ClassDojo

For some reason, my 5th graders have been particularly challenging this year.  Classes of beginners with nearly 50 students have been easier to manage than 2nd-year classes of 20.  It got me thinking about what I'm doing differently that could cause these kids to suddenly think it's OK to goof around in orchestra.

Don't get me wrong:  their behaviors, in the grand scheme of things, haven't been that bad--mostly talking and playing out of turn, but there's been some disrespectful behavior also.

So today I tried a new program with one of my 5th grade groups called ClassDojo.  ClassDojo is a program that allows teachers, students, and parents to record and communicate behaviors.  What I love most about the program is that the focus is on positive, not negative, behavior.

I used today to "dip our toes in," just to see what it was like.  First, we watched this video:

 Then, it was business as usual.  I was using it on my iPad, and it makes a friendly little "ding" whenever I give a student a positive point.  It also makes kind of a sad sound if I give a negative point.  Just the sound was enough to keep them paying attention for the entire period.  At the end of today, we had 81% positive points!  That's probably about where we were before, we're just paying more attention now.

The kids were REALLY excited about it!  A lot more excited than I thought they would be.  I didn't get their Secret Codes printed off before class because I really didn't think they would care as much as they did, but lots of kids couldn't wait to see how they did at the end of class.  They're also excited to customize their avatars.  

I also sent an e-mail to parents to explain what it's all about.  Parents can also log in to ClassDojo to find out in real time how their son or daughter is doing.  It also has a pretty slick messenger tool--it's a lot like texting but I don't have to share my cell phone number :)

My hope is that using ClassDojo will reduce the number of times in a day I have to say, "Please don't talk between songs," or "Wait to play!"  In the long run, I think it will result in more disciplined classes, and disciplined classes make happy teachers!

How do you use ClassDojo in your room?  What successes have you had?  What should I watch out for?  Any other apps I can't live without?  I'd love to hear from you!

New Room! (Preview)

I have a new classroom!

It doesn't have a desk... or a whiteboard... or any storage for instruments... but I have a new classroom!

Luckily, we recruit in the fall, so it's not a HUGE deal that it's not done yet.  I am confident praying it will be done by the time we start in a few weeks.

Anyway, I'm still pretty excited.  I made these posters to hang on the otherwise-boring walls outside the room.  It brightens up the space, and I have to say I'm pretty proud of the music-advocacy statement they make.  Plus, it's one small thing I feel like I have a little control over :)

Please excuse the crooked/blurry pictures.  I almost got trampled by the 2nd graders on their way out to recess!

I made one for band too.  Don't want them to feel left out!

Stay tuned for pictures of the inside!  Right now it's not ready for company yet...

What's in your Sub Tub?

The general music teachers in my district have Sub Tubs.  How brilliant is that?

It's basically a box of emergency sub plans in case you get a non-orchestra sub.  And the likelihood of that happening is pretty high. My principals allow me to cancel class if I can't find an orchestra sub (if they're not going to be learning orchestra AND they're missing whatever they're pulled out from, is it a good use of time?), but I thought it was time to make a Sub Tub just in case.

These ideas came from all over the place.  Some of them are from our method book.  (I'm telling you, Orchestra Expressions is the best method book ever--they even include sub plans!)  Others came from Pinterest (LOVE Pinterest!), the School Orchestra and String Teachers Facebook page (LOVE this group!), and my colleagues (LOVE my colleagues!)  

In the Sub Tub, I included a "Menu" so the sub can do activities they feel comfortable with.  Sneakily, the menu items are listed in the order I prefer they be done :)

Even if the sub feels comfortable having them play, I ABSOLUTELY DO NOT have them tune.  Unless they're a string player, I feel like it's just going to mean lots of broken strings.

Requests-My kids love to play requests.  Sometimes we do this if we have a few extra minutes at the end of a lesson (this rarely happens.)

Solo for a Sticker-Students take turns playing a solo for the class and earn a sticker to put on their folder.  Audience members are expected to show good concert etiquette.

D and A String Notes Koosh Game-One of my colleagues made this game and it is GREAT!  The kids get to take turns  throwing a Koosh ball at the SmartBoard.  The spot they hit takes them to a note to name.  Then back to the first slide and repeat!

Note Reading/Rhythm Practice on Chromebooks-Our district is 1:1 with Google Chromebooks.  It's awesome.  I have a bunch of links for note reading and rhythm games at my website.

Instrument Biography-This idea came from Tricia Laux.  It is a writing activity.  The kids can either write it by hand the "old fashioned" way or share it with me on Google Drive.  In it, they tell me the (fictional) story of their instrument.

• Full Name of Instrument, Birth Date
• Where was it “born?” Who made it?
• Details on travels, experiences
• Who has played it, injuries
• Any other details

Youtube-I made a Youtube favorites list of pre-viewed, orchestra-appropriate videos and shared the password on the sub menu.  As always, I'd be careful to show students' suggestions (and they will have many) unless it's a video you've already seen and know it's appropriate.  Please learn from my mistake: When I was student teaching, I showed the Pachelbel Rant to some 8th grade students.  (Worth a watch if you're a string person and haven't seen it)  It has a mild curse word at the end and I felt HORRIBLE.  I'm sure it was nothing they hadn't heard before, but I was still really embarrassed and hope it never happens again.

Rhythm War-Like the card game War, but with notes.  See the original post here.

Orchestra Bingo-Stolen from the same brilliant colleague as the Koosh game, this Bingo set has a "word bank" or terms and symbols and kids fill out their own cards.  I'll probably throw a bag of Frooties in the tub for prizes.

Note Naming Dice-I saw these dice online but can't find the link anymore!  Should have saved it when I saw it.  Anyway, they are 8-sided dice with the D and A string notes on them.  The kids roll them, then name the note (or finger).  If I ever find them, I'm going to color-code them to make sure the kids are reading the right notes for their instrument. (Also, if you know where I saw it, PLEASE post a comment!!)

Orchestra Expressions Sub Plans-I am wild about our method book, Orchestra Expressions (and the publisher is NOT paying me to say that!), and they included a couple of sub/supplemental plans.  One is a composition activity and the other is listening.

I'd gladly post some of the files for the activities listed here, but it doesn't look like Blogger supports that.  If you'd like anything, send me a message and I'd be happy to e-mail you.

What do you put in your sub tub?  I know there are other great ideas out there!  I love to steal ideas, so if you have anything, please post it in the comments!

Orchestra is AWESOME!

What a busy summer!  I taught a bunch of private lessons, started my Master's degree, and my husband and I took a trip to Europe.  It's almost slower now that we're back to school!

The beginning of the year is kind of a big deal for us in our district.  We do fall recruiting, so now is the time to get kids excited about (and signed up for) orchestra.  I'm really thankful to have good numbers in all my schools and also really thankful that I went from having 4 schools last year to 3 this year.  Everything seems a lot less crazy!

Recruiting 4th graders (beginners in my district) is one of my favorite things.  I love to play the instruments for them and see their excitement when they get to play the instruments themselves for the first time.  This year, my theme is movie music.  I've actually used it for a couple of years now and it seems to work well.  Here's what I'm playing on each instrument:

Violin-theme from Star Wars
Viola-Let it Go from Frozen
Cello-Everything is Awesome from the Lego Movie (Keep reading for more on Everything is Awesome!)
Bass-Theme from Jaws (naturally)

I'll admit that I try to stack the deck a little bit so I don't end up with a violin-only orchestra.  Picking popular tunes to play on the viola and cello seems to get kids a little more excited about playing those instruments.  For some reason, I never have a shortage of bass players. (Until they get to 5th grade, at least... if you have the secret for keeping bass players, please share!)

After they hear the demonstration, the kids get to play the instruments!  I know some people get worried about letting the kids play without proper form, but there is nothing in the world like getting to hold and play an instrument.  These kids get so excited to saw away and I love to see their enthusiasm.

Now back to "Everything is Awesome."  I never saw the Lego Movie, but one of my colleagues is really fired up about the song.  I Youtubed it yesterday and it is such a catch tune!  It's been stuck in my head for a day and a half!  In case you haven't seen it, here's the clip.  Watch at your own risk!

This particular colleague used the tune in her recruiting, changing the words to "Orchestra is Awesome," and I really liked that.  Maybe that can be our theme for the year!

 A Lego orchestra!  How awesome is that!?

How do you recruit?  What could I try to make my recruiting even better?  And, most importantly, what do I do to keep my bass players between 4th and 5th grade?

And if you're a public school strings teacher, (or I guess anybody, for that matter) have a great year!

Anchor Charts

I love Pinterest, and a lot of the people I'm following are teachers.  As a result, a lot of anchor charts show up in my feed.  Most of those anchor charts, though, are for subjects like math and reading.  Really important stuff, but hanging a poster of the revision process in my orchestra room doesn't make a lot of sense.

This wonderful idea of posters that help kids out with the material, a personal insistence that my students WILL learn to read their notes, and my excitement about my new classroom next year really got my brain buzzing.  It didn't take too long for Google to reveal that there wasn't much on the web for Alto clef.  Big surprise, huh?  Not wanting my army of viola players to feel out of the loop (and I'm proud to say I have TONS of violas!), I set out to make my own.  A lot of it is ripped off from other stuff I've seen, but that's what good teaching is, right?  Stealing good ideas?

In the spirit of orchestra teacher camaraderie, I thought I'd share with you.  Please forgive the so-so quality.  If you'd rather have the word file so you can tweak it to make it your own, please leave your e-mail address in the comments.  Admittedly, I would be skeeved out by that, but I've already done all the work, so if you don't mind it, more power to you!

Self-explanatory, I guess.  This is the process we always use when learning a new piece of music.

This I stole from a "Recorder Doctors" poster.  Encourage the kids to solve their own problems with sound!

Like the "Orchestra Doctors" poster, but I like this one better.  Here's a related, really bad joke:
What do you call an alligator in a vest?
An INVESTIGATOR!

A chart with expectations for unpacking time...

...and one with expectations for packing time.

And, finally, posters with the lines and spaces for treble, alto, and bass clef... and no forgotten violas!

I hope you find this stuff useful.  Heck, I hope I find this stuff useful.  Here's to better note readers!  And in case I don't have a chance to post again in the next few weeks, I hope your year wraps up excellently and that you have a great summer!

Mark O'Connor!

My principal told Mark O'Connor this afternoon that I was star-struck by him.  While it is true, I was a little embarrassed that she said it.

That's right... Mr. O'Connor was at our school today and my 4th and 5th graders got to meet him and hear him play!  He's in town to play a concert with the college orchestra and was working with select students from our school (from another program, unfortunately, not mine!) while he was here.  When I found out he was going to be at our school, I HAD to try to get something organized for my students.  What kind of teacher would I be if I didn't try?!  I ran into all kinds of dead ends trying to set something up, and I thought it wasn't going to happen.

This same principal who gave my little "fangirl" secret away gave me a great piece of advice:  try to track him down and ask him yourself if he'll meet with your kids.  It seems a little slimy, but that's what I did.

Yesterday afternoon, Mr. O'Connor gave a masterclass for the college orchestra and I was free so I went.  I stayed until the end and asked if he would be willing to meet with my kids today.  He is a super nice guy and didn't seem to mind at all.

We didn't really get a lot done in orchestra today.  By the time we talked a little bit about who we'd be seeing and reviewed the expectations (this part was very important!), that had pretty much used up our time.  It was worth it though.  Before long, it was 2:10--show time!

Mr. O'Connor played for them and answered some of their questions.  I have never seen those kids so silent!  It was funny to see kids watching him play with their mouths literally hanging open.  It was such a great experience for them and something I hope they'll never forget.

Before they left, he told them how much his teachers meant to him (Hope they'll be saying the same thing about me when they're famous!) and gave them cards for free audio downloads, which was super generous of him.  A couple kids who didn't have to ride the bus stuck around and he signed autographs.  Truly a really cool, nice guy in addition to world-class musician!

Here's a photo I took of him playing.  Notice how the orchestra students are sitting still and listening attentively! :)

I have the best job.

Concerts and Reflections

Long time, no see!

I hate to make excuses, but it's been super busy with concerts!  Since I teach in 4 schools, I have 4 spring concerts, plus the 5th graders do a festival to help recruit them into orchestra in 6th grade.  Plus solo and ensemble contest in April.  Plus my own playing.  Ah, concert season!

But speaking of concerts, I think it's really important for students (well, really everybody) to be reflective about their learning.  My beginners reflect on their learning after every concert (and hopefully more often than that!)  I try to get a video of each performance, then I put it on YouTube.  Even though I make it "Private" so no creepy people can watch my kids play, this is very exciting to them!  The next orchestra day after the concert, we eat popcorn and watch the video.  Then we reflect.

What did you learn?
What went well?
What could have been better?

I also have them "rate" their posture/playing position, bow hold, and how comfortable they were with the music, and have them tell me their favorite song and why.

The questionnaire is pretty heavily based on one the band teacher used at my previous job.  It was so great, I had to steal it!  The kids don't seem to mind filling them out--in fact, because I bring popcorn, they think it's a party! And we really do get some insightful reflections.  They often surprise me, saying things like "I liked our tone" or "We didn't really play that together."  These are beginners!

This activity is so great because it helps the kids realize how much they have learned, especially this time of year when the going is starting to get tough--more notes and more skills sometimes gets to be overwhelming.  I also love that it helps us focus our learning and set goals for the next concert.

Of course, we always save some time for a fun YouTube video at the end.  This time, it was the Piano Guys' version of Let it Go from Frozen.  Fantastic!

(If you are a music teacher and you haven't subscribed to the Piano Guys, DO IT NOW!  They are great!)

So take some time to reflect with your kiddos.  The sense of accomplishment and the sense of direction doing an activity like this provides is so valuable.