Mr. Owen, currently napping, has his first birthday party this weekend and has given me more joy and more to think about in a year than I ever thought possible.  I've been reading a lot about how boys learn, how they play, and how they are different from girls in more than just the anatomical sense.  I see things I have read play out in his need for speed, destruction, short breaks after play, and how much he love his momma :) I wonder if education, originally meant only for boys has left them behind. 

 I don't do a lot of sitting still in the music room, but because of space constraints I do a lot of "move like this" or very reigned in creative movement.  Maybe we'll take it outside this year and let them run free.  Like a good Kodaly teacher I pride myself on my transitions, but maybe my boys need more time to wind down and ease into those periods of concentration. Why is it my boys are always losing the right to play the instruments because they aren't using them appropriately.  Maybe I can create some exploration centers where kids can make any sound with instruments, before being asked to make specific sounds.  Seeing my son handle everything I know I need to make music a more tactile experience for my boys. I have manipulatives but mostly paper or felt.  I think a lego rhythm activity is in order.  Maybe some vocal development in sand or bags of finger paint. 

I'm certainly not an expert on boys, but having Owen has given me a different perspective and as he grows so will my understanding.

Any tricks you use to help boys
 
I love Kindergarten!  The work we do in Kindergarten sets the foundation for everything else they will learn.  In one of my Kodaly classes, the teacher told us in Hungary they take their best and brightest, the most talented music teachers and let them teach Kindergarten.  Not to mention Kinders love to move, sing, and play without abandon... and are so stinkin' cute you could gobble them up.  So this summer I really tried to dedicate my time into strengthening my Kindergarten curriculum.  I started with my I can statements, looked at what songs and actvitities are the absolute best ways to help students reach their goals, and threw out everything else.  I also created a book of songs and activities for students to take home that will show parents exactly what we do in the music room and let them continue to make music at home.  I posted the pdf of my book for your thoughts and ideas.  If you would be interested in an editable copy for your own usage let me know.
kindergarten_book_2012.pdf
File Size: 1373 kb
File Type: pdf
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Picture
Ok, so those of you who know me, know that I am an admitted Pinterest addict.  I have seriously considered having my husband put a parental control on the site so I don't spend so much of my time pinning new ideas.  Most of the time I pin anything that catches my attention, with the intention of going back and looking at the links when I have time.  I first looked at the incredibox link last month on my ipad, and since of course it is flash based, (grumble grumble thank you for not working well with others apple ) it wouldn't play, and I dismissed it.  Finally saw it on my laptop today and I am in love! 

At first glance it is a cool music mixer a little bit like Groovy Jungle.  My kids would have an amazing time creating their own a'ccappella arrangements.This little hipster looking dude pops up shirtless and you drag over an icon which not only gives him some sweet threads but also a beat, melody,harmony, or vocal effect. You can record your arrangements.  Not only that, you can layer in parts, change parts in the middle of the recording, temporarily mute certain parts just by clicking a character. 

As I was first using this as a fun toy, I thought of all of the teachable moments that could come from this website.  We can dissect and isolate parts and see how they fit into the big picture.  I can relate it back to our ostinatos on orff instruments and how they sound simple when they are alone but combined they create a complex and interesting sound.  We can talk through compositional choices, like which sounds seem to fit together and why. Why can't you have all vocal effects?

I might have to get a bit campy and after the students create electronic versions, have them create an instrumental version with them play dressed up like the incredibox singers.   

I am hoping an ipad app becomes available for this if anyone hears anything please let me know.

Have fun with incredibox, beware you may need to put a parental lock on it too it is so addicting.
http://www.incredibox.com/en/#/application




    Heather Repasky

    I'm a new mom to Mr. Owen Repasky and am blessed to live and work in a district that supports music and the arts. I teach music k-5 and have an after school choir.  I obtained my Bachelors of Music Ed from Bowling Green and Music Masters with Kodaly Certification from Capital University.  

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