Thursday, December 12, 2013

Carol of the Bells for Orff (finally!!)


I've been avoiding writing this post because of the amount of time I thought it would take. I'm going to go out on a limb and hope you all will not mind the imperfections of this final product. Here is the list of things I was going to mention in more detail:

1. The arrangement is very close to the traditional SATB Carol of the Bells.
2. The Orff instruments I have do not have G#, which created a few issues. I chose to use piano to play  the one important section that contained the note. There is another section that I am hoping doesn't sound too bad with a G natural.
3. The notation system I used was free online, and I had very little time to write it, so there are a few issues with it. Oh well! I hope to edit on a better notation system some other time.

Ok! That's it! My fifth graders are loving it. I'll post a recording if I can. The one included here is a demo that I created on Garage Band.

Monday, November 25, 2013

COMING SOON! - Carol of the Bells for Orff Instruments

Can't wait to share this! I will provide the score, the instrument parts, and a demo recording. I will also share some lesson plan ideas to introduce this piece. Stay tuned!

Monday, October 21, 2013

From Music to Math - Teaching Fractions through Rhythm to Fourth Graders

Alright, here it is! This is a unit teaching both and rhythms and math. The unit is flexible to fit many different teaching situations. Hopefully, the materials will help inspire you and your students! Let me know if you would like a modifiable version of this packet.
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B6jBwrqnt9veNW5uQjlCbUFmbmM/edit?usp=sharing

Monday, October 14, 2013

Fourth Grade Scary Stories!

My fourth grade students are pretty obsessed with scary stories, especially around this time of the year. I created an activity allowing the students to practice group skills while learning about the connection between music and a story. To prepare, my students discussed the difference between mood music and sound effects. The students were given a scary story to interpret. I used "The Drum" and "Footsteps" from Scary Stories Three: More Tales to Chill Your Bones, by Alvin Schwartz.
http://www.amazon.com/Scary-Stories-Tales-Chill-Bones/dp/0060835249

The kids were then divided into four groups. I divided the story into four sections and assigned a section to each group. The students are in charge of reading the story out loud, and simultaneously adding mood music and sound effects with unpitched percussion.

Why do an activity that doesn't teach rhythm, pitch, or other concrete concepts? Because my students are making connections to how music is linked to not only other subject areas, but to the world around them. One of the grades they receive is "connecting music to the world around them." This also helps tie in National Music Standards 6, 7, 8, and 9. Plus, my students who are a bit reserved in music class come out of their shell and I have a chance to hook them for the rest of the year!

Here are the documents I use:
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B6jBwrqnt9veUFVfUGpJaWFaUDA/edit?usp=sharing

Hope you enjoy! If you have a tried-and-true way of hooking your fourth and fifth grade students, please share! As always, if you need a modifiable version of this activity, please contact me.
Mrs. Campbell, here. I am excited to have a new space to share my ideas for my elementary music classroom. Please stay tuned for a post containing an exciting cross-curricular lesson for fourth grade. The lesson incorporates math skills and fractions while teaching composition and rhythm. I can't wait to share! What do you do to tie in math while teaching rhythm?