Connecting Ideas�K-5 Curriculum �JOY-FLOW

Tara L. Sparks�Fort Collins, Colorado

Connecting Ideas

Assistant Presenters: The Tavellians

Our JOY-ney today:

• Song writing skills
• Musical concepts
• Teaching the parts of a modern band
• Student leadership in the classroom
• A multi-perspective approach using 10+ methods

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From the classroom to the stage

• Use modern band in your lessons
• Write songs as a class, in bands and individually
• Use performance rubrics
• Assign student leaders

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Step 1: Steady Beat Leaders

Multiple drummers on multiple drum sets

• Drummers manage the rotation every game or song with�Stage Manager monitoring
• Drum leaders set the tempo by counting off and points�to the next leader with stick
• Watch teacher for cues
• During downtime practice stick tricks
• Wear hearing protection

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Idea from Diane Harris Modern Band Summit 2016

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Beginners BACKBEAT

Dianne Harris MBS 2016

“Teaching the backbeat on drum set using rhythm notation”

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Chase Drumroll with Crescendo and Crash

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Step 2: Hiring of student jobs begins

Jobs

• Stage Manager
• DJ with sound effects
• Sound Engineer
• Instrument Stagehands
• Uke Uniters

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• Lighting Designer
• Security
• Videographers

Stage Manager

Stage Manager Role

• Raise and lower microphone stands and adjust microphone direction
• Cord & cable safety
• Communicates with Producer�aka the teacher
• Watches over percussion instruments
• Works with their Stagehands, later

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DJ Foley

DJ Foley Role

• Create DJ name
• Add sound effects to class by “reading the room”
• Uses mic to call on students
• Introduces vocalists, bands, songs, guests
• Changes every class
• Trains the next DJ

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DJ Sound Effects

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Evil Laughing

Laughing

Clapping

Waa waa waaaa

Joke

Creepy

Crickets

Magic

Step 3: Game showing microphone skills

Stage Manager with Vocalists

• Vocalists don’t touch directional mic yet
• Practice standing and singing into the mic
• Learn about XLR cables
• Ways to break a mic stand
• Putting mic in the holder

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“Charlie Over The Ocean”

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G chord (echo)

Charlie over the ocean

Charlie over the sea

Charlie caught a big fish

Can’t catch me.

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Idea from Jasmine Faulkner MBS 2022 “Kinder-2^nd Grade Modern Band”

“Charlie Over The Ocean”

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G chord

Charlie over the ocean

Charlie over the sea

Charlie caught a

Can’t catch me.

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Idea from Jasmine Faulkner MBS 2022 “Kinder-2^nd Grade Modern Band”

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Step 4: Connect to Science and Art

Hiring of More Student Jobs�

Sound Engineer Role

• Mutes and unmutes mics
• Makes volume changes
• Controls other electronics
• Cable management

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Hiring of More Student Jobs

Instrument Stagehands

• Inspect for clean hands
• Gets instruments out and puts away
• Starts helping drummers adjust the “kit”
• Instruments not electronics
• Stay after class to organize

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Step 5: Creating Stage Presence�

When I say the magic word “Glockenspiel”…

• The first 35 humans to rush the stage
• Get to use
• A special tool
• Otherwise you use your body
• Glockenspiel

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Noodler Creation Time

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If you didn’t get a�pool noodle,�you get to�use your body

Idea from Oren Logan, Eurythmics Certified in Fort Collins, Colorado

Q

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Make this shape

A

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Make this shape

X

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O

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Y

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K

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Find other “Noodlers” with�same-colored noodles

�OR�

Get into groups with�4-5 other humans

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No talking�

Giggling is allowed

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Get ready to�make shapes together

T

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No talking

A

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Y

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C

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Challenge

Time

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Eurythmics Reflection

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Discuss

• Musical concepts
• Non-musical skills
• Non-verbal teamwork
• Art connections
• Other thoughts

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Next drummers

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Double Double THIS THIS

Double Double THAT THAT

Double THIS Double THAT

Double Double THIS THAT

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TEMPO Accelerando��from Largo to Moderato to Allegro

Idea from Nicole Guimaraes MBS 2022

Step 6: Classroom Performances

Several Class Periods

1. Students make mini-bands with at least one vocalist�and a lead drummer
2. Improvise new words for the song
3. Three drummers are playing in the room at the same time
4. Sound Engineer controls mics
5. Entire class practices audience skills during performances
6. DJ can also announce and say things such as�“Let’s hear it for Easton and Jett with their�Crafty Mines rap”

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Classroom Performances

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Step 7: Performance Rubrics

Basic Rubric

3 = no or few mistakes

2 = several mistakes

1 = you’ll get it next time

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Quaver Music Curriculum allows creation of rubrics

Step 8: Modern Band Charts

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Idea from Jennifer Martinez MBS 2022 “Concept Based Lessons through Modern Band Riffs”

“School Day” by Chuck Berry

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Idea from Jennifer Martinez MBS 2022 “Concept Based Lessons through Modern Band Riffs”

Modern Band with Kodály

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What’s this low la MELODY?

Idea from Laura Beese, Shepardson Elementary Fort Collins, Colorado Kodály Workshop

“Blinding Lights” by The Weeknd

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“Blinding Lights” by The Weeknd

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Vocal Skills with Call & Response

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Idea from Laura Beese, Shepardson Elementary Fort Collins, Colorado Kodály Workshop

“Old House” Connections

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Source: American Methodology

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Melody: Adding re “Three Little Birds”

Idea from Laura Beese, Shepardson Elementary Fort Collins, Colorado Kodály Workshop

Quaver��Educational Music Interactive Website

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Quaver Personal Power Songs

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“You-nique”�by Quaver

“I Believe in You”�by Dolly Parton

Quaver Personal Power Songs

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“I’m a Superhero”�by Quaver

Spotlight Worksheet

Activities

• Visualize success
• Determine your spotlight color
• Your location
• Draw yourself and color

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Idea from Nicole Guimaraes MBS 2022 “Making the Band in the K-12 Classroom”

Step 9: Add all instruments

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Sticks and Cymbals

Rhythm reading left to right, standard notation

Students choose finger cymbals or rhythms sticks

YouTube Mr. Henry’s World of Music

Tubanos, Boomwhackers, & Keyboards

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ABCD form movement song

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Idea from Ian Stillmunk MBS 2022 “Get up off that thing! Movement in K-5 Classrooms”

“Spooky Scary Skeletons” by Andrew Gold

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Orff, Boomwhackers, Keyboards

Music reading is top to bottom, left to right

Students choose pitches to play

Focus on FORM of song

Listen for CHORD changes

Prepping chords I IV V

YouTube Swick’s Classroom

“Pumpkin Bones” by Quaver

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Bass Guitars

Learn what a “root” is

Do’s and don’ts

Sound Engineer assists�with “amps”

Guitars are in our�after school program

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“Thanksgiving at Our House ” by Quaver

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Form is ABC or Rondo

“Cray, Cray Christmas” by Quaver

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Hire Ukulele Uniters

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Beginning Ukulele

Chord Order: C D G

Songs

Row, Row Your Boat (C)

Are You Sleeping (C)

Happy Birthday (C D G)

Step 10: Creating an entire song

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Kid Pan Alley

In two years, Tavelli has written 16 original songs�with 2^nd and 4^th graders

Two local musicians assisted

Around 320 students experienced the process

Two of those songs have been arranged for Modern Band

Tavelli’s Songs from 2022, Virtual Songwriting

A Songwriting Process

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Part 1 of 4

Brainstorm topics of interests

Determine how to choose the topic

Choose the topic

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Kid Pan Alley Songs 2022

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4th Woodroof

“We Need Nature”

C F G Am��

4th Pearson

“Who I Really Am”

C G Am Dm F Bb��

4th McKelvey

“It’s a Jungle Out There”

C F G Am Dm Ab��

4th Dermody

“Reduce, Recycle, and Reuse”

D G A Bm E

2nd Iverson

“The Forgotten One”

Em D Bm A C F Bb��

2nd Vasquez

“There are So Many Unknowns”

E D A C# G# F#��

2nd Olsen

“Free Like the Birds”

G Bm Em F Am D C��

2nd Merrill

“Under the Ocean, Down in the Deep”

D G A Bm C# E

A Songwriting Process

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Part 2

Brain map around the topic

Create phrases

Choose which are the first few phrases

Figure out the rhythm of the words

Sing the words in rhythm

Create an A section (verse or chorus)

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Brainstorming “Who I Really Am”

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Lyrics “Who I Really Am”

Lyrics “Reduce, Recycle, and Reuse”

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A Songwriting Process

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Part 3

Figure out the melodies and form

Determine tempo

Determine style

Performers: vocalists, drummer, keyboard, other

Practice

Communicate to stage manager you’re ready to perform

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Songwriting Process - Performance

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Part 4

Rubric Levels

3 = Rock Star

2 = Garage Band

1 = Practice Room

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Song

Writing

Kid Pan Alley and Tavelli 2023�Merrill’s 2^nd Grade Class

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VERSE 1�Hey, hey I'm the new kid, I'm from L.A.�I'm happy to be here, but I'm a little shy

It can be so overwhelming 

I wish someone... would say hi

I don't want to be rejected�I want to be connected

But it can be so hard... to fit in

Summary

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What we experienced today

• Process for introducing instruments into the classroom
• Student leadership positions
• Curriculum activities
• Methods: Kodály, Eurythmics, Orff Sculwerk, Modern Band, Quaver, Movement, Performance, Art, Science, Depth & Complexity, Kid Pan Alley Songwriting, Hip-Hop, Drama
• Next steps: Add Music Therapy

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Sharing Time

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Tara L. Sparks

tsparks@psdschools.org

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Tavelli Elementary School Music Learning Page

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Student Created Music Video

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Link - Depth & Complexity Framework