Teacher Idea Room 10 Tips for Keeping Your Sanity in December 100th Day of School A Day with John Jacobson A Hundred Years All-School Star-Spangled Banner April Showers Audience Curtain Back to School After Break Big Instruments for Little Kids Blue for Save the Music Build Your Music Library with Music Express! Can Music and P.E. Form an Alliance? Candy Wrapper Rhythms Choreography for The Star Spangled Banner? Christmas Sock Rock Clap-a-Carol Classic Arts Showcase Classroom Tips to Start the New Year Composer Presentations Continued Success at the PEAK Festival Country Line Dance Create a Form Create Your Own Marching Choir Danse Macabre Dear Abby December Holidays Around the World Destination: America–A Big Hit In Appleton, Wisconsin Did You Know About National Board Certification? Einstein Music Education Advocate's Toolkit Everyday Composers Five Goals for Musicians Young and Old Foster School gets M.E. Award for Best Costumes Four Corners Give the Gift of Music Good Advice for the First Day of Class Gwyn Pellegrini–Winner of the 2003 Music Express Survey Contest Halloween Costume Concert Have You Heard About The Teacher Tax Break? How Does Your Garden Grow? Instruments Galore iTunes John's Choreography on TV Kimberly House – Winner of the 2004 Music Express Survey Contest Magic Music Hat Manipulatives for Melody March Is Play-The-Recorder Month Mexican Hot Chocolate Milwaukee Sings Music Express Archives Music Express Bulletin Board Music Express Ends the Year on a High Note Music Express for Everyone! Music Express Workshop Kit Music Fast Facts for August/September Music Fast Facts for December Music Fast Facts for January/February Music Fast Facts for March/April Music Fast Facts for May/June Music Fast Facts for October/November Music Friends Musical Maze Musical Review Bulletin Board Musician Interviews My Town, My World Tip Names, Names, Names Need Support? New Calendar for the New Year Oklahoma Teachers Enjoyed Music Express Workshop Organization Revelation Peak Festival–a Great Success Presidents' Day March Ready for a Summer Boost? Recommended Web Sites for Elementary Music Educators Recorder Order Reflection on Parents and Teachers Remember these? National Standards for Music Education Request Day Reviving the May Pole Justin Timberlake–Advocate for Music Education Sesame Street Music Works Shopping and Making Music? Snow Songs a Big Hit! Spread the Cheer Star-Spangled Etiquette Star-Spangled Repro Suggestions for Funding Summer Music Activities The Best That I Can Be The National Anthem Project The Quest as a Theme Trolley Car Ride Up for the Challenge! Valentine Cakewalk Veteran's Day Concert Idea Warm Cinnamon-Orange Cider Recipe for the Holidays We Remember We Remember Why Do We Teach Music? Milwaukee Sings Milwaukee Sings! is a music festival that has been hosted by the Milwaukee Children's Choir for the past five years. The festival was developed based on the philosophy of John Jacobson's America Sings! festivals: to combine community service and philanthropy with the arts. The motto is: "To children who feel they have no hope from children with hope to share." We start in September by contacting all the public and private elementary and middle schools in a five county area. Schools can register singers for $15 per singer. This fee helps cover the cost of running the festival and a T-Shirt. Most schools bring about 25-30 singers. The 2002 festival featured about 700 singers (one side of a gymnasium!) Each teacher is responsible for teaching the music in advance and for trying to bring a "balanced" group of sopranos and altos to the festival that usually takes place on a Friday night and Saturday in March or April. Each school is assigned an item to collect and bring to the festival for our designated community organization. This year we collected school supplies and packed them in brand new backpacks for children in the Milwaukee Women's Center, an emergency shelter for families of domestic violence. On the Friday evening we get everyone seated and start rehearsing. Saturday brings more rehearsal, lunch (provided by parent volunteers), a talent show, the service project and dinner culminating in the evening concert. Nothing can match the complete joy on the faces of the children and the audience as they perform an exciting concert (accompanied by a live band!). No admission is charged, but the audience is invited to contribute to the chosen charity on their way out. Over the past 5 years over $12,000 has been donated to Milwaukee-area charities along with hundreds of donated food, baby and school supplies. This year's festival "Love in Any Language" included two Music Express songs: "Child of the World" by John Jacobson and John Higgins and "Heroes All" by John Jacobson and Roger Emerson. How Does Your Garden Grow? Start with 350 "seeds" from kindergarten to grade three, add teachers and parents and anyone else you can get to help, organize, and nurture… and after four months, you will enjoy a spring "bloom" filled with colorful sights, joyous sounds and beaming faces. Without getting into the day-to-day weeding, pruning and fertilizing of this process, I will pass on some quick notes that I found helpful in putting together this production of John Jacobson's inspired musical How Does Your Garden Grow?: • Give your Principal the lead role as "Herb" the gardener. This guarantees interest from the students and teachers alike. • Get teachers on stage in vegetable costumes to help with stage direction of the various flora/fauna (e.g. Weed coaches, Flower coaches, etc.) • Give teachers a rehearsal tape for their class to listen to as often as possible and work into their weekly activities. • Get parent volunteers involved in making costumes and sets, as well as to take photographs and assist with rehearsals. • As early as possible, post a collage of rehearsal pictures to generate interest and enthusiasm for the production. • Dedicate the play to a cause or person. Our production was dedicated to a young teacher and gardener who had recently succumbed to cancer. • Send invitations to prominent community members. • Try to get some of the kids on a local radio station or community cable TV station to stir up interest in the community and generate excitement among the kids. • Ask a local florist or garden shop to donate flowers and props. We had kids hand out flowers to audience members during the production. • Ask if a local grocer wants to set up a mini Farmer's Market at the performance site to add to the gardening ambiance. • As the audience arrives, have appropriate garden music playing on the PA system. Our favorite was Tiny Tim's "Tip Toe Through the Tulips." • Adorn the gym/facility walls with the kids' art masterpieces (spring themes). • Embrace the PROCESS of this production. Present everything with enthusiasm… as if it's the most important thing they are about to do. Have fun but expect lots! May you all have green thumbs when it comes to staging this production. Sadie Culliford Canada Did You Know About National Board Certification? Music educators who have been teaching for some time can pursue a certificate that recognizes their higher level of expertise and professional development. And most states and local districts give incentives for the certificate! The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards is providing National Board Certification In "Early Childhood and Middle Childhood Music" and "Early Adolescence through Young Adulthood Music". For more information, visit the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards website at www.nbpts.org, and click on "Standards & National Board Certification" on the left side of the page. To check on the incentive for your state, click on "State & Local Support & Incentives." Have You Heard About The Teacher Tax Break? A new federal law has been passed giving teachers an "above-the-line deduction of as much as $250 a year for un-reimbursed classroom materials such as books, chalk, erasers, paper and other supplies. It also includes computer equipment and related software and services. This "above-the-line" deduction means that it appears before the adjusted gross income on your tax return, so you don't have to itemize your deductions to qualify. Trolley Car Ride Some cities are lucky enough to have a Trolley Car service available for transportation. These "buses" can also be rented for special events such a weddings, etc. How about renting it for the cast of your fall musical? Before the performance, all participants can ride around the city in full costume to advertise the musical. It's a great way to boost morale and get your city involved (and at) the performances. If your musical has a country theme, use a hayride. Halloween Costume Concert Have your first concert of the year be the most eye-catching by having all performers (plus director) dress up in costumes. After the performance they may "parade" in front of the judge's panel (selected teachers and/or administration) to be awarded prizes in several categories at the end of the program. Here are some prize suggestions: Most Scary, Most Original, Funniest, Most Unique, etc. Prizes can be anything from a movie pass to a liter of soda. Danse Macabre My favorite activity uses Saint-Saëns "Danse Macabre." I have it playing when the students enter the room, and I don't say a word. Moving slowly, I indicate where they should sit for the day. It doesn't take long for them to get "in the mood." After they're settled in, I turn the volume lower and lower, until it's inaudible. I turn out the classroom lights and turn on the overhead projector, which displays a "Danse Macabre" listening map. As they listen again, they take note of which instruments represent which characters, actions, emotions, etc., while following the listening map. Then the "real" fun begins (according to the kids!) With most of the lights turned out (my room has no outside windows), we break into groups and act out the music. We have a fiddler dancing about and ghosts swirling and twirling—it's always such a favorite of the kids that they ask to do on the last day of music class for the year (which is their free choice day). Becky Luce State Street School Windsor, VT Veteran's Day Concert Idea Close your patriotic concert with a great rendition of "America the Beautiful." Show a slide show of "American" photos in the background while the choir sings. Suggested photos: mountains, prairies, city skyline, ocean, wheat field, desert, Grand Canyon, Statue of Liberty, American flag, etc. Ask your students for family vacation photos that can be easily converted into slides. Composer Presentations One thing I do with my 5th and 6th graders that really helps them learn composers is power point or newsletter presentations. They work on researching composers in teams of at least two and no more than four (co-operative learning). I give them a sample viewing and a rubric before they start. I then have books and magazines available as well as Internet and encyclopedia CD-ROMs available. After plenty of time to research, they work on a power point presentation or a newsletter (their choice). I have found adding the computer in the research process sparks interest in the most reluctant learner. This has also been very successful for all levels of learners. The more advanced learners and the challenged learners are able to produce equally outstanding presentations (differentiated learning). Dee Truelove Ikard Elementary Weatherford, TX Remember these? National Standards for Music Education 1. Singing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music. 2. Performing on instruments, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music. 3. Improvising melodies, variations, and accompaniments. 4. Composing and arranging music within specified guidelines. 5. Reading and notating music. 6. Listening to, analyzing, and describing music. 7. Evaluating music and music performances. 8. Understanding relationships between music, the other arts, and disciplines outside the arts. 9. Understanding music in relation to history and culture. Clap-a-Carol I have each elementary music class for forty minutes. The last ten minutes of each class time we play some type of music game to reinforce music theory or singing skills. Since December is so busy planning for performances, I have a stand-by game that I play at every grade level to make my December planning easier. They all love it! I call it "Clap-a-Carol." It reinforces listening skills and rhythm. I clap the rhythm to a familiar Christmas carol and choose students to guess the carol. The student who guesses it correctly gets to clap the next carol or choose someone else in the class to do it for him/her. Jennifer Baham San Jose Christian School Campbell, CA Justin Timberlake–Advocate for Music Education A wonderful new partnership took flight on Wednesday, June 12, 2002 when *NSYNC's Justin Timberlake, AMC's (American Music Conference) new partner on behalf of music education, made a special phone-in appearance on MTV's Total Request Live to encourage teens to make music and help assure access to music learning. Timberlake has founded his own pro-music organization, the Justin Timberlake Foundation, and during his call to TRL he announced his partnership with the AMC and also provided an interview on the importance of music education that will be targeted to publications like Time and Newsweek to help influence policy-makers' decisions in the future. At www.amc-music.com they will continually have updates on this exciting new relationship. The "Einstein" Music Education Advocate's Toolkit The American Music Conference (AMC) is committed to providing materials and tools so that people can become advocates for music education and help to sustain and save music programs across the country. You can order materials like the Music Education Advocate's Toolkit, also known as the "Einstein" Kit from the AMC website at www.amc-music.com, and click Music Advocacy Resources or type "Einstein" in the search field. This kit includes advice on making a school board presentation, materials for duplication such as letters to parents, board members, etc., new releases, power point presentations and research summaries that prove music education increases student learning power. They also offer public service announcements at no charge by well-known artists such as Clint Black, Itzhak Perlman and Sting for your local radio stations to use as community service spots. Mexican Hot Chocolate Try a "Christmas traditions from Mexico" theme for your next Holiday concert. Here's an easy recipe for Mexican Hot Chocolate or Chocolate Caliente. Ingredients 6 cups of milk 6 oz sweet chocolate 6 oz semi sweet chocolate 1/2 tsp vanilla Dash of cinnamon Heat the milk over medium flame. Break the chocolate into pieces. When the milk is hot, dissolve in it the chocolate pieces, moving constantly until everything is dissolved. Increase heat and let the mixture slowly boil. Add the vanilla and the cinnamon. Continue beating until frothy. Serves 6. 10 Tips for Keeping Your Sanity in December 1. Listen to your favorite holiday music every day on the way to work and on your way home. 2. Keep a flower on your desk and smell it every day. 3. In between classes, do this Yoga stretch. Reach up as high as you can, inhaling deeply. As you exhale, slowly bend over like a rag doll. You don't have to touch the floor or your toes. You don't even have to touch your knees. Just hang there and relax. Then slowly roll up one vertebra at a time as you inhale. Stand tall, exhale and welcome your next class. 4. When you get home, rub your feet with lotion and elevate them while you watch your favorite holiday movie. 5. Take your best class caroling around the school during their class period. Visit the office, the janitors, the cooks, the library, and other classes (if they don't mind the interruption). 6. Make a list of the things you need to do that day, and praise yourself when everything is crossed off! 7. Try to stay away from all the Christmas treats; they burn off fast and leave you feeling drained. Try to munch on high protein snacks that will last the whole day through. 8. Drink lots of water! Dehydration is one of the main causes of fatigue. So, water equals energy. 9. Welcome each class with a different holiday song. Make a list of songs next to the door and cross them off for each class as you use them. 10. Hang up mistletoe and dare someone to step under it. Back to School After Break The elementary kids are always so eager to report to me what they did on vacation. Since I have only 30 minutes once a week I made up a little song to the tune of "Skip to My Lou:" Our friend (student's name), what did you do? Our friend (student's name), what did you do? Our friend (student's name), what did you do? What did you do on vacation? Then each student answers back with one exciting thing they did on vacation. Keri Whitney Dr. Lewis S. Libby School Milford, ME Manipulatives for Melody I use school lunch trays and bingo chips for manipulatives for music class. I draw a staff on the small lap size flat trays making sure the spaces on the staff are the same width as a bingo chip or other circular marker. Students can use these to practice melodies going up or down, notes moving by step, skip or repeat by placing the chips on the staff. Also, the teacher or other students can call out note names, while the students place their chip on the correct line or space. I use this activity for grades 1-5 and they all seem to enjoy this hands-on practice. Using the trays helps keep the chips from sliding off. The students either sit on the floor using their chair as a desk or simply place the tray on their lap. Angela Reisler Jacobsville Elementary School Pasadena, MD Sesame Street Music Works Sesame Street Music Works is a public service initiative that encourages children to explore, create and grow with music. This multi-media initiative has been developed by Sesame Workshop, the creators of Sesame Street, with generous support from NAMM, ChevronTexaco Foundation, MENC, the national Endowment for the Arts and the Hecksher Foundation for Children. Sesame Street Music Works is designed to provide parents, early childhood professionals, music educators, and music therapists with tools and activities to bring music to life for young children, as they discover new ways to make, learn from, and appreciate music. Log on to www.sesameworkshop.com and type "Music Works" in the search field for more information and great ideas! Can Music and P.E. Form an Alliance? Some states have passed legislation requiring a set amount of physical activity per week for every child. As you know, scheduling can be a jigsaw puzzle, but consider this: In order to accommodate the P.E. requirement, can movement and dance in the music classroom count toward this weekly goal? You bet it can! Some state officials have agreed that the minutes spent in the movement components of an elementary music class could count toward the mandate if a local district so chooses. Make sure your administrator is aware of this when contemplating the schedule for next year. Five Goals for Musicians Young and Old 1. To become a skillful and acute listener. 2. To become a kind, caring, positive ensemble member. 3. To become a competent user of musical notation. 4. To become a sensitive and spirited performer. 5. To taste the feeling of being a part of great music. We Remember We had a Red, White and Blue assembly on September 11, 2002 and the third graders sang "We Remember" (from the Aug/Sept. 2002 issue). The song was very well received. There were many adults and students with tears in their eyes. The words and the music were exceptional! The students begged to sing it after they had worked on it during music class. They LOVE the Music Express magazine. Mary Radniecki, Music Specialist Lewis and Clark Elementary School Fargo, ND Build Your Music Library with Music Express! At the end of each month, I build my music library by collecting all the student Music Express magazines. I three-hole punch them for a two-inch binder and place my teacher magazine in the binder also. I also copy the table of contents and place in the outside plastic cover, so I'll know the contents of the binder. I will do this for each month, and wow, what a big curriculum supporter this is! Paulette Huff Faith Christian School Grapevine, TX All-School Star-Spangled Banner Our school plays "The Star Spangled Banner" over the intercom every morning after announcements. I asked for student volunteers to sing our national anthem and many responded. We used the tracks from the August/September 2002 issue and made individual recordings of each student (groups or solos) singing "The Star Spangled Banner" arranged by Moses Hogan. That is now what the principal uses over the public address system. Now each day, we hear a member of our class singing our national anthem. It's a great morale booster and good P.R. for the music department. Jaime Perez Dallas, TX Music Express for Everyone! What a great gift for the music teachers in the Milwaukee Public Schools! Barry Applewhite, music specialist for the Milwaukee Public Schools arranged for grant money to be used to purchase sixty Music Express subscriptions for MPS music teachers. And because John Jacobson happened to be in Milwaukee for a Music Express planning meeting, he stopped by to talk to the teachers about the magazine, show off the new look and sing and dance with them. If you're interested in multiple subscriptions for your district, talk to your music supervisor about The Music Express Workshop Kit. The Music Express Workshop Kit Get your whole district to enjoy the benefits of Music Express! Tell your music supervisor that you have a great idea for a music in-service workshop. You can receive a Music Express Workshop Kit that includes a student magazine for every teacher at the workshop, plus one teacher magazine/CD for the presenter. The issue will be relevant to the time of year the workshop is presented (i.e. a fall in-service will use the August/September issue) Then you or some other talented, energetic teacher (perhaps even the music supervisor) can introduce Music Express to all of the teachers in your district. If your district purchases multiple subscriptions, you can receive the following discounts: 10-24 yearly subscriptions $185.00 per subscription 25-49 yearly subscriptions $175.00 per subscription 50+ yearly subscriptions $165.00 per subscription Regular single yearly subscription is $195.00 Contact Janet Day at Hal Leonard Corporation via e-mail at jday@halleonard.com or by phone at (414) 774-3630, ext. 316 for more information about this great opportunity. Recommended Web Sites for Elementary Music Educators Researched by Charyl Granatella National Arts Centre This is a fabulous site from Canada (also available in French) and very kid friendly. It's especially good for teachers with computer labs and also great for recommending in a newsletter to families or to classroom teachers. It includes instruments of the orchestra, composers, performers, all things classical. www.artsalive.ca BBC Radio Games I dare anyone to go here and not spend at least a few minutes playing! Very people friendly, interactive music games, including a listening lesson on Peer Gynt (one of my favorites), and composition activities. www.bbc.co.uk click on Radio 3 Music Education Madness This is just for the teacher and includes friendly reading, lesson plans, lesson processes for teachers and good for substitutes, chat room connections, and bulletin boards (computer name for posting and reading notes). www.musiceducationmadness.com Carnegie Hall Listening Adventures This is the Cadillac of all listening models. Dvorak's Ninth Symphony, From the New World, in brilliant animation that gives graphic understanding to the music without being annoyingly cute or in the way of the music. This will be a kid's and teacher's favorite. www.listeningadventures.org World Book African-American Music This World Book site gives a history of African-American music from slavery to blues, jazz, rock and roll, and classical. It is very well done with some listening excerpts. www.worldbook.com type "African American Music" in the search field New York Philharmonic If you can only experience one site on the Internet this must be the one. It is highly recognized, thoroughly educational, entertaining; a delightful experience. www.nyphilkids.org American Symphony Orchestra League This is a fantastic interactive site with orchestras, orchestral music, excerpts, interviews, games presented in a media rich format that challenges children's ability to STOP! www.playmusic.org World Music Rhythms The RHYTHMWEB is dedicated to building world peace and cultural understanding through the study of drumming. It features great pictures of instruments from around the world. Don't forget to visit the "Woodshed" for great lessons and playing. Includes percussion loops for modeling and accompanying. www.rhythmweb.com Music Theory Web How lucky we are to work in an internationally understood language. Here is a site from Puerto Rico, which can be accessed in English and in Spanish that introduces and tutors children in music theory. www.teoria.com Enchanted Learning This educational site covers absolutely every subject area and is very useable for music teachers with nursery rhymes for K-2 and music printouts. But best of all, the site offers printable manuscript paper for those times when you forgot to run to the music store. www.enchantedlearning.com A Day with John Jacobson Thanks Music Express, for making it possible for John Jacobson to come to Highland School on September 27, 2002. Through the contest in your magazine, (Terry was the winner of our 2002 survey contest) our sixth graders had a day of music and dancing they will never forget. We have already performed several more of John's songs and Music Express songs including "The Christmas Sock Rock" in our holiday concert. Many of our students also loved being able to see "America Sings" on television for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade and were amazed to think that their director was at our school! (For more information on America Sings!, log on to www.americasings.org) These photos are sent with thanks for all that you do in bringing this fabulous magazine to us – it's my very favorite resource! And most of all, thanks for bringing John to my school! Terry Alnor Highland School Midland Park, New Jersey Musical Maze After blindfolding one student, place rhythm sticks end-to-end about one and a half feet apart to form a pathway on the floor. Make straight a ways as well as turns. With other rhythm instruments, assign a direction to each sound (for example: triangle-go one step forward, claves-go one step backward, hand drum-turn left, tambourine-turn right, etc.) Place the blindfolded student at the entrance of the maze and with the help of the "musical" directions, see if the class can lead the student to the end of the maze without touching any rhythm sticks! Tracy Johnson Minneapolis, MN Magic Music Hat When choosing students to be the "leader" or "soloist," we use the Magic Music Hat to help select. I decorated an old top hat (a cardboard box will do) with music notes and symbols. Inside are small slips of paper with many different "qualifiers" for choosing students. For example: "The leader today will be the first person to raise their hand that (choose paper from hat)... - is wearing red socks today. - has a birthday in October. - is wearing the color purple. - ate pancakes for breakfast this morning. - has a first name with six letters in it. This activity is a great motivator for kids. They want to be the leader! Jennifer Walters Tallahassee, FL Everyday Composers Take a familiar children's song melody, and have your students make up their own springtime lyrics. For example: To the tune of: "The Wheels on the Bus Go Round And Round" The birds in the sky go chirp, chirp, chirp... The bees in the trees go buzz, buzz, buzz… The flowers in the ground go pop, oo, ah… The bunnies in the field go chomp, chomp, chomp... Etc. Try some summertime lyrics! To the tune of: "If You're Happy and You Know It" To have fun in the sun, let's swim, (pretend to swim) To have fun in the sun, let's swim, To have fun in the sun, make sure school is done, To have fun in the sun, let's swim. (Others) To have fun in the sun, play some ball, To have fun in the sun, ride your bike, To have fun in the sun, let's surf, Have your students come up with other summer fun activities and actions. Musical Review Bulletin Board Decorate your bulletin board with a review of your "musical" year. Concert programs, photos of kids performing, a copy of the students' favorite song, a letter of excellence from your principal, etc. can all be displayed prominently on the bulletin board in your music classroom as a reminder of all you've learned and the fun you've had. Better yet, decorate the main bulletin board at the entrance of the school to show everyone what the music department does all year! Great for recruiting students! (Don't' have time? Ask key students to help.) Request Day During the last month of the school year, I pick Fridays to be our Request Day. The students choose the lesson, song, activity or game for that day. My library is well organized so whatever they pick, I can find it in a flash. They love it! Ellen Magnus Pittsburgh. PA Ready for a Summer Boost? It's hard to think of next year, when you are trying to finish up this year. But this summer, won't you be ready to boost your spirits AND get lots of great ideas for next year? Attend one of Hal Leonard's summer choral workshops at various locations across the nation. There will be choral reading workshops in Orlando, Dallas, the New England area, Milwaukee, Phoenix, Atlanta, Washington D.C. Salt Lake City, Philadelphia, Columbus, Los Angeles, Sacramento and more. For a complete listing and contact information, log on to www.halleonard.com/choral, click on Calendar of Events and go to Choral Events. Or you may contact Janet Day at (414) 774-3630, ext. 316 or jday@halleonard.com. Hope to see you there! Classroom Tips to Start the New Year 1. Laminate a blank seating chart for every class. As you assign seats, write the student's name on the chart with a thin tipped dry erase pen. When you change assignments or move a student, simply wipe off the name and reassign the seat. You may choose to keep them in a three-ring binder and flip your way through the day. Easy way to remember names and chart progress too! 2. Number your choir folders and each piece of music in them. Then assign each student (or students, if they are sharing) a folder number. They can sign the folder out for the night or weekend to rehearse at home, but they are responsible for its return and all of its content. By numbering each piece inside, you know immediately where to look if a number is missing when you collect the piece. 3. Plastic bins work well for instrument storage. Label each bin with the type of instrument (i.e. recorders, rhythm sticks, etc.) and have a special assigned place for them in your classroom. That way, everyone knows where they are and where they are to return. 4. Catalog all of your CDs by placing them in a CD binder (available at any CD retail store). Some of these binders can hold over 100 CDs and make it easy to find your selections at a glance, eliminating the plastic case that usually breaks anyway. Keep the jacket insert with the CD so you will have information on that CD. 5. Enlarge a picture of a gumdrop, color or decorate. Place above the garbage can to remind students that gum chewing is not allowed in choir. We Remember We have had many of our readers share their thanks for the "We Remember" song by John Jacobson and Mac Huff in the August/September 2002 issue. Here are some of the ways they used this great song: We used "We Remember" for our 9/11 commemoration and it was wonderful. The kids loved it and it was truly meaningful to all. We used the sign language and all third, fourth and fifth graders sang outside around the flag. It was great! Thanks! Beverly Lacy South Beauregard Elementary Longville, LA I had just received the September issue of the Music Express magazine when my principal asked me to prepare some music for a ceremony to honor the heroes of 9/11. A number of us have relatives who work in Washington, D.C. and at the Pentagon. I knew the selection would be very important. Imagine my relief in being able to tell him that I had the ideal piece and felt sure that the chorus could learn it in a week! Thank you, John Jacobson and Mac Huff, for "We Remember." The beautiful, yet simple lyrics were perfect for our audience of over 2,000 middle and elementary school children, parents, teachers and guests. I am so thankful I had this resource to call upon. Sandy Anderson Chancellor Middle School Spotsylvania County, VA Our community has a strong veteran's league and we are frequently asked to perform a Veteran's Day concert or a selection at a Veteran's Day program. "We Remember" is the perfect choice! Thanks for making it easy to learn, yet dignified. The sign language adds so much! Janet Williams Panama City, FL Names, Names, Names All the name songs and name games in the world will NOT put the hundreds of names into my head quickly enough to communicate with them, assess them, move them and generally keep them in line and making music. I finally made a 3 x 5 card for every student, which they attach to their shirt with a clothespin. Their first name and last initial are written in marker (BIG), and their classroom teacher's name is written in pen. (Identification or chair numbers can be added, too.) I can put stickers on these when they accomplish a given task, and I can toss one on my desk when there is a discipline problem that needs my attention at the end of the day. It takes some management (each class puts the name tags in place for the next class); but for me, it is well worth the trouble. I am hoping that I can team up with the art teacher this next year and the students can make their nametags in art class so that they will have one they like to wear. Darlene Hartley Dr. N.H. Jones Elementary Marion, FL Choreography for The Star Spangled Banner? You bet! Here are some suggestions from John Jacobson on how to add some "sparkle" to this beginning of the year must! First, let's learn a simple starburst: clap hands and immediately go to jazz hands fanning out. Divide your group into 4 sections, each group clapping a starburst once every four measures from the beginning vocal entrance, then go every two bars, then go every measure. This adds a "fireworks" effect to this cherished anthem. Music Express Bulletin Board Title the board "ALL ABOARD THE MUSIC EXPRESS" and make a train with cars connected with rope to the engine. The engine would represent the conductor (or teacher), and the cars that follow are the students. You could decorate each car with a detachable music symbol (i.e. whole note, quarter note, rests, treble clef, etc.) Put Velcro on the back and switch the symbols to coincide with the lesson you are teaching. Tami Fossum Doudna Elementary Richland Center, WI Music Fast Facts for August/September August 16 is the anniversary of the death of Elvis Presley (1935-1977). Pay tribute to the "King" by putting on blue felt spats and dancing to "Blue Suede Shoes." Buddy Holly was born September 7, 1936. Sing "Happy Birthday" to Buddy and free dance to "Peggy Sue." Francis Scott Key wrote the Star Spangled Banner on September 14, 1814. Learn our national anthem as arranged by Moses Hogan in the August/September 2002 issue of Music Express. Try the choreography suggestions listed above. On September 26, 1957, Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story opened at the Winter Garden, New York. Use excerpts from this show as a listening lesson. September, 1934, Decca Records, a European company, debuted in America. Its success was tied to their recording stars such as Bing Crosby and records that cost 35 cents! Locate a hit recording by Bing Crosby and play it for your class. Can they describe his vocal qualities? August 15-17, 1969, an estimated 400,000 people attended the Woodstock Music and Art Fair in Bethel, New York. Performers included the Who, Janis Joplin, Sly and the Family Stone, and Jimi Hendrix–who performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" to a few thousand stragglers on Monday morning. Discuss that performance with your students. How does it differ from most performances of the song? On August 4, 1900 (some sources cite 1901), Louis Armstrong was born. Known as both a trumpeter and vocalist, Armstrong had hits with songs such as "What a Wonderful World" and "Hello Dolly." He was affectionately known as Satchmo. Do a search on the Internet to find a picture and sample recording of Louis Armstrong singing. How could the students identify his voice? September 12, 1910, Gustav Mahler's Eighth Symphony (Symphony of a Thousand) premiered in Munich. An audience of 3,000 was so moved by the new piece they surged towards the stage. Play excerpts of the Symphony for the class and identify some of the components needed for its performance. August 1, 1981 MTV debuted by playing the video for "Video Killed the Radio Star" by the Buggles. Lead a discussion on how video has changed pop music since the early 1980s. What are some music videos that have stood the test of time? Reflection on Parents and Teachers I dreamed I stood in a studio And watched two sculptors there. The clay they used was a young child's mind And they fashioned it with care. One was a teacher – the tools he used Were books, music and art. The other, a parent, worked with a guiding hand, And a gentle, loving heart. Day after day, the teacher toiled with touch That was deft and sure, While the parent labored by his side And polished and smoothed it o're. And when at last their task was done, They were proud of what they had wrought, For the things they had molded into the child Could neither be sold nor bought. And each agreed they would have failed If each had worked alone. For behind the parent stood the school And behind the teacher, the home. –Author Unknown Four Corners Number the corners of your music room (1, 2, 3, 4). Each child picks a number and goes to that corner. For our listening activity, the children listen to the music and move to the beat (fast-run, slow-walk, skip, etc.) around the room. When the music stops (whenever I press pause) the children go to a corner of their choice. Then I choose a number (1, 2, 3, 4) from a hat and the children in that corner answer the "Listening Question" (i.e. What instruments do you hear? Which instrument has the melody? Is the music fast or slow?) The children in the chosen corner discuss the answer among themselves and one child gives me their answer. If they are correct, they all get to continue the game. If they are wrong, all the children in the corner must sit down in the center of the room. The children remaining continue the game. The last child (or children) standing is the winner and can choose the numbers for the next round. My kids love it! They are excited about listening! They even like it better with the lights off. Dean Gylten Clara City, MN Create a Form For my third through fifth graders, I divide the class into small groups. Each group gets a card that shows a different form: ABA, AB, AABA, ABACA. As a group, they need to create a movement and or instrumental rhythms that will demonstrate the given form. They perform it for the class and the class guesses the form they are representing. Angela Reisler Jacobsville Elementary School Pasadena, MD Blue for Save the Music The fee-free credit card from American Express called Blue is teaming up with the VH1 Save the Music Foundation to raise money and awareness about the importance of music education. As music educators, we all know that music makes better kids, but the public needs to be more educated and music programs need to be restored and safe from the dreaded "cuts." This program, called Blue for Save the Music, was launched at the 2003 Grammy Awards and is committed to raising one million dollars this year to help restore public school music programs. Watch for special events in your area such as fundraisers, instrument drives, and special performances by music students. Thanks American Express and VH1. We're with you all the way! Shopping and Making Music? Two of my favorite things! How could they possibly be linked? Well, you can raise money for music education by shopping online through www.ForSociety.com! ForSociety links to over 400 of your favorite online retailers, such as The Gap, Expedia.com, Amazon.com, and PetSmart. These retailers then give commissions for each purchase you make. ForSociety then sends 100% of those commissions on to MENC. Help raise funds on an everyday basis and at no additional cost to you, through ForSociety.com! Christmas is coming, so start shopping and benefit your favorite cause—music, all at the same time! Country Line Dance Let's celebrate country music by learning a simple country line dance. - R foot step forward, tap L foot behind R. - L foot step backward, tap R foot in front of L - R foot tap heel out, then in L foot tap heel out, then in - Repeat above - Grapevine L, tap R heel - Grapevine R, tap L heel - Grapevine L, tap R heel - Kick R foot out, ball change on R foot, step with R foot and make a quarter turn to face new wall. Repeat above line dance to all four walls of the room. Remember to hook your fingers in your belt loops and yell a few "Yee Haws!" while you are dancing! Music Fast Facts for October/November On October 4, 1962, EMI records released the first Beatles' recording, "Love Me Do" with the flip side "P.S. I Love You" that started The Beatles craze in America. Make a yellow submarine out of a large cardboard box. Your little ones will love moving to the beat inside it while they listen to the Beatles singing "We all live in a Yellow Submarine." Camille Saint-Saëns was born on October 9, 1935. Celebrate his birthday with a listening lesson on The Carnival of the Animals. Sometimes referred to as the Father of Rock and Roll, Chuck Berry was born on October 18, 1926. Celebrate his birthday with a rousing free dance to "Johnny B. Goode." On October 24, 2003, Felix Mendelssohn makes his piano concert debut at the early age of 9. See how many other child prodigies you can name. (There may be one in this issue.) On November 13, 1940, Walt Disney's Fantasia is released in New York and a new generation of toddlers is introduced to classical music. Watch an excerpt of this video in your classroom and use it as a listening lesson. The singing von Trapp family are celebrated on Broadway in Rodgers' and Hammerstein's The Sound of Music on November 16, 1959. Learn several selections from this monumental musical including "Do-Re-Mi" and "My Favorite Things." On October 1, 1982, the first compact disc player went on sale. It was developed jointly by Sony, Philips and Polygram and cost $625 (more than $1,000 in current dollars). Celebrate this awesome invention by having a CD party. Everyone brings in his/her favorite CD to share. Teacher censored, of course! Giuseppi Verdi was born on October 10, 1813. This Italian composer wrote 26 operas including Rigoletto, Il Trovatore, La Traviata and Aida. A great listening piece by Verdi is the "Anvil Chorus" from Il Trovatore; don't forget to add drums where the anvil strikes. On October 29, 1969, the first connection on what would become the Internet was made. Bits of data flowed between computers at UCLA and the Stanford Research Institute and was the beginning of ARPANET, the precursor to the Internet developed by the Department of Defense. Assign an Internet research project to your students on their favorite composer, past or present. November 2, 1920 is the date of the first scheduled radio broadcast. Station KDKA in Pittsburgh, PA, broadcasted the results of the presidential election. Find more "radio" trivia and add them to your RADIO KYDZ project throughout the year. Mickey Mouse's birthday is celebrated on November 18. In 1928, this cartoon rodent first appeared on the screen of the Colony Theatre in New York City. The film, Walt Disney's Steamboat Willie, was the first animated cartoon talking picture. Learn the Mickey Mouse theme song: M-I-C (see ya later) K-E-Y (why, because we love ya!) and spread the Disney fever! Don't forget, November 21 is World Hello Day. People in 180 countries have participated in this annual activity for advancing peace through personal communication. Everyone who participates greets 10 people. For more information go to www.worldhelloday.org. Sing Cheryl Lavender's "I Will Sing Hello" from the August/September 2002 issue of Music Express and learn how to greet your neighbors and friends in 16 different languages! A Hundred Years A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove… But the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child. –Author Unknown Music Express Archives We have a complete listing of every song, every article, every feature, everything from the first issue of Music Express to the most current issue. Click on the Back Issue Search link. You will then choose between the song archives and the articles archive. Those will lead you to absolutely everything that has been in the Music Express magazines since Volume 1. Remember that great activity you used for Christmas, but can't remember what issue it is in? Wow, somebody asked me a question and I know John answered it in the Dear John feature. Where was that? Planning your lessons? Programming a concert? Preparing a music advocacy presentation? Search and find . . . it's that easy. The Christmas Sock Rock "The Christmas Sock Rock" from your December 2002 issue was a BIG hit at our holiday program this year. As part of the "The Christmas Sock Rock," we collected about 50 pairs of socks to use as props, and then we donated them to a local homeless shelter after the program. Laura Stewart Milwaukee, WI Need Support? Are you feeling all alone and helpless in your relentless task of keeping the music program alive in your school? Are you facing budget cuts? Teacher shortages? Scheduling issues? Go to www.SupportMusic.com, a public service of the Music Education Coalition. Learn step by step how to build your case for your music program. Get tips on forming local and regional support groups. Collect facts and figures to support that music makes smarter kids! Big Instruments for Little Kids Some elementary teachers may also be the band instructor. Here's a great way for kids to carry those large instruments such as baritone sax, trombone or tuba—roll them! Attach an old roller skate (you know the kind that attach to your shoe and use a skate key) to the bottom of the instrument case using a drill, a screw and a nut. The kids can roll their instrument instead of lugging it! Marie Breed Muskego, WI Spread the Cheer Arrange a holiday performance at an area nursing home or senior care facility. It doesn't have to be polished, maybe a dress rehearsal for your main program. The kids will get a chance to run through things before the "big" night and the senior adults will SO enjoy the energy and cheer that young folks bring to the season. Warm Cinnamon-Orange Cider Recipe for the Holidays Try this hot cider recipe to warm the hearts of your students and fellow teachers. Yum! Warm Cinnamon-Orange Cider As if by magic, the cinnamon candies melt, giving this spiced cider a rosy glow. 1/2 bottle (64-ounce size) apple cider 2 cups orange juice 2 tablespoons red cinnamon candies 1 1/2 teaspoons whole allspice 1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons honey Heat apple cider, orange juice, candies and allspice to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 5 minutes. Remove allspice. Stir in honey. Serve warm. From www.bettycrocker.com Music Fast Facts for December Frank Sinatra was born on December 12, 1915. Celebrate old blue-eye's birthday by ending your class time with Frank's version of "New York, New York" or "I've Got the World on a String." Ludwig von Beethoven was baptized on December 17, 1770. He was probably born on the previous day. See how many Beethoven "themes" you can hum. Can your students? Here are a few to get you started: Für Elise, Minuet I in G, Moonlight Sonata, Symphony No. 5 in C Minor (First Movement), Ode to Joy (Symphony No. 9 in D Major, Fourth Movement) On December 24, 1818, Joseph Mohr, the assistant pastor at St. Nicholas Church in Oberdorf, Austria came to the church and found the organ out of order for the Christmas Eve service. He quickly found a poem that he had written several years earlier and asked the choir director, Franz Gruber to set these words for voices and guitar so that there would be music for the service. The result is "Silent Night," a beloved carol sung each Christmas. Have your students research the history of "Silent Night" and write a paper on it. Little Richard was born on December 25, 1932. Take out your "fruit" percussion shakers (available at many music stores) and play along while you listen to "Tutti Frutti." December Holidays Around the World Sinterklaas In the Netherlands, Sinterklaas brings gifts to Dutch children on the eve of St. Nicholas Day. He is accompanied by his Moorish helper, "Black Pete." King's Birthday and National Day This public holiday in Thailand is celebrated throughout the kingdom with colorful decorations and illuminated stores and homes. Saint Nicholas Day Celebrated in Christian homes around the world, this day honors this Bishop noted for his charity to children. Hanukkah (or Chanukah) This Jewish Festival of Lights lasts for eight days and commemorates the victory of the Maccabees over Syrians (165bc) and the rededication of the Temple of Jerusalem. Guadalupe Day This is one of Mexico's major celebrations honoring the Virgin Mother and includes parties and pilgrimages to the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe at Mexico City. Santa Lucia Day Also called the Festival of Light, this Swedish national celebration honors St. Lucia. Navidades In Puerto Rico, the traditional Christmas season begins in mid-December and ends on Three Kings Day. Las Posadas In Mexico, the Christmas celebration commemorates Mary and Joseph's search for shelter in Bethlehem before the birth of Jesus. For nine nights, children dress up like the holy family and go from house to house in their community asking for shelter. Yalda Iranians celebrate the longest night of the year, Yalda, by staying up all night with fires burning and lights lit trying to help the sun conquer the darkness. Winter Solstice Winter begins on this day where the sunrise and sunset points on the horizon are farthest south for the year and daylight length is at its shortest. Christmas Day This Christian celebration commemorates the birth of Jesus of Nazareth generally with gift-giving, family gatherings and feasts. Boxing Day Usually observed on the day after Christmas, this public holiday in Canada, United Kingdom and many other countries commemorates the day when Christmas gift boxes were expected to arrive. Kwanzaa Created in 1966, this African-American observance stresses self-reliance and the unity of the black family in a seven-day festival. Kwanzaa means "first fruit" in Swahili. Dear Abby My mother always told me to dream big! But sometimes those dreams need a little help to come to fruition. Our second graders do a patriotic program every year around President's day, integrating beautifully with their Social Studies curriculum. When I heard John do an overview of "Dear Abby" at his 2002 workshop, I knew that was the show for us—even though the vocabulary and the music seemed a bit above a second grade level. (Details, details!) I'm blessed with a team of second grade teachers that trust my judgment. (Although I almost lost them on this one!) They take the rehearsal of the lines and music into their classrooms. My job for this musical was to teach the music, the movement, the staging and the use of microphones and vocal projection. The second grade teachers got their classes together for run-throughs and I attended when my schedule allowed. As the show dates were in late February, we had casting completed and lines distributed before winter vacation so that children could start memorizing lines. A letter went home at that time telling the parents they had free reign to create the perfect costume for their child. Parents can be amazing assets, as you can see by the photos. We integrated further with the Art department as the children helped to create and paint the interior room of the White House. We were able to perform the show three times: 1.) an assembly for the student body (including second grade "pen pals" from another school in the area), 2.) an evening show for parents and family, 3.) a performance for the local retirement home. The kids had a wonderful, integrated experience that they want to repeat now that they are third graders. Now that's the way we spell success! Roxanne Semonchik H.C. Storm Elementary School Batavia, Illinois Musician Interviews In the 2003 January/February issue of Music Express, you included an article about Moses Hogan. Our students so enjoyed that article and the music on the CD. As a class project, the students interviewed local musicians, imitating the style of your article. One child interviewed two musicians who play for the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. One of them, a bassoonist, even visited our class last spring. These kids are in the fourth and fifth grades, so the questions were genuine and refreshing. Thanks again for this great teaching tool and for including the article on Moses Hogan. Margaret A. Redling Kearny, NJ John's Choreography on TV Music Express Magazine has always been awesome since it began. The magazine is just getting better and better. The addition of John's choreography ideas on the website is so fantastic! My kids and I are having a wonderful time with them. We have a 32" television monitor in my classroom connected to the web through my computer. So we learn the choreography together by watching John on TV. It's like having him right in the classroom with us. It's the best! Thanks! Sue Berry Bedford Public Schools Temperance, MI Classic Arts Showcase The Classic Arts Showcase is a non-profit organization that provides commercial-free television programming, via satellite, to schools and universities to use in the classroom at no charge. Classic Arts Showcase features videos from the world of ballet, opera, modern dance, classical music, classic film and much more. Students can learn, explore and watch the history of the classic arts. As you know, the arts encourage self-esteem, develop strong bodies and critical thinking and even help with math scores. Go to www.classicartsshowcase.org to learn where it is aired in your area and how to use it in your classroom. New Calendar for the New Year Have your students create a music calendar for the New Year. Create a template for a fill-in-the-date calendar and pass them out to each student. Pick a musical "subject" for each month. For example, January can be musical terms month. Have the students fill in the dates and title for the month of January and make a border of musical terms around the edge. Here are more ideas for monthly subjects: note and rest values, dynamics, accidentals, articulation, ties and slurs, C major scale, key signatures, tempos, etc. You may also include special musical dates and birthdays. Music Fast Facts for January/February On January 7, 1955, Marion Anderson, at the age of 53, becomes the first black person to sing at the Met. She sings the role of Ulrica in Verdi's Un ballo in maschera. Celebrate black history month with more "firsts" for African American musicians. January 10, 1893 - Antonin Dvorak, having been brought to New York to teach, starts work on his symphony From the New World. Discover the listening lesson on Dvorak's New World Symphony is the January/February 2004 issue. Stephen Collins Foster, America's song master, dies at the age of 37 on January 13, 1864. Pay tribute to this great composer with a medley of his tunes such as Oh! Susanna, Camptown Races, Swanee River, My Old Kentucky Home, Good-Night!, Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair, Beautiful Dreamer. During a concert on January 19, 1911 in Wales, John Philip Sousa falls seven feet through the floor as he was conducting his own "The Stars and Stripes Forever." Re-emerging, he announces, "We will now continue." Use the listening lesson on "The Stars and Stripes Forever" from the August/September 2003 issue of Music Express. George Gershwin debuted Rhapsody in Blue on February 12, 1924 at Aeolian Hall in New York. It was snowing outside, but men and women fought to get in the door, as they do sometimes at a baseball game, prizefight or the subway. Think of other events where you might "fight" to get in the door. After listening to a recording of Rhapsody in Blue, open a discussion with questions like: Would you "fight" to hear this piece? What music (or performing group) would you stand in line and "fight" to hear? Louis Braille, the inventor of the widely used touch system of reading and writing for the blind, was born on January 4, 1809. Tie this into the Ray Charles lesson in the January/February 2005 issue by having your students read and write short passages in Braille. On January 4, 1936 Billboard magazine published the first list of best-selling pop records and thus the first pop music chart was born. Have your students research how many different music charts there are today. Also research the top hits of today compared to 1936. Martin Luther King, Jr. was born on January 15, 1929. This famous black civil rights leader, minister and advocate of nonviolence won a Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. In 1986, the third Monday of each January was designated as the annual legal public holiday observing his birth. Celebrate with a rousing rendition of "Lift Every Voice and Sing" by James Weldon Johnson. This song is considered by many to be the national anthem of African-Americans (also a great song to learn for Black History Month–February). Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born on January 27, 1756 in Salzburg, Austria. Considered one of the worlds greatest music makers, Mozart began performing at age three and composing at age five. List other well-known musicians that started as child prodigies. [Editor's note: Read the Ray Charles bio in the January/February 2005 issue.] On February 9, 1964, The Beatles performed live on The Ed Sullivan Show. For a studio that only held 728 guests, Sullivan received over 50,000 requests for tickets! After performing five songs, The Beatles cemented their music and their style into the hearts of all Americans. Rock and Roll would never be the same. Lead a student discussion on attending pop concerts, teen heartthrobs and their impact on the music industry. Sing "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band" in the January/February 2005 issue. Gwyn Pellegrini–Winner of the 2003 Music Express Survey Contest Thank you so much for giving me the Joy of Singing trip to Washington D.C. The entire time I felt like a celebrity. Everyone was so friendly! This should be another great year of "singing and dancing" thanks to all your exciting music! Gwyn Pellegrini Sierra View Elementary North Highlands, CA My Town, My World Tip Here's a suggestion for the song "My Town, My World" from the August/September 2003 issue. The kids can shout the name of their town on the three claps in measures 25, 45 and 53. My town happens to fit perfectly, "My town, Kan-ka-kee, my world!" Bonnie S. Brewer Kankakee, IL The Best That I Can Be Imagine 550 school children (grades K–5) singing the "The Best That I Can Be" every morning for the past two years! I am the music teacher and that's how we start our ten-minute morning program every day. I lead the song on a microphone and after that, no matter what my mood has been before, I am UP! It has become our school song! I cannot change it! Thanks, Music Express! Ghislaine Stewart Ben Franklin Elementary School Binghamton, NY [Editor's Note: "The Best That I Can Be" by John Jacobson and Cristi Miller can be found in the August/September 2001 (Vol. 2, No. 1) issue. It is also available as a Songkit Single that includes 2 Director's Scores, 40 Singer's Editions and 1 Performance/Accompaniment CD. Ask for 07990035 at your preferred music retail store.] PEAK Festival–A Great Success The Nassau Music Educator's Association presented its second annual PEAK festival this past October 25, 2003. PEAK—Parents, Educators and Kids—gathered 130 third graders from all over Nassau County, NY to participate and celebrate elementary classroom music programs. The chorus sang, "Makin' Music All Day Long" and as you can see by the pictures, the smiles lasted all day long too! Thanks, Music Express! Ruth Breidenbach New Visions Elementary School Freeport, NY [Editor's Note: "Makin' Music All Day Long" by John Jacobson and Mac Huff can be found in the August/September 2003 (Vol. 4, No. 1) issue.] Music Fast Facts for March/April On March 4, 1678, Antonio Vivaldi was born in the midst of a Venetian earthquake and baptized immediately by the midwife for fear he might perish. Imagine what the world of music would be like without The Four Seasons. Present the Vivaldi listening lessons on The Four Seasons in the March/April 2003 issue (Spring) and the May/June 2003 issue (Summer). Lerner and Loewe's My Fair Lady opened on Broadway on March 15, 1956 and enjoyed a run of 2,717 performances that lasted more than nine years. The original production featured Rex Harrison as Henry Higgins and Julie Andrews as Eliza. Learn the song, "With a Little Bit of Luck" and perform it at your next concert. Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov was born on March 18, 1844 in Tikhvin, Russia. Learn more about this famous Russian composer in the listening lesson on "The Flight of the Bumblebee" in this issue. The great American blues singer and guitarist Muddy Waters was born on April 4, 1915. Teach your students the C blues scale by setting out the following resonator bells: C, Eb, F, Gb, G, Bb, C'. Play a twelve-bar blues progression in C (C–C–C–C, F–F–C–C, G7–F–C–G7 while your students improvise on the C blues scale on the resonator bells. On April 27, 1810, Ludwig van Beethoven released a popular piano piece called "For Elise, as a remembrance." What he really wrote is "For Therese," but the publisher misread his dedication and this famous composition became known as "Für Elise." Play this familiar piece on the piano or perhaps one of your students is studying this piece and can share it with the class. The bill designating "The Star-Spangled Banner" as our national anthem was signed on March 3, 1931. Review the words of "The Star Spangled Banner" by Francis Scott Key with the reproducible lyric page found on the inside back cover of the October/November 2004 issue or in the extension activities section of this website. Johann Sebastian Bach was born on March 21, 1685. Invite a guest pianist (or student0 into your classroom to play a Bach two-part invention. Have the rest of the class listen and raise their hands whenever they hear the main theme. Elton John was born March 25, 1947. Review the hits of this contemporary pop composer and end the class by singing, " The Circle of Life" from Disney's The Lion King. The 35th Anniversary of Earth Day will be celebrated on April 22 of 2005. This day, sometimes celebrated on the first day of spring or on the weekend closed to April 22, is a global event encouraging environmental citizenship. Have an Earth Composition Contest. Topics may include: trash/recycling, planting trees/reforestation, food alternatives/organic farming, energy alternatives, composting, car free days/walk to work. Add your own topics and give your composers a timeline and guides for composing, lyrics, tune, etc. The winner gets their song sung during the morning announcements and/or a tree planted in their name on the school grounds! Audience Curtain Giving a performance of a musical in the lunchroom without a curtain? Here's a great way to deal with that problem and involve your audience. Give everyone a sheet of colored paper that says CURTAIN on it as they walk in the door. When you need a scene change, simply ask the audience members to "raise their curtain" covering their eyes with the paper. Then quickly change what is needed on the stage. When the scene change is done, ask the audience to "lower their curtains" and continue with the show. Sue Skaufle Milwaukee, WI iTunes Have you ever needed a piece of music RIGHT NOW? iTunes is a solution for "immediate" people, like music teachers who need songs ASAP. Whether you have a Mac or a PC you can download music from the iTunes.com site. There is a fee, but some single works are as little as 99 cents. If you think iTunes is only for pop music you're wrong! Happily, the classical music ranges from single pieces to whole symphonies and collections. Obtaining music for listening and learning has never been so easy. Try it at www.iTunes.com Summer Music Activities Encourage your students to "keep the music going" all summer long with these suggested activities for young musicians: - Attend a Music Camp - Take Private Lessons - Enroll in a Summer Musical Theater Program - Start a Garage Band - Attend Outdoor Concerts - Play or Sing in the Community Band or Choir - Sing a Solo in Church or at a Community Club - Put on a Neighborhood Variety Show - Have a Music Listening Party (parent censored, of course) Music Fast Facts for May/June Let's celebrate the birthdays of some of the finest composers for Broadway and film that happen to be born in May and June. Student activities could include: 1.) listening to selected songs by each composer, 2.) researching the shows and the songs that made them famous, 3.) singing their most famous song, 4.) viewing portions of a video or DVD of their most popular Broadway show or film, or 5.) selecting a show and writing a synopsis of the plot. Born May 2, 1895, Lorenz Hart was the lyricist in a partnership with Richard Rodgers and together they wrote many Broadway musicals including Pal Joey (Bewitched), Babes In Arms (My Funny Valentine), The Boys from Syracuse (This Can't Be Love). Born May 11, 1888, Irving Berlin was famous for the songs "God Bless America" and "White Christmas," but also shows such as Annie Get Your Gun and There's No Business Like Show Business. Born May 18, 1902, Meredith Willson was best known for the musical The Music Man, however another famous song by Meredith Willson from a lesser-known show is "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas." Born June 7, 1928, Charles Strouse will be remembered by most kids for writing Annie (Tomorrow), but he also wrote such big hits as Bye, Bye, Birdie (Put on a Happy Face) and Applause. Born June 9, 1891, Cole Porter wrote incredible hits such as "I've Got You Under My Skin" and successful Broadway shows such as Kiss Me Kate (Another Op'nin', Another Show) and High Society (True Love). Born June 10, 1904, Frederick Loewe partnered with the lyricist Alan Jay Lerner to create such mega-hit shows as Paint Your Wagon (They Call the Wind Maria), My Fair Lady (I Could Have Danced All Night) and Camelot (If Ever I Would Leave You). Born June 28, 1902, Richard Rodgers partnered not only with Lorenz Hart (see above) but also Oscar Hammerstein II to create unforgettable shows like Oklahoma! (Oh, What a Beautiful Morning), Carousel (You'll Never Walk Alone), South Pacific (Some Enchanted Evening), The King and I (Getting to Know You), The Sound of Music (Do, Re, Mi). Born June 29, 1910, Frank Loesser brought us these fabulous shows just to name a few: Where's Charley (The New Ashmolean Marching Society and Student's Conservatory Band), Guys and Dolls (Fugue for Tinhorns), The Most Happy Fella (Standing on the Corner). Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky is born on May 7, 1840. Young listeners best know him for his Nutcracker Suite, which we enjoy around Christmas time. Other well-known works by Tchaikovsky are Swan Lake and The Sleeping Beauty ballets, Piano Concerto No. 1 in Bb Minor, Op. 23, Opening Movement, and the Romeo and Juliet Overture. Treat your music classroom to some of these grand masterworks. Also on May 7 but in 1824, Beethoven's Ninth Symphony was performed for the first time in Vienna, Austria. As Beethoven himself conducted this Choral symphony, one of the vocal soloists had to tug on his sleeve between movements so that he would turn around and see the clapping hands and waving hats of the crowd. You see by this time, Beethoven was completely deaf. Share "Ode to Joy" from this symphony as a listening project with your students. Mister Rogers' Neighborhood premiered on May 22, 1967. This PBS children's program was hosted by Fred Rogers and was filmed for thirty-four years with almost 1,000 half-hour episodes being aired. Celebrate the Mister Rogers' legacy with Welcome to Our Neighborhood, by Fred Rogers and arranged by John Higgins, a 25-minute musical play for young singers grades K–2 available from your local music store. The number one hit pop song on June 1, 1963 was "It's My Party" by Lesley Gore. When Lesley's producer Quincy Jones found out that someone else was planning to record this song, he hurried! The song was recorded on Monday, the records were made on Tuesday and the song was on the air by Wednesday. It became a huge hit in less than a month! Play this 1960s pop hit as your students leave your music classroom. Destination: America–A Big Hit In Appleton, Wisconsin Destination: America, the final program comprised of Music Express hits from issues throughout this past year was performed at Sunrise Elementary School in Appleton, WI this past spring. The concert was a big hit with over 200 music students participating. Here are some students featured in their costumes. Congratulations Sunrise Music Students for a great performance! Patricia Heckman Sunrise Elementary School Appleton, WI Good Advice for the First Day of Class Get them singing on the FIRST day and they will sing the entire year. This advice always worked for me! Choose something patriotic that they know and give them a "taste test" of a new, cool song or show tune. They'll come in on day two wanting to learn more! Donna M. Vojcsik Palm City Elementary School Palm City, FL Up for the Challenge! Have you ever had one of those "challenging" fifth or sixth grade classes? I began the year by passing out an index card to everyone and asking them, "If you could ask one question about music, what would it be?" Obviously, it had to be "school appropriate." Their questions that year led us to having a guest speaker from a rock band, a sound technician to explain how CDs work, and writing our own advertising jingles! It is amazing the questions that sixth graders can have! I planned most of my year's curriculum around their questions. Thanks for the great ideas, Donna! Donna M. Vojcsik Palm City Elementary School Palm City, FL Oklahoma Teachers Enjoyed Music Express Workshop Our district held a Music Express Workshop last November 2003. Your materials and suggested lesson plans were so helpful. I am totally sold on Music Express. Thanks so much to all the music professionals who contribute wonderful lessons and music for children. Linda Chapman Whittier Elementary School Lawton, OK The National Anthem Project MENC is launching a 3-year campaign to renew national awareness of the patriotic traditions of the United States. Launched September 2004, this project will include major singing celebrations throughout our country. The program to get America singing will culminate with the world's largest performance of "The Star Spangled Banner" in the Baltimore/Washington Metro area. Support the project by hosting a patriotic sing-along in your community and make sure that each of your students knows the words to our national anthem. Star-Spangled Etiquette Teach your students the proper etiquette when singing our national anthem: 1. Stand. Remove your hat or cap if wearing one. 2. Face the flag. If one is not in the room, just stand tall. 3. Place hand over heart, or keep hands at your sides, or folded in back or front. 4. Sing the words to "The Star Spangled Banner" loud and clear. 5. Keep poised, reverent and respectful throughout the song. Star-Spangled Repro Visit the Music Express extension activities section on this website to print out a reproducible lyric page of our national anthem. In election years and every year, this is definitely a song every child should know! Music Friends Join MusicFriends and support school music programs! Sponsored by MENC, MusicFriends is a group of parents, community members, and other music advocates that support music education in schools. Their web site at www.musicfriends.org is full of involvement ideas, fun activities and more! You can even send a MusicFriends e-card to your friends, family, colleagues or administrators to keep your music program in the forefront of their daily schedules. By joining, you will receive a number of benefits. Log on today and find out! Create Your Own Marching Choir The band department has a marching band in the fall. Why not have a marching choir? Have your class or classes learn a number of patriotic songs with a upbeat, march tempo such as "You're a Grand Old Flag," "The Caisson Song," "God Bless America," "This Is My Country," and more. In march formation, learn the basics to marching in sync, turning corners, starting and stopping together, etc. Ask for help from your band colleagues or develop your own choral marching style. You may want to recruit some drummers to maintain a cadence while you march. Take your marching choir "on the road" and rehearse in the street during your class time, or better yet, on the football field or playground. In a large area, you can work on formations, create words and build toward a more elaborate show. Perform for a football half-time show or for the local vet's association. Marching bands get a lot of press! Why not get some of that exposure for your choir program? The Quest as a Theme Kudos to John and staff! Just when I thought Music Express was perfect the way it was, I previewed the August/September 2004 issue and was blown away all over again! I know my elementary students are going to be so excited about everything the new issue has to offer – especially Jason and Boliver. To that end, I've convinced our staff to make THE QUEST (for excellence) our school theme this year. After introducing each installment of the story, we will have an integrated project for students to complete. The projects will be evaluated by a team of teachers. Those who demonstrate a QUEST FOR EXCELLENCE will receive an "emerald" inscribed with the word QUEST. (I found some clear, green stones about the size of a half dollar and used permanent gold and silver markers for the inscription. They turned out really well!) This way, THE QUEST can enter each and EVERY room in our building this year! Thanks to you ALL for everything you provide to keep kids jazzed about music! We're so grateful. Roxanne Semonchik H.C. Storm School Batavia, IL Organization Revelation I help my fifth through seventh grade general music students stay organized by having them keep a 1 inch three-ring binder that is divided into the following sections with tab dividers: theory/aural skills, songs to sing, instruments, musical theater, and glossary. The very first page of each section has a blank "contents" page where the title, page and date can be recorded. I usually write the title and appropriate section on each hand-out before reproducing them for the students. This way, students can easily fill out the contents page and place it in the correct section. You would be amazed at how quickly students can locate items for review. The kids enjoy being organized and this is a time-saver. I also keep an identical binder for each grade level throughout the semester. This helps me to know exactly what materials have been given to each grade level and serves as a handy reference. Students are also free to look through my binder to make sure theirs is complete and up to date. Merri Purdy Stuart M. Townsend Middle School Lake Luzerne, NY Snow Songs a Big Hit! We ended our Pre-K and Kindergarten program in December with "Dancing at the Snow Ball" from the December 2003 issue. Using the choreography, the students had a great time and did a wonderful job singing. We even had yarn "snowballs" that the Pre-K students threw at the audience on the ending. Susan Gillespie Sunflower Elementary Andover, KS Our favorite song last year has to be "I Love the Snow" and the paper snowball fights in the Hop 'Til You Drop section of the January/February 2004 issue. I was a bit apprehensive going in, but it was so much fun and was a very manageable chaos. Ada Jean Hoffman Low/Oakview Elementary Schools West Middlesex, PA We loved singing "I Love the Snow" at our local nursing home. They were so vibrant with the instrumental part pretending to have a snowball fight, I thought some of the residents were going to jump out of their wheelchairs and participate! There were smiles all around. Holly Eckhoff Adair-Casey Community Schools Adair, IA Give the Gift of Music Here are some great musical ideas for Christmas gifts or classroom sharing: 1. Children's Books - The Happy Hedgehog Band by Martin Waddell and Jill Barton - Classical Cats by David Chesky - Zin!Zin!Zin! a Violin by Lloyd Moss and Marjorie Priceman - Bravo! Brava! A Night at the Opera by Anne Siberell and Frederica Von Stade - The Bear Who Loved Puccini by Arnold Sundgaard and Dominic Catalano 2. Music Software for Children - MiDisaurus – Kids love dinosaurs and this one uses and edutainment approach to teach music to ages 4 through 10. - Clifford's Music Memory Game – Everyone wants to play with the big red dog! - Pianomouse Meets the Great Composers – An introduction to music history for ages 8 and up 3. Music CDs for Children - The Classical Child at the Opera, Metromusic - Pavarotti's Opera Made Easy – My Favorite Opera for Children, Georges Bizet (composer) et el. - Beethoven Lives Upstairs, Classical Kids Series - Classical Music for Children, Claude Debussy (composer) et al. Instruments Galore We used inflatable musical instruments in our choreography for "Makin' Music All Day Long," from August/September 2003 issue. This was very cheap, fun and visually exciting! I found the instruments on the Internet at a party outlet for $27 for a pack of 24. It included banjos, saxophones, trumpets, guitars, drums and keyboards. The kids were allowed to keep their instruments after the show closed as a present from me. We marked each with their name in permanent marker at the first rehearsal, so kids wouldn't claim someone else's if they were rough and popped it. In the event of a tear, most small holes sealed quickly with a small piece of duck tape. This made them all VERY careful since they KNEW they had to use the same one every rehearsal and show. We tied ribbons onto them and they did all choreography with them behind their backs until the last chorus where they pulled them around front and "jammed." Not only did they have a great time, but it also helped them learn different instruments and how they are held and classified (e.g. brass, woodwind, etc.) Diane Thomas Youth on Broadway Show Choir Tucson, AZ Valentine Cakewalk Tape numbered large Valentine hearts on the floor in the shape of a circle or a heart. The number of hearts should equal the number of students in the class. Make an equal number of small hearts and place in a bowl. Students must walk from heart to heart to the beat of the music. When the music stops, everyone must find a heart and stay on it! Draw a number from the bowl. Whoever is standing on that number wins a prize. Variation for the younger grades: Prepare a large heart from construction paper or cardboard. Arrange students in a circle and play a Valentine song ("Skinnamarink" or "The Valentine Boogie" from Music Express January/February 2003 will do). The students must pass the Valentine heart around the circle to the beat of the music. When the music stops, the person holding the heart wins a prize. Great Concert Moments I have used "We Live the Dream" [Music Express October/November 2002] as the closing for our fourth grade concert the last couple of years and in Martin Luther King celebrations. It always finished an otherwise "high energy" concert with a quiet and thoughtful moment of reflection. On the other end of the spectrum, I use "Triple Play" [Music Express March/April 2003] in the third grade show and invite the audience to be the "C" section and sing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame." It's better than any seventh inning stretch I've ever attended. Brad Wills Fairwood Elementary Renton, WA Candy Wrapper Rhythms Preparation: Collect a variety of candy wrappers and trim the wrappers to feature only the name of the candy. Then glue them all to colored tag board, laminate them and cut them out into little cards. Activity: To begin, place the candy wrappers with tag board side up (blank side) in a box. Have each student pick one card. They flip it over to reveal their type of candy. Now, on their own, they will say their candy's name and figure out its rhythm pattern. Then they will choose a partner and create a candy wrapper ostinato using both of their candy wrappers for the rhythm. They say the names of the candy then tap the rhythm of the candy. For example: "Tootsie Roll Snickers" would be interpreted as: ti ti ta, ta ta. They can choose the order and then practice their rhythm for one minute. Each team will repeat their candy names and then play their rhythm. The class listens and evaluates whether the rhythm played matches the actual names of the candies. Then the class may use their unique candy rhythm to perform an ostinato to a Halloween song such as "Take the Candy and Run" from Music Express Volume 2 No. 2, October/November 2001. This activity can be used for grades one through six because just about everyone loves candy. This activity stresses listening, analyzing, and performing. It also made the students more aware of syllables in our words and how that relates to the rhythm in music. The classes begged to do candy wrapper rhythms again. As a follow up activity students may choose two or three candy wrappers, figure out their rhythms, choose a pleasing rhythmic order and then notate the rhythm on paper and perform the sound composition for the class using a rhythm instrument of their choice. Upper grades can be required to work within a prescribed meter for the longer compositions. Happy Snacking! Angela Reisler Jacobsville Elementary School Pasadena, MD 100th Day of School Use your own school calendar to compute this date for your students. For most schools, it will fall around the first or second week of February. Use Cheryl Lavender's "One Hundred Days of School" in the K24U section of this issue to celebrate the day. Other activities might include: 1. Draw 100 quarter notes. 2. Name 100 songs or 100 musicians. 3. Write lyrics to a song titled, "If I Had a Hundred Dollars" set to a familiar folk tune. 4. Sing a song for 100 seconds, then be silent for 100 seconds. Which seems longer? 5. Do 100 clap bursts. Presidents' Day March On the third Monday of each February we celebrate the birthdays of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Many use this day to honor all former presidents of the US. Celebrate by playing a recording of "Hail to the Chief," which is the tune used whenever the president enters an event. Add classroom instruments and march around the room in a presidential parade. Kimberly House – Winner of the 2004 Music Express Survey Contest Thank you so much for a marvelous experience in California. The Joy of Singing workshop was wonderful and so was the music. It was exciting meeting and working with such talented musicians. Music Express Magazine is such a valuable resource and I enjoy every minute of teaching from it. Kimberly O. House Spring Hope Elementary Spring Hope, NC March Is Play-The-Recorder Month The American Recorder Society has designated March as the official Play-the-Recorder month. Celebrate the beauty and versatility of this instrument by having a recorder ensemble perform in a public place such as a library, bookstore, museum or shopping mall. If you have a local chapter, invite them to your classroom for a workshop or demonstration. For more information, log on to www.americanrecorder.org. Continued Success at the PEAK Festival On behalf of the Nassau Music Educators Association, we would like to express our gratitude for your assistance with the 3rd Annual PEAK Festival. This event called PEAK–Parents, Educators and Kids– took place on October 23, 2004 at the New Visions School in Freeport, New York. "Ain't We Got Fun" (from the August/September 2004 issue) provided a theme of excitement and an unforgettable, musical experience for the parents, educators and kids from all over Nassau County. Thank you for your contribution and for supporting the celebration of elementary classroom music programs. Ruth Breidenbach V.P. Classroom Music NMEA Recorder Order I have really enjoyed the Music Express magazine. I have used several of the recorder lessons with third graders and we turned some of them into ensemble selections as students became able to read both melody and rhythm lines. They were able to translate to keyboard, xylophones, guitars (some students really wanted to play guitar and practiced a couple of chords at home). My special ed. Kids were able to add assorted rhythms instruments, beginning and stopping at certain points in the music. I was really proud of them. Peggy Harmon Farmersville ISD Farmersville, TX April Showers Create your own rainstorm, complete with thunder, without getting wet! First select a group of students to be the thunderclaps. Place them in the back of the room with instructions to stomp their feet loudly whenever you point to them. The rest of the class will be the rain. Begin with a slow sprinkle by pointing to a small section of the class to begin snapping their fingers in any rhythm. As the rain gets closer, add more students as you move your "pointer" across the room. As the rainstorm increases, instruct the students to change the snaps to pats on thighs when your pointer moves across them. Point to the thunderclaps in the back of the room intermittently for a loud burst of thunder. When you are ready for an all out cloudburst, instruct the students to change to clapping when your pointer moves across them. You could even add hail with some students "popping" their mouths. Don't forget the thunder in the back of the room! Slowly ease off on the rainstorm by going backwards through the instructions and ending with the slow sprinkle again. Pull out a rainbow colored scarf, windsock or poster when finished and sing "Rain, Rain, Go Away" or some other rain or rainbow song. Music Express Ends the Year on a High Note At the end of the school year, the staff sang along with "Fun in the Sun" (from Music Express May/June 2003, Volume 3, No. 6). The kids did motions while the decked-out, vacation-ready staff threw beach balls into the audience and skateboarded in their scuba gear! The teachers then threw confetti at the surprised students. Cleaning up was work, but it was so worth the positive end to a long school year. Leslie Schneider Valley View Elementary School Ellensburg, WA Each May we have a school wide sing-along. We sing six to eight Music Express songs with movements. We study the songs in class all year (usually one a month) and then review them all together at the sing-along. It's like a giant concert where everyone gets to perform. Betsy Logeman Wellford Elementary Wellford, SC Suggestions for Funding 1. Contact your school librarian. They have funds that are allocated to purchase periodicals for the school library. John Jacobson's Music Express magazine qualifies for a periodical. Just ask! 2. Meet with your principal and list all the songs, activities and recordings you get with Music Express, PLUS an issue for every student in your class. Then tell her how much a music textbook would be! She'll jump at the chance to use the discretionary funds at her disposal for this essential resource. 3. Present your case at the next parent/teacher (PTO/PTA) meeting, again describing all the benefits of Music Express. They are looking for ways to spend that money they made on the last bake sale. Bring a group to perform at the next meeting as a token of appreciation. 4. Local businesses in your area may be willing to support the arts. Contact your city's merchants and business owners and each may contribute a portion or you may get lucky and one will pay the entire subscription price. Make sure to acknowledge them in the newspaper or in the program of your next concert. 5. Parents are a great resource. Just ask! Many parents are asked to contribute to the sports programs with participation fees, equipment purchases, etc. They may not blink an eye if they are asked to contribute to a music magazine the students can take home! 6. Ask a local philanthropist. $195 for them may be pocket change! In exchange for a student performance at a civic event or fund-raising gala, you may get your subscription paid for and get your students performing in the community all in one! 7. Find a sponsor. Softball teams have sponsors, why shouldn't you? Name your performing group Music Express and go on the road. Your sponsor would pay for your subscription and maybe even travel expenses and T-shirts. Of course everywhere you go the advertising would read, "Music Express sponsored by Milt's Garage and Ice Cream Shoppe." Foster School gets M.E. Award for Best Costumes Foster School's third and fourth grades classes of Ludington, MI performed Go Fish last November. This fishy musical by John Jacobson and John Higgins is about discovering how everyone's differences make them special. Cathy Webster, the music teacher for Ludington Area Schools sent in these wonderful photos of the costumes and artwork created for the show. Great job, Cathy and crew! Your work is sensational! Cathy Webster Ludington Area Schools Ludington, MI Reviving the May Pole Many customs have been lost through the years. One such custom is the May Pole. May Day, celebrated on May 1 is the festival honoring spring and the coming of summer. Children may go from house to house or classroom to classroom with baskets of spring flowers or sweets. They may also dance around the May Pole. A May Pole is easily made with an upright pole in a stand. This can be made from PVC pipe or sturdy wooden pole available at most lumber marts. Tack or nail multi-colored streamers or ribbons (preferred for durability) to the top of the pole. The strips of ribbon should be one and one-half times the length of the pole. Have each child grasp a ribbon with his/her right hand and form a circle around the pole. The children should walk or skip around the pole and as they do, the ribbon will wrap closer to the pole, forming a colorful striped circular design. The next time, have ever other student hold the ribbon in a different hand and face a different direction. As they move around the pole to the music, weave the ribbon over one person and under the next. This will form a different, almost braided design on the pole. Why Do We Teach Music? Not because we expect you to major in music. Not because we expect you to play or sing all your life. Not so you can relax. Not so you can have fun. But – so you will be human, So you will recognize beauty, So you will be sensitive, So you will be closer to an infinite beyond this world, So you will have something to cling to, So you will have more compassion, more gentleness, more goodness, in short – more life. Of what value will it be to make a prosperous living unless you know how to live? –Author unknown