Day Book: Practicum # 3

Period 3: Special Education Music, Grade 9-12

Feb 9, 2015
-singing: scale, do re me, the solfege song, if you're happy and you know it, the
more we get together, twinkle twinkle, etc.
-Strauss: short bio with a picture of strauss, map of austria, picture of ballroom and
dresses/costumes worn in that time
--> students coloured these pictures
-listen to strauss waltzes
-more sing songs at the end of the period

Feb 10, 2015

-started out with sing songs, nursery rhymes at the beginning
-the frog and the mouse

Students did not like the frog or mouse toys we passed around
-the staff: students chose notes to glue on a music staff (one note per syllable in
their name).

Very effective. Students seemed to really enjoy this!

Taped creations on the wall

-ended class with a sing song

Students were clapping and some even started dancing!

Tomorrow:
-Mozart

Feb 11, 2015

-Cymbals:

Crash cymbals: walked around and let students hit the crash cymbals

Marched around as if we were a marching band (adults only)

Feb 12, 2015

Tips from EA's:

Less paperwork

More songs
Games
Make instruments and use them
Drum circle
Instrument stations
Get whole body involved (head, eyes, arms, hands, legs, feet)
Repeat songs every day
Sit in a circle, move tables

Today:

Review of previous days (waltz, march)

Conducting: added streamers to drumsticks (used as batons)
Mozart bio
Mozart masks: craw mozart's face, colour, cut out and attach to a stick
Sing along: old mcdonald, bingo, etc.

Feb 13, 2015

-The period began with 3 vocal students performing for the kids
-We brought in a mic and speaker for the students to sing into
-Billa got very excited when she saw the mic and immediately walked up to it and
started talking into it
-We had the kids make/decorate valentines crowns and heart necklaces with their
names on it
-Essarai was very engaged today. He was moving around/dancing in his chair a lot,
and was even trying to sing
-Dance part for the last 20 mins of class. I moved tables back so there was more
room in the middle for the chairs.
-Mrs. Jobin gave each student a present (teddy bear for the boys,
necklace/bracelet/earrings for the girls).
-The dance party worked very well. I think we should do this at the end of every
class.
-Today's class flew by.
Other ideas:

Move to the music: when the music is loud, put your hands up. When it is
quiet, put your hands down. When it is fast, shake your hands, when its slow,
move your arms slowly, etc. This can be done through drawing as well.

Feb 17, 2015

-Started the day today with solfege, singing up and down the scale
-Tayla was trying to the hand motions (her hands were moving up as we went up the
scale)
-Ball activity: sing a note (ex. Doh) and throw the ball to the student. They had to
catch the ball and throw it back to us. We did this with small balls and big balls

Michael was very successful with this. He did this all the way up the scale.

Nathan enjoyed the ball, tried to push it back to us

-Family day activity: since yesterday was family day, we provided the students with
a few cartoon pictures of families. They had to cut out and stick the pictures onto
another shet of paper to create their own family. At the bottom of the page we
wrote "Things I like to do with my family" and "My favourite song". These sheets are
being sent home in their communication books for their parents to fill out tonight.
-Ended the period with a sing-along.

Camilla was very vocal today

Esserai was happy and moving around

Tomorrow:

Make musical mittens

Use shakers

Sing more

Try to take more initiative in this class!

Feb 18, 2015

-Yesterday we had the students create a family sheet with the statements "Things O
like to do with my family" and "My favourite song" at the bottom. Today, we
received the sheets back with the results filled in:

Michael: Down by the bay, row row row your boat, girls chase boys, twinkle
twinkle little star

Billa: Shane Ward "No Promises", Shamime Ibrahim (turkish song)

Joseph: Happy birthday song

Ettarai: Uptown funk,

Camilia: Hanna Montana "Always Smile"

Simonne: The Dora song

Tayla: All rap music

Alex: Shakira "Hips Don't Lie"

-Today we started the class with "la bay da may ne po tu la"
-Singing about our favourite foods Ex: "My name is Rose Jobin and I like pizza(child
sings back): My name is Billa and I like pasta"
-Activity: cut out pictures of a boy and a girl and paste them on solfege staircase
-Last half hour of class: sang childrens songs
-Billa stood up and started playing the piano beside Mrs. Jobin
Tomorrow:

Bring a mic for Billa (unplugged) in the hopes that she will sing/participate
more

Play "Period 3 Favourites" playlist

Feb 19, 2015

-Started out the class with a sing-along with instruments

--> gave each student an instrument (shaker, tambourine, drum, claves, cowbell,
etc.) and they played along while we sang This was quite successful. I would do
this every class to get them energized and involved.
--> Canada flag's 50th anniversary: students coloured a canadian flag, cut it out,
and glued a stick to it
--> last half hour was a sing-along

--> sang from song sheets, halleluia

-Students were not as energetic today, and there were 3 students missing
-Tomorrow: dance party, play their favourite songs, karaoke need to find the
karaoke machine and keep a mic/speaker at the school for student
performers

Feb 20, 2015

-Students from a grade 9 (or 10?) religion class joined our class today

Sang a bunch of songs

Religion students danced with our students

About half of the religion class was engaged in the class, the other half did
not want to be there

Ended the class with a dance party to popular dance music (from Songza)
-Today was a lot of fun, but a little chaotic. There are a lot of students packed into
such a tiny room which makes it hard to move around and to motivate EVERYONE
NEXT TIME: I would recommend only sending the students that WANT to help out to
our class.

Feb 23, 2015

-Sing solfege as a warm up

-Rhythm exercises
-Camilia had kept eye contact with me and Mrs. Jobin today!!
-Gave students their shakers to use while singing
-Drew a keyboard
-Walked around the room with a toy xylophone and had the students play it. This
was fairly successful.
-Sang songs and danced for the rest of the period. Billa got up and danced with
me, Mrs. Jobin, and Kayla.

Feb 24, 2015

-Steve (music student) played the bagpipes for the students today. They were
really quiet during this time, and seemed to be interested in the
performance.
-Coloured a picture of a bagpiper
-Put on the "50 kids songs" CD and sang/danced along to it.

Billa danced with us the whole time.

We pushed Alex around the room so she could "dance" with us

Did the same with Tayla for a bit

-Today was a successful day. Students were happy and engaged, and the time flew
by.
Tomorrow: play "Period 3 favourites" playlist.

Feb 25, 2015

-greeted each student individually through song

-solfege warm-up
-Discussion about Mrs. Jobin and how she became a music teacher (discussion
initiated by EA's)
-Sang Lenten songs

Sight read a few songs, and sang a few songs we already know
-Sang O Canada

Michael knew all the words and sang along (loudly)

-Canada themed tattoos

Alex did not like this or want to do it, but eventually gave in
-Played and danced to the songs from High School Musical

Danced with Alex, Joe, and Camilia by pushing their chairs around the room

Alex really enjoyed this

Billa danced with us as well

-Put on a Songza playlist "Shake your sillies out" for the last half hour of class. This
is a very good playlist to use.

Danced with all the students during this time

Feb 26, 2015

-Started the class with student performers

3 singers, one did the Cups song. She went around to each table and allowed
the students to try the cup routine. Billa really enjoyed this, and almost got it
-After the 3 vocal students sang, we allowed Billa to sing into the mic

We put on Uptown Funk, and she started dancing and speaking into the mic

She was SO happy, and it's obvious that she loves performing

EA's recorded it on an iPad

Michael also got up and sang O Canada into the mic (this was very loud, but
he seemed to enjoy it)
-Warm-up with Lent songs

Sang Alleluia: When Mrs. Jobin started playing this song, out of nowhere Mike
started singing along
-Paper activity:

Asked EA's to trace the students hands on a piece of paper, with their thumbs
in the middle

Labelled fingers 1-5 (thumb1-pinky5)

We then took out the iPads and opened a piano app

Students played around on the piano for 10-15 mins

-Billas enjoyed watching the video of herself performing
-Sang songs to end the period

Put on Hips Don't Lie for Alex and she lit up, smiled, clapped, and started
dancing

Put on Uptown Funk again, Billa sang into the mic again, Etterai lit up, smiled,
and started dancing, so I pushed his chair around