This past week in class we really went over a lot of material. We learned a variety of actual music information but a majority was also learning for our own knowledge of how to create a lesson plan. We continued to review steady beat and rhythmic beat while learning new songs so that we could experiment with different movements on how to teach the songs. One actual music concept that we learned was the rest. We went over the different types such as; whole rest, half rest, quarter rest, eighth rest, and sixteenth rest. We also covered what each one looked like and possible ways to be able to remember the difference between a whole rest and a half because their appearances can often be confusing. We were taught that one of the most important things you have to know about the rest is that when you are tapping the beat however, that may be, you must always signal to your students by changing the movement that you are representing a rest so that they know that is an off beat that is not to be played. We spent a better time of the week being taught how to make a lesson plan in its beginning stages. We learned the different aspects for it to be considered both a well rounded and fun lesson plan. The different parts of a lesson plan are National Standards, Concepts Skills, both music and non music, Objectives, Materials, Procedure, Closure, and Assessment. I believe that the concept, skills, and objectives might be the most important part of a lesson because that is where you are saying what you want the kids to be able to walk away knowing and doing after the lesson is taught. We also learned on Friday the "C" note on the recorder and how to start sight reading different songs.
These different skills and concepts were taught to us in different ways. Because the week was mostly spent on the teaching of actual lesson plans the teacher went about it in a few different ways. When the week first started we really just discussed the lesson plan going down the list for explanation and using past songs as references or examples. The next day though however the teacher wanted us to see how the lesson plan was implemented so we learned another song about a dog and then we as a class were able to pick apart the lesson plan to see how it all really came together. Learning about the rest was also a part of the song being taught for the lesson. The teacher first had asked us to use different movements to keep a steady beat and then a rhythmic beat. It is very important when keeping a rhythmic beat that you do not tap when there is no note to be tapped. I believe that Friday was a very productive day on the recorder. We used our book this past week and started incorporating the different notes into songs that may have been familiar to us so it was much easier to play them. For the different songs students were chosen to go through the measures naming all of the notes so that everyone could be on track, tap the rythem, as well as possible play out what is being asked. I think that for a lot of students it was beneficial to learn this way because they in a way had their own peers going through the teaching with them at the same time.
I believe that it is important for us as future teachers to learn these concepts so we know all of the different aspects that need to be incorporated in order to make a lesson plan successful . I think that this week really showed us that there are a lot of different things that can be taught using a certain song you just have to know how to go about it and not be scared to try. I think that although people were put on the spot it was nice to have students teach the rest of the class the different notes so we were able to learn it from someone other than the teacher. It was important to go over the songs on the recorder to make sure that we were comfortable with the first couple of notes being taught to us so that we could move on and be able to learn more.
To be honest, I don't think that we really learned anything that would be useful to students at this point in time. It is important for children to be able to learn what a rest is so that they understand that there are no sounds necessary for those notes. Students need to know this because it is a part of every song that they are going to be learning and they need to know the meaning. I really think that it can't be stressed enough that in music concepts build off one another. However, I don't really think anything else was really geared at the children this week but more to us so that we would start understanding the basics of teaching.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Week # 3
This past week I felt that the classes were really based on our own creativity and how we can incorporate that into our own classrooms. Some of the different musical concepts that we learned about were melody, scale, C major, and last but not least Treble Clef. We learned that melody is the combination of various pitches. These pitches can be high, low, or the same. We talked about the C major scale and how it goes from one C to the next and incorporates all the notes in between. C major scale would be CDEFGABC. We learned not only what Treble Clef meant but also how to draw it. Treble Clef represents the notes of the right hand. We also learned some musical skills. For example during the previous week we learned how to add sound to different rythemes. This week we added on to that and learned how to create various movement that still keep the same beat. I believe that the skill we learned was how to differentiate between the students and keep it interesting for them. For example on Friday we learned that one thing the kids could do is to use alternate hands to keep the beat with a partner. For me the best thing we learned was on Friday with the recorder. We took a song and learned how to create our own melody just by being given the notes we could use and the rythem we had to follow.
I believe that this week because we were learning so many different concepts and creating new things a lot of the way it was presented to us was simply that. We discussed and were set off on our own to put it together. One thing that I think was very helpful was being able to see examples of other students work. For instance we learned this week how to add pictures based on the beat of the note to help the kids follow along. It was confusing to some students how to go about this so Dr. Wang gave us an example of past work and showed us that there were many different ways to represent the rythem. I feel though that in a way it was a bit like lecture this week but necessary because not everyone in the class is familiar with music and they simple needed to learn the definitions so that they could go about incorporating that into their work. I think that when we were creating our own melody on the recorder using the notes GAB, a lot of us turned to other people in the circle to both give and get advice from them. We also in a way learned by imitation this week when we were taught the name song. Dr. Wang would sing it for us and then we would sing it back but using our own name.
I feel that it was important to us to learn these concepts and skills because like I have previously said music is really building blocks that add on to the previous concept/ skill. We were allowed to experiment with our own individuality to create the different pieces this past week and I think that was very helpful because it makes us understand how important being your own person is and now we will be able to impart that knowledge into our own students. However, I do feel that some students felt bad when they were judged on their creativity. I think that a lot of what we were trying to do was simply understand what was being taught. Where the Rain song was a lot easier to be creative with our own name rhyme could really have been whatever we chose to draw. I think that also needs to be understood in this class.
I think that all of these concepts are important for children to learn. The main point that we were learning this week was creativity and at this age kids have such a great imagination that it should be and can be brought out in the work that they create. Children can draw their own story for their rhymes and it is really great to see them express themselves. I am not sure however, if creating their own song would be a little bit more challenging for them. At the same time if that was the case then no matter what song they create they should be praised for having the courage to do so. It is important for kids to be taught this kind of creativity because it is something that will be able to help them grow as people for the rest of their school aged years.
I believe that this week because we were learning so many different concepts and creating new things a lot of the way it was presented to us was simply that. We discussed and were set off on our own to put it together. One thing that I think was very helpful was being able to see examples of other students work. For instance we learned this week how to add pictures based on the beat of the note to help the kids follow along. It was confusing to some students how to go about this so Dr. Wang gave us an example of past work and showed us that there were many different ways to represent the rythem. I feel though that in a way it was a bit like lecture this week but necessary because not everyone in the class is familiar with music and they simple needed to learn the definitions so that they could go about incorporating that into their work. I think that when we were creating our own melody on the recorder using the notes GAB, a lot of us turned to other people in the circle to both give and get advice from them. We also in a way learned by imitation this week when we were taught the name song. Dr. Wang would sing it for us and then we would sing it back but using our own name.
I feel that it was important to us to learn these concepts and skills because like I have previously said music is really building blocks that add on to the previous concept/ skill. We were allowed to experiment with our own individuality to create the different pieces this past week and I think that was very helpful because it makes us understand how important being your own person is and now we will be able to impart that knowledge into our own students. However, I do feel that some students felt bad when they were judged on their creativity. I think that a lot of what we were trying to do was simply understand what was being taught. Where the Rain song was a lot easier to be creative with our own name rhyme could really have been whatever we chose to draw. I think that also needs to be understood in this class.
I think that all of these concepts are important for children to learn. The main point that we were learning this week was creativity and at this age kids have such a great imagination that it should be and can be brought out in the work that they create. Children can draw their own story for their rhymes and it is really great to see them express themselves. I am not sure however, if creating their own song would be a little bit more challenging for them. At the same time if that was the case then no matter what song they create they should be praised for having the courage to do so. It is important for kids to be taught this kind of creativity because it is something that will be able to help them grow as people for the rest of their school aged years.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
This past week in class we created various rhymes to help teach the class a little bit about ourselves while also learning how to be able to keep a beat. First we performed our rhyme to the class by means of a steady beat which we learned was a constant repetition of sound... Later we were taught how to play our rhymes using a rhythmic pattern which is a combination of short, long, and silent sounds put together. We were given even more practice with these concepts but using our hands to clap the beats of songs such as, "Hey Hey Who's in Town," as well as, "Three Blind Mice." On Friday we switched gears and began learning how to play the recorder. At first it was very hard to play together as a class because not everyone had the same sound but later on we were able to figure it out. We were taught how to play "Three Blind Mice," by using the B, A, & G notes. It was great to begin playing the recorder again because it as been so long since I last played one. I knew how to place my fingers but I was still rusty on which of the notes was what.
There were a few different ways that we gained this knowledge this past week. The past week we were shown what a steady beat was and therefore knew what to play our rhyme to. This week we were mainly taught by demonstration and discussion. The teacher would show us the beat that she wanted us to play and then we would mimic that back using our own rhyme. One student had a very interesting and unique beat to his which led us in to the discussion of what a rhythmic beat is. While we were learning to play the recorder we were shown the different positions that our fingers had to take in order to create the correct sound. Later on we were taught the song that she wanted us to play and the teacher made it very interesting by having the circle play different notes at a time. This gave a chance to see how we could come together while being given different tasks. This really also gave us a chance to get to play each note and see how they all come together.
I think that it is important for us to learn these different get to know you songs because it teaches us how to attempt to make the kids feel comfortable when they walk into the classroom. It allows us to learn how to be more diverse in keeping the kids entertained. The key concepts that we learned such as steady beat and rhythmic pattern are two of the most important when learning the fundamentals of music and serve as the basis to many things that we may need to learn later on. I believe that these ideas help to teach us different ways to expand the elementary education classroom.
I think that it is important for students to be able to learn these concepts and ideas for many different reasons... Music is something that kids will be exposed to for the rest of their lives. Without knowing these simple ideas it will be very hard to continue their music education. Many kids realize that music is something that has a great effect on them and as they get older they like to create their own music as a way to express themselves. I also feel that after seeing how our classroom interacted, I think that this would be great to have the kids be able to work together. They can help each other come up with a rhyme just as we did while also learning how to keep a beat for someone else so that person doesn't feel uncomfortable. However, they would not be able to do this if they didn't learn these concepts early on. I am a little bit confused when it comes to the recorder. Although I do believe that the recorder is a very fun instrument to learn I am not exactly sure why this would be important to have in the classroom unless you were an elementary ed music teacher.
10 Children's Songs:
1) "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star"
2) "Row Row Row Your Boat"
3) "ABC's"
4) "I've Been Working on a Railroad"
5) "The Ants Go Marching"
6) "Baby Beluga"
7) "Yankee Doodle"
8) "Bingo"
9) "Down by the Bay"
10)"Wheels on the Bus"
There were a few different ways that we gained this knowledge this past week. The past week we were shown what a steady beat was and therefore knew what to play our rhyme to. This week we were mainly taught by demonstration and discussion. The teacher would show us the beat that she wanted us to play and then we would mimic that back using our own rhyme. One student had a very interesting and unique beat to his which led us in to the discussion of what a rhythmic beat is. While we were learning to play the recorder we were shown the different positions that our fingers had to take in order to create the correct sound. Later on we were taught the song that she wanted us to play and the teacher made it very interesting by having the circle play different notes at a time. This gave a chance to see how we could come together while being given different tasks. This really also gave us a chance to get to play each note and see how they all come together.
I think that it is important for us to learn these different get to know you songs because it teaches us how to attempt to make the kids feel comfortable when they walk into the classroom. It allows us to learn how to be more diverse in keeping the kids entertained. The key concepts that we learned such as steady beat and rhythmic pattern are two of the most important when learning the fundamentals of music and serve as the basis to many things that we may need to learn later on. I believe that these ideas help to teach us different ways to expand the elementary education classroom.
I think that it is important for students to be able to learn these concepts and ideas for many different reasons... Music is something that kids will be exposed to for the rest of their lives. Without knowing these simple ideas it will be very hard to continue their music education. Many kids realize that music is something that has a great effect on them and as they get older they like to create their own music as a way to express themselves. I also feel that after seeing how our classroom interacted, I think that this would be great to have the kids be able to work together. They can help each other come up with a rhyme just as we did while also learning how to keep a beat for someone else so that person doesn't feel uncomfortable. However, they would not be able to do this if they didn't learn these concepts early on. I am a little bit confused when it comes to the recorder. Although I do believe that the recorder is a very fun instrument to learn I am not exactly sure why this would be important to have in the classroom unless you were an elementary ed music teacher.
10 Children's Songs:
1) "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star"
2) "Row Row Row Your Boat"
3) "ABC's"
4) "I've Been Working on a Railroad"
5) "The Ants Go Marching"
6) "Baby Beluga"
7) "Yankee Doodle"
8) "Bingo"
9) "Down by the Bay"
10)"Wheels on the Bus"
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Name Rhyme
My-Name- is-Mich-elle
I-Love -Taco-Bell
There's a-song named-after-me-
Love the-Beat-les-Can't you-see
I-Love -Taco-Bell
There's a-song named-after-me-
Love the-Beat-les-Can't you-see
Sunday, January 18, 2009
My Music History
My name is Michelle Zlatkin and I am sophomore. I have a brother and sister-in-law in the army. As far as I can remember music has always been a part of my life. I have enjoyed it since I was a child and always wanted it to be a part of me. One of my greatest achievements I have in relation to music was that I began playing the piano when I was 5years old and I continued to play for about 10 or 11 years. Still today whenever I find the time at home I sit down and just play. It's something that is really relaxing to me. I was always able to hear a song and sit down on the piano and figure it out. Although it often took a lot of time and I became increasingly more frustrated, I felt great when I didn't give up. In middle school as well as high school I was apart of both choir and show choir. It was always really fun for me and I felt great when in high school I tried out and got into the advanced choir. Really for me, music was somehow involved in everything that I did. For my entire high school career I was in a theater group, known as Reality Theater. The unique thing about this group was that the entire show was put together by us and our real stories. For that reason we were allowed to experiment with things so during transitions we would have music playing and as time grew we started having complete music pieces. One of my favorite ones was that we replicated the Cell Block Tango for Chicago and did the Teenage Tango and turned into problems that teenagers have like worrying about getting their license, graduating, where to sit at lunch, etc. It was just so much fun because it was real to us. Like most people I have an ipod that I listen to all the time that has all my favorite music on there. I must say I am a very diverse person in my music preference. I like anything from oldies to rap. Some of my favorites include The Beatles who I am completely obsessed with, David Cook, Lady Antebellum, Toby Keith, Carrie Underwood, Jeniffer Lopez, and Akon. I enjoy listening to different things depending on what mood I am in. I think part of the reason I love the Beatles is because I grew up with my dad always singing "Michelle My Bell" to me so it always had an emotional keep on me. I have about 1,000 songs on my ipod and I try to update it often to keep up with the new music that I hear. I listen to it often, sometimes walking to class, when I'm getting ready, doing homework, but most often I listen to it when I am working out. It helps me stay motivated and releases energy. I even have a play list dedicated to working out so I never lose focus. That is most of my music history.
I really didn't know what to expect when I walked into this class. I never really thought about being a music teacher so I wasn't sure how I was going to incorporate it into my class. In any class when you are with people that you don't know it is hard to feel comfortable with them right away which is why I think the exercises that we did like saying hello, different people picking movements for the whole class to do, introducing ourselves gave people a chance to open up with one another, at least know that we are all in the same position and it is new to all of us. I think that the exercise we did with the drum would be a really good way for the kids in your class to get to know each other while learning a fun thing to say so that it does not get boring to them. I do think however, at times the exercises did seem to get a little bit lengthy. For instance the drum exercise might have been adapted to standing up and walking around in a circle or something to keep the kids moving. I think that is especially important when you have a large class and need to keep the kids entertained. I am really looking forward to the different music concepts that we are going to learn because I look back and see how important music was in my life and hope that I to can give that to kids.
I really didn't know what to expect when I walked into this class. I never really thought about being a music teacher so I wasn't sure how I was going to incorporate it into my class. In any class when you are with people that you don't know it is hard to feel comfortable with them right away which is why I think the exercises that we did like saying hello, different people picking movements for the whole class to do, introducing ourselves gave people a chance to open up with one another, at least know that we are all in the same position and it is new to all of us. I think that the exercise we did with the drum would be a really good way for the kids in your class to get to know each other while learning a fun thing to say so that it does not get boring to them. I do think however, at times the exercises did seem to get a little bit lengthy. For instance the drum exercise might have been adapted to standing up and walking around in a circle or something to keep the kids moving. I think that is especially important when you have a large class and need to keep the kids entertained. I am really looking forward to the different music concepts that we are going to learn because I look back and see how important music was in my life and hope that I to can give that to kids.
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