Polk County Residency

This residency initially scared the crap out of me. My area of teaching expertise is focused on the cello, and teaching "cello" students, not students that have little to no background in classical music.

Before I left for Tryon, NC I checked in with a couple of teaching artist friends to get some ideas on games, classroom management, and some points of focus for my lesson plans. Generally they were shocked at my class sizes (20-35 kids...yikes!), but speaking with them made me feel like I could do it. (Even if I didn't know how it would work)

I made sure that I had several back-up lesson plans, and games to play in case I came up short on my lesson plan. What I learned is this, kids (esp. the K-3) LOVE being read to. One class even made me promise to read two books back to back, it was great!!! They also were quite fond of musical chairs, very competitive little boogers. In this version instead of "dropping the needle" I played my cello, and just improvised the hell out it. The kids would stare at me to try to see if they could tell when I was stopping, and of course...I would TRICK THEM!!!!

heh heh heh

The classes went well, I learned a lot about teaching in general, and how you can't control everything. You sometimes need to change things up at the last minute, and that's ok.

SO, last but not least I have posted some pics of the classes that I taught, a sample lesson plan, and the story that the 3rd graders wrote with me "Griff's Problem".

(They all loved it so much that the made me copy it for each one of them to have)


ENJOY

At Tryon Art Gallery

Bach Performance

Cora and the Second Graders




GRIFF'S PROBLEM






Long ago in Greece in the 1970’s there was a Griffin named Griff. Griff had a problem, he was being teased by the other Griffins a lot. He wasn’t as strong as the other Griffins and this made him sad.

Joe the Griffin said to him, “You are not as strong as the rest of us, so we don’t want you to be our friend!”

Griff then went to Mexico to get away from them. While in Mexico he met a girl named Cora. Cora had magical music powers that made problems go away. Griff asked Cora to go back to Greece with him to help him with his problems of not having friends.

While back in Greece Cora began t play fast disco music for the Griffins who were outside playing Griffin ball. When the Griffins heard the music they started discoing with Griff. The Griffins realizing how cool Griff was gave him a peace necklace and asked him to be their friend.

The End





The Third Graders, and Me










***EXAMPLE LESSON PLAN***


Musical Story/orchestra

+ 2-3RD GRADE (21 kiddies) GROUP B
(Tchiakovsky Symphony no.3,Yo-yo Ma/Mark Morris DVD "Falling Down Stairs, Suite #3" )
9:30-10:15
- Warm-up (make a cd, w/different music)
o Music to move to (form a circle) in silence
o Vocal warm-up with physical gestures
o Transition to the floor
- Read them a story.
- What is a story?
o Beginning usu. What happens
o Middle usu. What happens?
o end usu. What happens
- Lets write a story
TRANSITION (10 MINUTES Bathroom/water break)
10:20-11:05
- Can music tell a story?
- Play some examples of orchestral music ()
o What type of group was that?
o How do you think they stayed together for all of that?
o What story do you think they were telling?
TRANSITION (10 Bathroom/water break)

11:10-11:45
- Games
o Musical chairs
TRANSITION (15 MINUTES)
LUNCH
1-2PM
- Orchestra/conductor
+ game, vocal orchestra ( I am the conductor)
+ dynamics,
+ Talk abt mvmts and concert etiquette
+ introduce them to the cello

TRANSITION (15 MINUTES)
2:05-3PM
- PLAY FOR THE KIDS
o Draw, your favorite part of the story, or how the music makes you feel