Fall 2008 President s Message 2 Editors Message 3 RCM s Orff Courses 4 Keith Bissell Scholarship 5 Upcoming Events 8 Newsletter of the Ontario Orff Chapter Music For Children - Musique Pour Enfants Volume 14 Issue 3 To Want to Read Jennifer Stacey If we are spending immense amounts of time and money in teaching children to read and they are not reading, we can only conclude that something is wrong. The problem is that we have concentrated exclusively on teaching the child how to read, and we have forgotten to teach him to want to read. To want to read. There is the key: desire. It is the prime mover, the magic ingredient. (Jim Trelease, The Read-Aloud Handbook (1982), Penguin Books) We are so fortunate as Orff music teachers to be able to add that magic ingredient. Using speech, drama, dance and instruments we can help students bring the stories to life. We can play with the rhymes and sounds. We can create life action pictures of what is going on in the book. We can help the children to imagine new and exciting scenarios or expand on ideas. To quote Trelease again, we can allow them to finally sample the excitement and pleasures they ve been practicing for but aren t quite ready or willing to accomplish on their own. (Ibid.) Or as Mem Fox states, we can enrich and add value to a read-aloud session, Students From Fieldstone Public School present their interpretation of Something from Nothing at the 2007 Children s Orff Festival. thereby making it even more fun and of even greater benefit to our eager listeners, simply by playing games with the books we re reading. (Mem Fox, Reading Magic (2001), A Harvest Original, Harcourt, Inc.) What follows is a list of books that teachers and their students have enjoyed and the magical way it was. Thank you to all who contributed. Dragons and Giants from the Arnold Lobel Book: Frog and Toad Together Scholastic, ISBN 0-590-06198-4 I love using this story. I have the students select instruments to represent the main characters, locations and events in the story and teach them the song "Brave is a Feeling" by Angela Elster. After working through all of this with my Grade 3s, we have an informal performance for their Grade 1 buddies. I do this in the spring as a culmination of their year-long focus on percussion instruments. Anne Tipler The Crabfish Adapted by John Feierabend Illustrated by Vincent Nguyen GIA Publications, ISBN 1-57999-383-4 Reading...Continued on page 6)
Me ssage from the President Page 2 Ontario Orff Executive 2008-2009 Past President: Mary Cousens President: Marion Roy Vice Presidents & Workshop Convenors: Anne Tipler Suzanne Waller Secretary: Catherine Irving Treasurer: Batya Levy Publicity: Executive - open Membership: Caren Ludwig-Shoychet Workshop Site Administrator: Kathryn Edmondson Newsletter Editor: Jennifer Stacey Members at Large: Yana Ioffe Lois Lewis Dawn Lane Mosaic Mosaïque is published three times a year by the Ontario Chapter of Music for Children, Carl Orff Canada, Musique pour enfants. Articles in the newsletter express the viewpoints of their authors and do not imply endorsement by the Chapter. Mosaic Mosaïque welcomes contributions of articles, ideas for columns, news and questions. Submissions are requested by November 25 for the January Issue, February 25 for the April Issue and July 25 for the September Issue. Submissions are subject to approval and editing. Please send submissions to: Jennifer Stacey 13 Willowgate Dr., Markham, Ont. L3P 1G1 (905) 472-6312 jennifer.stacey@yrdsb.edu.on.ca Message from the President: Marion Roy Through literacy you can begin to see the universe. Through music you can reach anybody. Between the two there is you, unstoppable. Grace Slick What is it that we teach? What is it that we do? The children come to our rooms and play. The children come to our rooms and smile. They interact, they leave. Hmmm... not too academic, n est ce pas? Perhaps that is why many music teachers are asked to sit in on PD meetings about literacy, and first steps and transformational practices, and new math guidelines etc., etc., etc., so we can see what is going on in the real classrooms. Wouldn t it be nice if the reverse were true? Classroom teachers were asked to attend an Orff workshop, or participate in a drumming circle. Wouldn t it be fab if a PD session had a singing segment to it, or a session on listening to music and responding to it through movement, through art, through drama? Don t get me wrong I know there are many admin types out there who support their arts teachers and allow them to work together with other arts teachers for professional development. But with all of the literature about the importance of the arts in schools how they impact on the social, emotional and cognitive development of children why is it that we seem to have to justify what we do a lot of the time? I mean if everyone understood what a great gig this is, everyone would want to be a music teacher. (Let s keep it a secret, then, just between us!) Music is the universal language of mankind. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Outre-Mer. In this latest Mosaic, you ll see a list of books that can be used in music classrooms. Of course this is not the only literacy connection with music it is just one way to connect to the children. Books can be a wonderful jumping off point to other music making activities. Other music-literacy activities are: Playing a piece of music and asking the children to imagine what the story is, then to retell their story orally, visually, dramatically, etc. Reading the roadmap of a piece of music with older students as they decode the symbols on the page. Finding the patterns of language in a song or poem and reading it with certain inflection, exploring the rhythms of the words, and maintaining a steady beat. Etc., etc., etc., Rereading my note, it seems that I am a tad cynical today. Perhaps it was dis- (Continued on page 3)
cussion I had the other day with a classroom teacher informing me that I don t know what it is like in the real world of education. Huh? I found myself justifying my music teacher role, by first mentioning that I had been a classroom teacher as well. Then I thought wait a minute! Let s support each other and remember that one doesn t know what it s like until one has walked in another person s shoes. Crocs or stilettos we are all in the same profession and are all trying to make a difference in the lives of young people. As you head off into your classrooms, or to your music trolleys this year, think about how you can educate the other teachers in your school about the musicliteracy connection. How? Playing music in the hallways in the morning as the students come in; leaving interesting arts articles lying around; inviting teachers to come at the end of the class so that they can see their children in action; or referring to the latest jargon or buzz words and how they connect with what you are doing. If you find that it is energy wasted in vain, close your door, enjoy what you are doing in your classroom, relish in the children s smiles, play, dance, sing and understand that what you are doing makes a huge impact on a child s learning. Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read. Groucho Marx Message from the Editor: Jennifer Stacey The beginning of a new school year is always full of promise and I hope this will be a great year for you. Knowing September is a busy time, full of lesson plans, assessments, meetings and more meetings, the Orff Chapter dedicates this issue of the Mosaic to making your lesson planning a little easier. For those people that attended Doug Goodkin s workshop this summer, we know a book can be the beginning of an amazing lesson that can just keep expanding and expanding - bringing in dance, drama and of course music. So here are a few books that have been successful for other teachers. Page 3 Thank you to all the teachers who shared their favourite books. We are very fortunate to have so many amazingly creative people in our membership. We had so many responses, that we had to postpone the reviews of the summer courses until the next issue. I would love to hear more about your lessons, and the material you have used that works well. If you would like to share them with Orff members please think about writing something for the Mosiac. Just send me an email with your idea. See you at our next workshop, A Musical Harvest with Alison Kenny- Guardhouse (see page 8). Till then have a great time making magic. jennifer.stacey@yrdsb.edu.on.ca Ontario Chapter at Encore 2008 Marion Roy (Chapter president), Suzanne Waller (Chapter Co-Vice-President), Doreen Hall (Founder), and Anne Tipler (Chapter Co-Vice- President) The Ontario representatives with Jos Wuytak and Judy Sills The Ontario Chapter of Carl Orff Canada was well represented by a large contingent of members at Encore 2008 in Edmonton. Delegates to the conference were thrilled with the high quality workshops given by national and international presenters, the fabulous children s performances and the wonderful venue. A highlight of the conference was a special award given to our founder, Doreen Hall, by the North American Alliance (AOSA and Carl Orff Canada) in recognition of her pioneering work in bringing the Orff philosophy to North America. The next National Conference takes place in Winnipeg, Manitoba, 2010. Mark your calendars - April 29th to May 2. For more details go to: ww.unite2010.ca
Page 4 Orff Additional Qualifications Courses at the RCM Catherine West A small group of six students met weekly on Wednesday evenings last school year to complete a historic course the first Orff course in Ontario to be recognized as an Additional Qualifications course (Vocal Music P/J Part 1). Working with instructors Catherine West, Kim Kendrik and Hania Krajewski, the participants had the opportunity to improve their own musical skills, always working through the lens of practical instructional strategies for the music classroom. This course may be taken by anyone, but the AQ credit is also available to those who are Ontario teachers. The same team will teach the course again this school year. The RCM Orff Level I course may now be taken as Vocal Music P/J Part 2 four participants took advantage of this last July. This course will run again during the school year on Thursday evenings. Orff Level II will be available as Vocal Music P/J Part 3 (Music Specialist) when it runs again next summer. We congratulate our AQ pioneers, and hope to be able to provide this training to teachers in other Ontario communities in the future. Unfortunately, no retroactive credit is available, but teachers who already have their Orff levels should be sure to inform QECO to obtain credit equivalency. For any questions about AQ or QECO credit please contact catherine.west@rcmusic.ca. Pan-Canadian Symposium III Widening the Boundaries of Music Education From June 5 to 8, 2009, music educators from across the country will assemble at the School of Music, University of Victoria to attend the third in a series of cross-canada dialogues on the state of music education in our country. Special areas of focus at the Victoria Symposium will be music and special needs learners, music and community, music and healing, multicultural music, and Aboriginal ways of teaching and learning with respect to music. In addition, there will be a repeat of the popular Cross-Canada Check-Up on Music Education, which proved so informative at Symposia I and II. Following a keynote address by legendary children's performer Raffi, participants will have opportunities to hear paper presentations, attend poster and panel sessions, interact with colleagues, and, most of all, hear and participate in music making. The symposium aims to bring together folks engaged in music and music education from every area of the country and from as broad a spectrum as possible. Thus academics, graduate and undergraduate students, music teachers in both studio and school settings, arts administrators, and arts advocates are encouraged to attend. With the assistance of the University of Victoria Don Wright Endowment for Music Education, the Symposium III committee will publish a book based on the paper and poster presentations. For further information contact: Dr. Benjamin Bolden, University of Victoria, Co-Chair bbolden@uvic.ca Or Dr. Mary Kennedy, University of Victoria, Co-Chair mkennedy@uvic.ca
Book Reviews Keith Bissell Memorial Scholarship Joanna Reynolds Page 5 I had a great time in the Orff Level 2 course this summer. Highlights were African drumming with Vera Flagg, Feeling Groovy with Terry, getting my head around alto recorder with Kim Kendrik, and of course the hurried folk dancing with Hania Krajewski. My colleagues in the course this summer were outstanding; I learned a lot from all of them. It was a pleasure to reunite with friends from last year s course and to meet more inspiring teachers and musicians. It was a very invigorating two weeks. And although it was full of late nights, assignments and re-do s, I had a wonderful time. Level 2 really helped to solidify my understanding of the Orff philosophy. I m very excited to apply some of the many things I learned this session, both in my job as a band itinerant and in the Orff classes I will be teaching for the first time this year. I appreciate the support from the Keith Bissell Memorial Scholarship and am very honoured to have received it. I m looking forward to Orff Level 3 next summer! Applications for the 2009 Keith Bissell Memorial Scholarship with be mailed to members in the Spring of 2009. Notices will also be in the Mosaic and the Orff Chapter s website which will be up and running soon! Stay tuned. On Youtube: Level four recorder playing: Classic Jazz Take Five www.youtube.com/watch? v=16yzi6lr1ok&feature=related Home made instruments: Vegetable Orchestra www.youtube.com/watch? v=hpfyt7vrhuy Body Percussion: Barbatuques - Baiana http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=_e0ejlrkysm We re going Green! The Executive of the Ontario Orff Chapter would like to ask our members to help us in our effort to support the environment. We encourage members to bring a reusable mug to all workshops and courses. Every little bit helps. Thank you!
Page 6 A lovely folktale about the devotion of a man to his wife and the dangers in dealing with crabfish. The book comes with a CD. Teach the children the original folk song (challenging) or make up a simple melody so they may join in with the chorus: Mash a row dow dow dow, diddle all the day. This can also be adapted to a simple 2,3, or 4 part pentatonic accompaniment. (You may want to add a few percussion instruments as well.) Tell the story, showing them all of the lovely illustrations and as an extension, perhaps make it into a play with or without simple costumes and props. Lois Lewis Over in the Meadow Original Text attributed to Olive A Wadsworth, Illustrated by Ezra Jack Keats Puffin Books ISBN 978-0-670-88344-8 A lovely counting song introducing various animals. Sing the song and have the children sing the responses for each verse. Teacher: "Dig, said the mother. Children: "I dig, said the one. You could have the children choose a percussion instrument to depict a particular animal in each verse. Add an Orff accompanient. There is a simple application in Exploring Orff by Avida Steen, but I would not suggest doing all of the verses. Lois Lewis Fiddle I Fee A traditional nursery rhyme Illustrated by Will Hillenbrand Harcourt Inc. ISBN 0-15-201945-6 This is a cumulative nursery rhyme whereby a wife and husband prepare for the birth of their baby as their farm animals are meeting secretly at night having their own celebrations. Sing this lovely folk tune showing the pictures as you go and encourage the children to join in the last part of the chorus: "The cat plays fiddle I fee" or all of it if they wish. The book always leads to a vigorous discussion as they discover the woman in the book in the end has a baby. It is interesting to find out how observant the children have been as you have been singing them the story. Each animal could be represented by a percussion instrument. Lois Lewis Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you See? by Eric Carle Henry Holt and Co. ISBN-10: 0805082662 Many of the children in kindergarten are familiar with this book, and enjoy reading it out loud. We sing the book using soh, mi and lah and in the next class, we play a game based on the story. I have made 5 or 6 sets of laminated pictures based on the characters, using similar pictures I found on the internet: a brown bear, red bird, purple cat, green frog, yellow duck, white dog, black sheep, gold fish, etc. (My students don't mind that the pictures are different.) Students choose a picture and then stand in a circle, with one student (who is it ) in the center. The others hold up their pictures so that the person in the middle can see them. The class sings, Johnny, Johnny what do you see?, using the name of the student in the centre. Then Johnny points at one of the students holding up a picture, and sings, I see a blue horse looking at me, singing the name and colour of the animal that the chosen student is holding up. The person who Johnny chose becomes the new it, and stands in the middle while Johnny goes back to the circle, and sits down, so that everybody knows that he has had his turn. This goes on until everyone has had a turn. Batya Levy Yo! Yes? by Chris Raschka Scholastic ISBN-10: 0439921856 Yo! Yes? is a very versatile book, whether you teach in a primary, junior or intermediate classroom. Its story line touches on friendship and inclusiveness and it is a fabulous example of using single words/phrases to express meaning. A few years ago, I was teaching both drama and music to intermediate students with very few supplies. It was a new school that opened its doors to the teachers on Labour Day Monday. With only few sets of Boomwhackers and this Please let us know if you are moving. Send your change of address to: Caren Ludwig-Shoychet rcshoychet@rogers.com
book, we began our year. I used Yo! Yes? as a team building activity with my students who brought the book to life. In small groups, they used the Boomwhackers to create an ostinato pattern beneath the words and then either sang or rapped the words. The class chose the interpretation they liked best and added movements for each page. When they were ready, students went from class to class to perform the story for the primary students. It was a great way for the younger students to start talking about being inclusive and playing with others. The performance was a hit across the school and gave the intermediate students a chance to be role models and use their musical knowledge to create a masterpiece. Lynnette Charters Max Found Two Sticks By Brian Pinkney Aladdin Publishers ISBN-10: 068981593X This charming picture book can be used with younger students by having them create Max s music in small groups. The version below is for junior students, who love the challenge of the SX and BP parts of this exciting Allegro. This version can also be used for a book buddy shared performance the younger class can provide the actors and the older class is the marching band. You can increase the number of sisters and friends, so that everyone can have a role. Additional Materials Allegro from Margaret Murray Ed. Music for Children Vol I, p.123 2 twigs cleaning bucket hat boxes soda bottles garbage can 2 drum sticks Triangle Sleigh bells Woodblock or rattle Alto & soprano xylophones Activity Teach Allegro by rote over several short sessions. Assign parts. Each actor speaks to Max, then lines up stage right in band formation. The first sound cue for each actor is Max playing on his found instrument, followed by the instrument part scored in the text. Assign as follows: twigs on thighs: pigeons woodblock or rattle cleaning bucket: rain sleigh bells hat boxes: tom toms soda bottles: timpani triangle: church bells garbage can: train AX: marching band SX: at the end the band marches on to the SX part from Allegro. Max and the band perform the BP part from Allegro Max saying the first Hi. Last band member tosses Max the drumsticks all actors perform Allegro. Catherine West One Odd Old Owl By Paul S. Adshead Child's Play (International) Ltd. ISBN 0-85953-408-1 A beautifully written and illustrated story full of alliterations. Here's a section from the beginning: In the forest of nod by a slumbering stream, there's a tall twisting tree that grew out of a dream. Down through its branches silently oozing slides a slow sleepy snail disturbed from her snoozing. One odd old owl in slumber so deep is snoring so loudly she cannot go to sleep. The snail implores the forest animals to wake up the owl, e.g., three Wily Woodpeckers noisily knock their knees, two lazy lovebirds, chirp, chirrup and cheep but one odd old owl continues to sleep. I have used this from primary to intermediate. With intermediates, I assign instruments to specific rhythms to go along with the story. This is also a great story to rewrite for a concert. For one Christmas, a class rewrote it as One Snoozing Snuggling Santa having different Xmas helpers trying to wake him up (candy canes, drummer boys drumming, etc.) Michelle Robinson Don't Laugh At Me Steve Seskin and Allen Shamblin (afterword by Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul & Mary) ISBN-10: 1582460582 Fantastic anti-bullying book for all ages with CD included. This year our school had an anti-bullying week using this song as the backbone. There's also a great free unit online. If you want to hear the song before buying the book, just Google Don't Laugh at Me. It's really a must for every school! Michelle Robinson More next issue. Page 7
Page 8 Up and Coming A MUSICAL HARVEST featuring Alison Kenny-Gardhouse Saturday, October 25, 2008 9 am 1 pm Upper Canada College Prep School - 200 Lonsdale Road Sunday, January 25th, 2009 - Dianne Sjoberg Music Around the World... in Your Classroom! September 27, 2008, 8:30 a.m-2:00 pm Blessed Sacrament School 367 The Country Way Kitchener, Ontario, N2E 2S3 Contact: MJ Schropp; Phone: (519) 885-1817 The Waterloo-Wellington Chapter of Carl Orff Canada and The Waterloo Catholic District S. B. ONTARIO MUSIC EDUCATORS ASSOCIATION November 6-8, 2008 Texture 2008, Toronto, ON Conference and Clincian information available at: www.omea.on.ca The Early Childhood Music Association of Ontario www.ecmaontario.ca presents Dr. Jill Trinka TraditionalTreasures Repertoire and activities for developing music concepts and skills in the preschool child Sunday September 21, 2008 10:00-5:00 p.m. Edward Johnson Bldg. Rm. 330, Faculty of Music, U. of T. The Canadian Dalcroze Society A WEEKEND WORKSHOP Clinician: RUTH ALPERSON, Ph.D. November 15 & 16, 2008 (Sat. 7-9 pm, Sun. 10-3:45 pm) York University, Keele Campus dalcrozejournalcanada@yahoo.ca