PLN: Rockin' the Schools(Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)

While trying to find something to blog about this week, and looking specifically for resources that incorporate popular/modern music into the curriculum, I stumbled upon a program from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, called Rockin' the Schools. Although this particular program is for grades K-12, they also have programs to expose children to rock music as early as Pre-K, and through even higher secondary education.
 For each lesson, they highlight what grade levels they would be most appropriate for, include what academic standards the lesson covers, and includes a video and numerous sound clips of songs that pertain to the lesson subject. For example, one lesson is introducing students to rock instruments. The video included shows Pete Seeger's original acoustic guitar, and the sound clips selected highlight specific instruments. Although this is a resource I'd have to investigate more thoroughly, I think it could be a great source to introduce students to rock and roll and the history behind it.
http://rockhall.com/education/inside-the-classroom/rockin/

PLN: NPR and NPR Music

With the election last week, I was listening to NPR quite frequently to get my coverage. I looked more into NPR as a resource outside of just recreational uses, and found that it could actually be quite useful in the classroom. For one, NPR has their own app for smart phones and tablets, and a separate music app that has music related articles, and sound clips from shows that highlight music-related stories. On their website, their articles and clips are separated by genre, so if you're looking for a specific musical style to show your students, it's easy to find it. Especially with writing our philosophies this week, I think using NPR and NPR Music is a great way to incorporate a wide/ http://www.npr.org/music/

PLN: Pinterest

So, this week, while I was searching for information on my topic for our Keynote project( I'm doing how national Music Ed organizations i.e. NAFME utilize social media), I realized that there's one social media site that I've blatantly left out: Pinterest! I'm on Pinterest right now, and although I don't use it too too frequently, I can see how it can be beneficial to music educators or just educators in general. There's a specific account just for National Music Education week that highlights specific Music Ed products for the classroom!
In a more general sense, on Pinterest you can search for boards based on a particular subject; everything from animals to gardening to education. The education section right now has lots of Thanksgiving related pinnings because of the proximity to the holiday, but it also just includes games or activities for any classroom setting.
I think the reason Pinterest is a great resource for teachers is because of its forum-like approach. IF you see a pin that you like, or you notice that you are seeing many pins you like from the same user, "following" this user enables their pins to appear on your dashboard or home page, and you can therefore communicate with them. I think Pinterest is certainly something I'll be looking into for incorporation in my PLN.

http://pinterest.com/all/?category=education

PLN: Guitars in the Classroom

This week, I was talking to some of my friends back home at my high school, some of who are currently enrolled in a beginner level guitar class. This got me thinking about how ways to integrate guitar in the classroom. Although I'm by no means an amazing guitar player, I can play chords and notes, and could definitely use the guitar in basic ways in(I hope!) any level classroom.

I stumbled upon a non-profit organization called Guitars in the Classroom that's mission is to "make hands on music an integral part of learning every subject for students in their classrooms." Again, this mission all ties back in to what I've been talking about the last few weeks, seeing music's other applications in other academic subjects. GITC has regional workshops, in which teachers from respective host schools can create interest in their school for the program, and then it is opened up to other teachers in the region. 75% of the teachers who enroll in the program have no prior musical experience, which I found very interesting. I think that using this in the school I'll teach in would be a great way to spread music advocacy throughout the entire school and even the district; GITC makes musical integration possible for any teacher of any subject or level.