An honest Kindergarten opinion
This week, a particularly inquisitive Kindergarten student told me he thought that the activity I was leading was boring! The class was echoing 4-beat patterns following a silly rhythm chant. We talked about how that could be rephrased in a kind way, then I said that it might be more interesting to do individual patterns. When I went to give the “this is boring” student an individual pattern, I was prepared for an eye roll, but instead he created his own pattern! It was not perfect by any means, but I was taken aback by this unprompted response and I am excited by the windows into my students’ individual musicianship that pattern instruction will allow.
In other Kindergarten news, one student asked me where my bed was this week. She was shocked to learn that I did not in fact live in the school building, but at an apartment out of town. :P
VoiceThread
According to their website, VoiceThread is a “tool for having conversations around media.” Once the media is posted, anyone can comment by phone, webcam, microphone, typing, or file upload. The creator can comment back, thus resulting in a conversation. Registration and use of all features is free.
I found out about VoiceThread from one of my instructors for the Music Learning Theory Elementary Certification course, Jennifer Bailey. She uses it on her school website to reinforce student’s notation reading skills (see I Can Read! and Recorder Karate). Other teachers use it in a similar way, reinforcing listening lessons with media (see Carnival of the Animals) and posting videos of student compositions for comments (see Year 4/5 Music Making).
Some of the most interesting voice threads I came across appeared to be mostly student-led - Jack’s Monster Cards and Social Justice Poetry Slam. I am excited by the possibilities of encouraging student creativity and interaction through VoiceThread.
How To Teach a Kid to Argue Like The Ancient Greeks
“And let’s face it: Our culture has lost the ability to usefully disagree. Most Americans seem to avoid argument. But this has produced passive aggression and groupthink in the office, red and blue states, and families unable to discuss things as simple as what to watch on television. Rhetoric doesn’t turn kids into back-sassers; it makes them think about other points of view.”
A.K.A. How to teach children to use their words persuasively and promote critical thinking through the lens of logos, ethos, and pathos. Interesting article!
MENC Petition for Equal Access
If by chance anyone passes through here…
CLICK IT. It’s IMPORTANT.
Click to be directed to the MENC Petition for Equal Access to Music Education. I can’t believe how many schools in Michigan have no music programs at all! I’m not sure what can come of this, but it’s important to voice these concerns.
It can be signed by any citizen, so please forward to parents, colleagues, friends, and family. The deadline is June 17, and it will be delivered to Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, at the Rally for Music Education on June 18.
