Elizabeth grew up in Japan and has only lived in the US for a few years so we decided to meet up for Dim Sum, which Caiya had never experienced. Elizabeth and I were the only white faces in the restaurant, and very little English was spoken. I LOVE experiences where I am out of my element. It forces growth and a window into another culture in a unique and interesting way. The food comes around in little bamboo steamers or plates which are rolled on carts. You point to the ones you want and they write on a card the quantity and item chosen. Then the next cart comes and point and choose again. The process continues and you end up with lots of little steamers and plates on your table. My favorite were the cute piggy dumplings (shaped like pigs) and filled with a sweet potato filling. I also love Shu Mai and Sticky Rice which has dried shrimp and veggies along with the rice and are wrapped in leaves. YUM!  

Many thanks to my friend Marcia B for her inspiration! 

Hope you enjoy Dim Sum For Everyone and if you get a chance to enjoy Dim Sum, eat up! 

For the full Google slide, click on the link and make a copy Dim Sum For Everyone

The post Lesson: Dim Sum for Everyone first appeared on Teaching With Orff.

Materials

• Visuals of rhythm cards 1 and 2 and visuals 1 and 2 (colored square images).
• Visuals of Mondrian’s art works, Broadway Boogie-Woogie, Victory Boogie-Woogie and Composition A.
• White and black construction paper
• Red, yellow, and blue construction paper, scissors, and glue
• Red, yellow, and blue markers, crayons, or colored pencils.

The Art

• After reading book with students, show rhythm card 1 visual.
  
• Ask students to identify quarter notes and eighth notes. Ask students how the notes are arranged; help them discover that the pattern is the same forwards and backwards.
• Define symmetry.
• Show next rhythm card 2. Ask if this rhythm is also symmetrical (no).
  
• Define asymmetry and show other images and examples.
• Show visuals of Piet Mondrian’s work, Broadway Boogie-Woogie, Victory Boogie-Woogie and Composition A. Allow students time to discuss.
• Mondrian was inspired by rhythm and music, especially jazz. Show Visual 1.
• Ask students to determine if image is symmetrical or asymmetrical. How many rectangles are in the top row?
• Add colors and notation and show Visual 2.

The Music

• Have students speak the colors of the top row aloud (blue, red, blue, white) while teacher plays steady beat on drum.
• Repeat, asking students to think the word “white.”
• Speak the second row of colored squares. Think the word “white.”
• In three groups, have the students play as follows.
  • Group One – Play metal percussion instruments on yellow.
  • Group Two – Play drums on blue.
  • Group Three – Play wooden percussion instruments on red.
• Practice playing the first example again (without words or rhythm).
• Play top row of rectangles, second row, etc., then play two rows, and finally play all four rows.
• Groups trade instruments (metals go to skins, drums to woods, woods to metal); perform again, etc.

The Art Reprise

• While listening to jazz selections, groups will create a similar piece of artwork using red, yellow, blue, and white squares with black lines.
• Using white construction paper as background, cut black construction paper to use as lines.
• Use construction paper, markers, crayons, or colored pencils to create color blocks.
• Have each group decide on instrument timbres for different colors.
• Practice and perform.

Extension

• Have each group add movements for each color as they play instruments.
• Have students create a form including an introduction and coda.
• Practice and perform.

This lesson has been reproduced with permission and is an excerpt from Aimee’s book Painted Music. Copyright 2018 by Beatin’ Path Publications.

Download a pdf of Aimee’s lesson here.

The post Lesson: Coppernickel Goes Mondrian first appeared on Teaching With Orff.

This past summer I was in Finland at JaSeSoi Ry’s International Music Village (Finnish Orff Association).  It was amazing and I loved my time both in Finland and making music with musicians and teachers from 14 countries.  I also fell a little in love with the Scandinavian lifestyle and their connection to the outdoors.  Did you know there are 188,000 lakes and more than 1,000,000 saunas in Finland?!

JaSeSoi Ry has put together an amazing resource online called “Nordic Sounds”.  There are songs, games, and dances from Norway, Denmark, Finland, the Faroe Islands, Greenland, and Sweden!  Pronunciation videos, background info, teaching ideas and videos make this site exceptionally user friendly! Check it out here!

When I came back home, I began looking for more music and dances from this area of the world. Via Facebook, I came across a dance teacher in Portland, Oregon, who has been a tremendous help to me. Christie teaches Scandinavian dancing to children 5 years old and up to adults.  She has been incredibly generous and due to some technical problems with sharing music files, she even sent me 2 CD’s via snail mail!

Many of the dances are new to me, including the one I am sharing today. This is called the Nisse Polka, though Christie calls it the Nixie Polka and her students call it the Caterpillar Dance.  The Nisse is a Christmas figure – read more below! Many thanks to Christie (again) for her help in putting all of this together and for being so willing to share!  On to the dance!

Here is the dance performed by Christie’s kids at a Scandinavian celebration.

The post Nisse Polka first appeared on Teaching With Orff.

Materials:   

Tale of Two Villages, Music for Creative Dance: Contrast and Continuum, Volume 1, Eric Chapelle

Objectives: 

• Locomotor vs. Non-Locomotor Movement
• Expression of Beat
• Binary Form (AB)
• Improvisation 

Process: 

• Students scatter in space, encourage various ways of moving a singular body part; move arm only, or leg, or head, etc., teacher plays drum for 8 beats as students move.
• Say, “Let’s try it a different way; if you moved standing up, try it sitting or bending knees, or laying down”.  Change levels, add shapes (triangle, circle), and expressive movements (slither, sway, melt, bend, etc.), non-locomotor only.
• Introduce temple blocks (or a different instrument), students respond with locomotor movement as teacher plays for 8 beats.
• Discuss words to describe movement, discuss the activity; lead to discovery/labeling of same/different as “A” and “B” sections of music.
• In small groups or as a whole class, brainstorm a list of creative movement, both locomotor and non-locomotor.
• A Section:  Non-locomotor movement
• B Section:  Locomotor movement  

Extension Activity with Ribbon Wands and Unpitched Percussion.   

• Divide class; half with ribbon wands, half with hand drums.
• Ribbon wands will watch as teacher changes shape cards below on A section (mbira/kalimba playing on recording).
• UPP players will improvise on B section (drums on recording).
• Perform, then switch jobs. 

Click here to download and print this set of movement cards.

Title Photo Credit: Houston Chronicle

The post A Tale of Two Villages first appeared on Teaching With Orff.

Chinese New Year is also known as Asian New Year, Lunar New Year, and the Asian Spring Festival. January 28, 2017 begins the year of the Rooster in the Lunar Calendar. Families celebrate by hanging special banners, eating special foods, lighting firecrackers, and giving money away in special red envelopes.

Aimee’s most recent O For Tuna blog post provides links to kid-friendly information on Chinese New Year as well as extension activities for this lesson.

If you need assistance to pronounce the Mandarin for Happy New Year, Xin Nian Kuai Le, Aimee provides this helpful video.

Process:

• Teach melody with text.
• Add “sweep” movement every two beats; pretend to hold broom, sweep side to side, transfer to bass and metallophone instruments, add snaps, transfer to glockenspiels, claps for TB (Temple Blocks).
• Perform introduction with basses and soprano recorder solo or small ensemble playing melody.
• Add “B” section with unpitched percussion.
• Develop suggestions for performance.

Teacher Tip:

This is a great piece to break out the gongs and metals.  The noisier the better; firecrackers are lit at Chinese New Year to scare away the monster, Nian! Also consider using ribbon streamers and having some students use scarves to create a New Year Lion/Dragon dance.

Aimee’s books, Hands to Hands, Hand Clapping Songs and Games from Around the World, and Hands to Hands, Too: Hand Clapping Songs and Games from the USA and Canada can be viewed at www.singsmileplay.com or at http://www.beatinpathpublications.com/ACP/home.html

The post Chinese New Year 2017 Begins Year of the Rooster first appeared on Teaching With Orff.