Make & Take 2014 - A Preview

Last year's Make & Take was a fun filled evening where area music teachers had a chance to walk away with some class sets of materials that were ready to use.  One of the fun things for many teachers came from the opportunity to think through new and exciting ways to use these resources.  In this article I will introduce you to some of the items that are to be made this year and give you some ideas as to how you might use some of these items in your classroom.

To learn more about the Make & Take event, check out the link to the brochure.

Now, let's take a closer look at some of the items to be offered this year.

Form Visual Cards

First off, we have 12 sets of form visual cards.  As the brochure tells us, we invite students to demonstrate their understanding of form.  The exciting thing about the form cards is that we can put them in the students' hands.  No longer do we have to arrange the cards on the board while students sit idly watching; we can involve them with the process giving them a tactile way to manipulate and show form for ABACA pieces.  With a set of 12, you will have enough for most classes to work in pairs.
Please contribute in the comments section of this blog or Facebook.  Share some ideas for ABACA pieces and some specific approaches you might want to try with them!

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Jitter Sticks

The Jitter Sticks offer a convenient and fun way to inspire movement in your classroom.  Perhaps you have a student who is having some difficulty generating ideas while working on their own or in a small group.  You could have them use the sticks for some concrete suggestions to get them going. You could also use them to make movement sequences and maybe even turn it into a game!  If you have more ideas, please share in the comments either on Facebook or right here on this blog.

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Search & Find Kits

With the Search and Find kits, students search out and then name different notes within the sand.  As an extension, students could also use the Search and Find kits with a floor staff.  They could search, find, and then jump on the staff.  A game of "Search and Find Twister" on the floor staff is another possibility. It might even be possible to use it to create musical compositions based on "chance."

While aletoric composition may admittedly be a little unlikely and impractical in an elementary class, there are many other possibilities yet to be explored with the Search and Find kits.  Once again, please share your thoughts on either of the comments sections. 

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Teacher Organizers

Finally, the treat for ourselves, the lovely teacher organizers. Created from cups and old sheet music and finished with a marvelous floral design, they are sure to make your work space more beautiful.


Pencils, pens, extra ukulele strings, recorder grease, N.P.P. spare parts, whiteboard note magnets, sol-fa circles... the list of small items in your class is probably endless.  Isn't it time we start to organize these things, and in such a pretty way, too?

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The items made in the Make & Take certainly can inspire a lot of different uses and new ideas for teaching.  Many teachers find that working together at the Make & Take helps foster a supportive and collaborative atmosphere.  Often, ideas that even have nothing to do with the items being made can spark among us.  We hope you can make it to this event and collaborate with us.  Alternatively, please use this space in the comments section to collaborate.  Hope to see you there!