Monday 23 April 2018

Clone Yourself: 4 Types of Video to Use In Your Classroom!



I started using video technology in my music classroom about three years ago when I introduced ukulele to my young students. When it came time to read from a song sheet it was clear that they needed me to track the beat for them. However, I also needed to assist them with their playing positions. Hmmm, what to do?

I absolutely needed to clone myself so I could do both things at the same time. And so, my "video twin" was born! I created a series of play along videos that made all the difference. The students follow the video "me" on the screen which frees up the real me to wander around the classroom providing assistance to those in need. Nowadays, we use video in nearly every session, and students are able to access those same videos at home for practice purposes. The benefits are immeasurable.

In March of 2018, I wrote a blog post on the benefits of using video technology in the classroom. If you have avoided using video in the past, perhaps that post will inspire you to give it a try. In today's post, we're going to explore four different types of videos that could be highly useful in your classroom. I plan to create some tutorial videos to show you HOW to shoot and edit videos for your classroom but, for now, let's explore some different types of videos that may be useful for you.








These videos are SO helpful! I almost always use the first 20 or 30 seconds to provide some helpful tips or instructions, and then invite students to play along with me as I perform the song. For ukulele videos, I recruit someone else to track the beat on screen while I sing and play. I use these videos in my classes all the time. Students also access them at home which has significantly increased home practice and has made concert preparations so much easier! I've even had some parents report that they've begun to play as a result of my videos. This, of course, is music to my ears!

This is a typical ukulele play along tutorial:


I recently composed and released a new song for Earth Day. It's a lengthy song with lots of words, so I prepared this video to assist students in learning the lyrics. Of course, the images help reinforce the important message of the song:


Full Disclosure: This video was much more labour intensive than most of my videos as I had to choose the images, synchronize them with the recording and add lyric captions. However, it was well worth the effort because I now have a video presentation that is perfect for any Earth Day assembly. I would simply switch the recording with vocals for the accompaniment track for performance purposes.

Having said all that, sing along videos rarely require so much prep time. The next section presents a sing along video that took me only minutes to shoot and just a few extra to edit and post!








These videos are super-helpful at concert time! I always prepare short videos of our concert songs and share the links with the parents of my students. The students practice words and actions at home which makes it so much easier to fine tune the performance during class time.

Teacher Tip: Don't worry if you are shy and don't want your image out there for all the world to see! Simply make your video private, or unlisted, so only those who have the link are able to view it. You can always remove the video from your channel when the performance is over.

This is a sample of a video I prepared for my new kindergarten graduation song:





It demonstrates the actions (mirrored, of course!) and provides all the lyrics for the benefit of teachers and parents.

Teacher Tip: If you'd prefer not to be the one on camera, invite a trusted student to perform the song while you shoot the video.








Sometimes I create videos for the sole purpose of teaching a particular concept. In my case, that is usually to introduce a new ukulele chord or strumming technique. I created this next video to discuss the tricky left hand playing position for ukulele. I'm aware of a number of different ways to hold the ukulele with the left (chording) hand, but this is how I instruct my students on the topic:



As you can undoubtedly see, most of my videos require minimal prep time, and they are a snap to shoot and edit now that I have so much experience.








These videos are particularly helpful for teachers with large groups of students. My friend teaches guitar classes at a local junior high school. She has created a series of strumming and chord changing warm-up videos that she plays at the beginning of each class. When instruments have been distributed, she simply presses play on the video and they turn their attention to the screen. She doesn't even need to say anything...they see the video and immediately begin to play along! This is an example of great classroom management.

While students are playing along with the screen version of her, she's taking care of last-minute lesson preparations and helping students who need assistance. The video has a calming effect and sets everyone up for success in the class.

Occasionally I create warm-up exercises for my students when they need extra help with a difficult strumming pattern. This is one I posted to assist my students in learning the strumming pattern for "This Land Is Your Land":


Of course, I also prepared a play along video to assist them in learning the entire song.

So...I hope I've inspired you to create some videos for your students! Stay tuned in the coming weeks for a new post on shooting, editing and posting videos just like the ones you've seen above.

Don't forget to FOLLOW ME on TpT for new songs for every occasion and monthly FREEBIES!

Thanks for reading and watching,
Lisa

Tuesday 17 April 2018

Kazoos: 3 Reasons to Use Them in Your Classroom!


I may not have recognized the power of the kazoo if it were not for the summer camp a friend and I introduced in our area a few years ago. We knew we needed a super-catchy name with an available domain. When we discovered that CampKazoo.ca was open for purchase our decision was easily made!

Camp Kazoo offers instruction in music, visual art and coding through digital game making. As I was in charge of designing the music portion of the camp, I quickly set about developing a variety of ways to incorporate kazoo into our daily music sessions. After nearly five years of Camp Kazoo, I can honestly say I'm a huge fan of the instrument for a number of reasons.


Kids LOVE kazoos...they just do! They're colorful and they make a fun, whacky sound. That's pretty much all kids need to be happy. Our campers participate in a number of kazoo playing activities that they never seem to to tire of. They love kazoo so much that I now use them in my regular music classes year round. These are a few of the most popular activities:

Kazoo Karaoke

We call it "karaoke" because the alliteration sounds fun, but it's actually a play along activity. It's super-easy, and the kids can't get enough of it. Ask someone to suggest the latest pop tune with age-appropriate lyrics, play the song and lead the kids in playing along. It's that simple! You may even witness some really cool sitting dance moves during this activity. Sometimes I encourage this by giving "bonus points" for creative movement! Watch some of my students play along with Meghan Trainor's "Better When I'm Dancing":



I often divide the class by color or gender when playing together as a group. My instructions could be, "All the blues...now the reds...all the girls...etc." It's fun for the kids and promotes good listening all at the same time!

Name That Tune

Invite students to come up to the front and play a song of their choosing for the class. Classmates will listen carefully and try to be the first to identify the song! Here's a video example of this game:



Pick a Tune - Any Tune!

This is a variation of the "Name That Tune" activity. In this game, the student will choose from a container of hidden "mystery" song names, and play the tune for the class. They will raise their hands when they have determined the name of the song. These kids are having some fun with this one:




Kazoos can be purchased for as little 75 cents each when you buy them in bulk. This may be an expense that your school budget will cover but, if not, it's possible that parents will support the required purchase if they are aware of the benefits. I recommend Hohner because of the quality, but there are many other options out there.


Some companies will even print your school name on them. Of course, this adds to the purchase price which is always something to consider in today's economic climate.


I don't actually teach recorder now, but I did for many years. One of the things I found most challenging was meeting the needs of students who struggled to play the instrument. These difficulties could be due to anything from a simple lack of finger dexterity to more severe special needs. Not everyone can play the recorder, but most children can play a kazoo. If a child can vocalize, a kazoo sound will likely be produced. As you can see in this photo, some students are naturally playing "hands free" even though no instruction had been provided in this regard:


So, why would you incorporate kazoo into a recorder class? Wouldn't this make the students playing kazoo stand out from the others? Well, yes, those students would stand out from the crowd, but this is not necessarily a bad thing. Many students will be happy to simply participate on an instrument that is accessible for them. However, if this is an issue, you could always divide the class into two or more groups - (1) recorder, (2) kazoo (3) classroom percussion. The children who are unable to play recorder could always be assigned to one of the other two groups. Everybody wins!

Kazoo Storage

Incorporating kazoo is not without challenges. They are small and easy to lose, so I keep our class sets of kazoos in my classroom. My classes have less than ten children, and shelf space is not an issue for me. Housing kazoos may or may not be an option for you. If not, perhaps the kazoo can "live" with the recorder and be incorporated into whatever routine you have established for that instrument.

Health Tip: If all kazoos for a particular group are held in one bin, you may want to consider giving each one a quick wipe with an alcohol swab before giving it to the student to play. 

Once again, I'd like to thank you for reading and watching my blog post. Don't forget to Follow Me on TpT for new songs for every occasion and regular freebies!

Lisa

Monday 2 April 2018

April FREEBIE | "The Acting Ring" | Singing Game

Hi Teachers:

I've updated the FREE DOWNLOAD at my TeachersPayTeachers store for the month of April!


I'm always looking for new activities to reinforce sol, mi and la, and "The Acting Ring" song package is perfect for this purpose. It also reinforces ta and ta-a and is great for any time of year.

As always, the package includes a recording with vocals, an accompaniment track, a SMART Notebook file, a PDF with sheet music and lesson ideas as well as a demonstration video which shows some of my third graders playing the game:


The SMART File contains two activities. The first one provides students with an opportunity to notate the rhythm and melody of the first phrase in multiple keys:


The second SMART activity is a simple Boomwhacker accompaniment:


And, of course, the package wouldn't be complete without the sheet music and lesson ideas!


This video gives as in-depth overview of the package and shows some of my amazing students in action:


Thanks for reading and watching! I do hope you enjoy the package, and don't forget to follow me on TpT for lots of FREEBIES and other cool stuff for every occasion.

Lisa