Using Music To Build Community

I absolutely loved the activity we did in class today. I now understand differentiating a whole lot better. The way the groups were mixed up based on readiness after a pre-assessment was done really made something click in my head. Well duh, getting to know your students makes differentiating so much easier. I love, love, love the idea of using music in the classroom to build community, is something I have thought about a lot. I had a teacher in 4th grade that played the guitar and we sang songs together, solo, anything, EVERYDAY. That was my favorite year the entire time I was in school. Everybody in class was friends and I was never afraid to speak up because I felt safe in his classroom. I feel that is my number one goal as a teacher, build an environment where all of my students feel safe, where they are excited to come and learn and engage with their peers and me. I know there is a lot of curriculum to delve into in the classroom and it will take lots of work, but I honestly feel that school should be fun, kids should want to come to school to learn. Obviously it is hard to make EVERYTHING fun, but I want to make it my goal to make school as interesting and engaging as possible for my students. Knowing how to play a musical instrument would make the goal of using music in the classroom easier for me. Even though I can't play one, I plan on using music as much as possible, whether it be through songs like we learned in class today and in Management or making songs up with my students to help them remember certain things they are learning. I think chants and song making to help students remember things is an amazing thing, I to this day still remember The Preamble because of a song. I WILL use music in the classroom to make the environment more fun, more engaging, and to build a strong classroom community. What Mr. B is doing at PS22 in New York is amazing and I want to be just like him. He reminded me a lot of my 4th grade teacher, and every single one of those clips made me cry. The sense of community I saw in that school was overwhelming, he knows what he is doing and he is good at it. He loves his students and even though I am sure what he is doing is so much work, he enjoys it and loves doing it. I want to be just like that.