I just finished teaching a small group of boys and it is clear that they need to move around and/ or use their hands!! As I researched gender differences in the classroom, it is astonishing to me that we still teach in a manner that requires kids to sit most of the day! We are always so surprised that our boys can be all over the place in our classes, yet we set them up to fail right off the bat! The school environment that we have created encourages behavioral problems in all of our students! Granted, boys have a much better shot of succeeding in our classes where movement is a common event, but they have been sitting for so long before we get them, that our classes are affected, as well!

So what can we do??

Well, if it were up to me, I would have kids come into school and run at least a mile before we start classes, but that’s just me J! Since we are not in a perfect world, I do have some suggestions:

1. Bring in a basketball and have kids bounce the ball to the steady beat ~ then see if they can create a “routine” where they keep the beat, but the ball is passed and bounced in various ways!
2. For improving breath control, have one student throw a ball to another while a third student, sings a note for as long as the ball is in the air ~ then add a second ball and have a student sing a third above the first pitch and so on…how many balls and pitches can the group keep going at once?
3. Use the NK blocks or better yet, the NK cushions to build a structure and see if kids can say or sing the rhythm….they decide what to sing when…
4. Choose 5 songs that you have sung this year or will be in your winter concert and write them down on separate pieces of paper. Then put kids into 5 small groups and have them choose a piece of paper with a song on it and figure out a way to act out the songs. The goal is for the other kids to guess the song without knowing beforehand what is was!

Check out www.noteknacks.com/lessons for more great ideas!

The Macy’s parade interactive website offers a variety of facts and photos from its long history, but I pulled out those that I thought were musical noteworthy! (Some are direct quotes, while others are a summary) Here they are:

• 1920’s
  • The inaugural Macy’s Day Parade took place on Christmas, 1924 with performers, jazz bands and animals from the Central Park zoo!
• 1930’s
  • In 1934 Macy’s designs a balloon in the likeness of a real person (This is the only time this happens!): super-famous-at-the-time vaudeville performer Eddie Cantor.
  • Celebrities join the parade starting in 1934 with Eddie Cantor, actor Harpo Marx, singer Jessica Dragonette and bandleader Benny Goodman (Would have loved to have see him!!!)
  • In 1938, WOR Radio begins broadcasting the excitement.
• 1040’s
  • The parade makes its film debut in 1947’s Miracle on 34th Street. Edmund Gwenn stepped in for Santa in 1946’s parade—as he filmed his starring role in the holiday film classic.
  • In 1948: the parade’s first national televised broadcast on NBC.
• 1950’s
  • Celebrities from TV, Broadway and the movies join the fun: Howdy Doody, oscar-winning actress Ginger Rogers, Jackie Gleason, and Shirley Temple Black who was the “Princess” of 1959’s parade, signaling the end of the decade.
  • In 1958, for the first time, the parade lines up the Rockettes (My childhood dream was to go to NYC and become one!!)
• 1960’s
  • Bob Hope serves as “King” of the parade while Shirley Jones and cast members of Bonanza ride down Broadway on horseback.
• 1970’s
  • Performers include Diana Ross, Queen of Motown, The Village People and Menudo.
    • (This cracked me up, so I included it) So here’s what happened. Menudo is originally slated to perform on a float like the other entertainers. BUT TEEN GIRLS. Deciding it would be best to protect the heartthrobs from a mob scene, the parade keeps the group high above the hysterical fans—and has them perform on top of a moving bus. We don’t know how they got up there…
  • Opera singer Jessye Norman, music icon Diana Ross, song-and-dance man Ben Vereen
• 1980’s
  • The Annie float debuts in 1981 as one of the largest ever built by Macy’s parade studio! The enormous replica of the orphanage and Warbuck’s mansion carries 17 actors from the original film. It’s so big that designer Manfred Bass rides atop the roof and radios the crew as they guide the float along the route.
• 1990’s
  • Featured entertainers are Shania Twain, boy bands and Christina Aguilera.

The musical performers for this year are quite a diverse crew, however, my 2 favorites have to be Tony Bennett and of course, the Muppets!! Here is they are:

1. Brett Eldredge
2. Chloe and Halle
3. Daya
4. De La Soul
5. Easton Corbin
6. Fitz And The Tantrums
7. Jacob Whitesides
8. Kelsea Ballerini
9. Maddie & Tae
10. Aloe Blacc
11. Ben Rector
12. Regina Spektor
13. LunchMoney Lewis
14. The Muppets J
15. Grace VanderWaal
16. Tony Bennett (Yeah!)
17. Timeflies
18. Sarah McLachlan
19. Diamante Eléctrico
20. Johnnyswim

This past weekend our choir participated in a concert dedicated to St. Cecelia, the patron saint of musicians. The adult choir participated, as well and sang my very favorite piece Ave Verum Corpus by W.A. Mozart. As I sat and listened to this beautiful music, I was reminded of why I do what I do. It isn’t that I forgot ~ or even that I haven’t been enjoying teaching ~ rather I remembered how much I, myself, enjoy music for its own sake. I think we sometimes get so caught up in making sure our students are getting a solid music foundation along with the love of this incredible discipline, that we forget to nourish our own inner musician…we forget that we too need inspiration….SO, as a result, here are 5 ways to do just that!
1.      Go to a concert of your favorite music…..now is the perfect time, as we are soon getting into holiday music!!
2.      Leave your instrument and the music you are working on out all day while you are home. I read this in book about practicing…although the name escapes me now, but the author had a great point ~ if it is out and ready to play, you are more likely to do it, even for a few minutes here and there. It will not only encourage practicing, but a reminder of why we do what we do.
3.      Leonard Bernstein’s video series at Harvard called “The Unanswered Questions”. He is not the most dynamic speaker, but what he says is truly fascinating and enlightening! There is a lot of “Oh, I remember that from college” thoughts, but it is also filled with a few “Wow!! Didn’t know that!” thoughts! Click HERE to view.
4.      Start composing yourself….why not? No one else needs to hear it….the objective is to have fun!
5.      …and of course play with your Note Knacks!! …you never know what you will create!
Here are just a few ideas, please let us know in the comments below what you do to stay inspired! We would love to hear it, as the best part of this is hearing from all of you!
Have a great week!

It is no surprise that non-musicians get freaked out at the very thought of singing or playing an instrument in front of others…even classroom teachers! (although it always surprises me how often we ask our students to take risks and to “try hard” even if they are scared, and yet we, ourselves, will rarely do such a thing!). In this whole business of STEM to STEAM, I would imagine that a lot of teachers are not all that thrilled at including music as a part of their curriculum ~ they believe, like many do, that music is only for “the talented”. (Click HERE to find out how I really feel about that!)

Enter us ~ “The Music Education Expert”! Rather than simply offer a song about the times tables or rock formations, let’s take it a step further. Let’s get the school faculty creating music together….I know, I am NUTS, but think about it for a moment ~ here is an opportunity to be a resource for the faculty. How perfect! At the very beginning or end of a faculty meeting, you could stand up, introduce yourself as one of the “A in STEAM” resources and teach a lesson that you know they will love and will be successful with immediately. I am sure you have one in your arsenal, but if you don’t here is a great one from Dave Holland’s Drumagination Lesson Booklet (Click on his website interactiverhythm.com for more information):

BEAT IN THE FEET

This activity combines hand/ eye coordination while providing sound effects to actions happening in the center of the circle. This is a great way to invite participants to the center to do some facilitating of their own!

THE SOUNDS:

• drums, hand percussion

THE SET UP:

• Begin by saying “when my feet hit the ground, play one sound.”

THE PLAY:

• Once you’ve established group cooperation, say “what other sounds can you create to match this fancy footwork?”
• Begin to experiment with other foot movements such as tiptoe, stomping, sliding, or even the moonwalk!
• Now invite 1 or more members of your group into the circle to lead the group in creating sound effects or some groovy feet beats!

VARIATIONS:

• Once you’ve had some fun with this game, use your feet to establish a new tempo or pulse (6/8 anyone?) for the next group to groove!
• Consider using other body parts to illicit sounds from the group (ie: arm wiggle, punch, booty shake)

THE PAY OFF:

• Leadership empowerment, creativity
• representative language

(Page 20)

And last, but not at all least, remember to communicate:

1. What you don’t expect (which is just as important: note reading, proper singing technique, etc…)
2. Music is for everyone ~ regardless of level. Making music together is ALWAYS a good idea!..and ALWAYS a lot of fun!

If you have a great lesson that you would like to share, please post in the comments below! We are always looking for great ideas!