MUSIK’s winter workshop, Musical Leadership in the Classroom, had seventy attendees and four wonderful presenters. The American Kodály Institute and Loyola University hosted our workshop in a spacious room with beautiful floor to ceiling glass windows, and we enjoyed a complimentary lunch. Our morning started with a Music Learning Theory presentation by Andrew Blumhardt. Participants sang songs in a wide range of modalities and meters, and discussed the methods for teaching children from birth through age five. The artistic director of the All Children’s Chorus of Annapolis, Lauren Walker, gave an engaging presentation on breaking down rehearsal strategies and building literacy skills with a chorus. She led participants in beautiful and engaging warm ups, and allowed time to collaborate and discuss how to sequence the teaching of a choral piece.
MUSIK’s winter workshop, Musical Leadership in the Classroom, had seventy attendees and four wonderful presenters. The American Kodály Institute and Loyola University hosted our workshop in a spacious room with beautiful floor to ceiling glass windows, and we enjoyed a complimentary lunch. Our morning started with a Music Learning Theory presentation by Andrew Blumhardt. Participants sang songs in a wide range of modalities and meters, and discussed the methods for teaching children from birth through age five. The artistic director of the All Children’s Chorus of Annapolis, Lauren Walker, gave an engaging presentation on breaking down rehearsal strategies and building literacy skills with a chorus. She led participants in beautiful and engaging warm ups, and allowed time to collaborate and discuss how to sequence the teaching of a choral piece. These sessions continued into the afternoon as Nick Holland led a session on Kindergarten Methodology. Nick recently piloted the new book Kodály in the Kindergarten Classroom: Developing the Creative Brain in the 21st Century by Micheal Houlahan and Philip Tacka at his school. He shared a sample lesson, video, and some technology tools for the classroom. We ended the day with a presentation from Rebecca Foster, who shared dozens of songs, games, and dances that encourage respect, collaboration, and cooperation among children. Participants ended the day with two boisterous folk dances, and everyone left with a wealth of resources and techniques for the classroom. Our next workshop, Learning through Play, the Kodály Way, will be held on Saturday, May 9th. MUSIK is also planning one extra workshop in April for the western part of the state, so visit our website for more information.
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Everyone dabbled in the realm of Orf-Schulwerk and played some borduns and danced with Donald Snyder. The attendees were quick to learn their parts and were quite good at singing and playing at the same time. We took a lunch break, and returned for a session on motivating young musicians. Len Langrick demonstrated the many ways imaginative play can develop confident, independent young singers. There were great manipulatives that reminded everyone that "music should be fun" for a budding musician. Our final presenter of the day, James Dorsey-Pieschek shared how to give students ownership of their musicianship. James modeled and demonstrated how to execute well-planned lessons and units, and also encouraged attendees to engage students in the performance, composition, and the assessment process. The entire day cultivated new professional connections, encouraged critical thinking, and most importantly, reminded all of us that “only the best is good enough for the child.” We hope you’ll join us in February for Musical Leadership Skills for the Classroom on Saturday, February 7, 2015. Nick Holland will be sharing a session on kindergarten methodology and repertoire, and Andrew Blumhardt, a Music Learning Theory specialist, and Lauren Walker, the Artistic Director of All Children’s Chorus of Annapolis will also be sharing sessions. We look forward to seeing you there! Enjoy the rest of your holiday season! Hello music educators and Kodály friends! We hope you're feeling relaxed and rested after a few weeks of summer vacation. So sit back, sip your iced tea, and find out what we've been up to since March.
On May 3rd, MUSIK closed the 2013-2014 workshop season with Prepare, Present, and Practice: Songs, Games, Strategies, and Activities for Musical Learning! We had some fabulous presenters, including Berta Hickox from KEEP, Amy Branum Huggins, Mary Flora, Rebecca Foster, and Ashley Porter. Once again, many thanks to Loyola University Maryland and the American Kodály Institute for their continued support of the Maryland United Specialists in Kodály. In other news, we’d like to welcome and congratulate our incoming board members. Andrew Johnson, an orchestra director, will be joining us as President-Elect. Rebecca Foster, a general music instructor, is the new Secretary. Lauren McDougle will begin her role as President, and Nick Holland will continue his role as Vice-President, and Amy Cyman will continue as Treasurer. We’re hoping to plan not three, but four MUSIK workshops for the 2014-2015 academic year. Stay tuned for more information regarding our free workshops! We look forward to seeing you in the fall - until then, enjoy your summer! We've had some fabulous workshops and presenters this year! We owe Loyola University of Maryland and the American Kodály Institute a HUGE thanks for continuing to host our gatherings. The complimentary boxed lunches are most appreciated by all of the attendees, as are the continental breakfasts, so we're quite grateful. Our fall workshop featured presentations on Spanish American singing games and folk songs, Activity Centers for small group work (which were also great for substitute lessons!), and songs and games for those snowy days with no recess. There was also a cross-curricular presentation on enriching children's books and stories with songs and instruments. The presenters were Amy Cyman, Nick Holland, Amy Branum Huggins, Eileen Keck, Rachel Kerchner, Lauren McDougle, and Angela Pope. The presenters at "The Complete Music Teacher," our winter workshop, spoke on a wide variety of musical topics. Our morning solfa presenter summed up the day nicely with an overview of Zoltan Kodály's essay, "Who Is A Good Musician?". We spent the day developing a well-trained ear, a well-trained intelligence, a well-trained heart, and a well-trained hand. Singing games, dances, and musical transitions for the classroom were covered, and the afternoon was spent delving into accessible, but truly rich and beautiful choral octavos. Our presenters for the day were Andrew Johnson, Nick Holland, Amy Branum Huggins, Lauren McDougle, and Dr. Alyson Shirk. Our final Spring workshop is on Saturday, May 3rd, 2014. There is no registration free, and breakfast and lunch are provided free of charge, just be sure to sign up online so we know how many lunches to order. You can RSVP online at http://loyola.edu/soe/academics/graduate/kodaly/workshops/form - we look forward to seeing you there! |
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