This year the Music In Our Schools Month®(MIOSM®) theme is "Music: The Sound of My Heart". Although I've been celebrating MIOSM in some form or fashion since my first year of teaching, this year is going to be different because of the pandemic as well- our district is in a hybrid model, with some students in person and some participating live online, so not everything I've done in the past will work. One of the things I'll definitely be doing is another song bracket! Here are my plans to make it work (and also tie in this year's theme).
I've done a "march madness" style song bracket before (see the full list of songs, as well as how I ran it in a "normal" year pre-pandemic, in this post) and I knew it would be one of the easiest things to do in our current hybrid model. Last time I tried to choose a wide range of songs without any set theme, but this time I decided to go along with the theme a little bit and only use songs that have the word "love" in the title. Here are the songs I'll be using (in no particular order), or you can see them all in this YouTube playlist:
Since we have 22 school days in March this year, having 24 songs works out so that most days students are choosing between 2 songs, with one round towards the end where they choose between 3:
Last time I was able to play the songs over the announcements, but I don't want to do it that way this time because only the in-person learners hear the morning announcements in my building. Instead, I'm putting together a Google Slides file with the songs for each day listed on one slide (with just the audio), and asking each homeroom teacher to play the songs for their class when they have both the in-person and distance learners together, and report their class' vote to me by marking it right in their slides (I'll make one copy of the file for each homeroom). I'll tally the class' votes to see which song advances to the next round and add slides as we go after round 1. I can't share the audio files because I don't own the rights to the songs, but if you'd like a blank copy of the slides where you can insert your own audio (or you could add a youtube link instead), clicking below will give you the option to save a copy to your own drive:
I think this will be a fun way to include everyone in the process, expose students to a variety of genres, and fill the school day with more music without overwhelming myself or anyone else with too much extra work (something we definitely don't need right now)!
What are your plans for Music In Our Schools Month® this year? What "love" songs did I miss? There are so many out there, I know there are more good ones! Share your ideas in the comments below. If you're looking for more ideas to use for MIOSM, here are all my posts on the topic, and you can see all of my posts relating to pandemic teaching on this page below:
One of my favorite teacher discoveries during this pandemic has definitely been FlipGrid! This was one technology I had never even heard of before March 2020, and has now become one of my favorite tools that I plan to continue using long after this is over. Here are some of my favorite ways to use it, along with some of my tips for making the most of it.
If you aren't familiar with the site, essentially it is a way to collect videos from students on a particular topic in one place. You set up "groups", which are like your "classes", and then within each group you create "topics", which are like the specific assignments for which you want students in that group to create videos. Recording and editing their videos is built right into the site, so students can just go to your link and record right there with intuitive, easy to follow steps. Here's a quick overview of what it's about/ basic steps for getting set up:
Top Tips for Use
1. Grade Level Groups
For elementary music, I think it makes the most sense to set up a "group" for every grade level. I set mine up this way last spring and it is still working well for me almost a year later! It makes it easy to find the assignment I want, see one students' work on different assignments in one place, and duplicate an assignment year-to-year (which I am now discovering in my second school year using it). I kept all of the same groups I set up last year because I still teach the same grade levels, and I just give students the link to their current grade's topics!
Bonus: as I'll explain in some examples below, I have also found FlipGrid very useful for organizing school-wide and district-wide events. So in addition to the grade level groups I also have one group for the district music department, and one for my school building, and then I keep all my "topics" for different events in those groups.
2. Duplicate Groups/ Topics
For music teachers one of our biggest struggles is having so many different classes! So I love how easy it is to create copies of groups and topics once I make one. I highly recommend setting up one grade level "group" with all the settings the way you want it, then just duplicating the group and changing the grade level. I do the same thing with assignments- I often reuse an assignment from year to year, or have a similar assignment for multiple grades, so I just duplicate a topic I already created and edit as needed.
3. Moderate Topics
I set all my topics to be "moderated", and I recommend this for almost every situation in teaching. Having a topic moderated means when students submit their videos, only the teacher can see it unless the teacher shares it publicly on the topic page. This is obviously helpful for making sure no off-topic or inappropriate content gets shared with the class, but more than that it makes it less intimidating for camera-shy students if they know I'm the only one who will see it. If it's a normal class assignment I usually tell students they can let me know if they want their response to remain private. Most students are happy to have their classmates see their videos, but for students who are more hesitant they can still participate in the learning experience without the performance anxiety.
The moderating feature is also really helpful for collecting submissions in advance and publishing all submissions at once later, especially for school-wide events (more on that below) or even for something like an assessment where you need students to submit their response without seeing others' answers beforehand.
Examples for Music Teachers
1. Performance Task Class Assignments
Although it's marketed as a way for students to basically talk to the camera to share their thoughts like you would in a discussion, for music FlipGrid is the perfect way to have students perform! I've done simple assignments like creating a found sound composition, or even demonstrating a quick performance task like singing a pattern on solfege, playing a rhythm, etc like I would in class. I envision using this long after the pandemic is over for absent students to do an activity I used as a quick assessment in class, or as an alternative for students who get "stage fright".
2. Self-Paced Work
FlipGrid is also perfect for things like recorders where students work at their own pace to "earn belts" etc, or instrumental lesson situations where students are working on different skills. I have a topic set up for recorder "belt tests", which I have linked in the google slides I made that have all of the songs and instructional videos for each level. Any time they are ready to play a song for me they go to that topic and make a video, and then I can give them feedback or tell them to go to the next song. This is definitely something I'll be continuing post-pandemic, because it gives students a way to play for me without having to play in front of the class or wait their turn if I'm listening to 20 other students. It solves so much of the frustration of allowing students to work at their own pace!
3. Virtual Ensembles
One of the obvious uses of FlipGrid, especially in our current situation, is for students to submit individual videos to put together for a "virtual ensemble" video. I include tracks for students to listen to, and a PDF of the sheet music etc, right there in the topic, and tell students to record their video while listening to the track on headphones from another device. It's the perfect way to collect all the videos in one place, and they're easy to download from there to edit in any video editing software.
4. Talent Shows
I've done a few school-wide events on FlipGrid where, essentially, students, staff, and/or community members are invited to share/ perform on a particular topic. What's great about this is I can have a time period for people to turn in their video, when the topic is moderated so the videos stay private, and then a "show date" when I publish all the submitted videos for everyone to view, and everyone can watch the performances on their own time or watch together with their class while the grade level teacher shares their screen on zoom and/ or projects it on their screen in the classroom.
I hope this gives you some inspiration for using FlipGrid- I have loved using it and found, once I set it up the first time, that it's so easy to navigate! If you have other tips for using FlipGrid, or other examples of how you've used it in your teaching, please leave a comment below. If you're looking for more of my posts for all different aspects of pandemic teaching, including other technology-specific posts, you can find them organized by topic on this page:
This month was one of those that both flew and crawled for me. As I find myself saying more and more lately: what is time anymore? Despite ongoing challenges I do feel like I'm in a good place right now, and for that I am very grateful! Today I'm looking back on the highlights from January, including my favorite content from other music educators which I'm sharing at the end of this post!
1. New Year's
I've gushed about this enough that I assume most people know about my love for our NYE family traditions: we spend new year's eve day in our pajamas, watch the fireworks at midnight in different time zones every hour, and eat chocolate and cheese fondue for dinner. One of my favorite things we do, though, is looking back on the family calendars from past years, which my daughters decorate each month. It is so fun to look back and be reminded of events we had forgotten about, and see how much they've grown through the changes in their drawing and handwriting! It is the perfect way to get ready for the new year, especially when we're looking forward to change as much as we were this year.
2. Virtual to Hybrid and Back to Virtual
In our most topsy-turvy month yet, our district started the month fully virtual (we closed the buildings from Thanksgiving to MLK day to reduce community spread during holiday traveling/ gathering season), went back to hybrid, and ended the month back in fully virtual mode due to freezing temperatures (with the circulation they have to do for covid they can't adequately heat the buildings when it gets too cold). It was definitely a lot to juggle, but there was some benefit to going back and forth, actually. I was on a rotation with Kindergarten and self-contained special education for most of the month, so having the benefit of being able to sing online, combined with the obvious benefit of having them in the room for that group of students specifically, worked out pretty great. I'm especially grateful I got to sing with my Kindergartners for the first time ever, even if it was only a few days (the first time I saw them in the fall we were in hybrid the whole time)!
3. SEL Lesson
I'm typically more inclined to build in fostering social-emotional wellbeing into my regular teaching practice rather than overtly talk about it, but with Kindergarten in particular I was so excited to bring back one of my favorite lessons on emotions and music using the book "Allie All Along". With everyone starting to lose patience and feeling anxious, it seemed to be just what we all needed. Here's my post on the lesson if you want to see the full plan.
4. Music Education Content
I love learning from other music educators all over the internet and this month I found some gems. If you missed these be sure to check them out by clicking the images below!
What were your highlights from the month? What challenges are you facing in February? I'd love to hear from you in the comments below or through email!
With Black History Month around the corner, today I want to share some thoughts on how to recognize Black History Month in the music classroom appropriately, respectfully, and effectively. While the month of February should certainly not be the only time we share Black music and people with our students, it's an important opportunity to shine the spotlight on a historically marginalized people group.
DO celebrate Black excellence.
Black History Month is the perfect time to celebrate accomplishments of Black musicians throughout history, across genres, and in a variety of musical roles. I often use warmups at the beginning of class to do something related to a Black musician, and then take a few minutes to talk about the person, their life, and their contributions and achievements. If you're looking for some fresh names to explore, there are many contemporary Black musicians featured in these posts (please note most of these posts include non-Black people of color as well):
DO NOT focus only on slavery, or the music from that time.
So many teachers think only of slavery when they hear "Black history". There is so much more than that. There is certainly a place for discussions of slavery and what people did to overcome their circumstances and fight injustice, the powerful effect of music in enduring hardship etc, but it should not be the primary focus or treated as the defining feature of Black history.
DO incorporate more representation into the rest of the school year.
Yes, take advantage of the opportunity to really shine the spotlight and focus on Black excellence. But don't let February be the only time students see a Black face, hear Black music, or learn about Black history in your classroom. That is something that should be done all year long as a matter of course, not just for one month and not just when you're making a point to showcase Black people or culture.
DO NOT play into stereotypes.
Sure, hip-hop, gospel, and jazz are important parts of Black musical history and should be celebrated and recognized. But don't give your students the impression that Black people are only successful in certain genres or areas of music! Showcase a broad spectrum of performers, composers, producers, and dancers, working in traditional, bluegrass, classical, rock, and so much more, throughout history.
DO listen to, learn from, and compensate Black educators
I'm not sharing any specific lesson plans to use during Black History Month because I'm white. I am here to point my fellow educators in the right direction, not center my opinions or my ideas in something that should be centering and uplifting Black voices. If you are looking for ideas for what to teach during Black History Month, seek out Black voices. If you are going to purchase any resources to use to teach Black history, support Black authors and creators. Here are a few places to get started (many have shared insights and resources specifically on the topic of BHM music lessons, some have not, but all will help shape your understanding of how to do so better):
I hope this helps steer you in the right direction as you prepare for Black History Month! If you know of more resources by Black authors, please share them in the comments below.
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