MAY
Just Dance 2 Rasputin
www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCv5q2yoqAY
I had the privilege of supervising two Rutgers student teachers in 2023. It was a joy watching them grow under the tutelage of their cooperating teachers and then swoop in and do seven observations to monitor that growth. During my final observation of the student teacher in a middle school, I watched as her students moved along with this YouTube clip as their physical warm-up for the start of the class period. The enthusiasm! The joy! The giggles! Everyone participated to the degree they could - those Russian squat kicks were a challenge! She had the use of her PC, an LCD projector, a very large screen and a terrific sound system! Check it out!
On to a vocal warm-up: This same Middle School student teacher used another activity she learned from her co-op which involved keeping a balloon in the air while singing a solfege scale. She started with "do" and tapped the balloon into the air. The class sang "do" and they all sustained the pitch until the balloon floated back down where another student hit it in the air and the pitch now changed to "re". Each time the balloon was hit into the air, the pitch advanced up the scale. Talk about complete student focus! I loved this! I had seen her work this before and continued to be impressed by knowing that the lessons of maintaining pitch and breath control were being immediately taught without lecture! Then, she asked the students to continue the activity in a round! Brilliant!
And lastly, as this was the student teacher's last day, she offered these 8th-grade students an "open mic-coffeehouse" experience where she had asked for their suggestions earlier in the week and then handed the singers their mic, clicked on the YouTube karaoke track, and the "coffeehouse" began! What a great way to end her student teaching and a really "Fun Friday" activity for all!
Did you see this in the latest NAfME journal? Could be some interesting ideas here and they are FREE!