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VOCAL POSTURE

Shoulders back

Knees Relaxed

Hands at Side

Smiling Wide!

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Uploaded by Julie Sherlock on 2017-11-01.

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Uploaded by Julie Sherlock on 2017-11-01.

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Creating a classroom environment of respect and accountability requires procedures, plans, rewards and consequences in your classroom. One way to keep everything flowing is to use transitions. I know from experience that the time I put into teaching these transitions and procedures is well worth the effort because then I can really focus on teaching and not managing. I teach my students to respond to my verbal or non-verbal cues to keep the lesson going. When students know how to respond to your cues it eliminates a lot of classroom chatter and keeps everyone focused and learning. Here's some quick and easy music class transition activities to get you started.

Here's a Video of the kinds of transitions you can use in your classroom. Keep reading for the tips and freebies included.

SILENT SIGNALS

I say to my students; "Would you rather talk in Music Class or Make Music?" They all say; "Make Music". Then I explain that when I ask questions we're going to use our hands to show our answers. Thumbs up, down and sideways work great for yes, no, maybe answers. Double thumb up can mean, "awesome". You'll find a link to this FREE RESOURCE at the end of the post.

I also use the Thumbs for my classroom management plan. You can learn more about that here: CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT

SONGS and CHANTS

How about when it's time to line up? What do you say? What do you do? What do your students do?
In my classroom I have my students stand in rows to sing our hello song. Then I sing each student's name and the class echoes. Then that student sits down. This is how I begin all of my classes K-4. During the lesson we'll move into a circle to do activities or games.
I usually have them come back to their numbers before the end of class to recap and calm down and get ready to leave the music room. I'll say something like this; "Three seconds to find your number." Or, "When the song is over be in your personal space." (I'll play a short song on the piano)Then it's time to line up. We practice lining up for the first 4-5 lessons. In Kindergarten and First Grade I show my students exactly where they will go when it's time to line up.

Since the students are in rows I teach them how to find a dot on the circle and to follow the leader around the room. The first person in line (whom I delegate) knows exactly where to stop and then the rest of the class lines up behind that student. We sing a little song as we march around the circle to practice this procedure.

This song and many more are part of a bundle of the Music Class Essentials Teacher Resource.

It's sung to the tune of "Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush".

Here we go round the classroom, the classroom, the classroom.
Here we go round the classroom. When it's time to line up.

I use songs and chants to transition students from standing to sitting down. Use them to get the class quiet.

Here's a free resource with easy to learn songs and chants that will help you with transitions.
ELEMENTARY CLASSROOM SONGS AND CHANTS

I wrote this simple song to help my students transition from activities to sitting down quietly.
"Criss-Cross Applesauce" is a Cute and Easy Song for students to learn. It's now at my TPT store. to teach the song at the beginning of the year. Repetition is critical to reinforcing skills. So we practice it a lot until they can do it comfortably on their own.
Then I play a game to teach my students this song.
I ask them to find a friend and to talk. I tell them that I'm going to begin the song and I want them to finish it as they walk to their assigned seats and sit down. They love playing the game! Sometimes I'll even tell them to go a little "crazy" and see if they can hear me start the song--I say I only want to begin it one time and I want to see who's listening to my voice and who is following directions.
You'll like the 1-2-3-4 I can clap! and then SILENCE part of the song. Remember, singing helps students stay active and positive.

MOVEMENT

I do all of these activities in the confines of the student's personal space. Sometimes I will extend the activity to move around in a circle or in the room-but as a transition, I have them stay in their personal space.

Most kids are in sports programs. So I will incorporate some sports like talk into my classes. You can have a lot of fun by asking the students to warm up by jogging in place. "Who can jog the fastest? The slowest?" Students respond well to jogging in place- it's familiar. Keep it going for just a minute or two. Take a deep breath in between. This is where you can teach them good posture and breathing. By incorporating the concepts into the activity-the students don't know you are teaching!

You can easily modify your directions to fit the grade level. "C'mon kinders let's chase the doggie! He ran away from me and I need to get him back". Or, "6 th graders- who is ready for the next school fun run? Who's the fastest? Who can lead the class?"

Finish it off with:

Shoulders back, knees relaxed, hands at sides, smiling wide!

(get the free poster insert here and link to that post)

GET WIGGLING

Be like JELLO! Be silly! The kids love this one! I encourage them to "show me", not "tell me" what Jello looks like.

Use specific body parts- fingers, toes, hips, head

Finish it off with:

Shoulders back, knees relaxed, hands at sides, smiling wide!

BE A RAG DOLL

It's important to help students learn good posture. Go over the basics, how to stand with feet not too far apart, relaxed arms, shoulders back. The rag doll helps them find the sweet spot of good posture.

Let's get loose, now bend over from the waist with knees bent and breathing! When you come up make sure your knees are bent and then come up one vertebra at a time-slowly straighten your back. Keep knees bent and finish off with- Shoulders back, knees relaxed, hands at sides, smiling wide!

TREE POSE

Feet flat, like roots going down into the ground looking for water. My arms are like the branches of a tree, reaching up to the sky to the sun.

Relax shoulders down.

Knees are bent

Air flows from my toes to the top of my head.

Take a deep breath, blow my branches down.

Shoulders back, knees relaxed, hands at sides, smiling wide!

And GO!

These are some Quick and Easy Music Class transitions that I use in between Singing and moving activities, to help students calm down after a movement activity and transition to lining up. I'm of the opinion that keeping hands and feet active creates a calmer classroom environment. Less time for redirection and more time for teaching!

As you use these transitions and activities you are also encouraging good posture, breathing and getting quiet skills. Repeating the same types of transitions and activities will give students lot's of practice so that when you perform they naturally will stand and sing with good form. Students gain the most from the cumulative effect of integrating these activities on a regular basis.

Mostly, I think it's important to come up with your own transitions, procedures and activities that will feel natural to you to do with your students. I can promise you that whatever you do, if you take the time to teach, repeat and praise them, they will respond in time. Be consistent, fair and nice and the students will want to learn from you. Please share your favorite music class transitions!

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Quick and Easy Music Class Transitions - Sing Play Create

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlGhiUM9cW4&feature=youtu.be Creating a classroom environment of respect and accountability requires procedures, plans, rewards and consequences in your classroom. One way to keep everything flowing is to use transitions. I know from experience that the time I put into teaching these transitions and procedures is well worth the effort because then I can really focus on ...

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Uploaded by Julie Sherlock on 2017-11-03.

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Uploaded by Julie Sherlock on 2017-11-01.

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Using videos in the classroom.

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Sol-mi-la pattern :  "Two-four-six-eight- go to your seat and sit up straight!"

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Back to our seats in 10, 9, 8, 7....0

Eyes & Ears facing front, mouths and bodies quiet and still in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
~Shannon Payne, MCC MS Art

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"When I get down to 1, you need to be in your seats and quiet. 5,4,3,2,1...." -Katie Stiffler

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Elementary students enter the room with "puffy cheeks" or "cheekers."

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Michele Anscombe WSCC

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Julie Sherlock, Music, Baldwin
"One, Two, Three, Four, Mallets Down, Get Off the Floor!

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"When I call your table number, you may get up and get your supplies." -Katie Stiffler

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Tip toe to the door, tip toe to the door, please be very quiet, oh so very quiet, line up at the door.

Hands on your hips
Smile on your lips
Feet on the floor
Facing the door        -Allie Kessel/MCE

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We have a little chant for lining up at the door. Once we're in line we get ready to go into the hallway to the next class.

All together:
From the front to the back we all know how to act
Teacher:
Face front (students echo)
Hands Back (Students echo)
Stand tall (echo)
Now we're ready for the hall (echo)
-Amanda Feyen
-Manistee Music

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Leaving the Classroom for Middle School students

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Leaving the Classroom for Middle School students

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"Whoever cleans up first, is quiet and sitting down, and was respectful during class will be the first to leave to go back to the middle school." -Katie

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This is a little song I sing to get the students attention and focus. I sing, "Hey, hey, look at me, make yourself look just like me" and then I do a pose, or something with my face and hands that they have to copy. I only stop for a few seconds before I do another one. This is meant to be PLAYFUL, and so they WANT to do what you're doing, its also important to move quickly to keep their attention and focus.
-Amanda Feyen
-Manistee Music

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Positive Reinforcement (Dana W. Onekama)

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Positive Reinforcement (Dana W. Onekama)

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Eyes on Me
Top Lip Touching Bottom Lip
I like how....(certain student) is ready
Show me you're ready
Waiting hands

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We say "friends that have their hands behind their back get a scarf (any prop). What happens if we touch it? It has to go away :(

"You get what you get and you don't throw a fit"

"Oh well, maybe next time"

"Rest position"

"Pass it (prop/instrument) to the left"          -Allie Kessel/MCE

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Student driven digital portfolios

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Educational Technology and Mobile Learning

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The buzz that the Modern Taxonomy Wheel generated over the last couple of weeks has not yet died out and now we have a new updated wheel from the same guy Allan Carrington. We love Allan's work and we find it really interesting. His wheels come along in such a visually attractive way summarizing most of the apps and web tools we have been sharing here with you.

If you already had a chance to have a look at the previous wheel and compare it with this new one you will notice that Allan has brought about some new updates to the new wheel. There is now a particular shared focus on both SAMR model and Bloom's digital taxonomy to help teachers better leverage technology in their teaching.

If you are not familiar with what SAMR is all about, please read this post.

Now, Click on this LINK to get the poster as PDF.

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A New Wonderful Wheel on SAMR and Bloom's Digital Taxonomy

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The buzz that the Modern Taxonomy Wheel generated over the last couple of weeks has not yet died out and now we have a new updated wheel from the same guy Allan Carrington. We love Allan's work and we find it really interesting.

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Artist Essential Questions (Dana W. Onekama)

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Artist Essential Questions (Dana W. Onekama)

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Teaching Artistic Behaviors (Dana W. Onekama)

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Teaching Artistic Behaviors (Dana W. Onekama)

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Also known as T.A.B

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Teaching for Artistic Behavior (TAB) is a nationally recognized choice-based art education approach to teaching art. Developed in Massachusetts classrooms over thirty five years, and through courses and research at Massachusetts College of Art, the Teaching for Artistic Behavior concept enables students to experience the work of the artist through authentic learning opportunities and responsive teaching.

Choice-based art education regards students as artists and offers them real choices for responding to their own ideas and interests through the making of art. Choice-based art education supports multiple modes of learning and assessment for the diverse needs of students.

Teaching for Artistic Behavior Inc. is a grassroots organization developed by and for art teachers, and serves to promote and support choice-based art education in public and private education settings.

Established in 2001, the Teaching for Artistic BehaviorTM (TAB) organization is entirely developed and maintained by art teachers. This concept comes directly from choice-based art education practices and action research in visual art classrooms around the United States. Our Board of Directors are charged with upholding TAB's Mission, Vision and Professional Development offerings. Teaching for Artistic Behavior became incorporated in 2007, in order to better serve the needs of choice-based art educators.

We recognize that there are many varied ways of offering choice in
art education, and that many art educators provide full or modified
choice art education to fit their particular art programs and district
requirements. This online forum supports teachers who are developing,
have developed or plan to develop an art program with the purpose of
providing students choices in their art making experiences in the
classroom. Over recent years, the terms "Choice-based," "Teaching for
Artistic Behavior," "TAB," "TAB-Choice" and "Centers approach" are
often interchanged.

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Teaching for Artistic Behavior (TAB) is a nationally recognized choice-based art education approach to teaching art. Developed in Massachusetts classrooms over thirty five years, and through courses and research at Massachusetts College of Art, the Teaching for Artistic Behavior concept enables students to experience the work of the artist through authentic learning opportunities and responsive teaching.

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Handheld Art has partnered with the Columbia Museum of Art, Gibbes Museum of Art, Florence County Museum, McKissick Museum, and USC's Ernest F. Hollings Library to apply exceptional collections of fine art to Enduring Ideas for the use of the classroom.