Building A Reading Community: One Song At A Time by Tom Russell

Music is a powerful tool… Music is a powerful tool…...and can be added to most, if not all, reading lessons.

Five Places For Music 1. Before class 2. During movement 3. Behind small group discussions 4. After class

And Most Importantly 5. Incorporated with the skill or information to be learned.

Why incorporate music into your classroom? Why incorporate music into your classroom?

Because: according to Marisa Wilken, Incorporating Music in the Classroom, Music in the classroom makes kids excited to learn Music helps students remember concepts learned in class Music breaks up the monotony of the every day routine Music helps students take an active role in their education.

How do I go about setting up music to go with a lesson? Start with… “…what will I teach”?, then think… “…how can I add music”?

Example Poetry is not a favorite subject matter for many students especially the boys. If Teaching T.S. Elliott do it through “Cats”, the Musical. Then have students write their own poem about a pet and either put it to a song already composed or have the student compose one especially for their poem. Have students perform their own song. Have students perform their own song. (Student composed music can also be (Student composed music can also be background accompaniment for their poem). background accompaniment for their poem).

The music you are listening to during this presentation titled “Velvet and Sable” was composed by Steven Schildbach when he was in 8 th grade to accompany the following poem he wrote for a class.

Velvet and Sable by Steven Schildbach A dog named Velvet, A cat named Sable, Both often beg At the dinner table. They are happy pets Who run and play; Both sometimes tend To sleep all day. Velvet is obedient, Sable is coy, Both bring our family Lots of joy.

How else can I go about setting up music to go with a lesson? Be aware of what you will be teaching and what is going on in your community For example: A unit on Folk and Fairy tales was scheduled around a community production of “Into The Woods” having actors come to the classroom and perform a few songs from the show giving students some prior knowledge for the unit.

Use “Oliver”, the musical version of “Oliver Twist”, and have a local community theatre performing “Oliver” perform some scenes and songs in your classroom prior to reading the novel. (Ah…background knowledge!) Teaching Charles Dickens?

Again, how do I go about setting up music to go with a lesson? Teaching Storyboarding? Do it the first time using a musical movie or play. Use a classic such as…“White Christmas”. You may be the ONLY person to introduce this genre into their lives!

One more time! How do I go about setting up music to go with a lesson? Start with… “…what will I teach”?, then think… “…how can I add music”?

The End