Monster Melody Game--Music Pin!!

Today I was perusing Pinterest to see if there were any new music teaching ideas and I came across this gem!  Anything that has an appealing look that I think will catch the eyes of my students, I click on.  Anyway, the short version of it is that the class has to sing melodies to "feed the monster." If they draw a "make a snack" card instead of a melody card, they have to write their own and sing it.  Click on the picture to get to the pin, and then click on that to get all of the directions :)  I'm thinking I may have to make a rhythm version for my students.  Always looking for ways to keep it fresh! 

By the way, I'm thinking I'm going to have to start following her blog.  You can check it out here! 

FREEBIE Find!

One of the reasons I like Teachers Pay Teachers is that everyone has to put at least one FREE product on their store page!  In fact, most people have quite a few free things.  So, I'm going to start posting cool free products that I find on TPT occasionally to save you some time!  Here's a cool FREEBIE for today! 

Cori Bloom has some great products in her store.  Check it out if you are looking for some fresh ideas for your music classroom.  And don't forget to check out her FREEBIES!! 

National Standards

If you didn't know it, there are new National Standards for elementary music educators.  I read this by Aileen Miracle at Kodaly Corner.  She gives some helpful info and has a good perspective on working towards integrating them in our classrooms.  Check it out! 

Behavior and Classroom Control

      The first week of school is always a fun one!  We go over seats, play name games, review our rules, meet the kindergartners (who are doing quite well this year!), and find out who has "morphed" over the summer.  I use that term jokingly :)  But you know what I mean--that student who used to mostly follow the directions and now could care less!  You already put them in a good seating spot, used fun activities to lighten the mood, and made your expectations clear.  And they don't seem too impressed!
     Well, if PBIS hasn't come to your school yet, it will likely be there soon.  PBIS=Positive Behavioral Intervention & Supports.  Think RTI (Response to Intervention), but for behavior.  It makes sense; you've tried everything you can think of, what now?!?!?  At one of our meetings this year, my someone suggested the website www.pbisworld.com.  I went to check it out and liked the concept. 
     The first page lists a bunch of behaviors (anxiety, defiance, etc.).  When you click on the link, it will tell you a better description of the behavior to make sure you have correctly identified it.  Then it will take you to a page with a bunch of interventions to try.  As an experienced teacher, this may not seem earth shattering, but for a new teacher, this would be amazing to have at your fingertips!!  And even as experienced teachers, it's always good to make sure we've really looked at every option possible to help our students succeed!  Also, if the main interventions aren't working, you can go to the Tier 2 page that will give you some more ideas to try.  (Just an FYI, it often takes you to other sites to explain the ideas--occasionally some of the links don't work.)
     So, check out PBIS if you haven't!  Encourage positive behavior in your classroom using every tool you can find!  Believe it or not, it's made a big difference at our school when we've made little changes using this data.  (Sorry if you've heard that word a million times already this school year . . . I'm pretty sure it's here to stay!)