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It's April, which means the end of the year is fast-approaching! And yet somehow, time is also stopped and it feels like we'll never make it to Summer!
I don't ever want to give up on music learning, but I also know that this time of year is not the best for having kids sit quietly, or work on a project that takes a lot of focus and concentration. It's testing season (ugh!) and I want music class to be enjoyable while also enforcing the concepts that we have been learning all year.
Enter Butter. Yes, Butter. I'd heard the song a few times but hadn't thought much about it until my students *begged* me to make a play-along. I figured if they like the song enough to request it, then they'll be invested in learning it. Helloooooo student-centered learning!
This first video is a "Rhythm Builder" which means that each rhythm gets layered on top of the last. It's a fun way to practice seemingly basic rhythms in a new way and to get students to listen to each other while playing. It's a great ensemble exercise disguised as just a fun instrument lesson.
I knew my littles would be jealous that the other kids got to listen to one of their favorite songs so I created a steady beat play-along just for them. My favorite way to use these steady beat videos is to start by calling out different actions for students to do like: tap your legs, clap, tap your head, etc., and then have them come up with their own. Instead of having everybody stop and calling on people one by one, I have everyone do an action of their choosing and then say "Everyone copy Aiden/Breanna/Sanvi/[insert common name here]!" Then they go back to doing their own action before I call on someone else to copy.
Bonus: Assessment! I feel like I'm always talking about secret assessment, but what I mean is formative assessment in an environment where students don't get stressed about doing something the 'right' way. So watch! Who can come up with a steady beat action that actually fits the music and who is just doing a Fortnite dance because they can? 😆
If you don’t yet have Lummi sticks for your classroom…you NEED them! And that’s only a *slight* exaggeration. They’re sturdier than rhythm sticks, shorter so they fit smaller kids better and they play really well both as traditional rhythms sticks but also as drum sticks on the carpet or on poly-spots.