Elemental Conversations with Victoria Boler

Full episode notes here: https://www.victoriaboler.com/podcast/

In episode 83 we explored a few simple ways to start using picture books in elementary general music.

When we’re ready for more involved activities, and perhaps extended projects, what are some options? Here are a few places we can get started.

Let’s think though some opportunities for student arranging, adding a game, exploring creative movement, and expanding partwork skills.

In This Episode…

00:00 - Picture Books in Elementary Music

00:56 - Student Arranging

“Too Many Pumpkins”

04:09 - Add a Game!

“Fourteen Animals That Are Definitely Not an Octopus”

08:16 - Creative Movement

“Lines that Wiggle”

11:42 - Partwork Activities

“The Chilly Penguin”

“The Stick”

15:33 - Wrapping Up

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Let’s Connect: 

Website  | Instagram  | YouTube  | Website | Planning Binder

Full Show notes:

victoriaboler.com/podcast/folk-song-research-kathy-kuddes

In This Conversation….

00:00 - Kathy Kuddes!

01:27 - What is folk song research?

03:41 - Questioning the “music teacher canon”

13:18 - What is a folk song?

18:29 - Planning what to leave out

22:02 - What to look for in song resources

31:29 - Print resource recommendations

39:34 - Getting music off the page (“Hop Old Squirrel”)

45:05 - Digital resource recommendations

48:12 - Where to get started with song research

55:20 - How to connect with Kathy

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Let’s Connect: 

Website  | Instagram  | YouTube  | Website | Planning Binder

Full episode notes here: https://www.victoriaboler.com/podcast/picture-books-in-elementary-music-part-1

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Ready to dip your toe into the magical world of children’s literature in your music classroom? Today we’ll talk about a few ways to get started. Next time, we’ll extend the conversation to a few more involved options.

How will we choose our books? What activities will we use? Where will the musical material come from? Let’s explore together.

In This Episode…

00:00 - Getting Started with Picture Books in Elementary Music

00:53 - Three Elemental Questions

01:40 - What are we showcasing? What’s the point?

04:00 - What is the student’s job? What is the teacher’s job?

06:21 - Choosing a Book

10:27 - Where does the musical material come from?

11:09 - Songs from Inside the Book

Victoria’s Collection: Picture Books to Sing on Epic Books

12:26 - Creating Musical Text from Inside the Book

“The Stick”

“Turtle Walk”

15:00 - Adding Existing Songs to the Book

“What Do You Do with an Idea?”

21:10 - Recap and What’s Next

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Let’s Connect: 

 Website  | Instagram  | YouTube  | Website | Planning Binder

Full Show notes:

victoriaboler.com/podcast/cooperative-learning-elementary-music-mandy-algate

In This Conversation….

00:00 - Mandy Algate!

01:24 - What is cooperative learning?

03:43 - How Mandy got interested in cooperative learning

06:08 - How Mandy started incorporating cooperative structures

08:43 - What are the Kagan structures?

09:13 - “Quiz Quiz Trade” with “Ickle Ockle”

13:13 - “Early in the Morning” for upper elementary

16:36 - Cooperative, not competitive

19:09 - Facilitating mixed skill levels and adapting for different grades

29:21 - Late practice activities

37:53 - Quick response questions about cooperative learning

45:15 - Final thoughts

47:19 - Connecting with Mandy, Kodaly levels

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Let’s Connect: 

 Website  | Instagram  | YouTube  | Website | Planning Binder

It’s a common phrase we’ve heard before, and it takes a few different forms….

She always goes first 

He only picks his friends 

I wanted the blue scarf…

What’s our goal in a singing game where we take turns? What happens when we’re not “it” or we don’t have the shiny special role?

Let’s think about….

What our goal is

What skill is missing

When we can practice it

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In This Episode…

00:00 - “I never get a turn”

02:54 - What is Our Goal?

06:45 - What’s the Musical Skill?

007:57 - Locus of Control

10:34 - When do we Practice the Skill?

11:44 - Examples of Practice

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Let’s Connect: 

 Website  | Instagram  | YouTube  | Website | Planning Binder

Show notes here:

https://www.victoriaboler.com/podcast/aimee-pfitzner-singing-games

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I’m thrilled to be sharing this conversation with Aimee Pfitzner, all about singing games in elementary general music. If you’re already familiar with Aimee you’ll know she has so much knowledge and she brings so much experience to the world of children’s games and children’s play. If you don’t already have them, let me recommend her books, which you can find with the link above, along with Aimee’s bio so you learn more about her and connect with her work. 

Aimee and I started talking before the actual interview about her experience moving to her North Carolina campus, and she was sharing so much wisdom I decided to keep it in our recording. So we’ll just jump straight into our conversation as Aimee shares how she got introduced to the Schulwerk. Here is Aimee talking about her early Orff experiences.

In This Episode…

00:00 - Aimee Pfitzner & how Aimee got connected to the Orff Schulwerk

04:44 - Creating musical moments

08:42 - How do we choose singing games for the classroom?

14:01 - the Orff sequence

18:06 - Bump Up Tomato

25:52 - We Are Dancing in the Forest

28:45 - Pacing and taking turns

33:06 - Classroom management in singing games

35:39 - Adapting songs and games

38:13 - Aimee’s favorite singing games

49:41 - Aimee’s books

52:29 - Closing thoughts

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Let’s Connect: 

 Website  | Instagram  | YouTube  | Website | Planning Binder

What are some ways to think about a situation where students don’t sing?

This is a big topic, because there are lots of different reasons that students might not sing, and non-participation can take a lot of different forms! Let’s think about some ways to frame the problem, and some questions to ask as we move toward a solution.

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In This Episode…

00:00 - My students won’t sing

02:25 - Umbrella Understandings

03:21 - We can’t see motivation

05:22 - We like our students, and our students like us

05:40 - We have consistent routines and procedures

07:02 - We have good relationships with our colleagues

08:23 - This is normal, and we can probably relate

14:33 - What does musicing look like and sound like?

20:09 - Whose music is this?

23:54 - Have we constructed the right task?

25:39 - Activities for scaffolding up

34:54 - Activities for scaffolding down

39: 06 - What’s our experience with managing discomfort?

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Find the full show notes at https://victoriaboler.com/elemental-conversations 

Let’s Connect: 

 Website  | Instagram  | YouTube  | Website | Planning Binder

We’ve all been there!

We teach a song, only to find that students haven’t learned it exactly right. Let’s brainstorm a few possible approaches to the inevitable situation of students singing a song inaccurately.

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In This Episode…

00:00 - When Students Sing a Song Inaccurately

01:28 - Elemental Questions

02:52 - What is the point of the song?

07:31 - How do we build an aural context?

10:04 - Creative listening

14:27 - Listen and move

19:31 - What do students do? What does the teacher do?

28:41 - Troubleshooting

38:20 - Wrapping Up

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Find the full show notes at https://victoriaboler.com/elemental-conversations 

Let’s Connect: 

 Website  | Instagram  | YouTube  | Website | Planning Binder

Full Show notes:

https://victoriaboler.com/elemental-conversations

In this Conversation….

00:00 - Intro

01:27 - About Aileen

04:05 - Benefits of centers

08:33 - Should we do one concept or more than one concept in our centers?

12:38 - Aileen’s “formula” for center categories

20:11 - Setting up for success

26:45 - Choices, classroom management, and assessment : What to think about and options for structuring

32:45 - Centers for student choice: keeping it manageable and giving students ownership

41:53 - Scaffolding centers throughout grade levels

44:33 - Centers for band and choir

48:30 - Final thoughts and advice from Aileen: Giving grace

50:43 - Aileen’s centers course

52:00 - Where to connect with Aileen

01:44 - Nesting Concepts in Elementary General Music

10:10 - Areas of Balance through Tension

12:16 - Emphasizing Music

12:18 - Emphasizing the Child Over the Curriculum Document

15:07 - Emphasizing a Functional Classroom

17:51 - Possible Applications

18:59 - Transferrable Understanding 1: Ensemble

27:05 - Transferrable Understanding 2: Complement

34:07 - Where to Read More