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Past President Column

Vivian Ferchill

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Happy New Year! It is always amazing to me how fast the first semester passes! I hope your first semester was rich in song. As the semester moves along, I always like to make for each grade a list of songs we have learned so far so I can see where we’ve been. I can refer to this list when looking for songs to use for a quick change of pace, for a song bag, for reading a familiar song, for students to unscramble rhythms, or for songs a sub can play games with.

I hope we will all gather together at TMEA for not only a great conference but also for the network that KET provides. We have great Kodály experts leading us in workshops. We also have a strong group of Kodály teachers with a wealth of knowledge and experience that we can share. This is my favorite part of gathering at convention. We each have unique perspective and talents to offer others. It is so enriching and delivers the shot in the arm we need in the dead of winter!

See you soon!

-Vivian Ferchill

           

 

 

This works for me

 

Sight reading challenge

I like to place my rhythm flashcards across my magnetic chalkboard and have students clap and say them. As they master them, I write solfegge syllables on the chalkboard above the rhythms and have them sing the solfegge in rhythm. Then leaving the solfegge on the board, I move the rhythm cards into different positions ( and adjust any solfegge that needs to fit the rhythm). This provides a quick,simple but challenging way to sightread patterns. If I plan it well, they can even identify motives of known songs!

 

Submitted by Vivian Ferchill

 

 

Tools For repertoire

 

I would like to share a song that I  taught to my 3rd-5th grade students for a Martin Luther King, Jr celebration. It is titled “This Was a Man” by Marta Keen. I ordered it through JW Pepper.  It is a well written song with strong words, a pleasant octave range melody, and a good mix of rhythms. One thing I did change was to shorten the notes held for eight beats to four beats. My students have enjoyed singing this song and learning about the contributions that Martin Luther King Jr. made to the Civil Rights movement. They were amazed when I told them I remember him making the famous “I Have a Dream” speech! I must be ancient!

 

Submitted by Vivian Ferchill