson plans: click here

Art Works for Kids: click here

The USOE 100 favorite songs is another of my favorite resources: click here  These aren't structured lesson plans, but a resource providing songs corresponding to music skills and elements.

The Davis Music Curriculum is another great resource. If you find a lesson plan or song you'd like to implement, but want some guidance in figuring out how to structre your implementation, please let us know!

Elements of Music

What should we be teaching in our music classes? Here are the DESK standards for music in the Davis School District. click here

These standards are the State Music Core boiled down into a small nutshell. Click here to see the state music core for Elementary Music

In my own words, both the core and the DESK standards are asking us to teach the elements of music in a developmentally appropriate way.

I've had several teachers express the following scenario and question:
I see Shannon or you model teaching a song. I go back to my classes to recreate what I've seen, and what was modeled as taking an entire class period only takes five minutes. What did I do wrong? How do I resolve this problem?

The most universal solution I can give you teachers is to think of the song you are teaching as a tool for teaching the elements of music, rather than just a song the children are learning. Choose a skill that will help teach an element, and use that to extend and deepen the teaching of your song.

Here's a handy document to help guide that process: Click here for the original document and other fabulous resources

There are a few difference between the desk standards and the above document, but they are saying the same thing in the end. 

DESK	Document Above
Melody and harmony	Pitch
Rhythm/meter	Duration
Expressive Qualities	Dynamics

Let's go through an actual scenario now. I'll use an example I saw Sharlene Greenfield at Woods Cross model fabulously. She was using Have You Seen The Ghost of Tom as her tool. 

• The students sung through the song first. (Skill: singing, Elements: Pitch, specifically melody)
• Once the students were familiar with the song, they explored it using expressive qualities, or dynamics. Sharlene conducted them singing and they followed fabulously, doing it differently each time they sung it. Here's a recording of one time through: *click here*
• Next, this teacher had the students sing the song in a round. (Element: Pitch, specifically harmony)  

To accomplish all of these skills, the students also had to keep a steady beat and perform a rhythm (element: Duration). The song also is also a minor song, which falls into the element category of pitch.

What are some other ways, using the elements of music, that this song could be a tool?

• Form: analyze the form of the song. (discuss phrases, quesions and answer, etc.)
• Timbre: 
• sing the song in a witch voice. 
• Add instruments to the song that lend to the meaning and feeling. 
• Duration: 
• notate the rhythm song (you can notate the melody as well) 
• Tap the beat. 
• Move using strong and weak beats (meter). Ex: pat, clap, clap, clap

Take a look at the skills box now. Every single one of the skills in bold has been used to explore the different elements of music, all using this song.

One last idea to ponder: How many times do you have to hear a song before you have learned it? If you sing it just twice, are you ready to sing the song as a solo? If you know the song well enough in a group, are you ready to sing it in parts? 

We often feel redundant using the same song over and over as teachers, but everybody learns through repitition. We give repetition meaning by exlporing the elements of music. We can also lend meaning using the words to song. Meaning creates deeper learning.

I hope this helps! Let me know if you have questions!

Sulfege, Solfege, Sol-fa

TomAto, Tomahto. We say the same words different ways. Some people will firmly stand behind why their way of saying a word is absolutely correct and should be the only way, but the fact still remains that everyone doesn't agree and there are different ways to say the same word. This is the case with solfege.

In short, solfege was developed a very long time ago (992AD) by an Italian Monk (Guido D’ Arezzo). He assigned syllables or words to pitches to help communicate the pitches to his singers.

There are two applications of solfege in use today. One application assigns the names Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, and Ti to individual pitches, and no matter what, those names stay consistent to the pitches. The more common use is one that assigns "Do" to the pitch that serves as the root, tonal center, or home base, or the scale. Do, Re, Mi, etc. are assigned to pitches in relation to the song and which pitch is the tonal center of the song.

Why do we use solfege today?
Solfege is a way to communicate about and organize music. There are other ways we can accomplish the same goal, such as letter names or notes, to indicate pitches. When one uses their voice first to learn to write and read music, solfege serves as a practical tool to communicate about pitches.

Movement helps solidify learning, especially for children. We also often associate hand signs with the solfege syllables. These are called Curwin Hand Sings. These hand signs are illustrated in the introduction of the USOE 100 Favorite Songs Collection. Click here to see online

Comment with questions!

Penta what?

Music is a foreign language, and it's too easy to forget we are all at different levels in our progression of learning that language. In light of that, I've had several teachers ask me what pentatonic means. 

The nutshell answer: pentatonic is a scale with five notes. 

A little more detailed definition: 

There are different types of pentatonic scales. When we refer to pentatonic in singing and teaching singing in a general elementary music setting, we are usually referring to a song that uses a pentatonic scale consisting of five notes that all sound good together. (For you music geniuses, this type of scale takes out the semi-tones, the half steps, or the fa and the ti. It just uses do, re, me, so, and la. In other words, it takes out any dissonances.) For the rest of this post, please assume I am referring to this type of pentatonic scale. 

Here's an example on the piano:

Becuase all of these notes sound great together, it makes this scale, or songs that use this scale, really versatile. Here are some ways that using pentatonic scales, or even just parts of the pentatonic scale, offer advantages in teaching:

• they are a great tool for composition. None of the notes ever sound wrong, so students can feel confident in their choices.
• songs lend themselves easily to being sung as rounds
• ostinatos (repeating patterns, usually short) can easily be drawn out of pentatonic songs to offer an easy opportunity for singing in multiple parts or adding harmony to a melody. 

Back in college, I had to analyze my song collection based on the pitches in songs. I'll paste the list below, or you are welcome to email me (vrobinson@dsdmail.net) if you'd like me to send it to you in a word document. Many of these songs are in the Davis Music Curriculum or the USOE 100 Favorite songs. Any of the categories that are part or all of a pentatonic scale I indicated with green text describing the name of the category.

Happy Singing!

Bitonal (TWO TONES)

Cherry Pie – M S - Mi

Chucu – M S (Eb) - Mi

Coo coo, who are you? – M S (Eb) - Mi

Fall is here – M S (Eb)

Hey Hey Look at Me – S M - Mi

North, South, East, West – M S – Mi

No You Mean Old Witch – M S – Sol?

Pease Porridge Hot – M S – Sol

Pumpkin, Pumpkin – M S - Sol

Sea Shells – M S - Mi

Slahal – Salish Indian Bone game – L D – La

Starlight, starbright – M S – Mi

Thread Follows Needle – M S - Mi

Tritonic (THREE TONES)

Bells in the Steeple – D M S (G) - Do

Bobby Shaftoe – M SL (Eb) - Mi

Bounce high, bounce low – M SL (Eb) - Mi

Bye, Baby Bunting – M SL (Eb) - Mi

Doggie, doggie – M SL (Eb) - Mi

Down in the Valley 2 – D M S (Eb) - Mi

Frog in the Middle – D M S (G) – Do

Green Sally Up – L DR (Bb or g) - La

Hawaiian stick song – M SL – Sol

Icka Backa – M SL – Sol

I Got Bananas – S D M S - Mi

Johnny Over The Ocean – M SL – Mi

Lucy locket – M SL - Mi

Mill Wheel – M SL – Mi

Mouse Mousie – D M S – Do

No Robbers Out Today – M SL - Mi

Oliver Twist – M SL - Mi

Picaflor – D M S – Do

Rattlesnake (Boston Street Game) – M SL – Mi

See Saw Margery – M SL - Mi

Snail, snail – M SL – Mi (add Eb)

Strawberry Shortcake – M SL - Sol

Step Back, Baby – L DR – Re

A Tisket, A Tasket – M SL - Mi

We Are Dancing in the Forest – M SL - Mi

Trichordal

Hop, old squirrel – DRM – Do

Hot cross buns – DRM - Do

Long-legged sailor – DRM - Do

Sailor, Sailor, on the Sea – DRM – Do

Shoheen sho – DRM - Do

Tetratonic (FOUR TONES)

Alcitron – S, DRM (G) - Do

Baker Baker [Kuchenbachen] – D M SL (D) - Do

Bought me A Cat – DRM S (G) - Do

Charlie Over the Ocean – R SLT (C) – So

Chicka-hanka [Cap’n, go side track yo’ train] – La

Come and Follow Me – S  DRM (A) - Do

Deedle, deedle dumpling – DRM S (G) - Do

Down Came A Lady – DRM S (G) - Do

Down in the Meadow – M SL D (Bb) - La

Draw A Bucket of Water – S DRM (C) - Sol

Frosty Weather – DRM S (G) – Do

Grandma’s Grunts – L DRM S (G) – Do

Hambone – L DRM – Do

Head and Shoulders, Baby – SL DR – Do

Hush, little baby 1 – S DRM – Do

Johnny Caught a Flee – D M SL - Do

Johnny Works With One Hammer – SLT R – Sol

Kitty Casket – SL D M – Sol

Let us chase the squirrel – DRM S – Do

Mary Had a Little Lamb – DRM S – Do

My Paddle’s Keen and Bright – M L DRM L – La

Old Blue – DRM S – Do

Old House – L DRM – La

Poor Little Kitty – L DRM – Do

Rain Come Wet Me – DRM S – Do

Sally Saucer – D M SL – Do

Shanghai Chicken – S DRM – Do (add F#)

Skin and Bones – L DRM – La

Sleep, baby, sleep – DRM S - Do

Swing a Lady Umptom – DRM S - Do

Valentine – DRM S – Do

Where is the Pebble? – L DRM – Re

Who’s That Tapping at the Window – DRM S – Do

Wind up the Apple Tree – RM SL - Sol

Tetrachordal

Bile Them Garbage – DRMF (G) - Do

Do Pentatonic (FIVE TONES, Do is the home base)

Alabama Gal – SL DRM  S (G) - Do

Angel Band – SL DRM S (G) - Do

Arirang – SL DRM S (G) - Do

Billy, Billy – DRM SL (G) - Do

Black Snake – DRM SL (G) - Do

Bow wow wow – DRM SL (G) - Do

Button You Must Wander – DRM SL (G) - Do

Chatter with the angels – SL DRM (G) - Do

Circulo al Zero – DRM SL D (D)  - Do

Cotton Eye Joe – SL DRM (G) – Do

Floating Down the River – SL DRM SL (G) – Do

Great Big House in New Orleans – DRM SL – Do

Green Gravel – DRM SL (C) – Do

Hanukkah latkes – DRM SL – Do

Here Comes a Bluebird – DRM SL – Do

Hey, Betty Martin – SL DRM – Do (needs an F#)

Hogs in the Cornfield 2 – DRM SL D – Do

Hush little Minnie [variant of Hush Little Baby] – DRM SL – Do

I Got a Shoe – SL DRM – Do

I’ve been to Harlem 2

The Jolly Miller – SL DRM – Do

Knock the Symbols – DRM SL – Do

Kreely Kranky – SL DRM – Do

Little Birdie – SL DRM – Do

Little Red Bird – DRM SL - Do

Mama Buy Me a China Doll – DRM SL – Do

Mary Wore Her Red Dress – SL DRM S – Do

Now Let Me Fly! – SL DRM SL - Do

Old Brass Wagon – SL DRM - Do

Old Lady Goose – L DRM S – Do

Old Roger – SL DRM – Do

The Owl and the Mice – SL DRM – Do

Page’s Train – DRM SL – Do

Rocky Mountain – DRM SL – Do

Sailing on the Ocean 2 – SL DRM SL – Do

Shake Them ‘Simmons Down

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear – DRM SL – Do

There Was an Old Woman Who Had A Little Pig – DRM SL D – Do

Tue Tue – DRM SL – Do

Uncle Reuben’s Raccoon is Gone – DRM SL D – Do

Walk, Daniel – L DRM S – Do

Weevily Wheat 1 – SL DRM SL - Do

Re pentatonic (FIVE TONES, Re is the home base)

I Wonder Where Mariah’s Gone? – DRM SL D – Re

Old Betty Larkin – RM SL DR – Re

Sara Watashi – L DRM S

Sol Pentatonic (FIVE TONES, Sol is the home base)

I Gave My Love – SL DRM SL – Sol

Once I Had an Old Gray Mare – SL DRM - Sol

Squirrel is a pretty thing 2 – SL DRM - Sol

La Pentatonic (FIVE TONES, La is the home base...these songs often sound minor)

Chickalileelo – SL DRM – (Bb) - La

Big-eyed Rabbit – SL DRM (Bb) – La

Land of the silver birch – L DRM SL – La

My Good Old Man – L DRM SL – La

Nottamun Town – SL DRM SL – La

Passamaquoddy Rain Chant – L DRM SL – La (does the grace note (sol) not count)

Pentachordal

Girls and Boys – DRMFS (C) – Do

Go Tell Aunt Rhody 1 – DRMFS (Eb) – Do

A Hunting We Will Go – S DRMFS – Sol

The Keys of Canterbury – LTDRM – La

Love Somebody – DRMFS – Do

Mama Llama – S DRMFS – Do (add f#)

Oh, When the Saints Go Marching In – DRMFS – Do (add F#)

Oats, Peas, Beans, and Barl – DRMFS – Do

There Were Three Jolly Fishermen – S DRMFS – Do

Whistle, Daughter, Whistle – DRMFS - Do

Hexatonic

By the Wayside – S TDRMF – Sol

Captains and Ships – SLTDR FS – Sol

The Little birch tree – LTDRM S – La

Little Johnny Brown – L DRMFS – Do

Revolutionary Tees – S TDRMF - Do

On The Mountain – DRMFSL – Do

Hextachordal

Bluebird – DRMFSL – (G) - Do

Fly Away Little Birdie – TDRMFS – (Eb) – Do

Hogs in the Cornfield 1 – DRM SL D – Do

In a fine castle – SLTDRM – Sol

Johnny Get Your hair – LSTDRM – Do

The Keeper – DRMFSL D – Do

Lavender’s blue – DRMFSL – Do

Little Bird 2 – DRMFSL – Do

London Bridge is Broken Down – SLTDRM S – Do

Obwisana – DRMFSL – Do

Roll That Brown Jug – S TDRMFS – Do

Soldier Boy – M SLTDRM – La

Tideo – DRMFSL D – Do

Trois p’tits chats – LTDRMF - La

Ionian Mode

Dorian Mode

As I Roved Out – DRMFSLTDR (F) – Re

Carrion Crow 1 – DRMFSLTDR (F) - Re

Carrion Crow 2 – DRMFSLTDR (F) – Re

Drunken Sailor 2 – DRMFSLTDR (F) - Re

He-Back, she-back – L DRMFSLTD – Re

O Belinda! – DRMFSLTDR – Re

Tailor and the Mouse – LTDRMFSL – Re

Yonder Stands a Handsome Lady - Re

Phrygian Mode

Down in the Valley 1 – MFSLTDRM  (Eb) – Mi

Squirrel is a pretty thing, A – RMFSLTD - Mi

Lydian Mode

Mixolydian Mode

Drunken Sailor 1 – FSLTDRMFS (C) – Sol

Old Joe Clark – RM SLTDRMF – Sol

The Tarry Trousers – FSLTDRMF - Sol

Aeolian Mode

I will give my love an apple – SRMFSLTDRM – La

Paddy Works on the Railway – MFSLTDR - La

Major

Cut the Cake – DRMFSL D (D) - Do

Good King Wenceslas – SLTDRMFS (Ab) – Do

Head Shoulders Knees – SLTDRM S – Do

High Stepping Horses – SLTDRM S – Do – Hextachordal

I’s d’ B’y – S T DRMFS – Do

Mazoo – S TDRMFSL - Do

O No John – SLTDRMFS – Do

Oranges and Lemons 1 – SLTDRMFS - Do

Paw Paw Patch – S TDRMFSL – Do

Samsa Kroma – DRMFSLTD - Do

Harmonic Minor

Other

Rig a Jig Jig – RMFFSLTD – Do

Cherry Blossoms  - TD MF LTD

Step We gaily – hextachordal/incomplete mixolydian

There Was a Pig – M Si LTDRM L

Happy Veteran's Day!

Happy Veteran's Day, everyone. I'm grateful to all those who have served and currently serve our country. I wish I had thought of this before today, but I wanted to share some ideas for Veterans Day. I love to glean from what others do and make it my own. For this post, the ideas are not from me, but from others: 

Here's a low maintenance program idea: click here

Here are some ideas focusing on meter using Patriotic music: click here

And a blogger who has a lot of great ideas to share: click here


Lastly, I have a former neighbor and friend who served in Iraq. His job was to search out improvised explosive devices. He was blown up 6 times before having to retire from that job. He is now mostly blind and deaf, and has a fake eye. 
He recorded this clip about the flag for one of the local radio stations and shared it with me. It was not scripted. They had planned an hour for recording, but it only took one take to get this. He just spoke from the heart. click here
You are welcome to use this clip. It could tie in great with a lesson about the flag and The National Anthem. 

Happy Veterans Day.

Feedback!

Teachers, we love getting feedback from you. It helps us serve you better. It helps us know if we are on the right track in what we have to offer you, or if we need to change things up to be more applicable to your needs. 

I created a google form to make our monthly training feedback easier for you to submit. **click here to fill it out** (You're still welcome to submit it in hard copy, in an email, in comments on the blog, if that is easiest for you.) 

We'd love to hear from you, and we appreciate the time and effort you put into communicating with us!

October Training packet

Here are jpegs of the training packet from the October training. If you'd like a pdf, comment or shoot me and email and I can send you a pdf of the packet.