I have loved teaching elementary music this year. Last year, when I began in February, I was stressed out from day one until the last day of school. But this year was totally different. I was glad to be able to start teaching at the beginning of the school year and instill my own ideas into the classroom, and create my own schedule of performances, and produce a plan to execute all the ideas and schedules.
I really get along with a lot of my students, but I admit that I especially loved my 1st grade students this year...they were so sweet! Last year, I loved teaching Kindergarten the best, and I thought it was because of their age, but this year I loved teaching the 1st graders the best, so I think it must just be this group of kids that I'm quite endeared with! ;)
The first program I conceptualized on my own last year was the 1st grade spring program. The lady who had the job before me had done the 5th and 4th grade plays, and she'd already begun work on the 2nd and 3rd grade musical programs when she quit. So, last year I created the 1st grade program and the Kindergarten Graduation on my own. This year, I just expanded on both of those ideas that I created last year.
During the winter months, I talked to the 1st graders about the different seasons, and I wanted them to write down their own thoughts about spring. I asked them 3 questions: What happens in spring?, What do you do in the spring?, and What's your favorite part about spring?
The kids all wrote their answers on individual pieces of paper, and I worked on creating a program based on their answers. I chose one answer from every student that they would say in the microphone during the program. Then I grouped the answers together into similar categories. For example, rain answers, bug answers, sunshine answers, etc. Then I found songs to go with those answers. For example "Rain Rain go away", "Butterfly song", "Mr. Golden Sun", etc. Then I found props to go with the song that the spotlighted children could hold during it. Then I put the whole program together in sequential order. I would ask some kind of a question at the beginning of each section that went with the different category of answers. For example, I would say: "What do we see in the spring" and then all the bug people would say their answers, then we would sing the bug song while that set of students held the bug prop during the song, and then I asked another question to go with the next category and the process repeated again.
I pride myself on being resourceful, and I didn't have to pay for one backdrop decoration I did this year for my musical productions. For the 1st grade backdrop, I found a cute font, and projected it on the wall to create large letters of the word "SPRING". Then I outlined the letters on white butcher paper and colored them in with black permanent marker. I cut the letters into indivudal squares to pin to the black accordian-fold set I borrowed. Then I draped pastel-colored scarves that are in my inventory over the letters. I cut out little flowers and attached them with ribbon to the ceiling alternating with pastel-colored plastic eggs. On the left side of the photo, you'll see a blue & white blanket also hanging from the ceiling (with strong fishing line). It's the back side of a comforter with mini clouds all over it. It was the backdrop for the prop-holders during the songs.
It took some time to get all the props together for the students this year. I did a few different songs than last year, so I had to obtain new items. I laid them all out on tables behind the black accordian-fold set so that the audience couldn't see them. When the students were done speaking in the microphone at the front of the stage, they walked behind the black set to get their props and then most of them walked back out in front of the blue and white blanket to use their prop during the song. There were 10 songs, and 10 different sets of props. 1: sun & sunglasses, 2: rainclouds & umbrella, 3: watering cans & flower face cut-outs, 4: pinwheels, 5: bubbles & jumpropes, 6: sea animals & arm floaties, 7: insects & net, 8: farm animals, 9: easter baskets & bunny ears, 10: picnic basket & blanket. I had two 4th grade students help them get the right objects backstage during the performances, so the little papers taped to the blue paint are their instructions.
The 1st graders performed twice during the first week of April: once for other students in the school, and once for their parents. They did a fabulous job both times and I was so proud of them! It turned out really cute and I had a lot of positive feedback after their shows. The local newspaper has not been putting in all the photos and stories that I've submitted about my musical programs, which really frustrates me. The students put in so much work and did such a great job, that I felt like they deserved a moment in the spotlight. So, here's my photo (that would've/should've been printed):
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