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Musicplay Live 2023: Sing! Say! Dance! Play! With Artie, Denise, and JJ

Updated on April 12th, 2024

Presenters

  • Artie Almeida
  • Denise Gagne
  • John Jacobson
  • Frank Coates

Dates, Times, and Locations

What

  • 16 hours of PD instruction
  • Access to the recorded symposium until August 1st, 2024 (videos & digital handouts included)
  • Printed handout booklet
  • Certificate of participation for professional development purposes
  • Chat transcripts from every session
  • An eclectic mix of topics
  • A 25% discount code to the Musicplay store (this code will be provided upon registration)

Professional Development Opportunities

  • University Credit is offered by AdamsU for an additional cost (Please note: these courses have been approved to be offered for graduate-level professional development credit and will not apply to a Master’s degree program. These are strictly professional development credit courses that can potentially be used for re-licensure or movement on district pay scales.)
    • Available for D.C., Texas, and Virtual dates
    • More information about the University Credit will be supplied upon registration
  • ILMEA is offering state-approved PD hours to Illinois teachers for attending this conference
    • Available for D.C., Texas, and Virtual dates
    • More information will be provided closer to the dates

Cancellation Policy

The workshop fee is non-refundable.

Do I need to know anything about Musicplay or MusicplayOnline?

No! This symposium is sponsored by Musicplay but it’s an independent event. There are four internationally known clinicians all presenting clinics in the topics of their choice. Very diverse topics and lots of different teaching approaches! You don’t need any prior experience with online settings to come and enjoy the live event. The group will be teachers from around the country and four clinicians who have planned a wealth of lessons to share. Come and sing and dance and play LIVE with us! 

The majority of the song notation and song activities are all included in the handout so that you can use them in your classroom without needing a MusicplayOnline subscription! 

Presenters

Artie Almeida, Ed. D.

PERCUSSION DISCUSSION

Kids love percussion instruments, and you’ll love these lessons that utilize non-pitched percussion, hand drums and floor drums, as well as non-traditional percussion instruments like Pop Toobs and Firestix. Our focus will be on the building blocks of music, including beat, rhythm, form and phrasing.

SING! SING! SING!

Join your colleagues in lessons that will have your students singing joyfully, while addressing audiation, melody direction, intervals, steady beat and phrases. These fun and challenging opportunities include both primary and intermediate level lessons to encourage musical growth in unique ways.

THE POWER OF A PROP!

Prop ‘til you drop with these listening lessons your students will love. Child-appealing pieces by Tchaikovsky, Rossini, Kodaly, Sousa and others will be brought to life via movement, props, manipulatives and more. These activities have all been thoroughly field-tested and are favorites of my students. Scarves, bean bags, plates and stick horses are some of the lesson activators we’ll use.

FUN WITH FUNDAMENTALS

Music theory for your little folks is easy with lessons of this nature! We’ll explore the basic music elements with Spuddy Buddy, The Friendship Hammer, pointing pages, poetry, and body percussion. Your students are sure to enjoy, and grow musically, with these unique, foundation lessons. 

Denise Gagne 

Love to Listen – Listen to Learn

Listening and responding to music is important for the emotional well being of our students.  In this session, you’ll explore engaging and fun listening activities for all age, from your littles to Middle school.  We’ll move and create movement with scarves, ribbons, cups, plates and more.  We’ll explore form and cultural context.  And we’ll share unit ideas for Jazz History,  Carnival of the Animals, Peter and the Wolf and composers. This session is fun – and will give you many lessons to use in your classes!

Plan for Assessment

Assessment in music starts with the end in mind.  What do you want Grade 1 students to know at the end of the year?  Denise will share realistic outcomes based on standards (beat, rhythm, pitch, timbre, tempo, dynamics, form)  and quick, practical ideas and rubrics for assessment of skills, concepts, creating and ensemble playing in the elementary music classroom.  You will sing, move, play, create, and respond to music in the session – and learn some ways to easily assess what you’ve done.

Engage to Energize

Engagement is the key to learning and post-Covid kids are harder to engage than ever before. Denise will share activities that will help you get to know your students better, set the tone, improve feedback, create smooth transitions, make learning relevant, encourage students to take responsibility for their own learning, and give all students a voice. You will take away strategies and ideas that will help you to more fully engage your students in the classroom or in rehearsals.

Rhythm Instrument Fun

Rhythm instruments are fun to make and fun to play. Use instruments to create sound effects, percussion pieces, explore concepts and help develop listening skills.  Play along with classical and pop music, improvise and create your own compositions.  This session will give you many ideas for using non-pitched percussion with your PreK – Grade 6 students.

John Jacobson 

It’s a Music World – Travel the World Through Music

Explore the music, movement, and customs of countries around the world. Join John Jacobson for a “feets-on” workshop that will teach you how to travel the world with your students without ever leaving the classroom. Come learn songs, games, and dances from around the country and around the world. Folk dance, line dances, classroom games, and more. It is a musical world and the musical traditions of that world are a wonderful resource and outlet for any classroom and any age of the student. 

Songs In the Key of Me – SEL and Inspirational Songs

John Jacobson will introduce songs and activities that celebrate the beauty of the individual, build character and community, teach skills to develop healthy identities, manage emotions, achieve personal and collective goals, show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible, caring decisions. 

Showtime – Musicals and More

Join John as he presents new arrangements specifically written for elementary singers of classic jazz standards and learn fun and useful moments to give them new life. Swing, Big Band, Bossa Nova, Blues, Dixieland and all that Jazz! Also tunes from American standards composers like Gershwin, Berlin, Joplin and more. 

Frank Coates

Rhythm is part of our daily lives, whether it’s the sound of footsteps or a turn signal in our car. Frank Coates is dedicated to finding ways to create music using ordinary objects that we use daily and sharing these activities with his students and peers. During his early teaching years, Frank created lessons to introduce students to various percussion instruments from around the world. However, bucket drumming is his most popular lesson with young and older students because it is easily approachable for everyone. Bucket drumming may look intimidating, but Frank has created curriculum teachers of all skill levels can execute with their students.

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