• Julia Maloof

Teacher Books (when you don't know your resources)

I've got a library card and I know how to use it! That's been my motto for the past few weeks as I figure out how to prepare for my new classroom. I've been taking notes on "The Kodaly Method" by Lois Choksy to start thinking about planning and scaffolding for students who have never had music class. It is basically a manual, but it's given me a good background when I don't have training in specific #Kodaly levels. I'm trying to branch out into different #methods of teaching as well, attempting to find some #Orff books and general folk music books for children.

Besides Kodaly method books, I've been trying to find books that offer #multicultural music and music from Spanish-speaking countries such as #PuertoRico and #Mexico. I want to be able to reflect the culture of the students I am teaching. While Kodaly has been proven to work multiculturally, I want to get to know the folk music of the children I'm about to teach, especially if a student struggles with speaking and singing English.

I've also been trying to familiarize myself with dances. I just took out some books by Phyllis Weikart on #folk dancing and games for elementary school. Explaining and teaching dances is most definitely the weakest link in my teaching. I hope that with research and practice once I get in the classroom, it will (eventually) get better.

Since I don't know what I have access to in my classroom/district with books, I'm just working with prior knowledge and suggestions right now in order to begin planning my units. Here are some questions you can help me answer:

What #books are you constantly using in you elementary classroom?

What successes can you share about incorporating multicultural music into a curriculum, especially in integrating songs in #Spanish (with or without English)?

What books could you suggest that can be read to students and come with a related song?

Here are some of the music books I took out of the library. Some of them were suggestions from my colleagues and student teaching, while others I thought might be helpful/interesting.