Concepts Used This Week

This past week we presented our rhymes to the rest of class. We also learned terms to what we were doing. We identified what steady beat and rhythm was. Learning these terms help us so that when we teach a class we know what we're talking about and can give a title to what the students are learning.

These skills and concepts affected me because in life everyone moves, walks, and even talks to a beat or rhythm. Identifying what it is, is the fun part. Because now that you know, you can switch, change, or play with your own beat. It is also something that makes you different from everyone else. No one else can have your rhythm.

Its important that we know these things so that if a student in our class is struggling with following a particular beat we can know how to address the issue. This also helps students because once they leave your classroom, they can follow steady beat and in the end, they're grateful because you've given them a life long lesson that they can always use.

10 songs that i remember as a child are:

Little Sally Walker
Miss Mary Mac
London Bridge is Falling Down
Head Shoulders Knees and Toes
If All the Rain Drop
Please and Thank You
Hello Everybody

Whitley's Rhyme

My name is Whitley

I like tea with honey

When its really chilly

Won't you have some with me!

Music in my life...

I've always been around or have had incorporated music in my life. In my younger years my dad was a DJ, so often times I would sit next to the big speakers and feel the air blow in my face, or feel the bass travel through different parts of my body. Sometimes I would just sit next to the speakers to just hear the music so loudly. With the music playing I would also feel the need to dance. it was quite funny to think about the move I came up with. as I got older I began to take an interest in musical instruments. I'll never forget the day I tried out for the band. The first instrument I picked up was the trumpet. It always looked so appealing to me. When I look back I realize that trumpets are loud and so am I and thats the connection we had. The instuctor told me how to buzz my lips and then gave me the trumpet. I began to play, and although I didn't know what I was doing, I sounded good. The instructor told that I sounded good and I should try joinging the band, but I didn't. But that wasn't the end of the musical song in my life. My love began to grow even bigger. All songs that came on radio I had to learn and sing them well. I guess I considered myself to be my own vocal coach. lol. When I got to high school I stayed loving music and everytime I wanted to sing, I did, even hallways. I didn't let anyones critisism stop me or slow down. In my sophmore year I joined a band class and played, that rights, the trumpet. Then I joined the marching and jazz band. Then in my senoir year, my vocals finally paid off, I joined the choir. When I came to NIU I then joined their marching band, but later quit becuase it took up too much time. And now I'm currently in the Northern Black Choir. I don't believe that music will ever stop appearing in my life. I even think about being a music teacher, but I'm not too sure.

In class we did an exercise where we sang a pretty catchy song and if the song ended on you, you then had to say your name and then it became your turn to walk around. The exercise was nice because at the end of the class, I noticed I was singing the song on th way home. But the it was used because once i begin teaching there may be students that are shy and this helps them break out of their shell and becom active. It also helps you learn your fellow classmates names and faces.