Music

Your child takes part in music in a variety of ways on a daily basis on our classroom. Whether it is through listening, participating, or even performing, they are engaged in music!!!
Music enhances learning in our classroom. Through music, movement, and dance, your child is learning things you may not even realize such as:

· Psychomotor development
· Perceptual skills
· Emotional and social development
· Cognitive skills
· Multicultural development
· Aesthetic awareness

Some of the many ways MUSIC is included in our daily routine:
· Morning Circle: Greeting, Days of the Week, Weather
· Snack time
· Lunch Time
· Clean Up Time
· Transitions
· Song Can: Before play time we have a can that has numerous songs that relate to the theme of the week. We pull songs from the can and sing them together!

Still asking WHY we incorporate music???

While on the outside it may appear that music is incorporated in our classroom on a daily basis because our students enjoy it, there are many more reasons for why it is incorporated and lots research proving the importance of it. As a teacher, it is our responsibility to plan as well as motivate our students the most that we can. We need to focus on selecting, presenting, and evaluating music experiences effectively, we need to function as motivators, planners, facilitators and observers, and we need to make sure that we are integrating music, movement, and dance throughout the school day across various subject areas.

Each child develops musical/rhythmic and bodily/kinesthetic intelligences through interaction with others, and enjoyment of a wide variety of music and movement suited to his or her developmental level. The goal of music, movement, and dance activities is to support every child’s growth in these domains and develop skills in each area beginning in the earliest days of life.

Research on the human brain suggests that experiences with music, movement, and dance exert an enduring influence on the way that the brain responds, functions, and ultimately is organized. Also, it has been proven that through a supportive physical and emotional environment, positive adult and peer interaction, and varied opportunities to enjoy and create music, movement, and dance contribute to the child’s overall development.

For fun at home, visit:
http://www.education.gg/gg/custom/resources_ftp/netmedia_ll/ks2/music/virtual_keyboard/index.htm
http://www.playmusic.org/
http://www.nyphilkids.org/main.phtml

For more information about music activities at home, read articles at http://childparenting.about.com/cs/k6education/a/mozarteffect.htm

Movement and Dance!!

Welcome to our classroom. Throughout this school year we will be incorporating a lot of creativity into our daily routine. There will be a lot of fun activities including movement and dance activities that provide the opportunity for children to participate. We will be learning about different kinds of music and rhythms and how we can express music with our bodies. Children will learn new songs, and movements to go along with the songs, and the significance of the expressing what they feel through dance and movement. Music, dance, and movement offer a varying level of engagement. Students can choose to listen, participate, and even perform for others. We will be taking a look at dance and movement from other cultures to show students that dance is something that everyone can relate to and enjoy.
We want your child to feel free to express their unique personality and individuality through music, movement, and dance. We encourage students to try new dance moves and be open to learning about music and movement from other cultures. We look forward to having your child in class and for all of the fun activities we have planned. Below describes what your child is gaining through music, movement, and dance.
Music, movement, and dance contribute to the psychomotor development of children. It is natural for children to start moving their bodies when they hear music. When children develop the psychomotor skills, it helps build confidence and lead to the possibility of participating in other sports when they are older. Music, movement, and dance heighten the perceptual development of children by allowing children to recognize differences between voices and other sounds around them. Social and emotional development are also being practiced as students share their experiences with others and work together to make music. It also gives children an awareness of others around the world and a way to connect with many different people. As you can see, there are many benefits to music, movement, and dance and we want to include a risk free environment where children feel free to express themselves.
Below describes the skills that your child will be learning throughout the year from music, movement, and dance.
Cognitive Stages of Music, Movement, and Dance Development
• Infants and Toddlers- Physical activity and music are intertwined.
• Preschoolers- use items to represent their experiences.
• Elementary School- Use abstract symbols and language to represent their ideas.
How children feel about Music, Movement, and Dance.
• I can listen to music and watch people dance.
• I can join in and dance and sing along.
• I can make music, movement, and dance on my own.
• I can understand the language in music.
• I can create my own music and choreograph my own moves.
• I can perform music and dance for others.

What Children Learn from Music, movement, and Dance.
• Motor skills
• Perceptual skills
• Cognitive skills
• Social and emotion expression and development.
• Aesthetic awareness as well as awareness of others around them.
Ways Movement and Dance can be used in a classroom.
• Begin the day with a song or dance.
• Greet each other in a Morning Meeting.
• Helps to create and warm and inviting atmosphere.
• Helps to establish the mood of the room.
• Helps to focus children and keep their attention.
• Keeps children active throughout the day.
• Can help ease tension or nervousness of students.
Ways to incorporate movement and dance in a classroom.
• Morning Meetings.
• Special Events (Birthdays, Holidays)
• Celebrate Diversity
• Refresh and Relax
• Focus and sharpen thinking skills
• Helps to promote a child’s creative expression.
• Bringing the day to an end.
Music, Dance, and Movement in an Inclusive Classroom
• Provide opportunities for every child to participate.
• Have a step-by-step process in place
• Include Music, Movement, and Dance in IEP’s
• Use a variety of different kinds of instruments.
• Be aware of instrument preferences of the students.
• Encourage all students to use Music, Movement, and Dance outside of the classroom.
• Have many resources available to you at all times.
Benefits about Children, Music, Movement, and Dance
Children:
• Have potential in music and movement.
• Bring unique interests and abilities.
• Come with diverse backgrounds.
• Should experience exemplary musical sounds, activities, and materials.
• Should not pressured to perform for an audience.
• Learn best in safe, pleasant environments.
• Need effective, enthusiastic role models.
• Need diverse learning environments and varying opportunities.
• Are capable of developing critical thinking skills through music and movement.
• Should have the enjoyable music and movement experiences.
When children dance they are learning:
• To express themselves physically.
• To be conscious of the moods and rhythms of music.
• Balance and coordination.


Miss Caltagarone

Drama and Acting in our Classroom!

Not only will students be learning how to read and comprehend stories this year, but they will also get the opportunity to become part of these stories as actors and actresses! Students will also get to make and play with puppets to act out stories or events. In our classroom, everyone gets an opportunity to be an actor/actress, and a director. Some of the play activities we will be doing will be very formal and structured, but most will be child directed and very informal. We want your children to feel safe taking risks and using their imaginations!

The dramatic arts are included in all four subjects: literacy, mathematics, science, and social studies. In literacy, students are able to act out stories, practice writing out skits, and improve listening and speaking skills while working with a group and performing in front of others. During mathematics, children are able to explore abstract concepts and terms through using their imaginations during play. In science, students are able to better understand how the physical world works and how systems and processes work. Finally, during social studies, drama and acting helps build children’s appreciation for other’s ways and points of view. Students will get to act out both past and present events and actually experience some of the same feelings as people present at that event.

As part of our everyday centers, we will be doing thematic units. For each unit, a prop box will be created to help stimulate children’s creativity and allow them to work with others and pretend to be something new and exciting!

We have found in prior years that with a properly structured environment, students love these activities. We spend a lot of time at the beginning of the year setting up a classroom community conducive to taking risks and working together to solve problems. Below, I have listed just a few of the important things your child will be learning through the dramatic arts this year (and he/she won’t even know it!)

• Higher-order thinking, problem solving, concentration, and reflection
• Improving 4 of their intelligences:
o Bodily/kinesthetic (movement)
o Verbal/linguistic (speaking)
o Interpersonal (being able to work with others effectively)
o Intrapersonal (knowing yourself)
• Team-work and cooperation, as well as problem solving skills
• Imagining the situations and problems of others
• Improved skills in reading, listening, speaking, writing, comprehension, and acting
• Thinking analytically, and acting decisively and responsibly
• The ability to concentrate, follow directions, cooperate, and negotiate
• Showing their knowledge in many unique, diverse ways!

"Of all of the arts, drama invovles the participant most fully: intellectually, emotionally, physically, verbally, and socially. As players, children assume the roles of others, where they learn and become sensitive to the problems and values of persons different from themselves. As spectators, children become involved vicariously in the adventures of the characters on stage."
-Nellie McCaslin, 2006

Welcome!

Welcome to our classroom! We are very excited to get this year started and we have a lot of fun activities planned for our classroom. Rainbow Elementary School is all about getting involved in your learning and using your imagination and creativity. Your child will have opportunities daily to participate in the arts, whether it is through music, movement, dance, or the dramatic arts. During these activities, academic content such as reading, writing, mathematics, science, and social studies are also emphasized. Check this blog often to see pictures and videos of the things going on in our classroom! Although the content of this blog is only open to those people whom we invite, I will be sending media release forms home with all of the students. Please send these back stating whether or not it is ok for us to include pictures and video of your child on the web.
In order for this year to be the most successful yet, we would like parents to be as involved as possible. This can be anything from contributing materials, coming into the classroom to help, or even simply supporting the arts and the things we are doing in the classroom with your child at home. Feel free to contact us at any point in time if you have any questions.

Before the school year gets started, we will be providing you with information about the types of activities your student can expect to be involved in this year, as well as a little bit about why these activities are important. Your child will be surprised with how much he/she learns as we explore and get creative this year!

~Miss Geiger, Miss McCarty, and Miss Caltagarone