These are a few of my Favorite Things . . . er storybooks!
Thinking about the storybooks you’re going to add to your curriculum next year? You’re kidding right??? Your summer just started and you’re not nearly ready to start planning for the new school year. In face, you’re still trying to relax and forget some of the most stressful events from the school year that you just completed.
You may not be ready to start thinking about what you’re going to do with the new school year (I know I’m not), but eventually you’ll want to take a little time to start thinking about it. Be sure to copy and paste a link to this blog post in your notes for when you’re ready, because this post is GOLD!
Today you’re going to learn about 5 of my favorite storybooks and what music concepts you can teach when I read them to your students. Following is a basic list, but you’re going to want to know more. Read to the end, because I’ve got some big news for you, and you’re going to want to hear all about it.
Here are a few (10) of my favorite things to teach using storybooks:
- Doggone Dogs, by Karen Beaumont – This is the best book ever to teach mallet skills. Think hands together versus alternating hands. Every time the dogs run, students play with alternating hands. Every time the dogs jump or leap, students play with hands together.
- Down by the Cool of the Pool, by Tony Mitton – This storybook has great movement words and a fun tiny melody to sing (think singing skills and a discussion about high to low melody).
- Crash, Bang Donkey, by Jill Newton – This storybook, as the title implies, is great to discuss forte (loud)and piano (soft). Plus the donkey plays a bunch of different instruments, so you can teach the instrument families and discuss different types of instruments.
- Wet Dog, by Elise Broach – This is a storybook all about a dog who gets into mischief with all the people trying to prepare for a wedding. There are THREE repeating patterns, perfect for teaching rhythm reading and note identification. Plus you can use this storybook to teach your students how to properly play shakers and frame drums.
- Boy Can He Dance, by Eileen Spinelli – In this storybook, Tony’s father wants him to be a chef, but Tony wants to be a dancer. This hysterical story starts with Tony’s hilarious antics while trying to cook. While Tony is cooking, there are a bunch of repeating patterns, perfect for teaching quarter notes and eighth notes. Plus, the dance vocabulary and movement words abound in this wonderful tale that your students will love.
That’s it! Five of my all time favorite storybooks. Wait, that’s it? I know you want more. That’s why I’m dong something a little crazy next week. Are you ready? This is something I’ve NEVER done.
I’m going to be teaching a webinar next Monday, June 27th at 1:00 PM Central. I’ll be giving you all the details about not 5 but 10 of my favorite storybooks. We’ll go through each and every story and discuss the music skills you can teach using each storybook. After the webinar, I’ve planned 15 more minutes so you can ask me all the things.
Plus, just for attending this webinar, you’ll receive a mystery bonus. Ooooh don’t you love a good mystery?? Here are the deets for next week’s webinar:
- Top 10 Storybooks to Use in Your Music Classroom
- Details on the best way to use them to teach music concepts
- Live WITH ME over Zoom (tis is my first ever webinar over Zoom)
- A live Q & A session after the webinar so you can ask me ANYTHING
Want in? Here’s a link so you can join the webinar:
I can’t wait to see you at my first ever LIVE webinar, Top 10 Storybooks to Use in Your Music Classroom!