Orff

A child playing cello alone on stage in front of empty chairs and music stands
Mrs. Byrd’s Music Room

Elementary Music Performance Guide

Preparing for an elementary music performance can be a fun and exciting experience for students and teachers. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you plan and execute a successful performance:

1. Choose the Music

  • When choosing music for an elementary music performance, consider the age level and skill of the students performing and the target audience.
  • Choosing the music for your performance should happen weeks to months before your first rehearsal. This allows time for planning, shipping a new piece of music, and getting any additional pieces ready before rehearsing with students. Planning and rehearsing simultaneously is overwhelming for the teacher and can lead to wasted rehearsal time in the future.
  • Depending on the community at your school, you can do in-formances that inform the parents about what is happening in the classroom, or you can perform a pre-developed show.
    • Resources:
    •             JW Pepper
    •             Music K-8
    •             Music Express
    •             Hal Leonard
  • Consider providing a mix of familiar songs, seasonal pieces, and new material that challenges your students. Various styles (classical, folk, popular music) keep the performance engaging for students and the audience.

2. Plan the Program

  • Set a Date & Venue: Coordinate with the school administration to book the date and venue well in advance. Consider acoustics, seating, and any technical needs. Also, if your school requires special permission to extend the air conditioner or heat in the building, do this months in advance to ensure your venue is comfortable for students and attendees.
  • Create a Theme: If applicable, select a theme (e.g., “Seasons of the Year,” “Songs Around the World”) to give the performance a cohesive feel.
  • Balanced Program: Include solos, group songs, and instrumentals (if applicable) to vary the program and give different students a chance to shine.
  • Speaking Parts: If the show doesn’t have speaking parts written, consider adding them to allow students time to transition between instruments, microphones, or small costume changes.
  • Rehearsal Schedule: Write a specific rehearsal schedule you will maintain to the best of your ability. Be prepared to isolate problem areas within a song, speaking parts, or costuming.   
  • Communicate with Parents and Classroom Teachers: Consider sending a save-the-date email/note home, let classroom teachers know how they can help you prepare, and share as much information about how they can support you early in the performance preparation. If you wait until the last minute, you do not give parents or classroom teachers enough time to help you. If you have special speaking parts or solos, asking parent permission is highly encouraged to ensure the student feels safe in that role and that the student will be present at the performance.

3. Rehearsal

  • Daily Practice: Incorporate regular practice into your music class schedule. Start with small sections and build up to performing the whole song.
  • Choreography/Movement: If your songs include movements or dances, teach them early and allow for plenty of rehearsal time.
    1. Look at the choreography/movement to see if this will help with the memorization of songs or if it will get in the way of students learning the material. It may need to be changed, simplified, or added to depending on your comfort level with teaching choreography and whether or not the students need help remembering the words.
  • Memorization: For younger students, avoid overloading them with memorization. If sheet music is used, ensure students are comfortable reading it or following along.
  • Transitions: Practice smooth transitions between songs or acts to ensure a flow during the performance. If there are costume or set changes, enlist the help of a classroom teacher, a parent, or older students. Trying to direct and help with transitions can be very overwhelming.

4. Organize Logistics

  • Plan seating for audience members, where your performers will gather before the performance begins, what time you want them to arrive, and decide if you want them in costume or to change upon arrival.
  • Sound System: Ensure microphones and sound equipment are set up for rehearsals and the performance day if necessary. Tape down with gaff tape any loose wires, microphone cables, etc., so students can safely navigate around the wires on stage.
  • Program: Create a printed program with song titles, composers, and special acknowledgments. You may opt for a digital program using a QR code to help save paper, and attendees can easily save the digital format!

5. Invitations/Performance Attire:

  • Send Out Invitations: Inform parents about the performance date, time, and dress code (if applicable). You can create fun invitations for students to bring home.
  • Performance Attire: Set a simple, easy-to-follow dress code (e.g., white tops, black bottoms, or themed costumes if relevant). If you have multiple classes performing, allow them to dress slightly differently so the audience can distinguish them from other performers.
  • If a particular costume is required, consider letting parents know this early in preparation so they can have time to purchase or create it.

6. Final Rehearsals (Dress Rehearsal)

Before your final rehearsal, ask if you can perform for the school. Having an in-school performance can help iron out the wrinkles, help with planning and logistics, and allow you to see what needs to be fixed before your final performance.

  • Address Stage Presence: Teach students about stage presence, such as how to enter/exit the stage, standing still, smiling, and looking confident. Teach final points and final moves at the ends of songs so the audience is prepared to clap and take pictures.
  • Sound Check: If using microphones, test them and ensure everyone knows how to handle them properly. Ideally, you want the students to have a week or more in front of a microphone to learn their cues of when to begin speaking and how loud/soft to talk and check stand height, but if you can only do this during one rehearsal, then make sure it is done towards the end of their preparation.
  • Full Run-Through: Have a full run-through of the performance a day or two before the event, ensuring all transitions and timing are practiced.

7. Performance Day

  • Warm-Up: Have a short warm-up session for both voices and instruments to get students relaxed and focused.
  • Stay Calm and Positive: Keep the atmosphere light and encouraging. Emphasize that the performance involves having fun and sharing music with their families and friends.
  • Stay Organized: Have a clear plan for getting students on and off the stage, and ensure staff or volunteers are helping to manage the students backstage.
  •  Have a plan for dismissing students back to their families. Safety is a concern at large community events, and having a plan to relay to parents is extremely helpful.

8. After the Performance

  • Celebrate: Congratulate the students on their hard work.
  • Feedback: After the performance, reflect on what worked and what could be improved for the future. You could also ask students for their thoughts and suggestions.

These steps will help create a well-prepared, enjoyable, and memorable performance experience for elementary school students.

As always,

Sing, Say, Play, Create, but above all else, Care!

Analisa

Mrs. Byrd’s Music Room



5 Tips for Beginning and Maintaining a Successful Orff Ensemble

When I first began teaching elementary music, I was fresh out of college and had never set foot in an elementary classroom. When I fell in love with teaching elementary, I knew I needed to gain some more experience and naturally gravitated to the Orff process. If you want more information on the Orff Schulwerk you should check out the AOSA webpage. After teaching for about six years, I decided it was time for me to start an Orff ensemble at my campus. I have learned a lot over the last 7-8 years and would like to share my experiences with you. Here are the top 5 things I learned when beginning and maintaining a successful Orff ensemble.

1. Choose a really good name

You thought I was going to start with something pedagogical or about recruitment, didn’t you? Nope. Choosing the name for the ensemble is pretty important. When I selected the name of my ensemble, I thought of several words that were synonymous with music or sound. You’ll want to choose something that maybe has some alliteration with your campus name or mascot, something that your students can connect with. As the years have gone on, the name of my ensemble, Resonance, has become harder for the children to pronounce and relate too, but I believe that is the lapse of two years of performing.

2. Hold Auditions

I choose to hold auditions to narrow the number down to about 30. I have found that more than 30 is really difficult to manage, especially when it comes to writing parts. I use a rubric that looks like this:

I give the students a packet with the music and links to videos (on my YouTube channel) to watch to prepare for their auditions. On audition day, I have the instruments set up and ready to go with copies of the music, on music stands (or they can use their own) and my iPad set up to record their audition. I record for two reasons, one, for me and my ADHD so I don’t miss anything, two, in case a parent questions their child’s ranking and acceptance. I can show the video and discuss what the weaknesses were. I listen to their audition, rate their score, and select the top 30 students. I do take into consideration their grade level to a small extent. If number 30 is a third grader and 31 a fifth grader and their scores are neck and neck, I may choose the fifth grader, since I want that fifth grader hooked on music before leaving for middle school. I do not always consider their grade level, but on rare occasions I do. I have a different scoring system for each grade level and adapt the rubric to reflect their grade level and skill level.

3. Be prepared to write arrangements

In my Orff levels I learned how to write arrangements for folk songs to fit the needs of my students. Now, with that said, writing for your percussion ensemble is kind of a different beast. I’ve had to write songs to go with books, arrange pop-songs (which means getting the appropriate permission), and add percussion parts to existing orchestrations to fill out an ensemble. It is incredibly time consuming, unless choose to use other people’s arrangements, which is fine, but gets expensive, too.

When I first started my ensemble, I used pieces we had done in class and just added more unpitched percussion parts and some contra bars. I basically take what they’re already learning and level it up. Now, I tend to choose a theme or book to structure the performance around and choose music to fit those ideas.

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4. Prepare Rehearsals Ahead of Time

Anyone who runs an ensemble knows how crucial planning your rehearsal time is. When running a rehearsal, you have the parts of the music you want to work on, the parts the ensemble NEEDS to work on and then the parts that neither of you knew would fall apart and need to be worked on. I create a loose timeline of how and when I want things taught, and then I work around what the ensemble needs. Planning is great but be flexible. I teach one to two songs at a time so as not to confuse the children and bounce around between 4-5 pieces.

If you plan ahead enough, you can create practice videos for your students to watch and prepare at home. I give my students a paper xylophone to practice on and show them how to practice on body percussion or found sound objects so they can practice at home.

5. Comparison is Not Pretty

Do not compare your current chapter in your story to someone’s finished novel. If you are just starting out, or you’re having funding issues, or instrument issues, or whatever the case may be, comparing your group’s success to someone else’s will sink your ship before it ever sets sail. I work in a district that is very diverse. My ensemble is not going to perform to the same level as someone who has been performing for 20 years, my ensemble struggles with parent commitment/involvement, therefore a lot of the work goes on during rehearsal. We don’t all have access to devices at home all the time so expecting the children to practice at home does not always happen. I try to celebrate our strengths and highlight things we can do really well and work with the strengths of the ensemble. I am a firm believer that kids are kids and socioeconomic status should not change how we teach kids, however the hard truth is that it does. Access to materials, parent involvement, and the like, are all going to contribute to your ensemble’s success. I strongly believe you can find their strengths, write/arrange music to fit those strengths and create a dynamic Orff ensemble at your school.

Sing! Say! Dance! Play! Care!

Analisa

Mrs. Byrd’s Music Room

3 Ways to Use Color as an Accommodation in the Music Room

When our special education students or students with specific learning disabilities come into our classroom it is our job to provide accommodations for them so they can be successful. One of my favorite ways to accommodate for students is using color Before I discuss three ways to use color as a specially designed instruction (SDI) for a student, let me define an accommodation. An accommodation is a way to help students acquire the exact same content as their peers, whereas a modification changes the content. Here, I will discuss using color as an accommodation.

Color Coding A Behavior Plan

For students on a BIP (behavior improvement plan) color can be used for transitions and to stop/start certain behaviors. If a student has an SDI of high contrast materials or limited visual clutter, color can help focus on a specific behavior such as remaining seated on a colored spot or within a colored boundary. In my classroom I have a pink box in the back of the classroom that students can choose to sit inside if they need a break or need a place to just sit away. You would be surprised at how many students love to sit in the box, they feel safe there to just be themselves, move around and wiggle if they need to and not be a bother to those around them. This designated space also works well for students who have preferential seating or a colored boundary. I just used pink duct tape and created a 9X9 space on my floor, easy peasy!

Color Coding Visuals for Melody and Rhythm Instruction

ChromoNotes™ colors or Boomwhacker colors are the ones that are most popularly used in the elementary music classroom. I use ChromoNotes™ colors to color code melodic visuals in my classroom to help keep reading the melody consistent. My students begin to learn that C is red, D is orange, E is yellow, etcetera, and it carries over to all melodic instruments in my classroom. This is great for students who thrive with consistency. For rhythm, I use the

Note Knacks® colors devised my Kristen Pugliese to teach the number of sounds in a beat. For example, a quarter note is red because red has one sound, a pair of eighth notes is yellow because yellow has two sounds. My favorite in this system is terracotta for sixteenth notes!

This system works well to get students started on understanding that rhythm is the number of sounds in a beat and as the rhythms become more complex, the system adapts for that, too!

I use Magnetix for recorder which are trimmed in ChromoNote™ colors so that the students can read the color and the notes on the staff. I know that notes on the staff in “real” music is black, but the purpose is accessibility, if this makes the music more accessible, then why would I not try? If you do not want to use these branded color systems, you don’t have to. You can come up with any color-coding system that works for you and the student. The best accommodations are consistent accommodations and those that work for the student.

Color Coding Instruments  

Colored instruments or stickers on instruments are an accommodation for striking in the correct spot, holding an instrument correctly, etc. This method can be used if a student’s SDI is to identify and limit distractions by providing a “strike zone” for immediate success in playing the instrument. I use the ChromoNotes™ stickers on my Orff instruments to align with the color-coded music. I use the ChromoNotes™ bells, Boomwhackers, and keyboard instruments in my classroom to maintain as much consistency as I can. If you don’t have access to those, the stickers are a perfect option to help color code the instruments you do have.

Color is a wonderful way to provide an accommodation for all music students, especially special education students in music. By using color coding systems for behavior, visuals, and instruments special education students can learn the same content as the other learners. Color can be a dynamic way to meet student’s SDI’s in the music classroom! Give it a try!

Sing! Say! Dance! Play! Care!

Analisa

Mrs. Byrd’s Music Room

I Know An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie

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One of my favorite books to use around Thanksgiving is “I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie”. You could read and sing along and that would be fun, but I have included extensions to the book for classroom instruments, Orff instrument improvisation and recorder improvisation.

Use any percussion instrument you would like. Percussion clipart included.

Improvise in C Pentatonic

Improvise in C Pentatonic on recorder