MUSC 373 Journal 8

This week in music, we read a story and learned how music can be directly connected with it. We also split up into groups and created a song that included musical sound effects, singing, whispering, shouting, and making a noise with your body (clapping etc). We also learned a new note on the recorder, f, and practiced the fingering so that we would get used to playing this note. We also talked a little bit about the talent show and assigned people to help run it!

It is very important to encourage children to be creative in your classroom. It is also important, as a teacher, to let children have opportunities to be creative. As a teacher, it is important to present new information for children to work with. To help children spark their creative side, as a teacher you must present information that students can hear, touch, taste, and smell. Just don't have students sitting in their desks and completing worksheets! Create lesson plans that allow students to come up with their own solutions to problems. Also challenge students with lessons/assignments that will really make them think outside of the box. Once you allow your students to be creative, they will have much more interest in the lesson that you are teaching. Instead of presenting the information in a boring way, actively engage your students by allowing them to stretch their brains. Children love to think of new ideas and also love to solve problems. They would much rather be active and engaged then sitting at their desks listening to a teacher lecture. They will also remember the lesson that they participated in and remember the information better!

When music is played in the classroom, students have many different ideas on how to interpret the song. Some may want to move to the music through dance, others may want to sing, and still some can come up with elaborate stories about the song. When music is incorporated in the curriculum students vividly remember certain parts of the song. Music can help students in many subjects such as math, reading, science, and more! Once music is introduced student’s minds are turned on. Instead of the daily routine of listening to the teacher and participating in class, music can help students stay focused and on task. Students have very active brains, and are always making up stories in their minds. By stimulating their brains with music and incorporating curriculum in the music, students can really benefit and remember the lesson more efficiently!

For my multicultural project, I am going to have my students learn about Sweden. I am going to teach them about the history, show them where Sweden is located on a map (in relation to the United States), learn about its traditions, and interesting facts about the country. I will also incorporate a Swedish recipe in my lesson so that students can taste and learn about food from another country!

Overall, I learned great ways to incorporate music into the curriculum. I believe that music can be an effective tool in helping children excel in school!