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1.  I learned WHY my younger students seemed to not be able to keep the beat in certain activities I do with them—either patting on their knees, or using boomwhackers;  I was not following the children’s pulse!  I was demonstrating patting the macrobeat, and couldn’t figure out why that seemed hard for my kindergarteners.
2.  I learned that it is important to “chunk” all of the tonal experiences together in a lesson, followed by all of the movement experiences.
3.  I was wondering how the students respond when they initially hear you demonstrating Arioso?  Do they giggle?, question why you are singing?, etc.

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Today I learned the proper implementation of the movement portion of the lesson. With that portion of the lesson (and each portion of the lesson), I need to remember that less is more. Focusing on one aspect of the Laban concepts of movement at a time will benefit my students.
Keeping the tone and movement portions together and their respective order is important. I like that either movement or pitch can go first depending on the needs of the class.
Is it appropriate to start K, 1, and 2 with the first year curriculum? None of my students are coming from any consistent music education experience and need to start from the beginning.
Thank you all for a wonderful week of learning. Congratulations to Leslie on a job very well done. Best wishes to everyone for this upcoming year and beyond. Hopefully, we'll see you all at Conversational Solfege next year. Take care.

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1. I learned that each lesson will have a tonal and a movement section that should be sequenced together. Either of these sections can be done first, and the Songtale can be sung at the end of either section according to the needs of each class.
2. I think that it is important to affirm each student response that you hear during the Arioso portion of the lesson. Improvisation is a vulnerable experience for everyone, and it is wonderful to know that it can be as simple and playful as an imaginary conversation between two ghosts!
3. I wonder how you would approach programming a concert if you were required to in K, 1, or 2. I think that many of the materials we learned would be wonderful to perform (My Aunt Came Back comes to mind), but how would you balance introducing new materials and preparing for the most artful performance of your concert?

I’m also wondering how five days went by so fast!

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1. I learned so much today about the Arioso process and song tales, as well as TONS of movement ideas and activities!! I really was energized by the creative new ideas- books without pictures are SO fun, and I love that the story can change every time you (or the students) tell it!! I learned how important it is to sing a song tale to your students WITHOUT the book for a few lessons before presenting the song with the book.  I also learned how important it is to be artful and expressive when reading or singing stories!!

2. I think it is really important to remember the 4x4 plan, as well as lots of modeling for the students.  I also think it’s important to remember that the lesson is made up of SO many different parts, and each only lasting a few minutes.  In order to keep the students engaged, they should be changing their position/location in the classroom often.  Students will also be more engaged when the sense of wonder is present in the lesson.

3. If you have students sit out from a lesson due to behavior, is there any alternate assignment that you have found for them to do that still helps to develop TBA?

Thank you for a great week of learning and fun!! I really enjoyed this class and feel very equipped with lots of tools to help me move forward!!

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1.  Today I learned about movement exploration.  I have been attempting some of these exercise in my classes but honestly only tried 3 certain ones that I was comfortable with.  Today really helped me understand the themes and how to use them with my students.

2.  Something I thought was important was the order of easy to hard movements for keeping a beat.  I quite often go straight to walking to the beat but now it makes sense why my younger students struggle with it.

3.  Has anyone ever used First Steps as a foundation for your SLO or DS?  If so, what was your focus?

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Friday, Day 5

1. I learned how the movement exploration activities of the workout are supposed to be implemented in the classroom. It makes so much more sense now seeing it in person rather than just reading it in the book. I also picked up little tidbits to help the students (for example, calling one of the activities “Stone and Noodles” rather than what it is called in the book)

2. It is important to follow the steps in the order that John Feierabend intended. It was clarified today which steps must stay together and which ones can be moved (such as putting song tale at end) in the workout.

3. Today when the kindergarten lesson was taught, we were told to make a circle. Of course, since it is kindergarten , (haha) :-) we all understand that they wouldn’t just be able to do that and we have to practice and go over it first. Just out of curiosity, what is your way of getting them into circle that first day?  I love to hear how others like to do things!

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Day 5
1. I learned that the beat components and the tonal components of the lesson must stay in the prescribed order as they're listed in the 8 steps, but that either beat activities or tonal activities can come first.
2. I reviewed the importance of the movement exploration section. I had forgotten that there were 10 different themes that students should be experiencing. I'm looking forward to planning movement exploration activities with more purpose this year.
3. Does anyone have experience with using the FSIM Assessment Rubric on a standards-based report card? My district is using the National Music Standards (creating, performing, responding, connecting), so each child gets a grade for each standard on quarterly report card. I'm wondering how I could align the assessment rubric John created with how I'm required to report grades.

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1. Today I learned about the importance and structure of the 10 Laban themes. 2. The 8 step lesson plan is so well-planned and effective, sequencing how children learn is important to help them build skills/knowledge in an age-appropriate timeline. 3. Is there a list somewhere of exactly what is in the props kit?

Thank you all for a wonderful week! ❤️

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1. Today I learned a lot about movement exploration that involves using statues. I already do an activity in my classroom called “Night at the Museum” where the kids have to be frozen as a statue. The “guards” have flashlights and the statues have to make sure they are frozen when the light is shining on them but they can change poses when the light is not on them. We do it with music and with the lights off and they love it. I can see a place for the statue activities we did today to make the Night at the Museum activity more well-structured and to really help students explore movement in new ways. I also want to use the statue cards for this activity as well.
2. Something I thought was important is the quote from the slide that being tuneful, beatful, and artful is important for all whereas learning notation and playing instruments is only important for some.
3. Where would a song like “There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed the Fly” have a place in the First Steps curriculum? It’s one of my favorite activities to do with first grade and I have the kids add sound effect instruments for each animal that she swallows.

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I don’t remember talking about Beat Buddies this week, but I see people posting about them frequently on the Fundamentals group. Can someone explain what they are and how they use them in their classroom?

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Today I learned many strategies for movement exploration and for getting the students to create their own movement.
Something I found important was that the order of the pitch and movement chunks of the lessons cannot he altered as each section prepares the students brain for the next activity.
A question I have is how those of you stay true to this curriculum while also having to put on performances? My admin requires an evening performance for every grade, every year and my class sizes are large with 3 sections in each grade so informances have to be on risers which is still good but doesn’t feel like an informance.

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Here is a link to the closed group if anyone needs it!

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Log into Facebook to start sharing and connecting with your friends, family, and people you know.

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WSJ article on a study about the reading of children’s books 

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WSJ article on a study about the reading of children’s books 

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When I first read this article when it was published about six months ago, the Songtales portion of FS immediately came to mind. As I re-read it, it talks about many of the things we learned and discussed this week about the child’s brain.
If the link only gives you the first part of the article, try refreshing the page.

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Millions of people-perhaps you're one of them-have watched viral videos of a Scottish granny collapsing in laughter while she reads to a baby. Comfortable on a sofa with her grandson, Janice Clark keeps cracking up as she tries to read "The Wonky Donkey" and, in a second video recorded a few months later, "I Need a New Bum."

Her raspy burr sounds great, and she's fun to watch, but the real genius of the scene is what's happening to the baby. Tucked beside her, he's totally enthralled by the book in her hands. In the second video especially, because he's older, you can see his eyes tracking the illustrations, widening in amazement each time that she turns the page. He's guileless, unaware of the camera. He has eyes only for the pictures in the book.

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The Secret Power of the Children's Picture Book

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Millions of people-perhaps you're one of them-have watched viral videos of a Scottish granny collapsing in laughter while she reads to a baby. Comfortable on a sofa with her grandson, Janice Clark keeps cracking up as she tries to read "The Wonky Donkey" and, in a second video recorded a few months later, "I Need a New Bum."

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I learned that walking to the beat won’t happen with accuracy until age seven.

I think it’s really important to let kids be kids. The more imagination we can encourage, as well as the various social and interactive skills they learn as a result of the activities (especially the ones in the movement exploration portion of the curriculum), the better humans we are creating/shaping.

Can you reiterate how many new songs/activities you should introduce in a single lesson?

Thanks for a great week!!!

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1. Today I learned that you should not rearrange the elements of the (pitch or beat) sections. I had often been starting kindergarten and 1st grade with beat activities to have a movement activity as a warmup before going into the rest of the lesson as prescribed, but it does make sense that the elements of each section need to be in order from easiest to most difficult. Perhaps this year I will try out starting with the movement section, but with the movement warmup and the rest of the movement section.
1.A. I also learned the proper way to do Arioso and movement exploration. It makes so much more sense now. I had been doing them before, but I had not implemented them effectively before, and I feel like I now have the tools in my toolbox to be able to do a better job now.
2. It is important to get to all the elements of the “musical workout” and to eventually touch on all the Laban themes. It is also important to not get overwhelmed and think you have to Do.All.The.Things.Right.Now. Especially for people with large class sizes and short class periods. Just make sure you are covering in the next lesson what you missed in today's.
3. At what developmental point can you begin including beat keeping activities of tempos outside the 120-136 window? I know we need to meet them where they are comfortable in order to get them solid on beat competence, but when can we expand the beat competence to include other tempos?

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Today I learned the proper way to sequence the first steps lesson. I didn’t realize that you shouldn’t mix the movement and singing parts of the lessons. I must have missed this when I was looking through the green book and when you said it in class before, so it was nice to be reminded.

One thing that I thought was important today was seeing all of the movement exploration activities in action. I’ve used some of them in my classroom and it was really neat to see how they could be used in a different way than I had done them before. I don’t think that I was using these activities to the fullest of their potential.

One question that I have is when you are using the assessment sheet do you assess a few kids every day in all areas or do you break it down by element? For instance is it better to 🤬 only the arioso for a few weeks or should you just focus in on just three or four kids?

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1. I learned that students need to have both rhythm and pitch components to keep an organized and TBA class.
2. Something that I learned that I thought was important was keeping activities age appropriate and level appropriate.
3. Currently, I don’t have any questions, but would love to say that this was truly an awesome experience overall, especially as an undergrad!

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July 26: I learned about the many different categories of movement exploration and several practical movement exploration activities to use in my classroom. I realized how important it is to implement the First Steps Curriculum exactly as presented, without altering or changing the format. I am wondering if I should use the same lessons (semester 1 year 1) with PreK & KDG, or if I should use the toddler curriculum for my PreK classes?

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Beth Weller
I learned that movement exploration with Laban themes is crucial to success in other movement activities. Also, creative movement like the Star Story is a great opportunity to assess whether the kids understand or whether you should revisit a particular Laban category. I liked the idea of changing music for the Star Story to see if students respond accordingly!! That has to be upper level thinking !  My question is... do the Laban themes have to be presented in order?

It is important to keep the pitch components and rhythm components grouped together and in the same order. However, It is allowable to put the rhythm at the beginning and pitch at the end. I look forward to seeing if I have a preference.

Thanks for a great week!
Hold on to the wonder!❤️

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Day 5
Today I learned sequencing of voice and movement are important.
It was important for me to have an organized sequential lesson and data driven assessment rubrics.
I will have questions as I digest the week. Thank you to Leslie and Stacie for providing this opportunity. Even this old dog has learned some new stuff. Best wishes to everyone. Have a great school year.

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1. Today I learned so many ways to use the movement exploration activities. I feel like before taking this class, I was not using the curriculum to it's full potential and was cherry-picking what I would and would not use because I didn't fully understand each part. Now that I have seen many of the songs/rhymes/activities in action, I will be much more comfortable diving in fully to the eight steps in the workout.

2. I found the Movement Exploration to be extremely important.  As we were discussing the 10 Adapted Laban Themes and seeing examples of them in action, I remembered something my mother-in-law (a recently retired elementary teacher) said.  She has noticed that in the last several years, elementary students often do not know directions such as over, under, through, above, below, near, far, etc. I couldn't help but think that so many of the movement exploration activities can really teach kids these concepts.

3. One question I have is whether or not you would continue to use any parts of the FS workout with your older students, particularly arioso or song tales?

I also love the idea of ending the lesson with a song tale and getting that shiny-eyed "hushed wonder," just like ending the infant/toddler lessons with a lullaby :)

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I learned that you can change the order of the beat and tonal components of the musical workout, but the order of those components needs to stay intact for FS to be successful.
I loved hearing that seniors at the Hartford art school compete to design upcoming Songtale books. What a community builder!
My question for today is that I'm wondering how long it will take me personally to become comfortable with timing of the workout steps, but only I can answer that one...
Thanks for a wonderful week everyone!

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Something I learned: Movement with the beat activities should follow a child led beat for the first few months (using various songs and rhymes).
Something Important: Movement exploration provides students with movement vocabulary to use during creative movement.
A question I Have: Is it important to include easy and difficult beat motions in every lesson, or should difficult motions (shoulders/traveling) be introduced later?

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1. Following the child's pulse/tempo is important so they have that piece of confidence and music making.
2. Being able to swap tonal and rhythmic portions is so great to know! My kinders come to me right after recess so that's helpful.
3. How do I adapt these for concert season? Their participation in not negotiable and I don't want to halt all of their progress for concert songs.

Thanks a bunch for this week! It was great!

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1. I learned that you should touch on laban themes more than once
2. I thought it was cool seeing the differences in star dance with the varying types of movement
3. I don't have any questions for today, thank you for your time!

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Leslie brought up Amazing Grace and this video came to mind. Wanted to share it with all of you.

https://youtu.be/LZe5y2D60YU

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Today I learned that each of the 8 components should happen in each lesson, in that specific order. This approach gives the students a level of expectation in the classroom, while varying the activities prevents bordom for both teacher and students. One thing I found important today was the need for more repetitions without the group singing — at all. This is difficult for me, especially in the arioso portion. As a composer, I desperately want the children to be involved in the creation process as quickly as possible. However, I need to force myself to step up and offer them more quality musical models before they are ready to create well. What do these components of the lesson look like within the framework of the 4 sections of the national arts standards?

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1.  I learned a variety of “props” to use in my classroom to aid in fragment singing and simple songs.  Loved the idea of the googly eyes for call and response, as well as using finger puppets.

2.  One thing that I found was important was the use of vocal exploration in grades other than kindergarten.  I use stories and games involving vocal exploration, but never thought of continuing in 1st and 2nd grade!  It makes SO much sense to continue these exercises as the students get a little older and tend to stop singing as much in head voice.

3.  How much time do you spend in each lesson with Arioso?  Is it done in every class, and how are the other students engaged if one student is taking a bit of time creating his or her own song?

(P.S.  Leslie, I just wanted to make you aware that I edited my “Day 1” post on Padlet to include Day 2 and Day 3.  Just wanted to make sure you saw them!)

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1. Today I learned a lot about the curriculum just by seeing Leslie demonstrate so much how each element works in real time.  2. Each element of the FS lesson has so much rich material to use.  Understanding WHY and how we use such a variety of tools (i.e. slide whistle, puppets, bean bags, pictures, stories, other props) for even a 30-second portion of the lesson is important in that every minute of the lesson is intentional.  So important to remember that every step of the lesson is well-supported by research and understanding of how the children will learn best.  3.  What are the supplemental books and props you could not live without and/or use most frequently?
BTW my 5yo daughter does arioso naturally (two musical parents) and the resulting songs are hilarious!  The video file is sadly too big to share here, but she recently made up a story about being a mom having a hard time looking after her children.  Hmm, where'd she get that idea? ;)

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1. I learned a LOT today about the content of the first steps lessons.  I was really excited to see how everything fits together, and I can see how all of the activities are so relevant and effective in developing tunefulness, beatfulness and artfulness.  I loved the playful interaction between teacher and students as well as students and their peers.  I really appreciated how safe the atmosphere felt for creating, and as you said, Leslie, with everyone taking turns with solos, it just became “what we do”.  I can envision how beneficial this would be in an elementary classroom, and how effective it would be in giving the teacher immediate feedback and evidence of student learning and growth or areas of weakness.  The Arioso part of the lesson is really interesting, and has given me a lot of great ideas for how to better structure my class for students with special needs.  I have often used call and response types of singing with these students, but I have never really allowed them the opportunity to determine the direction of the song.  I wonder what they will be capable of when I award them the opportunity to do so!

2. I found it very important to remember how many minutes each part of the lesson should consume.  I was blown away by what a short period of time each activity is designed to fill when you are using all of the steps the way the curriculum was intended to be used.  I tend to become too linguistic in my teaching!  I love the challenge of MORE doing!! In addition, I like the idea of not giving the students the full answer to things (YET).  Prepping them for the full answer and only telling them what they MUST know at any moment in time allows them to comprehend smaller bits of information more fully and not be overwhelmed by all of the terminology.

3. I am curious if anybody has used the first steps materials (and variations) in 3rd-5th grade and what specific songs/dances/move it’s their students gravitated towards, as well as which seemed too childish for those students.  I’ll gladly accept any tips or help!!

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1. Something new: I learned that we should never be singing with the children, but only for the children. This will be a tough habit of mine to break.
2. Something important: I think it’s really important to sing a phrase with either an upward inflection or a leading/anticipatory tone within a V chord when “asking” for a vocal improvised response or “answer” from a student.
3. Question: Would it be difficult or overwhelming to try to implement conversational solfege in my classroom without training in it? I have the materials for it, but I’m not sure how this entire transition into Feierabend’s philosophies and methods of teaching should look for me and my students.

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Day 4
1. Today I learned John’s Golden Rule: sing for the class, not with the class.
2. I think the Arioso portion of the “musical workout” is a very important stage in the lesson that promotes a child’s natural creativity and makes improvisation a comfortable, familiar skill. I’ve had trouble successfully implementing an “arioso land” model in my classroom, so I’m looking forward to trying out some of the tips and tricks we learned today.
3. I tend to have difficulty letting my students finish the phrase/song if it’s falling apart. I understand the reasoning behind it, but my first instinct is always to jump in and try to fix it for them. I know that doesn’t actually help the students make progress, so my question is, what’s the best way to break this habit?

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1. I learned that the whole song approach is the most effective method to teach short melodies to children. Immersion feels like a very natural and engaging way to learn a tune.
2. I think it is important that a First Steps lesson has several different steps in one class period. Planning many short interactions is a great way to engage small people with small attention spans!
3. I wonder what effective ways there are to handle transitions between each part of the lesson.

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1. I learned so much about Arioso today! I have never really attempted this before because I didn’t fully understand it, and because I myself am not particularly comfortable making tunes up on the spot. It was so interesting to hear and see so many different ways to approach it, and I think I will now be much more comfortable introducing it in the classroom.

2. I am finding it very important to keep in mind the point that just because a child can do something doesn’t mean that they should. The story about the Ma siblings in the lecture really illustrated that. Laying the foundation for a child to become TBA through playful, wonder-filled experiences is key, and remembering not to start teaching music literacy until they are developmentally ready, rather than chronologically the “right” age is so important.

3. How long is the arioso portion of a FS lesson? Would you continue having it as part of the lesson in upper elementary and beyond to continue encouraging students to create spontaneous musical thought?

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Thursday
Today I learned different techniques to engage children to sing/audiate.
Concept important to me it is okay for children to have a train reck...just do it again.
Question for the day is can I teach the curriculum to my older students using similar teaching approaches? This is all new for us but this is my last chance with many of my MS kiddos.

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Today I learned multiple strategies for Arioso and gathered ideas to move students from the recitative stage into the Arioso stage of tune creation. I especially loved a classmates menu creation and having students order from the menu to aid in that process.

I found singing FOR the class instead of with the class to be so important as well as not playing the melody on the piano for them. I really liked that you showed us ways to still accompany using the piano.

A question I have is how to go about incorporating Arioso into programs or informances and how people have done this successfully?

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1. Today I learned about the 3 types of tune creators: recitative, arioso, and aria. The goal is to get them past the recitative stage to the arioso stage, although hopefully a few students will get to the aria phase.
2. One thing I thought was important was that you shouldn't get reliant on giving a signal (Like saying "Ready, go" for them to start. I'm guilty of doing this a lot but I need to remember to step back, let the kids take the lead, and slow down sometimes. I'm always in such a rush to squeeze everything in 35 minutes but by not using these verbal cues or giving too many directions in between activities I will actually save time. I think it's a little overwhelming to think about at first because you have to be on it and know exactly what's coming next in the lesson. I've gotten better at this in recent years but still have some work to do! One thing I have found helpful is to use a large poster paper and basically post the outline of my lesson plan on it and I'll stick it on the back wall so I can just glance at it to see what's coming next rather than have to refer to my written lesson plan in my plan book.
3. Is it ok to accompany the simple songs and arioso activities using Orff instruments? I took Orff Level 1 two summers ago and the Orff method is very near and dear to me. I have the First Steps in Orff book and my wheels have already been turning just thinking about how I can mesh the Orff method with First Steps. Is it ok to have a small group of students take turns playing borduns?

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1. Today what I learned was how to properly do Arioso. I always felt like I was floundering around and not doing it effectively, but I gained a lot of strategies that will really improve my Arioso time. The biggest thing I learned was that Arioso takes far more time in the teacher demonstration phase to really be effective, and that I should demonstrate only for two months before asking them to do it.
2. What I find most important is sing for the children, not with them, and how their first attempts at singing the simple songs really won't be all that great at first, and that's ok! I would always be so encouraged by their echo singing and discouraged by their simple song singing. Patience is key.
3. What are your organization tips for all the pitch exploration and Arioso props? Organizing materials is not my strong suit and I end up with things everywhere and need good ideas to contain it all!

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1.  Today I learned that the purpose of the call and response songs is to have students hold on to a melody that has been disrupted.  I always thought of them as “harder echo songs”.  I didn’t really think of it this way until now.  It also seems to lend itself to leading in to some of the CS exercises of creating tonal patterns.

2.  I found the videos of the children creating the very tuneful arioso very important. I heard Dr. Feierabend day that this so something children will do naturally early in their life (make up songs) and that somewhere along the line they stop doing it.  Arioso keeps that alive for them!

3.  How would you adapt something like Arioso or solo singing for non-verbal or limited verbal students?  Is it something that is beneficial to these students or are there other activities within the workout that would be better suited?

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In response to Anita's question: If you find you have finished a lesson "too early" ask students what BONUS activity they would like to do. Specify that the requested "bonus activity" must be something that was presented from any previous music class. -Victoria

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July 25: I learned several strategies to help children develop their ability to create spontaneous tunes -Arioso activities - and that the teacher modeling time frame may need to be significantly extended to better prepare the students to be successful with this skill. Also, it was important for me to realize that simple props, such as googly eyes and hand puppets, can be effective teaching tools. I have not used them because I feel so much pressure to cram in all the "concepts & vocabulary" and to use every moment of the lesson for instruction, I felt they were too much play or time fillers....today I saw how they can be used effectively. My question today is which section of the FS format could include This Old Man?

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1. I learned what arioso really entailed and how to properly implement in the classroom. I had only knew of it and somewhat what it was. I was scared by it at first, but now I feel so comfortable and even see it being fun for me, as someone who is deathly afraid of improvisation.
2. Something that I thought was important today was Feierabend’s Golden Rule. I was listening to the podcast on my drive home yesterday and John had mentioned it and talked about it, but going in to more detail today made me realize just how much this can influence a child’s musical journey with me.
3. This question doesn’t quite pertain to the material directly, but it is something that I have noticed and have been thinking a lot about: when you first started out teaching FSIM, did you find your pacing to be too quick, too slow, or just right? If not just right, how did that affect your classes and what did you change? (I’m very nervous going in as a new teacher that I may be too quick because I tend to talk fast).

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1. Today I learned that students are not developing the lengthening muscles  in their vocal chords and that we as music teachers need to get them use to singing in their head voices. I always knew that there had to be a reason why First Steps started in descending vocal exploration patterns, so it was nice to finally hear the reasoning behind it.

2. The most interesting thing today was how arioso is suppose to work in the classroom. It’s always been the most imitating part of this curriculum so it was so helpful to see what it looks like, get tips, and hear exactly what this sounds like in the classroom.

3. My question has to do with the golden rule. I realize that I shouldn’t be singing with the kids. How does this work with aides in your room? Do they sing with the kids or do they sit out? My guess would be that they shouldn’t be singing with the kids either since they are not the best vocal model,  it is that correct?

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Beth Weller
I enjoyed the idea of sparking imagination to add context to simple songs. Ex. Leslie’s frog who goes to the meadow but won’t come home. Having the children “stir” while the teacher sings keeps them engaged and adds to the imagination of a simple song.

Sing for the children and not with the children.
Boy is that a tough one for me! If I started in Kindergarten this would just be “what we do.”
I think many times I sing to get “results” faster. But what really is being accomplished if I’m being honest...

What is the Song Sea Lion about?

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Thanks Leslie! I learned a lot of great tips and techniques for the arioso part of the lesson, which always seems to be one of the most difficult parts of the lessons for the student. I always seem to get recitatives or speaking.

I think it’s important to remember not to get stuck on one activity. Especially when you are assessing it’s easy to loose a bunch of time in the process (thanks to John for making the video suggestion at PMEA). I find that many weeks I don’t get to all of the activities in that lesson, and need to do a better job of that this year.

So here is my loaded question that I hope you will address tomorrow. I know very well the golden rule and do make every attempt to follow it. You did say that there was an exception with “Down by the Bay” and “In the Woods”.  What about the songs presented in Movement for Form and Expression, as well as the Beat Motion songs? The kids love them and want to sing along. Is this permitted? I hate to stifle more opportunities to sing.😬

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Something I Learned: The purpose of pitch exploration is to reawaken the head voice (lengthening muscles).

Something Important: Sing for the class, not with the class.

A question I have: How long should arioso last?

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I learned to let the children start singing as a group on their own without a verbal cue to start together.
It is so incredibly important to not sing with your students. It can be a difficult habit for you and them to develop, but it is well worth it. John knows what he's talking about :)
I'm wondering why Arioso is started with neutral syllables and then moves to using words when John's study of melodic retention shows that children exposed to words could better identify the tune. I realize that Arioso isn't about creating and remembering tunes, but I'm wondering if there is some connection to consider.

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1. They keys of F and G are most appropriate for students to sing in.
2. Using the books for extended pitch exploration is a great idea!
3. Because FS is a lot of direct instruction how to you justify to an admin that is is better than small groups etc.

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1. Singing Fingers app to practice vocal exploration. What a fun way for music to be extended into their "free time" (I don't have access to iPads unfortunately).
2. Delay showing pictures/books until they've heard the song that they may sing since they'll be focused on the pictures instead of their singing.
3. How much does FAME conference typically cost? What is the discount if tandem advantage now?

P.S. my "Fais Do Do" is fine in my green book.

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I typed and posted a nice long post yesterday, and it disappeared! So I am doing my best to remember what I posted yesterday.
1. I kind of already knew this, but hadn't thought of it in such a direct way, and hadn't be presented it in this way. Most screen activities are passive—the viewer sits and receives without engaging with it. (The exception is reacting or participating like singing along) I had never heard it termed one directional and two directional thinking, but that makes sense. What was shocking to me was how inactive the brain becomes without interaction.
2. I feel like it is important to know that we have transitioned from a society of music makers with lots of interpersonal interaction to a society of music consumers, where music is done by others. This is due to the advent of recorded music and families living in smaller groups and farther apart. Not having multiple generations together means that oral tradition is not passed on.
3. My question is regarding doing an infant/toddler class in a high poverty area. I teach in a medium sized (40,000 population) city of high poverty. Beyond the simple not being able to afford a class fee, there are many other barriers to participating—lack of transportation, not having an adult consistently able to bring them to the class, not having stable housing, and pressing medical needs or family situations that get in the way. Do any of you have any suggestions for overcoming these barriers to participation in infant/toddler classes? Are there foundations or charities that you are aware of that can provide financial or transportation help?

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I searched “pop up stick puppet” and a bunch came up. There are some that are clowns, some that are animals, etc.

Happy Cherry 6 Packs Classic Novelty Toys Cute Clown Pop Up Plush Hand Puppets Hide and Seek Parent-child Toys Telescopic Stick Rods Doll Tell Stories to Children Plush Toys https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075R98T9F/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_-PBoDbN4292MR

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THURSDAY DAY 4

1. Today, I learned some new things/additional ideas that I can use to enhance my First Steps In Music teaching. These are a few things that stood out:

Singing Fingers App

Pop Up Puppets-I do not own these and will definitely be buying some

A new way to word certain parts of the ghost pitch exploration story-Leslie’s version of altering the last two phrases was perfect! I would like to use this for my classroom.

The use of the word “signal” for students to come in and using do sol la ti do to prep them to come in. The word “introduction” is explained when they are a little bit older.

End goal is Arioso and does not have to aria (but if students get it, great!)

The superhero idea was pretty neat

I better understand arioso-I was piecing how to do it from the Feierabend facebook posts (Missy Strong), John F. interview and his explanations, and clips of others doing on You Tube, etc. (but there really aren’t very many visuals to watch). It has become more solidified for me now-thank you.

The book, Fortunately,  will be a good resource to use after students have shown they can express “All right!” and “Oh no” through the Feierabend pitch exploration story.

Clarification on about how much time to spend on certain parts of the workout based on how much we see them

The method to introducing a call and response song was great! A new, fresh idea to use....

I learned another way to keep “Frog In the Meadow”  engaging for the students when they have to sing it multiple times. I liked Leslie’s imaginative storyline about the frog better than mine……. (so sorry that I took too long writing my notes-the script was neat and I wanted to get it all down!)     :-) :-)

2. It is important to sing in the keys of F and G so that students are using their lengthening muscles. Also, it is beneficial to start the children with descending sounds at first since this approach also helps the students to use their lengthening muscles.

3. What does everyone else like to use as fun “questions” for the little ones in Arioso Land? I have used colors, ice cream flavors, foods, Christmas presents, costumes, movies….

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Day 3
1. I learned about the different stages of introducing songs/rhymes to infants and toddlers and the different positions that can be used.
2. Watching Connie teach a full-length toddlers class was so insightful. I found it interesting how she paced the lesson and how she transitioned. I noticed she spent almost no time talking about what she was doing during the class, but every choice seemed intentional.
3. If I were to start an infants and toddlers class in my community, what would be some recommended materials? There were lots of instruments, animal toys, and a trampoline used in the video. Are there any requirements?

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1. Through observation of Connie Greenwood’s class, I gained a bit more insight into FSIM for toddlers.  I had often tried to envision how that looks in real life.

2.  I found the use of the lullaby at the end of Connie’s class to be absolutely magical.  I had goosebumps and tears in my eyes as they all calmed down and stayed calm even after the song was over.  I think I also got emotional because I have sung that lullaby to all three of my babies. My girls call it Lady Lady and used to call it the broom song sometimes too. ❤️

3.   I will ask in class.  I think it might be easier to present my thought for discussion instead of making a long post.

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Day 3, Katie Donaldson. 1. It was fascinating to learn the origin and multitudinousness of the bounce/wiggle/tickle/clap/lullaby repertoire today.  Then to see those rhymes simply and intentionally carried out with today’s young children as the perfect tools to help develop their musical, linguistic, spatial, emotional and logical intelligences was so satisfying. Literally anyone can do this with children, music really is for everyone. 2. I found the discussion of too much screen time and how it is emotionally and physiologically changing kids, to be very enlightening. We do need to be willing to do the hard things to help children learn in the best way they can learn. We didn’t discuss this, but there are similarities to the Montessori way of teaching children through tried and true sequencing and repetition rather than more mainstream education standards typically do. 3. What was the name of the Pittsburgh folk song collecting video shot by Joe and Elizabeth Seamans? That is a treasure!

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1. Today I learned that it is through eye contact that babies get their artfulness.  It's something that's more caught than taught.
2. I loved watching the video of the class, and think perhaps it would make a good weight loss program.  Connie had to have burned 2000 calories in that 30 minutes!  =)  It was busy and full and noisy, but I loved her ability to transition from one thing to the next so very seamlessly.  I'm sure this comes from much experience!
3. I've been pondering the first session of the infant/toddler curriculum today - the first time we brought in our bears/dolls/animals. During that time, I sensed a real intimacy (call it human connection if that word makes you uncomfortable) during the time Leslie was sharing the process and we were experiencing the process. It was quiet but it was warm and connected (and it was 28 adults with teddy bears and stuffed animals and it still felt connected? Lol! Imagine it in reality!). I got to thinking about connection between the LACK of touch and intimacy for babies and toddlers that transfers into some of the extreme emotional needs we are seeing in such young children. If you think about the increased screen time for kids, that means less touch and human connection for them, less emotional security, diminished ability to cope, etc. The eye contact and touch, the smiles and laughter, the security and safety of FSIM have all GOT to make an impact we can't even see. I know these kinds of topics aren't quite so black and white as I've perhaps made it in this post, but it's been good food for thought for me today as I really enjoyed learning about a group of little people I don't have a great deal of experience with other than my own children and close friends.

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1. Today I learned that as a society we have shifted from being the music makers to being the music consumers. I never thought about it in that light before.
2. I thought that the description of the 4x4 plan was a great tool in guiding lessons. For me, I only see my students once every six days for 35 minutes and it can even be a longer time if the classes are disrupted due to assemblies, weather delays, field trips, etc. I have found that repeating the same activities helps students retain them more. Although I tend to feel crunched and I never fit in as much as I would like to in a year of general music, this method makes me feel like I'm doing better quality teaching.
3. What would you do if you have more than 8-10 families who want to sign up for an infant/toddler class but you don't have time to add a second class? How do you determine which children get to participate? Is it simply a first come, first serve thing?

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Lauren Casey Day 3:

I learned that the brain enters the alpha state with excessive television and that that state is less active than REM sleep.

Something I found to be important that we discussed today was meeting children where they are at developmentally, not chronologically. In that same vein, starting and stopping songs with the children and following their tempos.

A question I have is if anyone uses a mix of the infant and toddler curriculum for their kindergarten students? Or is that a no-no?

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1. I learned that excessive screen time can be very damaging to young minds, especially when it is used as a substitute for parent care and interaction.
2. I think that it is important for young children to experience music and movement together, especially in a social setting. I know many parents who play popular songs like Let it Go for their little ones all the time, but listening is the only way their children are expected to interact with the music.
3. I wonder what kinds of manipulatives should be used in infant and toddler classes and how often. Almost all of the children in my toddler class have caught on to the Roll the Ball game, but we have been less successful moving with scarves.

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1. Today, I learned that infants are a lot more smarter than I gave them credit for when exposed to music from a young age.
2. I think that it is important for us as music educators to advocate for children being tuneful, beatful, and artful from birth, on.
3. Would it ever be possible to do a First Steps class designed for sets of siblings? (To make it easier for mom and dad to have all children in one place/not cost as much/the ability to have both parents there)

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1. Today I learned about how excessive screen time can hinder cognitive development especially in children less than two years old and that the brain moves into alpha state when engaging in this type of one directional thinking.

2. I feel like the most important thing I learned today is what a lesson in a toddler classroom would look like. Having the opportunity to watch a master teacher function in this environment is really priceless.

3. Do those who work in a school setting tend to run toddler/infant classes in addition to their full time school day or have you found that most teachers prefer to only lead these classes during the summer?

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1. I had never heard of 1- and 2- directional thinking before. I was shocked and alarmed to learn about the 1-directional thinking and “alpha state” that a child’s brain enters when they watch too much television. It was particularly interesting to learn that in alpha state, the brain is less active than in REM sleep.

2. I think a lot of people don’t really see the point of taking their child to an infant/toddler music class. I know I have experienced skepticism from members of my own family, so one of my important takeaways from today was the idea that you wouldn’t refrain from talking to your baby just because they can’t talk back. Just because a child can’t perform music in a traditional way yet, they are still absorbing, learning, and becoming TBA before they can verbalize it.

3. When starting infant/toddler classes in the community, is it more important to have the correct class size or have the children split into the correct age/developmental groups? For example, if you had 10 children signed up ranging in age from birth to 3 years old, would you have one class of 10, or would you split it into two age groups, even though that means you may have just a few children in each class?

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July 24: Today I learned about the 8 specific activity types that should be present in each infant/toddler lesson and the 4x4 lesson plan format that should be used. It was important for me to learn that very young children, such as PreK & KDG should not hold hands to walk in a circle, that instead I should have them create a "follow the leader" type circle so they walk the direction their feet are pointing. My question is if my 3yr old Pre K children would benefit from doing some of the infant toddler activities with a stuffed animal, like we did today.

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1.  I learned about the Alpha state while watching TV.  It makes sense that after a busy day or after something stressful it feels like my brain has a sigh of relief when I take time to watch a show.
2.  Something I found important was the fact that we saw people sharing their childhood songs in their native language.  I thought that really highlights the idea of learning music of your culture.
3.  We currently don’t have Kindergarten music but we do offer summer “camps” for various subject matters in the summer. Would a FSIM class for pre-k and kindergarten work similar to the toddler and infant classes?  I want to be able to give my future students a solid start before 1st grade.

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Today I learned the doing activities stimulate the neuro-fibers.
Important information to me is the influence of television on a child's brain. Two directional learning is very important. Watching TV is one directional learning and causes the brain to go into an alpha state.
My question is about assessment. How will we be assess the children's progress amid the chaos? How can we determine tuneful/beatful/ and artful in a concrete way?

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1.) I learned how to organize an infant/toddler First Steps lesson, what content they should be learning, and at what ages/stages to transition them to the next phase.

2.) I thought it was important to remember to keep a tempo of 120-136, and found it really interesting that people never stop preferring this tempo!  I also really liked the 4x4 rule- having this very specific direction that is proven to work well is  so helpful!

3.) I loved the idea of stopping the song when the baby/toddler stops singing or bouncing or moving.  I was a little confused, though, when Connie kept singing the “Roll the Ball” song even when the toddlers were still holding it and hadn’t rolled it back yet. Did she continue singing just to encourage them to roll it back or give them a direction?

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LISA STRAYER

1.  It was interesting to learn that people over the age of 80 could offer a vast repertoire of playful songs and rhymes but the younger generations barely knew any at all (40 and under).

2. What I thought was important: How necessary it is to include playful songs, games, and rhymes in a child’s life. It was an eye opener seeing the high levels of engagement (and nurture of a healthy neural network) in children who were participating in two directional learning compared to children who were exposed to one directional learning such as television. It makes sense why John Feierabend included these activities in his curriculum, too.

3.Are there any other recommended instruments , etc. for the toddler/infant classes that we did not see on the video?

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Today I learned that the brain falls into something called the alpha state when watching television for an extended period of time. I found it very interesting that the nesting is more active during REM sleep. This is when we're are dreaming and possibly most imaginative—at least my dreams lately have been.
The discussion about TV or screen time was very interesting, but Leslie's passing comment about the variety of activities is important. As a child, I watched a lot of television and my children do as well and did so when they were very young. However, our watching experiences were interactive. My children sang all of the songs in the musicals or guessed what was going to happen next. They also participated in other activities, such as board games, tea parties, and time at the playground. Just as John subscribes to the variety of quality experiences in music, so too should it be for life experiences.
What may I express to my parents in terms of involvement in their child's musical growth? I am trying to take the rich knowledge we are gaining and organize and render it for children in the public school that are passed the critical age of mind molding.

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I learned that the “Fur Elise” move it was about winter, snow, snowmen, and ice skating. Who knew! (Did I miss something in the liner notes?)
I think that the “repetition is the mother of knowledge” is important. Sometimes after doing a song again and again I think it might’ve get boring for the kids. I need to remember this more often.
My question is about Pre K curriculum. If I have only a handful of my Kindergarteners in Pre K as well, how should my 20 minute Pre K class look? A hybrid of First Steps Toddler and First Steps Pre School? If I start the Preschool curriculum in Pre K, a bunch of students would miss a huge chunk, unless I repeat it all again in Kindergarten.

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1. I appreciated the ideas for special needs children such as ball rolling, wiggles, etc. It never occurred to me that I could use some of these First Step materials.

2.  I appreciated the reminder about balancing repetition and variety! The 4x4 plan makes a lot of sense!

3.  I never did Kindermusik with my own children. Can anyone tell me the big differences between that and First Steps?

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I learned to not only let the child set the beat, but also to lead the entire song by stopping the singing when they stop the beat and resuming when they resume.
I love Phyllis Weikart and her observation that simultaneously hearing quality music and feeling a beat are important for children.
I wonder what are some good options during a folkdance that depends on the whole group being able to carry out the movements at least on a basic level for a student who isn't able to do so at the same level as their peers.

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1. I learned that babies can initiate musical experiences with their parents and how to facilitate those experiences.
2. I found the film in 5 parts very interesting, in fact, the lullaby brought me to tears.
3. Can you use popular music in your folkdancing if it follows the correct meter?

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Something I Learned: When the brain is in the alpha state (such as watching TV for an extended time) it is less active than during REM sleep.

Something important: Children must feel the beat (not see or hear the beat) in order to become beatful during the first three years.

A question I have: What is the name of the jumper that John buys for new moms?

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1. Brain goes into Alpha state when not being stimulated (such as when watching excessive amounts of TV). Alpha state is LESS active than when you're in REM cycle during sleep. Woah!
2. Infants/toddlers must hear quality music amd FEEL the best during their early music "education".
3. Is there a list of recommended instruments, toys, etc to have available for the toddler classes?

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Bonus: My hubs showed me this video tonight after I was telling him about all the ear before eye discussions we had today and I had to share it with you! There is a bit of adult language but it’s pretty unintelligible. The video is a huge and clever testimonial about how to use ear before eye musical intelligence.

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Could you tell us which Move-it’s work well for each grade? Your preferences...

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1. I already knew that age 7 was the critical cutoff for improving aptitude, but I didn't realize that from age 3-7, it had already been in decline. This makes a lot of sense for why children that are sung to and have musical experiences in early childhood do so much better than those children who don't have any music in their lives until kindergarten.

2. It is very important to grow children's aptitude before teaching them any content (knowledge, terminology, pitch notation, rhythm notation, choreographed dancing, etc). It is our job to make sure they have the best possible potential to learn before the window for increasing that potential is over.

3. My SLO is in 2nd grade. If I follow FS/CS correctly, I don't introduce notation until the beginning of second grade, and we don't get to all of the elements on the SLO test. Last year, the student growth was FAR lower than my previous years on this test, but I can tell they are far more musical and are ready to zoom through a lot more notation units. But in terms of this SLO and my professional evaluation it looks like I am a bad teacher and following this curricular approach is bad. How do I show my administrator that this is a good approach, even if a particular test doesn't show it?

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Lauren Casey
Day 2:
I learned that the maximum density of neural fibers occurs at 3 years of age and that adults have 50% of neural fibers as 3 year olds.

Critical periods of development (and basically everything we learned about brain research today) is so important for truly understanding the importance of the way children learn best to help them reach their full potential.

One question I have is do any of you use a Gordon like assessment for SLOs?

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Something I learned: Neural fiber is at max density at age 3.
Something that I thought was important: Music is not linguistic...it is aural!
A question that I have: Even though a child’s musical aptitude cannot be changed after ages 7/8, is it appropriate/useful to administer the PMMA to older students to see what their musical aptitude is?

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1. One thing I learned was that it is easier to organize the brain than reorganize it. Which is why it’s so important to organize musical experiences in a meaningful way before age seven.

2. One thing that I think is important is the idea of not “filling the pot too soon.” Just because you can teach notation in kindergarten and first grade doesn’t mean you should.

3. My question is what do you tell an admin that is all about  the standards and doesn’t necessarily look at the bigger picture? Or what do you do if you school is more concerned with doing scripted musicals and the public perception than what is developmental appropriate for the students?

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1. All of the brain science in relation to music education is so interesting, and I learned in particular how much more difficult it is to reorganize the brain than to organize it in the first place. This is why it is so critical to make sure children are learning to be TBA as early as possible, even before they are school aged.
2. The research Gordon conducted with the PMMA test is so important for us to keep in mind - Kindergarten is truly a critical year for increasing music aptitude, and knowing this, we should advocate for MORE time with this age group, not less, as is happening in many schools. It makes me wonder how much of a change occurs in children from birth to age 5, if there can be such a significant change from ages 5-6.
3. If a child has had no musical education/background in early childhood (prior to attending school), is there anything that can be done to help make up for lost time, or will they simply have a smaller musical clay pot to work with because of the lost years?

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I thought the discussion about ear before eye was excellent. It’s something I’ve felt for a long time but couldn’t put the words to it to describe very well to a principal that’s all about paper and pencil assessments. The idea of applying “ear before eye” to teaching piano is something I will give great thought to as I tend to teach piano how I was taught (i.e. ”by the book”).  My take away today is focusing even more on the experience of music and to stop talking so much.  I need to hone in on delivering the best quality music exposure and experience I can in my limited time with kids.

QUESTION: it seems the Move Its would convey to the adults in the building a fun and meaningful exposure to classical music. Has anyone ever done these at a staff meeting? 😊

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Katie Donaldson Day 2. 1. The music vs notation section (Nancy and Sister Cordula lessons) was a new method that I had never thought about. What a brilliant way to approach piano lessons. 2. “Ear before eye” is so important to remember.  Allowing yourself to teach activities that seem less intellectual or assessable but actually reach children more effectively is so much easier than tying musicality to their ability to memorize what words like “quarter note” and “tempo” mean. 3. How do you reach out to older students whose musical clay pots are hardened but shallow? Bonus question: Would you ever tie PMMA scores to children’s grades in the classroom at the end of the year? Or is it only for statistics and your own understanding?

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1.) I learned how important it is to “mold the pot” first before attempting to fill it!! Prepping students for notation by teaching everything through the ear first allows their brains to make many more connections when they are ready for the notation to be introduced.

2.) I found it very important to remember that just because kids CAN do something, doesn’t mean that they should. For example, where reading and writing notation at a young age is considered.

3. If someone would make their own paper version of the PMMA test, and utilize the Gordon recording, is there a resource somewhere that shows how to grade it? ie, is there a place that shows how the 40 points are broken down and how to figure out the percentages for each child? I know the financial cost would not be something that my school district would be supportive of.

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1. I learned that the musical intelligence can be used to develop the other intelligences. Also, I liked the intelligences as clay analogy. I feel like the researched based material we learned would be very useful in advocating for your music program to administrators.
2. I think it’s important to remember that we have such a small window in which to develop a student’s full musical ability (ages 3-7). That makes our jobs so critically important!
3. How can we best advocate and/or educate our classroom teacher colleagues about using music appropriately and effectively in their classrooms?

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1. I learned that a child’s musical aptitude is able to be nurtured and expanded early in childhood and decreases if the proper neural fibers are not stimulated with quality musical experiences.
2. It is important to recognize music as its own intelligence. Many people advocate for music education by pointing out that it can help children succeed in other subject areas, but the primary focus of a music classroom should be to build a child’s MUSICAL intelligence.
3. I wonder how you would justify a First Steps approach to assessment-focused administrators, especially since students are not learning as much concrete content “about music” that can be easily assessed with a paper test.

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1.  I learned about the 7 intelligences and how they are interrelated to musical intelligence and musical aptitude.

2. I think it’s very important to make sure you are “molding the clay” and “filling the clay” of musical intelligence at the appropriate times. My parents did not mold my musical clay before I got to school, and I wonder if I would still struggle with certain musical skills if they had focused on exposing and nurturing that in my infancy and toddler stages.

3. How does cognitive brain development evolve as students age past the elementary stages?

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1. I learned that it is more difficult to reorganize the brain than it is to organize it in the first place.  The information about neural fiber by age level was very interesting as well.

2.  It is important not to rush into the “about” music too early. Just because students can learn something, doesn’t mean they should. Take time to mold the brain to hold the largest volume possible before trying to fill it!

3.  Are there any other research based assessments other than Gordon?

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Pam Scott, Day 2
I loved learning that Sir Roger deCoverly is documented at a favorite of George Washington- some context for the win!!
I think it is incredibly important to let children sing without me also singing with them, as well as giving them ample opportunities to sing alone to develop tunefulness.
I want to make sure I understand properly that no visuals for notation should be shown at all before children are ready, most likely in grade 2. Is this correct?
Did I mention that my family is important to me??

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1. I learned that children’s brains are WAY more malleable than I thought they were and that I should be very thoughtful of that as I teach.
2. I thought that it was important to talk about the 8 intelligences and how they can work with each other to build a child’s mind make-up.
3. Do people commonly use PMMA? (I never heard of it or anything similar to it until today)

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July 23: I learned that it is more important to "mold the pots" by presenting as many musical experiences as possible thru first grade and into the beginning of second grade than it is to "fill the pots" with notation and vocabulary; AND when more time is taken providing experiences, then the notation and content vocabulary will be acquired more quickly and retained more easily when it is presented at a later time in the child's development. Additionally, I think it is important to remember to teach music like language and life skills are learned; Ear > Eye > Production. My question is one of curiosity, I wonder how my music students would score on Gordon's tonal and rhythmic assessment?

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1.  I learned...

the dance Sir Roger de Coverly and that it was George Washington’s favorite folk dance.

Neural fiber is at its max density by age 3

It is harder to reorganize the brain than to organize it in the first place

2.  Important

I am reminded of the importance of children receiving music instruction during their critical periods of development.  Molding the pots then filling.  (Prepping the soil then planting.) All must be done before the clay hardens.

3. Question

May I have a resource list for much of the discussed research? Is all of John’s published work regarding this research in the Gia site?

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1.  I learned about the “big-girl” do-si-do today.  I had no idea that was a thing!
2.  I found the concept of approaching music making in the ear, sight, produce process extremely important.  It makes so much sense why students drop out of our instrumental programs the first few years.  If the music they are playing felt more musical and natural I believe less students would drop from those programs in the first few years.
3.  Is there anything in the works to create a method book or resource for beginning band/orchestra?  Or do the Suzuki and Jump Right In methods basically approach things the same way of ear, sight, then produce?

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I think one of the most important things from today is regarding brain development, and a true timeline in that development. When I first heard John speak about it at a keynote speech years ago, it scared me. I think about it frequently because I know I am primarily the one person responsible for this growth, that I need to do my best to not fail them. It is a huge responsibility.
I learned that it is just not enough that they sing, but that students need to sing on their own or their tune scores will not increase. My question is how do you handle the student who will downright not do it.

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1. There is a window of time where children's aptitude for music is the highest.
2. 3 year old have the most neural fiber available of the entire lifetime.
3. If I am only going to use a PMMA type test for my own records and personal assessment, why can't/shouldn't I make up my own?

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Today, I learned the three important elements to "good quality" literature.
The most important elements is knowing the musical development of children and the damage "bad music" can have on young children.
My question is on musical expectations. What should a toddler, kindergartner and first grader be able to master at these ages?
Tuesday/
New concept I learned: I knew how important music is to children but not how short the window of time is to barrage them with quality music.
The important concept from today was the importance of children singing alone. My question is how to best order my lessons using First Steps in Music.

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One thing I learned/had reinforced is that there is no correlation between music aptitude and IQ. This information, supported by Gardner's work, may be helpful in keeping the kid that is great in chorus, but awful everywhere else, in chorus. This is an ongoing conversation with several admins, teachers, and parents. I would not have been able to participate in anything music related as a child if my music participation was based on my academic performance.

Continuing to focus on age appropriate behaviors and activities is important to me. Many of my colleagues want their students to behave, move, and respond above their age level, because it's easier for the teacher. Yet, they end up more frustrated, spending time on disciplining students out of age appropriate behavior. Children wiggle.

In relation to the first point above, my question is whether or not music education does increase overall academic success in children. I do not know that it does. Much of the writing regarding the correlation of music to overall academic success was advocating a reason to have music in the schools. What is our purpose in the school and how can our subject stand alone as its own necessary subject?

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1. Washington's favorite dance was "Sir Roger de Coverly" - my students would love knowing that! Many are history buffs.
2. Planting the seed in well-nourished soil will produce a better crop. Wow! I appreciate this idea so much and know I've been doing this for my students - especially my middle school choir.
3. How soon into the school year would you administer the PMMA? This is quite interesting and, teaching gifted, this information would be good to see.

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Something new: I learned different qualifications for “junk food” music. I also learned that blue jays are evil.

Something important: I think it’s really important for children to have as many good vocal models as possible. Some of my seasoned coworkers say that they used to have to take a 3 credit music course as part of their general ed certification. I wish they hadn’t done away with that!

Question: as a fairly new and young teacher, how do I respectfully go about talking to my coworkers about being the best vocal models they can be for the kids and why it’s important?

Here’s a picture of my dog, Zola, who is my fur child. She is a 2 year old Havanese!