Assignment #1

Music and the Creative Processes: Blog
Music IN Education....Things to Think About

1. How do you use music in YOUR life?
   When I was in middle school I played the clarinet in the band. In elementary, middle school, and high school I was in choir. I am always lightening to music and singing along when I am in the car.

2. What musical activities and interests did you have as a child?
   When I was younger I really liked to play the recorder that we got in elementary choir. I have a whole collection of tapes that I was given as gifts when I was younger and I had my own player that went with them. With most of the tapes, I had books that had the words to all the songs and I would sit in my room for hours listening and singing along.

3. Have you observed children at musical play?
   Yes, I have had the chance to go to several elementary musical performances. Each child has their own personality and therefore each child acts differently while on stage. Most students look around and are kind of in their own world, while others are able to stay focused on the instructor in front of them. When they are given actions, I always think it is so cute to watch every student go a different way.

4. Are there some musical skills you are able to teach to children more easily than others?
   There really isn't one set thing that is harder for me to teach musically.

5. What do you think that all children should be able to do, musically, as a result of a MUSICAL
education?
   I think that all children should be able to incorporate music with their everyday activities. Knowing how to pick up a rhythm and sing a little tune can help with just about anything whether you are trying to memorize something or you are bored and are singing to yourself.

6. Have you ever observed a teacher integrating music into the classroom? Cite examples.
   Yes, at the daycare that I attended when I was younger and just recently visited, they have always had a "clean-up" song that the children would sing during their time to clean up the room and it creates a fun way for the children to clean up their areas.

7. How do you think music can be integrated into the elementary classroom?
   I think that music can be integrated into the elementary classroom by singing popular nursery rhymes, singing songs that incorporate in with the lesson plans, or even listening to soft music while the students are working at their seat.

8. How do you think music can be used as an interdisciplinary tool in the elementary classroom?
   Music can be used in a lot of different ways. When I first learned the presidents and the fifty states, they both had their own song. These songs were a tool to help us remember lists of people and places.