Well, after 41 years of teaching music education at Dwight- Englewood School, I find myself having to completely revamp my curriculum due to the pandemic. Since research has shown that singing spreads a lot of aerosol particles and droplets into the surrounding air, we are no longer allowed to sing in the classroom. Additionally, it has been recommended by various organizations that not only is there to be no singing in the elementary classroom, but partner dancing and sharing of instruments is not allowed either at this time.
However, fear not! I want to share some creative things that have been happening in music class since the fall:
My first group was with the 2nd grade. We studied Latin American music in September and worked on some pumpkin activities in October. One group was virtual, and two were in school.
Here are some examples of what children did online on Seesaw or in school:
- This week I began to teach the first graders and fourth graders.
- First grade is working on learning about the great composers by listening to stories, listening to the music the composer created, watching videos of the orchestra performing these works, and talking about how the music makes them feel. See the photo of the book they received and some photos of the composer we learned about this week.
- Fourth grade is working on music literacy and reviewing music notation and reading of music.
- Although we are all challenged with this new lifestyle to which we have had to adapt, one thing remains the same for me: the joy I experience each time I see and interact with the children.
