Elemental Conversations with Victoria Boler

Full Show notes:victoriaboler.com/podcast/5th-grade-orff-josh-southardIt’s the one and only Josh Southard! In this conversation, Josh shares his approach to developing a thriving 5th grade music program where upper elementary musicians are engaged and involved.In This Conversation….00:00 - Josh Southard!01:45 - Orff Schulwerk in 5th Grade04:50 - Connecting with 5th Grade through play-based processes11:41 - Releasing ownership to 5th grade musicians18:26 - What does the Orff process look like?26:53 - Breaking down the process34:14 - Putting the pieces together45:44 - Increasing 5th Grade engagement52:12 - Where to connect with Josh---------------Let’s Connect: Website  | Instagram  | YouTube  | Website | Planning Binder

Full episode notes here: https://www.victoriaboler.com/podcast/In episode 83 we explored a few simple ways to start using picture books in elementary general music.When we’re ready for more involved activities, and perhaps extended projects, what are some options? Here are a few places we can get started.Let’s think though some opportunities for student arranging, adding a game, exploring creative movement, and expanding partwork skills.In This Episode…00:00 - Picture Books in Elementary Music00:56 - Student Arranging“Too Many Pumpkins”04:09 - Add a Game!“Fourteen Animals That Are Definitely Not an Octopus”08:16 - Creative Movement“Lines that Wiggle”11:42 - Partwork Activities“The Chilly Penguin”“The Stick”15:33 - Wrapping Up---Let’s Connect: Website  | Instagram  | YouTube  | Website | Planning Binder

Full Show notes:victoriaboler.com/podcast/folk-song-research-kathy-kuddesIn This Conversation…. 00:00 - Kathy Kuddes!01:27 - What is folk song research? 03:41 - Questioning the “music teacher canon” 13:18 - What is a folk song? 18:29 - Planning what to leave out 22:02 - What to look for in song resources31:29 - Print resource recommendations 39:34 - Getting music off the page (“Hop Old Squirrel”)45:05 - Digital resource recommendations 48:12 - Where to get started with song research 55:20 - How to connect with Kathy ---------------Let’s Connect: Website  | Instagram  | YouTube  | Website | Planning Binder

Full episode notes here: https://www.victoriaboler.com/podcast/picture-books-in-elementary-music-part-1---Ready to dip your toe into the magical world of children’s literature in your music classroom? Today we’ll talk about a few ways to get started. Next time, we’ll extend the conversation to a few more involved options.How will we choose our books? What activities will we use? Where will the musical material come from? Let’s explore together.In This Episode…00:00 - Getting Started with Picture Books in Elementary Music00:53 - Three Elemental Questions01:40 - What are we showcasing? What’s the point?04:00 - What is the student’s job? What is the teacher’s job?06:21 - Choosing a Book10:27 - Where does the musical material come from?11:09 - Songs from Inside the BookVictoria’s Collection: Picture Books to Sing on Epic Books12:26 - Creating Musical Text from Inside the Book“The Stick”“Turtle Walk”15:00 - Adding Existing Songs to the Book“What Do You Do with an Idea?”21:10 - Recap and What’s Next---Let’s Connect:  Website  | Instagram  | YouTube  | Website | Planning Binder

Full Show notes:victoriaboler.com/podcast/cooperative-learning-elementary-music-mandy-algateIn This Conversation….00:00 - Mandy Algate!01:24 - What is cooperative learning?03:43 - How Mandy got interested in cooperative learning06:08 - How Mandy started incorporating cooperative structures08:43 - What are the Kagan structures?09:13 - “Quiz Quiz Trade” with “Ickle Ockle”13:13 - “Early in the Morning” for upper elementary16:36 - Cooperative, not competitive19:09 - Facilitating mixed skill levels and adapting for different grades29:21 - Late practice activities37:53 - Quick response questions about cooperative learning45:15 - Final thoughts47:19 - Connecting with Mandy, Kodaly levels---------------Let’s Connect:  Website  | Instagram  | YouTube  | Website | Planning Binder

It’s a common phrase we’ve heard before, and it takes a few different forms…. She always goes first He only picks his friends I wanted the blue scarf…What’s our goal in a singing game where we take turns? What happens when we’re not “it” or we don’t have the shiny special role? Let’s think about…. What our goal is What skill is missing When we can practice it ——-In This Episode…00:00 - “I never get a turn”02:54 - What is Our Goal? 06:45 - What’s the Musical Skill? 007:57 - Locus of Control 10:34 - When do we Practice the Skill? 11:44 - Examples of Practice ——-Let’s Connect:  Website  | Instagram  | YouTube  | Website | Planning Binder

Show notes here: https://www.victoriaboler.com/podcast/aimee-pfitzner-singing-games ——I’m thrilled to be sharing this conversation with Aimee Pfitzner, all about singing games in elementary general music. If you’re already familiar with Aimee you’ll know she has so much knowledge and she brings so much experience to the world of children’s games and children’s play. If you don’t already have them, let me recommend her books, which you can find with the link above, along with Aimee’s bio so you learn more about her and connect with her work. Aimee and I started talking before the actual interview about her experience moving to her North Carolina campus, and she was sharing so much wisdom I decided to keep it in our recording. So we’ll just jump straight into our conversation as Aimee shares how she got introduced to the Schulwerk. Here is Aimee talking about her early Orff experiences. In This Episode…00:00 - Aimee Pfitzner & how Aimee got connected to the Orff Schulwerk04:44 - Creating musical moments 08:42 - How do we choose singing games for the classroom? 14:01 - the Orff sequence 18:06 - Bump Up Tomato 25:52 - We Are Dancing in the Forest 28:45 - Pacing and taking turns33:06 - Classroom management in singing games 35:39 - Adapting songs and games 38:13 - Aimee’s favorite singing games 49:41 - Aimee’s books52:29 - Closing thoughts —— Let’s Connect:  Website  | Instagram  | YouTube  | Website | Planning Binder

What are some ways to think about a situation where students don’t sing?This is a big topic, because there are lots of different reasons that students might not sing, and non-participation can take a lot of different forms! Let’s think about some ways to frame the problem, and some questions to ask as we move toward a solution. ———-In This Episode…00:00 - My students won’t sing 02:25 - Umbrella Understandings 03:21 - We can’t see motivation05:22 - We like our students, and our students like us 05:40 - We have consistent routines and procedures 07:02 - We have good relationships with our colleagues 08:23 - This is normal, and we can probably relate 14:33 - What does musicing look like and sound like? 20:09 - Whose music is this? 23:54 - Have we constructed the right task? 25:39 - Activities for scaffolding up 34:54 - Activities for scaffolding down 39: 06 - What’s our experience with managing discomfort? ——————Find the full show notes at https://victoriaboler.com/elemental-conversations Let’s Connect:  Website  | Instagram  | YouTube  | Website | Planning Binder

We’ve all been there! We teach a song, only to find that students haven’t learned it exactly right. Let’s brainstorm a few possible approaches to the inevitable situation of students singing a song inaccurately. ——In This Episode…00:00 - When Students Sing a Song Inaccurately 01:28 - Elemental Questions02:52 - What is the point of the song? 07:31 - How do we build an aural context? 10:04 - Creative listening 14:27 - Listen and move 19:31 - What do students do? What does the teacher do? 28:41 - Troubleshooting38:20 - Wrapping Up——Find the full show notes at https://victoriaboler.com/elemental-conversations Let’s Connect:  Website  | Instagram  | YouTube  | Website | Planning Binder

Full Show notes: https://victoriaboler.com/elemental-conversations In this Conversation…. 00:00 - Intro01:27 - About Aileen04:05 - Benefits of centers08:33 - Should we do one concept or more than one concept in our centers? 12:38 - Aileen’s “formula” for center categories20:11 - Setting up for success26:45 - Choices, classroom management, and assessment : What to think about and options for structuring 32:45 - Centers for student choice: keeping it manageable and giving students ownership 41:53 - Scaffolding centers throughout grade levels44:33 - Centers for band and choir 48:30 - Final thoughts and advice from Aileen: Giving grace 50:43 - Aileen’s centers course 52:00 - Where to connect with Aileen