How and when does one begin to incorporate sheet music to the methodology?

I received this question from an S-Cubed user:

How and when does one begin to incorporate sheet music to the methodology?

Hello!

I start S-Cubed on day one of the school year.

I see my students daily for 50 minutes, and my students begin using sheet music at the end of week 2. 

When I begin teaching rep to the kids, I take time to teach them how to follow the system.  I usually teach staffs, systems, measures, and how to find the soprano line and alto line.  Expecting 6th graders to follow systems without our guidance is like expecting English speakers to understand something that is written in Japanese or Arabic.   I know because I learned the hard way!  

Here is a video I made a while ago that explains a bit more about what I do with repertoire while they are becoming proficient.    

I hope that helps you!

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Announcing the S-Cubed Sight Singing School District Pilot Program

I began sharing the S-Cubed Sight Singing Program for Beginners with teachers on TPT four years ago.

When I began sharing it, I was nervous.  I didn't know whether it would translate for other teachers, but I knew I had to try anyway because I had seen too many teachers and their beginning singers walk out of the sight singing room at adjudications completely disillusioned.  

Fast forward to the present...

It's been reviewed and tested by thousands of teachers all over the world, and I am so grateful that it has helped teachers who so desperately want the type of guidance offered in the program.

From the beginning, I wanted S-Cubed to be unique.  That's why I offer the specific lesson plans one expects to receive when purchasing a curriculum, but I also took it several steps further by showing teachers how I've taught it to my 340 non-auditioned middle school singers for over 10 years in the Title 1 school where I teach in Atlanta, GA.  I've heard from countless teachers that seeing the teaching examples and watching the teaching tips before they teach the lessons for the first time has made the difference for them.  

Text books can't offer that. 

And S-Cubed is more than just another sight singing program.  It has helped teachers with program growth, classroom management, vowel production, tone, pitch matching, and so much more.

I have always felt strongly that S-Cubed offers a great opportunity to school districts.  Because of how I have packaged S-Cubed, school districts can help all of the teachers in their districts to more closely align how they teach music literacy to their beginning singers.  And the best part?  The S-Cubed approach focuses on engaging interaction between the teacher and students as they learn the skills in the program.  

So, for the 2017-2018 school year, I am going to choose some school districts and give the program to each teacher in that district. This includes middle school, high school, elementary schools and even the general music, band, and orchestra teachers if they want it!  
How do you make it happen?

1)  Pick a liaison for your district who will fill out the application.
2)  Complete the application by midnight, July 14.  

Here is the link!  

The application itself will only take about 10 minutes to complete, but there will be a little organization for you to do ahead of time, so go ahead and read it now so you can begin gathering the information you need.  

I will review the applications during the week of July 17, and I will contact the districts that are chosen to be a part of the pilot program sometime that week.  

Thank you so much for your interest in being a part of the pilot program for the S-Cubed Sight Singing Program...It's the 21st Century way to learn how to teach sight singing better to your beginners!

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Wrapping the arms of structure around your Middle School Singers

Wrapping the Arms of Structure Around Your Middle School Singers

 I’m not sure whether it’s a good thing or not, but I have been asked many times after a concert with my 300+ middle school choral music students, “What do you SAY to the students that keeps them so disciplined?”

When I hear that, I chuckle inside because it isn’t just one thing.  I wish it were.  It would be so much easier!

Middle school students thrive on structure.  How many times have your students walked into your class and said, “What are we doing today?” 

I usually make up a funny thing like “We are going to dissect cockroaches and sing songs about it” and then point them to the promethean board where the first activity of the day is ready for them.

From the first day of school, I make sure that when they walk into my room, they know that my classroom is a place where we have a plan.

Is it ok to let up on that structure once in a while?  Sure.  But only after you have established strong scaffolding and the daily routines are set in stone.

When I first started teaching public school middle school chorus, I didn’t understand how important structure is for them.  My verbal instructions were not clear.  I hadn’t thought through the sequencing with the brain of a sixth grader…which is different than the brain of an 8^th grader…which I didn’t realize in those early years…and which caused me so much grief.  The kids wanted to do the right thing, but I was clueless about how to convey the information in an effective manner that yielded results.

We can’t just talk when we give directions. 

We have to demonstrate, and they must experience what we are teaching…not just hear it. 

We have to bring the learning objectives to life.

It all goes back to the three types of learners:  visual, auditory, kinesthetic.  In my experience, we have to hit all three when we are teaching this age group…whether we are teaching music or a process/procedure, and it helps if we can do it with humor.  Everyone likes to laugh. 

I created this video for my students, and we worked to make it as silly as possible.  I show it to my students at the beginning of the year, and they absolutely love it. 

 So, back to the question I get asked…”What do you say to the students that keeps them so disciplined”?

I have no idea.

…but I do know that I’ve learned to anticipate what they need.  I take time to teach processes.   I give them structure.  And we laugh. 

I think that all of those things combined encourage respect that is mutual and circular.   

Hope you are enjoying your summer rest!  I know that I am!

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District Purchases and Multiple license discounts!

When I started teaching 400 years ago, all we had were text books that someone else purchase that I rarely used, and a small budget to purchase sheet music and warm up books (that I DID use!)

Times are changing, and they are changing quickly.  

I received the email below last week.  

We are looking at sight singing methods for next year in our district. One thing that our district is having a question with is "Is there another way that this is published other than Teachers Pay Teachers?" I'm good either way, but if I can get the district to buy it, bonus!
Potential Buyer

Here is my response:

 Hello!

 I appreciate your support in getting your district on board with S-Cubed. S-Cubed is a 21st century textbook. Text books are part of the past. Young teachers realize that there are other ways to find resources. The text books that the district buys every few years will likely sit on the shelf while resourceful teachers focused on being the best they can be for their students are going to do some digital research and find the answers they need as they work toward creating paperless classrooms. It is the district's job to catch up and support those teachers for the good of the children, and it is our job to work them in that direction.

Here is some information for you to help you as you make your case to the people who will decide whether or not to purchase S-Cubed as a digital resource:

1) With the advent of Chrome books, Ipads, and Smartboards, classrooms that use digital resources are the future.
 2) Text books are far more expensive than purchasing digital resources because you have to purchase many text books, and you have to do it every few years. With digital resources, that is not the case. And on TPT, each teacher gets all product updates for free after they purchase.
3) Digital resources offer things that text books cannot. In S-Cubed, I offer specific lesson plans, video teaching tips to help teachers teach each lesson plan and video teaching examples of me teaching the actual lesson to my public school students...all by clicking a link. Text books can't do that.
 4) TPT offers a multi-license discount. A district can purchase a digital resource and then purchase the same resource for other teachers in the same district/school from 10%-50% off the original price.
he amount of the discount depends on the number of teachers for whom they are purchasing.    If they are considering purchasing S-Cubed for the district, have them contact me directly at inthemiddlewithmrd@gmail.com, and we will work out the details.
5) These are resources that are created by real teachers in real classrooms. I hope that helps you as you work to convince your district to purchase the curriculum for your middle school choral music students.
6)  S-Cubed has been vetted, rating and reviewed for four years by teachers who are using it all over the world.  

Digital resources are the modern-day textbooks.

Thank you for reaching out, and please let me know if there is anything else I can do to facilitate the purchase.

And lastly, click this link or click the video below to watch a video I made about this district purchases and multiple license discounts.  

If you convince the district to purchase it for multiple teachers, and they need to use a purchase order, here is how!



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Meet me on Facebook LIVE on Thursday, April 27 at 7:30 PM!

On Thursday night at 7:30 PM Eastern, I'll be on Facebook LIVE for about 30 minutes.  During that time, I will discuss several things I've recently blogged about including:  recruiting boys, working with sharp female singers, accountability, and dealing with difficult parents who make excuses for their children.  These are all based on my recent experiences, so everything is fresh!  :-)

We will also have time for questions!

As always, during the session, I will offer a freebie and a ridiculously good deal from my TpT store on one of the S-Cubed Middle School Sight Singing Program for Beginners!

Accountability...One of the many reasons I love Music Prodigy in My Middle School Choral Music Classroom

Every voice matters.

I teach over 300 middle school choral music students each and every day.

I've always struggled with the fact that it was difficult to find time to listen to them individually in order to assess them in my classes of up to 84 students, and I've also worked hard to seek ways to hold them individually accountable for their contributions in my very large classes.

So, when I found Music Prodigy, I was elated for so many reasons.  I could finally listen to the students individually on my own time, and I could pick the students I needed and wanted to listen to based on the work my ears had already done in class while they sang in the large group.

Learning any new technology is not easy, but learning this one has been well worth my time.

Today, I have the opportunity to share the fruits of that work.

I received this email after posting the grade for a Music Prodigy assignment:

Hello Mr. Duncan,

Rohan said that he completed the first assignment in class, that was due March 24th. Please speak to him about that. We don't normally let him take his phone to school. But, if that is required to complete assignments we will let him do that from now on.  Thanks.

Note:  I teach in a Title 1 school.  I offer class time for students as a courtesy about once per month. If a child doesn't have a phone to bring to class, I give them an additional month to complete the assignment on their home computers/iPads.  If they have none of those, I allow them to come to my room during the morning after they arrive to school to complete the assignment on the computers in my room.    

My approach is "No excuses."   

Here was my response:

Dale Duncan (Henderson Middle)

|

Today, 7:51 PM

This is the data from a child in his class who completed the assignments and did so with great success_png dcsd-my.sharepoint.com

Time spent by a child who did the work required_png dcsd-my.sharepoint.com

 

Hello Mr. and Mrs. Blackwell!

Thanks for being in touch.

I'm going to share some data with you that will give you more concrete and factual information on what your son is actually doing and not doing to complete his assignments.

I'm attaching screenshots from the app I use with the students (Music Prodigy).

The app is awesome because I can get lots of information about each child's work:

1)  How long do they work on an assignment?

2)  Did they actually attempt the assignment?

3)  Since the data is digitally recorded, I can even listen to their individual work on the assignment.  This helps me a lot because I can diagnose where each child needs help in their sight singing.  I'm happy to share recordings of your son with you if you'd like.

I have attached some information from Rohan's assignments, and I have also attached information from another child who worked hard to successfully complete the assignments without revealing the name of the child.

I will allow the data to speak.  

I'd like to emphasize the following facts that are supported by the data:

*He did not complete the work he told you that he completed. 

*The work he took the time to complete (less than 50% of it, I will add), he accepted grades for himself that are, in my view, unacceptable.  It is clear that he did it to "check off a box".  Recently, he hasn't even bothered to do that.  The evidence is clear based on the empty blanks in the data boxes.

I am holding him accountable for the missing work, and that will not change.  He needs to accept responsibility for the work he is and is not doing. 

However, going forward, he can make improvements upon his work ethic, and I hope that he will.

If you have any questions about the information, please be in touch.

Dale Duncan

Henderson Middle School Chorus

Learn about S-Cubed Middle School Sight Singing Program!

http://inthemiddlewithmrd1.blogspot.com/p/about-s-cubed-successful-sight-singing.html

"The path to success is to take massive, determined action."

Tony Robbins

Here are the attachments I included:

Their child's grades on the assignments:

The time their child spent on the assignments:

 The grades of a child who did the work successfully:

The time that the successful child spent on the work:

And that is a huge part of the reason that I love modern technology.  That is why I take the time to learn how to use it.  

I don't know what the response will be, but whatever it is, I have seen it before in my 25 years teaching public school.  The difference is that in 2017, we have definite ways to hold children, and more importantly, their parents, accountable.

It's up to the parents to do what is right.  We can only offer information about their work based on our daily experience.

And in 2017, we can offer some very concrete info!

Some parents make excuses.  Some hold their children accountable.  That's never going to change.

What doesn't have to change?  Our focus on helping our students learn the importance of responsibility and hard work.

And I will continue to hope that parents will see it, accept it and coach their children on the importance of a strong, honest work ethic.

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