Classroom Music: For Remote Learning Wednesday, August 19, 2020
recommended by Jen Sper and Lora Moore, School Choral & Classroom Music Specialists
The prospect of teaching classroom music remotely is a true challenge, even to the most experienced educator. These Five Star Features, some brand new titles and some previous publications, are recommended by our experienced Classroom Music Specialists especially for our current times and whatever your teaching situation may be.
Music Mosaic by Anna Wentlent
This contemporary collection teaches American music history through student-centered projects. Each of the 15 lessons is intended to prompt risk-taking and the expression of artistic intent, making students the leaders of their own learning. From tracing the culture of an ancestor to forming a student ukulele jam, from creating your own vaudeville show to writing and recording a rap, pick and choose your favorites or use the complete book as a sequential curriculum on the development of American popular music. Core music standards, teacher instructions, reproducible student sheets, and single-point assessment rubrics are included for each project. Recommended for Grades 5-9.
Music-Go-Round by Krista Hart
This delightful resource overflowing with creative musical activities for elementary students! Bring out the crayons for Color-By-Note coloring pages and sharpen the pencils for Word Wizard word searches. Includes Musical Mix-Ups, Colorful Beats, Music Note Spelling Bees, Puzzling Pitches, and more! Covering facts and concepts that are already part of your music curriculum, these attractive reproducible worksheets are perfect for bell work, simple assessments, extra credit exercises, homework assignments, quick lesson extensions, or ready-to-go substitute teacher plans. Grab a seat on the Music-Go-Round!
Ukulele Explorer by Danielle Bayert & Jon Stone
A must-have resource for any music classroom equipped with ukuleles! The creative pair of authors (one a general music teacher, the other a private ukulele instructor) has assembled an amazing journey to quickly get your kids playing a host of popular hits. Each of ten units includes tuning instruction, chord drill, strum pattern practice, and a skill-building exercise, culminating with an engaging performance piece followed by an interactive assessment activity. Embedded with fret diagrams, hand position photos, rhythmic chants for every new pattern, helpful “getting started” screens, plus appealing demo and play-along tracks, the adventure is only a few clicks away on your computer or interactive whiteboard (PC and Mac compatible).
Songs include “Roar,” “Best Day of My Life,” “Over the Rainbow,” “Riptide,” and more! Recommended for Grades 4 and up.
Instrument Parade
Explore the sights and sounds of the orchestra with Instrument Parade! This whimsical set of 9″ x 12″ cardstock posters (4 family and 20 individual instruments) is designed to provide a playful visual introduction to common symphonic instruments. Plus, the online listening lab features authentic examples of live musicians demonstrating each instrument. More than just a delightful decoration, these adorable depictions are a fabulous teaching tool that will engage your young students. Educational and entertaining!
Accent on Composers by Jay Althouse, Judith O’Reilly & Sally K. Albrecht
A complete music appreciation course in a reproducible book/CD package! For each of the featured composers there is a bio (focusing on his or her personal life), a portrait, a listing of the types of music he or she composed, composer factoids, and a time line. The CD contains a listening example for each composer. The reproducible listening guide includes information about each listening example and a second by second “what to listen for in the music.” Also included are reviews (tests) for each composer, plus more than two dozen pages of supplementary material. And it’s all reproducible! Volume 1 composers include: Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Copland, Debussy, Handel, Joplin, Felix and Fanny Mendelssohn, Mozart, Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky, and Verdi. Volume 2 composers include: Berlioz, Bernstein, Chopin, Ellington, Gershwin, Prokofiev, Puccini, Purcell, Mahler, Rachmaninoff, and Strauss.
Interact with Music Assessment by Manju Durairaj
The “Interact with Music Assessment” series by Manju Durairaj is a series of active music making assessments for the interactive whiteboard in three volumes: Level 1 (PreK-1), Level 2 (Grades 1-3), and Student Activities for Level 1 & 2. Each level is an extensive stand-alone collection of 30 sequential assessments for rhythm, pitch/melody, expressive elements (dynamics, tempo, legato, staccato, etc), timbre, texture, form, and/or harmony. Each interactive assessment will involve students through movement, instrument playing, listening, creating, composing, and reading/writing their compositions using graphic or traditional notations. These activities will also promote 21st-century skills of critical reasoning, creativity, communication, and collaboration. There are helpful “teacher talk” pull-out instructions, often with suggestions on how to use the same interactive page for a variety of activities. These comprehensive assessments provide a curricular framework for essential sequential instruction that also aims to make the fullest use of interactive whiteboards, IWB applications, tablets, and apps. Watch your students become physically, cognitively, and actively immersed in music making!
Jazz for Young People by Sharon Burch
Introduce students to jazz through great literature combined with learn by doing! “Jazz for Young People” includes step-by-step lessons that combine content and audio/video recordings of Wynton Marsalis and Jazz at Lincoln Center artists with interactive student learning, including classroom instruments that every music teacher already owns or can easily afford. This easy-to-present resource is designed for a teacher who may or may not be trained in America’s art form – bringing jazz to the next generation.
Digital downloads include: step-by-step lesson slides to project, audio recordings of each song and Wynton Marsalis sharing background information, as well as reproducible activity/assessment worksheets. Plus you will have FREE ACCESS to corresponding video clips for each lesson. Perfect for the general music classroom (grades 2 and up), beginning jazz ensembles and community jazz education courses. Available in two volumes – Volume 1: New Orleans and Jelly Roll Morton and Volume 2: Louis Armstrong.
The Music Show by John Jacobson & Roger Emerson
Join your favorite animated characters led by the famous Luigi’s Baton and his side-kick Mike the Microphone, as they introduce young music students to the FUNdamentals of music, with emphasis squarely on the FUN! With the help of their friends Cadence the Drummer and Fret the Guitar, children will love learning about beat, rhythm, tempo, melody and so much more. Laughing and learning with Luigi’s Baton is what makes “The Music Show” a sure-fire hit!
The all-in-one format features: full color digital lessons with embedded video episodes for instant viewing, projectable and reproducible song charts with lyrics and embedded audio, activity visuals to reinforce music concepts, and quality lesson plans. All projectable content is included via digital access and viewed in your browser, so there is no need for special software. Just download the files onto your computer and you’re ready to go! Performance and accompaniment audio recordings are also available in a separate folder via download for performance options.
Songs include: “The Beat Is the Heart of Music,” “I’ve Got Rhythm, How ‘Bout You?,” “Take a Rest,” “We’re Gonna Sing High, Low and in the Middle,” “Presto Is Fast, Largo Is Slow,” and “Lines and Spaces Baby!” Suggested for Grades 1-3.
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About the Authors:
Jen Sper has been with Stanton’s since 2006. A former middle school and high school choral director, she holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Baldwin Wallace College Conservatory of Music. An active choral singer and accompanist throughout the Central Ohio area, she also enjoys good food, running (to counteract the good food…) and the Muppets.
Lora Moore joined the Stanton’s choral staff in July 2018. A former middle school and high school director of 32 years, she holds a Bachelor of Arts in Choral Music from Capital University and a Master’s of Arts in Choral Music from The Ohio State University. Currently she is a church choir director, operates a private voice/piano studio and is active as a clinician and accompanist. During the off hours, Lora enjoys scouting out new day trips in Ohio to balance what her budget allows for her frequent trips to New York City to visit family and take in a Broadway show or two!