Lesson 5

First we did the Division Game and since the students have started to do that in their math lessons, they really seemed to be connecting the dots and understanding what the activity was representing. It was also funny to see several kids really going for it when it was their turn to do "The Remainder Dance."

After that I explained to them that there are lots of ways that we can divide music. I played 3 or 4 snippets from different songs and we found different ways to subdivide it. We sat in a circle and found different beats we could tap. I introduced them to syncopation on a Johnny Cash song with a strong cowbell sound on (1) AND (2) AND (3) AND (4) AND which they seemed to think was fun. I showed them that if I conducted in 4/4 that the "and" was half way in between me swinging to the next beat in the 4/4 pattern. I told them that "syncopation" happens when we emphasize a beat/note NOT on the normal strong Beats 1, 2, 3, and 4. A student had an aha moment and asked "So if I sing a note before I get to the next "hit" then its syncopated?" I could tell by the way he gestured that he was starting to get it.

After that we practiced Kumbaya that we had learned the last time I came. It was starting to sound pretty good! They had switched desk arrangements since the last time I visited and so we had them choose what part they wanted to sing and it was a surprisingly even split. I was able to have four students sing the solo part on top of every one else's Kumbaya harmony and they did really well! One girl in particular was so expressive as she sang her solo and I felt it was a meaningful moment for her.

This lesson went really well and it was a lot of fun! It was tricky because I hadn't been able to come to the classroom for nearly a month and so I was rusty on a lot of their names. It seems like it may be too late to do another name game but I was just so surprised 1) that I had forgotten in the first place and 2) that it made such a difference in classroom management and in connecting with students when I could call them by their name. I'll have to do something next lesson to review... I'm familiar with their faces and personalities but I just want them to know that I do know them and memorizing names is the best way to express that.