Music In Our Schools Month

[00d1u000000rpp3@rmc5335@gmail.com]

I am starting this forum to discuss ideas and past successes of Music In Our Schools Month celebrations in the elementary area. I want to use this as a resource for everyone to use for ideas as to how to integrate the celebration into what we do. March is a great opportunity to advocate for what we do and what we and our students love. Please share ideas.

[00d1u000000rpp3@juliana.patselas@gmail.com]

I am teaming up with my PE teacher to do a folk dance unit. It will be primarily for third to fourth grade. By utilizing the gym, I will have more room and we can combine our smaller classes to make it more fun (possibly chaotic). At any rate, the students generally like when they get to be in the gym for music. It happens on a few occasions.

One of the dances for fourth grade will be the Virginia Reel. After learning and performing, we will come back to it adding rhythm sticks (red and blue) to make it Star Wars themed.

With PAWS testing in March, it is very distressing when so many of my students are pulled out of specials to make up testing. What is anyone else doing to celebrate the month?

[00d1u000000rpp3@mckeage@uwyo.edu]

We have PAWS testing in March as well, so to kick-off this year we are having our triad high school pep band and cheerleaders do our annual PAWS kick-off assembly! The high school band has come to our school on a few different occasions, and students LOVE seeing older kids perform! I always do the same activity at the end of February that only takes ten minutes of class time. I use construction paper to cut out hearts and have 3rd – 6th graders write why they love music. I emphasize that this is not necessarily what they enjoy about music class at school, but why they enjoy music in all aspects of their lives. I am always pleasantly surprised at the sophisticated answers even younger students convey. Students often write about why it makes them feel happy about good things and helps express their feelings about sad things. I display some of them on a bulletin board in the hallway. I think it’s important for students to articulate WHY they enjoy music, to help them realize the importance of the art we teach!

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