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Michelle Tredway Posts: 6
4/3/2018
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My middle school choruses are partitioned into sections, each with Section Leaders. This Peer Partner Strategy allows for the stronger sight-readers to lead others through new music. It also allows for voice quality to be reinforced. Of course, it also engages the students on a very human level, showing them how to use what they have been given to help others.
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Michelle R. Tredway
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Nadia Sawa Posts: 5
4/10/2018
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I love using a combination of cooperative learning and peer partnerships in my middle school choral classroom. Students work in small groups quite often to identify notes, rhythms, and sight-read dynamics, tempo and any additional score markings, as they examine and learn new music. They work together to meet the common goal of learning the new music together by implementing their sight-reading skills, rather than having me pluck each note out on the piano. I choose the student groups, by pairing up my more advanced learners with students who may be slower learners or need more assistance. By doing this, the more advanced learner has the opportunity to reinforce his/her knowledge by guiding his/her peer group or peer partner. It's always interesting to see if and how the more advanced learner goes about clearly explaining the learning goal to his/her peers.
Quite often the members of the cooperative learning group make the decision to separate in to smaller peer partnerships to tackle the task at hand. I allow them to make the choice to separate, should they feel they need to. However, before presenting their song to the class or to me for assessment, they must pull the group back together. They cannot present the song to me for evaluation until the entire group feels comfortable with the song. It is amazing how the students work so well together in a group to help one another and the creative tools they come up with to assist each other in learning music. It is a true choral family!
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Ryan Gantt Posts: 3
4/12/2018
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In my band classroom I like to utilize peer partners. I like to pair my upperclassmen with underclassmen. This not only allows students the opportunity to share their knowledge but it also allows them the ability to grow in their deeper depth of knowledge. You never really master a subject or concept until you are required to teach it to someone or a group of students. The second is the use of technology in the classroom. I like to have students record themselves playing a passage and then they must submit it for grading. This techniques allows students to review their recording, their selves playing, and review their mistakes or successes. I also like to give them a list of questions to think about while they record. This really holds everyone accountable.
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Andrea Vella Posts: 3
4/13/2018
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Option 1: Describe how two of the strategies discussed could potentially be implemented in your music classroom. Be sure to identify the two strategies by name, and describe how they could be used to address the student's disability. Share your response in the threaded discussion.
In all my classes, I use cooperative learning (sectionals) and peer partnerships. This helps students with learning disabilities, ELL students, and also students who are new on their instrument or miss a day of class, etc. I also use mnemonic devises for the names of the lines and spaces in the music staff, and for the white notes on the keyboard. We use graphic organizers for the rhythm tree and circle of keys.
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Ann Adams Posts: 3
4/15/2018
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Option 1: Describe how two of the strategies discussed could potentially be implemented in your music classroom. Be sure to identify the two strategies by name, and describe how they could be used to address the student's disability. Share your response in the threaded discussion.
In band, I use the tiered lessons. Playing in the band functions as being part of a team and every student must be able to understand the concepts before we can move on as a class. I have students of all abilities and learning styles in the class. In thinking about my 6th grade beginning class. Some students pick up on the concepts quickly and easily, while other students need more time and review. Currently this class is learning to play the 7 major scales in the all-state pattern. Each week I have been adding a new scale. We start by playing each note of the scale for 4 counts and rest for 4 counts to allow the students time to get to the next note with accuracy. Next we will play the same scale in whole notes, again allowing enough time for the students to process what the next note will be while playing the previous note. Next moving to half notes, then half note and quarter notes, then quarter note and eighth notes. By taking this kind of time ensuring that each student understands the notes and fingerings of the scale they learn the scale correctly from the beginning. Then as we speed up the tempo the students are able to play the scale with success. We do this as a whole class.
I also use the Task Analysis technique in teaching the students how to sight-read music (key signature, time signature, notes, rhythms, dynamics, articulations, etc.) We are working out of the second level band method book and we will go line by line. First we look at the key and finger through and say the notes of that key, for example, if the piece is in concert Bb, we will say and finger, Bb, C, D, Eb, F, G, A, Bb. Then we will look at the rhythms and count through the piece. Then sing through the piece and finger on our instruments using appropriate articulations and dynamics. Finally we will play the exercise. We are now at a point where the students do all of this on their own and I ask individuals to sight-read each line.
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Ann M Adams
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Rebekah Chambers Posts: 6
4/15/2018
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Two strategies I use in the classroom are peer partners and mnemonic instruction. I frequently use mnemonic instruction in engaging students’ memory to learn new songs. When teaching Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star I use the mnemonic device “make a sandwich for your DAD” as the song is in ABA format which is like a sandwich, and the beginning of each line starts with the letters that spell DAD. Mnemonic instruction also helps students to recognize the order of sharps and flats, reading music on a staff, and other more complex topics.
Peer partners happen regularly as an additional check for understanding. I like to use it as part of the gradual release/scaffolding model. I do, we do, and before "you do" phase, I use peer partners to have them perform a "they do" to confirm and support the learning while giving them a way to practice new knowledge before it is assessed. This allows for those students who need more time to get extra support.
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Benjamin Eubank Posts: 3
4/16/2018
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I have used technology in my classroom to help assist my students by using visual metronomes on the students stands to help them hear the beat. The student was hearing impaired and also had a problem keeping the beat when it was announced aloud via claps or finger snaps. I would put the metronome on the stand and have it sound the tempo and click a different colored light for each beat. Beat 1 was purple, beat two was white, beat three was blue and the last beat was yellow. This allowed for the student to see the beats we were on when we got behind and it allowed them to monitor their own progress if the could perform the require metronomic marking and and it allowed them to look up at the metronome to when they got off: it would guide them back to the correct beat.
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Charles Duran Posts: 4
4/17/2018
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I have used technology in my classroom to have students print a song (using Finale) they wrote as part of a lesson to teach "motif", and theme development. The students wrote the song and then put it into Finale. If there were measures with too many or too few beats the program would not let them proceed. It really seemed to cement the concepts of motif and eliminated any of the students with really poor fine-motor skillsimpacting their writing and ability to place notes exactly on the correct line or space
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Jason Dobson Posts: 3
4/22/2018
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The concept of the Cubing in a Tiered lesson would be excellent for one of my upcoming assignments. We do analysis whenever we are done with the performance of a piece, but if I did Cubing it would allow the lower functioning students to become more involved in the feedback, while giving my more advanced students a more sophisticated way of developing their opinions. There are also sections of our curriculum that would definitely benefit from using the group practices Cooperative learning. I would like to try having everyone in an ensemble setting all learn the same part on the same instrument, so that there is a better connection with what is happening in other parts of the ensemble.
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Wendell Simmons Posts: 5
4/27/2018
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In my orchestra classes, I have sections of string, woodwind, brass, and percussion. In order to provide high level instruction and reach a high level of success, I have selected individual students as section leaders. After working with me before a class, these leaders pass on to the rest of the students the ideas and techniques I have shown them. This is done in a scaffolding process, starting with small sections, or individual measures, gradually adding more material together until the entire passage is worked thoroughly to the highest level. I am very careful to pick section leaders that are highly respected by their peers and are sensitive and compassionate in the way they deal with their classmates. This has worked very well for me for many years. This creates close, supportive, reltionships among the students and fosters the great teamwork necesarry for achieveing a very high level of success.
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Whitney Verdoni Posts: 3
5/2/2018
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I’ve used computer aided instruction for sight reading in the choral classroom. There is a web based program we use which creates exercises based on the specific criteria that I can cater to the specific class. For my beginning students, I can select specific levels of beginning stepwise motion reading with simplistic rhythm in a defined key. It helps me to target the individual students’ needs as I can then use the program to support one or two students in practice. I can use it as a supplemental practice for students who need more help. It also is helpful that I have a Promethean board which allows the screen to be enlarged for the visually impaired students.
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Ryan Schulz Posts: 4
5/3/2018
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One way I have used technology for students with disabilities is that I have used youtube to show students certain methods. By watching the videos the student was able to be engaged with a method of playing with a proper embouchure by watching a cartoon relating to the method. The video allowed students to buzz with games and in enhanced the learning method. I then was able to add one on one help after the student has an easier understanding on setting the embouchure.
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Cynthia Johnson Posts: 3
5/4/2018
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I have found peer partners to be effective. It allows students who need additional support to get additional help in a way that is supportive. The students who are assigned these study buddies are allowed to ask their peer a question at any point in a rehearsal. I also have the peer mentor assist their mentee with specific tasks, such as a 5-minute help session with flashcards. Mnemonic devices have also been helpful. One student with dyslexia responds very well to these. I have found myself creating several new devices this year to assist her.
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Carlos Silva Posts: 3
5/8/2018
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In October, there was a UNITY concert with the theme of anti-bullying at my middle school. My guitar students performed alongside some singers/rappers, jazz band students, and orchestra students the song 1-800-273-8255 by the rapper Logic. The theme of the song is suicide prevention. The day after the performance, the students used the Self-Evaluation and Reflection strategy to write about their performance at the concert. Most students, including some with Emotional/Behavioral disabilities, quietly expressed some powerful statements in their writing. Some felt that they hopefully reached out to some depressed students, while others wrote about their own emotions and life problems. It was a very powerful assignment that connected the musical skills they learned with strong emotions and motivation to continue developing those skills.
When teaching a new piece of music in my guitar classroom, I combine the strategies of Chaining and Peer Partners. First, I model the right hand rhythmic pattern and the students imitate in unison. That gets broken down into smaller chunks for more difficult rhythms. I am constantly making informal assessments as I walk around the classroom. Then they play the rhythmic pattern on open strings for their partner, who evaluates and assists the player. Then they switch. Second, I have the students silently shadow play (left hand only) the melody or chord progression on their guitar as I play it out loud. Again, informal assessments are going on and I am assisting any students with special needs individually. Third, we play the melody or chord progression as a class. Then they play it for their partner. As I walk around, I make sure that every student can accomplish the required task before moving to the next part of the chain.
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Greg Urban Posts: 3
5/12/2018
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One use of technology I have implemented is for a legally blind student that I currently teach. She is a beginning band student who choose euphonium. We started making PDFs of the beginning band book and uploaded it into the largest iPad available. Once in the iPad we create individual files of each lesson (#) and increase the view size to a comfortable size for her. This presented a problem.....how to get the music to move when she performed? A foot pedal system (like a keyboard one) is linked to the iPad via bluetooth and as she performs she taps the foot pedal to move 2-3 measures at a time. She has become quite a good reader as she can now anticipate what is coming up next.
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Wendell Simmons Posts: 5
5/12/2018
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Option I: I have often used Tiered lesson strategies when working with whole class as well as smaller group instruction.
When working on difficult passages in repertoire we plan to perform in concert, I often break the passages into several components that cover techniclal, musicality, articulation, and tone. Depending on the class or group, I start by breaking down one aspect, such as bow-stroke (articulation) or intonation, and modeling for the students the desired result. Breaking down articulation and precision by starting with small sections, (sometimes one note at a time, and gradually increasing to part of a passage, and finally the entire passage). Depending on the students, this sometimes starts with review of basic articulations and bowing techniques, sometimes repeating a single note or pitch. Gradually, I add notes and subtract the repetition. (Mediated Scaffolding) Usually, the difficult passage can be effectively learned in a relatively short amount of total time. For students who don't immediately grasp the technique, I offer extra time to cover any particularities that may be interfering with their success. For intonation problems, I often break students into small groups of various size and guide them through problematic passages by having them sing, or play over a drone pitch, (dividing students between the melody and drone, switching their roles often) and then finally, playing the pasage together slowly, gradually getting to the proper tempo. These strategies (Conspicious Strategies, Strategic Instruction, Judicious Review) I use often, and have found that they unfailingly work for students of all levels, whether or not they have disabilities.
Differentiated Learning-Level of complexity can be varied to allow all students (with or without disabilities) to demonstrate mastery. Different levels of steps necesarry to complete assignments, combined with a reaonable time frame to successfully complete and master all facets for an upcoming performance, insures success for all students. I often have students perform difficult sections for me independently during non class times, coaching them through many of the tiered methods mentioned above. When I do this, I feel they raise their level of independence for that repertoire, which often leads to higher levels in subsequent assignments.
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Andrew Dubbert Posts: 4
5/16/2018
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I really like using the tonal energy app. It provides a great visual component for students with a hearing disability. When a student is working on playing in tune, there is a smiley face that appears when the instrument is in tune. The younger students really like the gratification from the smiley face. There are also other visual features involved like a tone analysis graph that gives the students a visual component to see what their sound looks like.
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Shirley Andrews Posts: 5
5/16/2018
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In my elementary general music recorder instruction, I have discovered that I have success with many different learning types by using conspicuous strategies in reading /playing music notation. We read the rhythm, clap the rhythm, read the rhythm using pitch names, chin play while reading the pitch name/rhythm and play the notation/rhythm. Differentiated learning-I might have peer partners share the process or I might give one on one or small group assistance. I might also send some students to transfer the notation from recorder to the keyboard lab.
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Kristen Bowne Posts: 3
5/22/2018
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Option 1: Describe how two of the strategies discussed could potentially be implemented in your music classroom. Be sure to identify the two strategies by name, and describe how they could be used to address the student's disability. Share your response in the threaded discussion.
The first strategy I have been trying to implement into my classroom this year is the use of graphic organizers. I had the opportunity to see a master teacher's organizer for choral literature when she presented at the Florida Music Educators Association conference and I decided to try it out in my own class! It takes a piece of music and has the student fill in boxes for text and text interpretation; dynamic, expression, and tempo markings and their meanings; information about the composer; a critique from a youtube performance of the piece; and a reflection box so that they can critique a recording of their ensemble performing it. I currently have a student with a processing disorder and he takes more time to digest information than his peers. These organizers give him a way to break the music apart into categorized chunks so that he can understand individual elements before combining them for performance!
The second strategy I have not used before but would like to add is Cornell Notes. We do all sorts of vocabulary in class and I usually print or email all of my students a sheet with the definitions. I really like the idea of students writing the words on one side of the paper and the definitions on the other side so that they can fold it and study immediately. I think it would be really fun to have them try doing this through Quizlet as well so that they have an online flashcard system that they can use on any of their devices.
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Richard Sorey Posts: 3
5/23/2018
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Differentiated Assignments – Could be used in teaching scales. In a multi-level classroom, you could teach the same scale in a variety of patterns depending on a student’s level/ grade. 1st year students play the scale in straight eight note patter, 2nd year in thirds, 3rd year in returning scale patterns, 4th with relative minor. This could also be used in a point system of grading. Students can customize their learning to achieve the points necessary for their grade. For instance, a scale in straight eight notes might be 10 points. If you require them to earn 100 points a semester that’s 10 scales. If scales in thirds are 20 points, then they would only need to learn 5 at that level. It would also allow students to mix and match levels.
Peer Partners (peer tutoring) – in a multi-level classroom the peer partner model works great. Instructor can pair students by instrument, learning type, level (high with low), or by similar level (low with Low, high with high). I prefer to pair my high level students with my low level students. This allows for my higher level students to learn by teaching, demonstrating, or explaining; and allows my lower level student to get one on one instruction with someone of the same instrument.
Both of these strategies would work well with students with disabilities. Differentiated assignments would allow students who are of different learning types to select assignments that engage and challenge them. This year we did a peer partner percussion lesson with my schools drum line and Access Music Class. Each percussion student was paired with a student with disabilities and they worked with them on hand drums on a lesson on steady beat.
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