Posts by Note Knacks Music

2130 of 176 items

“STOMP” Composition: Part 4

by Note Knacks Music

Winter is coming……our winter concert, that is! I am excited for what the kids have prepared and look forward to sharing it with their parents! As you know, I have been working on STOMP pieces with the older kids, but the kids have taken them to a new place ~ which of course, I LOVE!!!! […]

How to Create a Chain Story with Sound Effects

by Note Knacks Music

Last week I had a little fun with my younger students. I passed out rhythm sticks, and we created a “chain story” with sound effects. What is a chain story, you ask? According to Wiktionary, it is “A story, each section of which is written by a different author picking up where the previous one left off”. […]

Halloween Games For A Virtual/ Socially Distant World

by Note Knacks Music

Like everything else in 2020, Halloween will be different both at home and in the classroom! In looking at what activities I did last year, I want to share a few adjustments for this crazy time and add a couple of more! Please add your favorite activities in the comments below! Activities from last year: […]

“STOMP” Composition: Part 3

by Note Knacks Music

After last week’s lesson, I wanted to demonstrate to the kids how they can also use a score to see when all parts play at the same time. This highlights how everyone MUST be following the SAME steady beat! Building on last week’s 2 measure rhythm, I added two more measures for both parts and […]

“Stomp” Composition: Part 2

by Note Knacks Music

Last week’s STOMP lesson was a total bomb! Usually I would be able to salvage such a lesson midway, but between mask wearing and social distancing, it was impossible! What did I learn? Those tried and true tricks that we all rely on to connect with our kids and draw them in, are no longer […]

“Stomp” Composition: Part 1

by Note Knacks Music

I was going through YouTube one day and found Stomp performances and an old video they did years ago called “Stomp Out Loud”. I used it when I was teaching in Cambridge, MA awhile back and it was a huge success! Kids created their own 8 measure rhythmic compositions in 4 parts ~ every group […]

Fairytales For Your Winter Concert!

by Note Knacks Music

This year seems to be the perfect year to do a semester long project with each grade level where we have a theme, but teach grade level concepts in that context. We are unable to do so many activities that we normally do in the music classroom that I wanted a way to connect our […]

Rhythmic Assessment In 3 Simple Steps

by Note Knacks Music

Last week we received a few new students and I wanted to get a sense of where they are. Because I only see my students weekly for a short time, the assessment needed to be quick, easy and fun! The whole thing took only about 5-10 minutes (For a couple of classes I kept adding […]

Act Out A Rhythm

by Note Knacks Music

With all of this social distancing, students are not getting as much movement in their day as before. They are not switching classes as much and getting out of your seat in the classroom is kept to a bare minimum…..but they are still kids and need to move!! That is where we come in!! Here […]