Okay, who am I kidding? I could be in a 60,000 square foot castle and my kids could be in the tower, and I could be in the dungeon, and I'd still hear them. But, anyway, while I was in there trying to ignore them and wondering why I never wipe down the top of my washing machine, I could smell the sausage coming from underneath the door and I was starving.
I did check in on everyone during a break and noted that the children are not only eating sausage for breakfast now, they were also eating cereal. I also made sure the girls had their hair combed because this is what Sarah looks like every day when she wakes up.
And Greg will seriously take them to the store looking like that so there is no doubt in my mind that he would send them to school like that. I even had a big talk with the girls.
"If your father does not brush your hair, you need to brush your hair. Do you understand me? Look at me. If your father does not brush your hair, you cannot go to school."
Greg did manage to get them all to school on time the last two days. I laid out their backpacks, their clothing, their shoes, their jackets, got all their homework signed and in their backpacks, emptied the dishwasher, and packed all their lunches, got their water bottles filled, and made sure they had snacks. I've woken up at 4:45am the last two days to make sure everything is perfectly laid out. I'm sure this is how all you guys do it, but I've never had to get things ready the night before because school doesn't start until 9am and I'm up so early it's never been necessary.
Greg woke up at 8am today, fed them sausage, drove them one block to school, then came back and said, "Wow. I can't believe you manage this every morning. How do you do it? What's your secret?"
Then he left all the dirty dishes on the counter and left for the day.
Anywho, it seems like it's going to work out really well.
I was feeling bad that I wasn't going to see the kids before they went to school, then I just happened to see them on their snack break while I was driving by the school on my way to Trader's. Then I just happened to see them again when I was driving to the car wash and they were at recess.
Then I blinked and they were home. So, yes, I saw them all day anyway.
Their drama for yesterday is that they hate music now. I told them we were going to get a piano and they told me they don't want a piano because they hate music because they hate music at school. Apparently Sarah and Gregory's class got in trouble for talking and have to copy a music glossary for three weeks.
"What do you do in music normally? Do you sing?", I asked them.
'No."
"Do you play instruments?"
"No."
"Do you listen to music?"
"No."
"So what do you do?"
"We watch the smart board."
"What does your teacher do when you are watching the smart board?"
'She's putting people in timeout for talking."
OMG. HOW BORING. No wonder the kids are talking. Shouldn't they be singing in music? I remember going to music and singing. I loved music.
So tell me internet, what do kids normally do in music so I can get an idea. What do your kids do in music?
What would I do without you guys??????
27 comments:
Oh gosh, now you're going to have to show up unannounced and sit in on a music class.... At Emma Rose's school, when I stayed for music class once last year, they sang a kind of complicated (to me) welcome song where everybody adds a part (or something), clapped to another song (learning about rhythm), listened to some music and a book about Louis Armstrong because it was some anniversary related to him, and worked on their songs they were singing for the May Day concert. They have a music folder with all the songs they are singing this year (songs get added as they get to them). They are also slowly learning to read music, which surprised me. Emma Rose and her friends all love their music class.
If you put your kids in piano lessons, you should find a good Suzuki teacher. I am loving the Suzuki method. You will too. Your kids will, too.
OMG. There's a METHOD? Is this like the math? Do.not.make.my.brain.explode.
Oh, her music class at school plays instruments, too. She tosses around the word "glockenspiel" with abandon. I don't know how to spell that and I actually had to look up with it was!
Our district has no money for music anymore, so music is either up to the classroom teachers, or paid for by the ed foundation (district-wide fundraising group) or the PTA, or we have volunteers (mostly trained parents) teaching it.
So it's a patchwork, but that said, I think what they get is fairly good quality. This year our school has trained parent volunteers for the K-3 classrooms. They sing and play percussion instruments, and in some classes have recorders. In 4-5 we have a woman who is paid by the PTA and who teaches singing and orff instruments (xylophones). 5th also has standard instrumental music... choice of violin, cello, trumpet, clarinet, or flute. They only have that once a week, and it only started in November, so it's not a very in-depth program.
Finally, we have 2 after-school music programs. One is free... a local theater group has a grant and they come in and do glee club and musical theater with the kids. The other program is steel drum bands for 3rd grade and up. Parents have to pay for that class.
Sorry for the length ;-). Teaching music off a smart board does seem backward. Does she do that for the whole time or just for a few minutes to introduce a composer or note reading? I can see doing it for about 5 minutes for 2nd graders to teach note-reading, but the rest of the time should be singing!
The Suzuki Method is great. It's just a way of learning music that a guy, Suzuki, in Japan came up with and it's not like we all learned, with our parents standing over us with a ruler so we practiced for 30 minutes. All very positive and pleasant and I really, really like it.
My daughter is in 2nd grade in Ohio and they have music once a week. They SING and play some homemade instruments. The normally use this time to practice for the Christmas Program and then once it's over they focus on their end of the school year program they put on.
Anita- Good question. I do not know how long the smart board lessons are. I'll have to go Occupy The Music Room now.
Leslie- the method I planned on using was Free Lessons By The 15 Year Old Mormon Neighborhood Boy Who Needs Community Service Hours By Teaching Music To Poor Children Or Triplets.
Have you ever heard of that one?
My kids watched the same movie for a month- "Gnomeo and Juliet" they watched it from the beginning each time so they never got to see the end. Then the principal retired... Now they are playing instruments and singing each week. It's amazing after she left the VERY MEAN AMD NASTY PE coach miraculously stopped screaming and yelling at the kids. Gotta love pubic school
My daughter (10) is in a recorder music class. I love my daughters efforts but whoever invented the recorder is a jerk that can't hear.
Marla- Yes. I've seen it. I deleted your comment because that's a level of crazy I step away from. There's crazy, then there's CRAZY. KWIM? LOL!
My 5th grade niece was telling me that her class is learning "music theory." How did I make it this far in school (and life) without ever knowing that music has a theory? It's public school, too.
Hmmm, my kids are learning songs, last week they learned a song in English, German, Spanish, and Chinese. He also learned a song called Land of the Silver Birch about Canada. They sing, a lot. I've been there. Although, you know I got a letter about my son today, from the Principal. I am going to scan it an email it to you. While it is true, I am still having a hard time believing my son is the only year old that has occasional attention issues...not behavioral, attention. Anyway, the music teacher has got to go now, we've got your back! As for getting up early it sucks. I get up at 6, My son doesn't have to be to school until 8:45. My husband wants to know why I'm always so tired...hahaha
I asked my kids. They said they sing lots of songs and sometimes play instruments to keep the steady beat. They love music class. This week they came home singing a new song where they learned what nonsense words are. Then they fought about who was singing the correct words and Ben tried to act all important because he had done the song twice in music class and the girls had only done it once. Even being in different classes they manage to act normal, LOL! The music teacher put on a nice Christmas program with the younger grades and does chorus with the older kids.
I think music is left to the regular teachers up here. My daughters teacher is the most awesome thing next to myself, so she comes home singing the Alaska state song, in English and in Inupiaq, as well as several other historical songs. Instruments though, we have to teach those ourselves. She's been taking "beginning piano lessons" for two years cause that's all that is offered! haha. In High School though, there is an AMAZING, and I mean AMA-ZA-ZING music teacher (who happened to be there when I was in high school) who does concerts, and plays and all that fun stuff with the kids. Coming from a small SMALL town that is something.
I'm not going to make many friends with the other commenters with this, but you should NOT do Suzuki piano!!! The Suzuki method was created for teaching the violin and it is an effective method for that instrument. The adaptation to the piano is weak and VERY few teachers who claim to use that method are really certified to teach it and understand it. This method also requires constant parental involvement to be effective- something I'm certain you would not have time to do. Your kids are old enough and smart enough to learn to read music and they are more likely to enjoy music for their entire life if they are able to read music fluently- a skill that would allow them to sit down and play anything that interests them, not just what someone else has taught them.
To answer your other question, music classes should include singing, playing instruments, learning about music terms and notation, moving to music and generally learning how to listen to and appreciate music. And yes, it should be FUN!!!
AHA! So it is exactly like the math. See that Leslie? I'm going to go look for Piano Instruction Wars.
My third grader's music teacher has taught them the names of all the notes and where they are on the staff; bass and treble clef; counting whole notes, half notes, quarter notes and eight notes and their respective rests; the meanings of forte, mezzo forte, etc.; crescendo and decrescendo; instrument families; oh, and they sing, too. And each grade level puts on the BEST performance each year! Cute songs (or plays) with choreography. Also, ALL third graders take violin class in addition to their normal music class. This is public school, and my kid loves music!
I'm gonna have to get my ass in there to get more involved!
UGH!
I only have a half-arsed clue as to what they do in "specials" because I grill them every day to find out what they did. I'm so tired of "I don't know" as an answer to everything. Did you make any art? "I don't know." Did you have fun at recess? "I don't know."
Which is probably why your school-themed posts give me way more anxiety than they should!
Whoops... I say a**. LOL
The sailor comes out from time to time.
Loren- I live a block from the school. I stopped the van when I saw Sarah huddled at recess with a group of girls. I screeched out of the van, "What are you guys doing?" and she yelled back, "Telling secrets!" I'm like a spy!!!
Michele, Ha! I guess so. I don't know about any other Suzuki teachers, but ours is an amazing musician in her own right, and certainly very qualified to teach piano. I have heard other people make the mistaken claim that the Suzuki Method doesn't teach you to reach music, too, and I don't know why people say that -- do some teachers do it that way? But there are Suzuki Method piano books! Emma Rose's teacher totally teaches reading music. They start out learning the first few songs by ear (which is cool, and a very good skill to learn), but she's already learning her clefs and notes and rests and all that, and is about to start on Piano Book 1, and this is only her second month.
I took a 10-week parent class in the Suzuki Method, so though my daughter is new to the lessons, I have a good understanding of the teaching methods and philosophy -- maybe better than some who haven't been through the training -- and I am impressed with it.
So there, to each his own, and I know it's not what you're planning to do, but I wanted to post my side of the "piano wars" for the record!
Well, if we ever get a piano I will engage you in piano pedagogy war. Right now we are still battling math war. Remember CIO/attachment parenting war? Whew. I can't wait for the teen years. I wonder what war is next?
I'm not at war. I'm sure there are other great piano teachers too, but I'm happy with ours.
Hi, Michele,
I'm a long time reader, but have never commented. However, this post is my life, so I have to!
I'm a middle school band director and my husband is the high school band director ( yes, we work together!). Our and our family's life basically revolves much of the time around music.
Music class should be all about making,listening and LOVING music. No piece of shit smart board can do that. Music brings humanity to our kids.....It should NOT be just another educational gimmick time, with computers doing the teacher's job. If it's true what's going on in that class, then that is not a musician leading that class.
Get your kids in piano lessons, sing a lot at home or find a local kids choir and when they're old enough, sign them up for the school band. Honestly, we get the best kids and the best families in band. These are who you want your kids to be friends with as you approach the teenage years.
ahhh....now I can breathe again.
please email me if you'd like.
Jen
My son had a Nazi music teacher for 1st grade who had no love for children. They had to be stock still. Time out was a common occurrence. Once I got wind of this, I simply removed him at 1PM for the rest of the school day.
The school knew, parents complained, nothing was done.
The next year, we homeschooled him. He also started piano lessons with a wonderful teacher. Fifteen years of lessons (college, too) and he teaches on the side.
Music is to be enjoyed...period.
Karen- I'm going to go take them out at 2:30 for the next two Thursdays because there is no reason they should write from a music glossary for an hour. That is ridiculous. Punish the people who are troublemakers, not the WHOLE CLASS.
I'm not an expert on music by any means, so maybe I'm missing something, but I don't understand why Suzuki would be an effective method for teaching violin but not piano.
I was a Suzuki method student growing up and definitely learned to read music. I can see, though, how you could learn to play without reading music. However I can't imagine any music teacher worth paying wouldn't supplement her instruction by teaching her students to read music. Also, even after I stopped formal lessons, having the Suzuki tapes allowed me to listen to new songs and continue to learn. I love music and have an okay ear for tune, but a terrible sense of rhythm (yes, I know the difference between each note, but I also can't clap along to songs, so...), so the tapes allowed me to hear how the song should flow.
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