Past projects 50
Let there be Sound! with Speakers and Headphones
Funded Jan 27, 2011What fun we've had! I usually have "Composer Friday" on Friday, but I was so excited I just couldn't wait! This week my afternoon "extension" classes were the first groups to have chance to use our new listening gear. Because these groups are slightly smaller and slightly longer, this is an ideal place for project development. Through your donation we received 15 headphones, computer speakers and several headphone splitters that allow for groups to listen to music together. In fact our new listening equipment arrived just in time because our school library recently received a set of Ipod touches that are available for classes to check out, and using our new headphones seemed like the perfect opportunity to use technology. For our first composer project we studied Beethoven. Students were able to compare and contrast several works by Beethoven including excerpts from both his 5th and 9th Symphony, Fur Elise, and Moonlight Sonata. My students were thrilled to realize that their ears already knew these treasured melodies. Because their listening was self paced they were free to move between songs as long as it suited their little group. Having the ability to flip back and forth between excerpts really enhanced their thinking. As their teacher I was very pleased with the quality of conversation that was taking place between the students as they listened together. It was great to hear students say, "Wait, go back I'd like to hear that part again." Because this experience got them to really talk about the music their conversation and their personal notes began reaching for all of those music vocabulary words that students might have seen but have never needed in a conversation. I actually overheard students use words like tempo, dynamics, and crescendo in the proper context entirely on their own. I was even able to supplement their listening with a free "Classics for Kids" podcast that they thought was hilarious and which they referred to in their written responses.
I've already had students ask me when we can listen to this "cool" music again! By providing these materials for my class, you have given my students a level of freedom and ownership in how they enjoy music when they come to my class. I can already see the benefit of your generosity and it's only been a few days! Thank you so very much!
”
With gratitude,
Ms. McSpadden
Keeping the Beat with Woodblocks and Cymbals
Funded Sep 10, 2010All the rust is gone! Thank you for providing cymbals and woodblocks for my music class! My students have had a wonderful time playing the cymbals and woodblocks since they arrived.
One of the biggest lessons I now get to teach my students is how to take care of nice things. In this regrettably disposable society many of my students have never had the opportunity to practice caring for good equipment that they intended to keep for years. Because these instruments are sturdy, new and made to last, I get to teach my students how to take care of things so that we can keep the instruments who provided in good working order for many many years to come. As we have passed out the instruments on instrument days it has been a true joy to see them handling the new instruments with care and respect. None of the students have mistreated or misused any of the instruments. My class is filled with students saying things like. "Look at this one, it's SHINY!",and "That instrument looks loud!" and "I wonder what kind of sound that instrument makes?"
We have had a great time accompanying our singing with rhythmic patterns. In 2nd grade we played along to an instrumental piece called "Country Gardens". They are being so careful as they play that I am considering adding this song to our 2nd grade performance in the spring. In Kindergarten we used our instruments to tell a story together called "The Old Black Fly". It's about a fly who causes all kinds of trouble. I bet you can imagine what fun sounds the children made with the cymbals. What a difference you have made! ”
With gratitude,
Ms. McSpadden
Hand Jivin' Hand Drums
Funded Nov 10, 2010What a wonderful week we have had playing our new hand drums and gathering drums! We had just enough time in the fall to look at the drums and write our "thank-you" notes before we had to begin serious preparation for our winter performances. I told my students that as soon as we got back from our winter break, we would start off the New Year with a bang, and that is exactly what we did.
We have played drums this week in all of the grade levels as part of our January study of African influenced music and rhythm. What a pleasure it has been to read rhythms and discuss the origins of drums and how they are made. We looked at the map and found that drums are used all over the world. Then we focused on drums specifically from Africa. Finally, we got to play rhythms as one of the first steps in preparing the students to compose. Beginning in Kinder, students copy echo rhythms that I demonstrate to improve their aural skills. In 5th grade, we are working in groups to compose rhythms that are then played by the whole class. My favorite part about the hand drums is that they are both sturdy and easy for the students to pass out themselves. Because these drums are so uniquely easy to manage, I will have an easier time incorporating the use of drums into the every day life of the music classroom. I look forward to using these fabulous tools for years to come. Thank you so much for your support! ”
With gratitude,
Ms. McSpadden
Musical Math Manipulatives
Funded Oct 8, 2010WOW! I just had my first opportunity to use my new musical math manipulatives with a group of 5th grade students. It was amazing. These math manipulatives help students work with fractions. The relationship between musical note duration is often described using fractions. For example the length of a half note is 1/2 the length of a whole note. So, before I used them, I took the time to label each piece of each fraction set with it's musical equivalent. For example, the fraction piece that is 1/2 was left blank on one side and on the other side I drew a 1/2 note with the name. In the past when I've had the task of teaching note value to students I have had to rely on their ability to bring their math knowledge with them to music class. This never worked very well because my students had no way to bridge the gap they experience when going back and forth between subjects.
This year, when I introduced note value I was able to bridge this gap for them because of the new fraction manipulatives. My students have stayed engaged throughout what had in the past been a very boring series of lessons. My students have been able to transfer knowledge from one subject to the next. Furthermore, the manipulatives have provided an avenue of support for students who benefit from a physical representation as well as those who need to extend their learning to make it more interesting.
We had a wonderful time and I can't wait to use these materials with my next group. Thank you so much for your support. ”
With gratitude,
Ms. McSpadden
This classroom project was brought to life by Build-A-Bear Workshop Foundation and 4 other donors.Back to Basics All Day at School
Funded Jun 3, 2010Today we sharpened pencils, passed out erasers and folders and got to work creating our "Listening Logs". What a treat it was to be able to hand out these supplies. We are using our "Listening Logs" to keep track of the musical pieces we listen to. We are also learning how to use musical vocabulary words like "tempo" and "dynamics". Today we studied about the famous composer Joseph Haydn and his "Surprise Symphony". Your gift enabled my students to not only study and reflect upon an important piece of western music, but write down and keep our thinking for future reference. My students are excited to use the crayons and highlighters that you have provided. Our next composer will be Mussorgsky who wrote "Pictures at an Exhibition". We will use our crayons and highlighters for that upcoming lesson. Great learning is happening in my class because of your support. Thank you! ”
With gratitude,
Ms. McSpadden
Recorder Method Books and Recorder Storage Make it Easy!
Funded May 24, 2010What a wonderful beginning we've had using our brand new recorder books and stands! We got to use our new books for the first time today! These recorder method books are providing both motivation and challenge to students as they work at developing their instrumental skills. Many of my students will go on to play an instrument in middle school. The use of these books will give them the edge that they need so that no matter which instrument they choose, they will have plenty of practice reading music. The recorder stands that you provided give us a simple and hygienic way to store and organize our recorders. I'll be posting pictures soon of the students using these wonderful and much needed materials. Thank you again. You are changing lives each time you donate to donorschoose.org by giving students access to materials and resources that would otherwise be unavailable to them. I thank you for your support from the bottom of my heart. ”
With gratitude,
Ms. McSpadden
Super Shakers and Musical Scrapers
Funded Jun 23, 2010Today we used the shakers that you gave us to make rain in the music room. While we shook our shakers we sang "rain, rain go away". This activity as well as a multitude of others would not have been possible without your generous contribution. Today when we made rain, we used the sand blocks and the egg shakers. The maracas, guiros, and tambourines are going to be perfect for different types of world music that we will be studying soon. What a joy it is to be able to put a real instrument into the hands of my students instead of having to show them hastily downloaded pictures and poor recordings. Now, instead of talking about a maraca, and pretending to play one, I can give them a maraca to play for themselves. The quality of learning in my classroom has been enhanced and improved greatly through your support. ”
With gratitude,
Ms. McSpadden
Musical Biographies Part 1
Funded Jul 9, 2010What a wonderful gift a book is! Every Friday my students study a different composer. Each time we do, they have more questions than I have answers. Because of your gift of biographical books about composers, I can give the students an opportunity to research an answer for themselves. Yesterday I shared our new books with all of my students. In the older grades, they got busy reading the books so fast that I just let them keep on reading. This opened up a perfect opportunity for us to discuss how titles of musical works are written in italics instead of standard print. As each student came across a musical title we would look it up in our musical index and then play the song written by that composer. When it came time for first grade, I had not originally planned to share the books with them because these books are still too advanced for their first grade reading level and in the first grade we are still learning how to treat books carefully. However, being ever curious, as soon as the 1st grade entered the music room, they spied the new books and wanted to take a look. I was so pleased to see their eager response to these books! They want to read them! They carefully and gently poured over the books with a partner and in a matter of minutes, they had figured out even with their still limited reading skills that these books were non-fiction books about composers and that composers write music. Of course these first graders were most impressed by the pictures of people wearing wigs and old clothes. I was able to highlight a couple of the biographies and play music specific to that composer. We all enjoyed the Beethoven book the most!
Thank you for your gracious gift. My students will learn so much because of your generosity. My classroom is blessed. ”
With gratitude,
Ms. McSpadden
Musical Melodies - One Recorder at a Time
Funded Apr 16, 2010This week has been amazing! Our recorders came in and as soon as the box was open it was as if a fire had been lit. Every student who has walked through the door has been totally thrilled and excited by the opportunities that these recorders offer.
The overwhelming positive response I have received from my students has compelled me to strike while this fire and enthusiasm are still hot so we will begin using our recorders immediately. My 4th graders will begin using the grade level set of recorders on Monday.
I'm sure that they will have a great time applying all they have learned about musical literacy to this extremely accessible musical instrument. ”
With gratitude,
Ms. McSpadden
Easels Make Musical Big Books Easy and Accessible!
Funded Mar 28, 2010Our new easel has simplified so many things in our classroom. Now, anything that I would put on the board for the students to reference, whether it be music or vocabulary, can be put on a flip chart that hangs on the front of the easel. This improvement has helped me streamline my instructional preparation. I only have to write things down once and I don't have to be afraid that the information will be erased. As a result, I have noticed that I have an easier time ensuring that my students are receiving the same lesson regardless of what day the lesson is being taught.
Since receiving the easel, I have had an easier time organizing materials that are currently being used in the various lessons that I teach throughout the day. There are multiple ways to store and organize things built right into the easel, so it has become the central focus of all instructional activities. It's nice to be able to hide important items that I want to share with the students but which I would like to be able to keep away from eager eyes until just the right moment. For example, in kindergarten I decided to showcase several different types of small percussion instruments that I knew the students would enjoy. I wanted the instruments close at hand, but I wanted to be able to help the students manage their excitement. By being able to hide the instruments inside the easel, I was able to invite everyone into the room, get them seated and introduce the activity before the instruments had their big reveal. What a fun moment it was! I don't think they will ever forget trying to identify the sound of the instrument before they could see it.
My favorite part about the easel are the wheels and braking system. Valuable instructional time is saved each time I can minimize transition time from one activity to another. At the end of a group game, I can simply instruct my class to sit down right where they are. While they are being seated, I simply role my easel over and we are busy applying the game experience before the dust even settles. Because the easel has brakes, students who are leaning in to touch something important on the easel are not at risk of pushing the easel out of range.
Several of my 5th grade students helped me put the easel together. What a great time we had reading the instructions and making sure that we had everything we needed. They were so very proud of themselves for being a part of something that would help the school even after they leave to go on to middle school next year. As they have come into class over the last couple of weeks, I've heard them telling other students about their involvement with the assembly of the easel. Just like my 5th graders, you have helped us assemble a better music classroom for our school. Each contribution played a role in improving how my students will learn about music for many years to come. ”
With gratitude,
Ms. McSpadden
This classroom project was brought to life by JP Morgan Chase Foundation and 7 other donors.