Activity 1

This session is geared towards preschool aged children, a music group leader and or classroom preschool teachers may implement this material.

The current identified needs for this classroom are the social-emotional growth and development (including self-regulation), academic development, and pre-writing fine motor skills. This activity addresses both needs using a variety of musical experiences. 

This is a 30 minute group with music based experiences for a preschool classroom with diverse identities and abilities. Music experiences planned hope to promote social-emotional, academic, and pre-writing fine motor skills development and growth for individuals. Students and teachers will engage with a variety of active and receptive musical experiences. Teachers and music group leader will have the opportunity to collaborate to learn best ways of implementing more music into everyday classroom activities. 

SEL: Self-awareness, self-management, and social awareness are incorporated into Move to the Beat, Fill the Basket, and Breathe experiences

UDL: Multiple means of representation, and expression are incorporated into Hello Song, Move to the Beat, Singable Story, Breathe, and Goodbye Song

PRIOR to group

1. • Leader should listen to and or prepare/practice each song for this activity

   • Leader should locate or create enough play, plastic food (fruits and vegetables) item for each student to have one. An alternative would be printed or drawn visual pictures of various fruits and vegetables. The foods should be able to be sorted into three distinct colors. The leader should also locate three small baskets, bins, hats, or similar containers and label them with three different colors. 

   • Leader should locate singable book– the book used in this step is interchangeable and can be adjusted to meet specific needs of group

   • Leader should create Music Schedule board to provide visual representation of order of experiences in music (see materials for example)

1. Hello Song 

   • Time: 1-2 minutes

   • Function: a greeting and transition from previous activities outside of the music group to the present music group. This allows processing time for the students to center their minds. 

   • Music group leader will use guitar, A cappella singing, or provided recording to sing "Music Time is Here" (Stroud 2022). 

     • • Link to recording provided in Materials section

   • Students are given the option to sing, say, or wave hello when prompted during song

3. Move to the Beat 

   • Time: 5-7 minutes

   • Function: an energizing experience that allows students an opportunity to feel connected and engaged with their bodies and the music. Provides opportunities for 1-step direction following, social awareness, and self-awareness.

   • Music group leader will use guitar A cappella singing, or provided recording/video to present "Move to the Beat" by Stephanie Leavell

     • • Video is linked in Materials section

   • During live presentation of this song, leader may ask students for movement suggestions and incorporate these into verses of the song (may volunteer verbalization, demonstration of the movement, and or choose from a binary choice provided by music group leader (i.e. clap or stomp)

   • During live presentation, repeat verses incorporating student movement suggestions until everyone who wants a turn has had a turn to suggest

   • During live presentation of this song, the final verse of the song should say "sit down to the beat" and be used as a transition to the next activity.

4. Fill the Basket 

   • Time: 7-10 minutes

   • Function: addresses fine motor, identification, sorting, and 2-step direction following skills. Song is also used to create group cohesion/peer support.

   • Music group leader will sing through "Fill the Basket" by Unknown one time while keeping a beat (pat) on their lap

     • Lyrics and melody attached in Materials section

   • Music group leader should encourage students to keep a beat (pat) on their own laps during first sing through

   • Music group leader will remind students that props/materials should be treated like our friends- kindly and safely

   • Music group leader will pass out 1 food (plastic, printed, drawn, etc) item to each student. 

   • Music group leader will place three containers (baskets, bins, hats, etc) in front of the group

   • Music group leader will sing through the song inserting all of the distributed food into the phrase "Who has the ______?'

   • Music group leader will ask the student with the chosen food to sort their item into the matching colored basket

   • Student should return to seat and song starts over, after 2–3 repetitions of this song, music group leader may want to encourage students to sing along and or keep beat (pat) on their laps

   • Repeat song until all food items are collected in the baskets

5. Singable Story- Plant the Tiny Seed By Christie Matheson.

   • Time: 5-6 minutes

   • Function: Familiar activity (reading popular book) combined with musical structure may encourage increased participation with task and generalization of some academic skills (pre-reading, structure, and order). Vocal play using suggested sounds may also promote increased ways of expressing emotions/feelings as they relate to animals and their sounds.

   • Music group leader will present Plant the Tiny Seed

   • Music group leader will use melody to sing through each page of the book stopping to allow students and teachers to create sounds and movements throughout the book

     • Melody linked in materials section

6. Breathe

   • Time: 3 minutes (2.5 for video/song, .5 for pre/post check in)

   • Function: Self-regulation skill development, self-awareness, self-management

   • Seated activity

   • Music group leader should ask students to verbalize or show a thumbs up/down/in the middle rating of how their brain, body, and heart are feeling immediately before completing this activity. 

   • Music group leader will sing A cappella or present video of the song "Breathe" by Stephanie Leavell. 

     • Video linked in Materials section

   • Music group leader will demonstrate movements/directions used in the song (stretch arms up, stretch fingers, breathe)

   • Music group leader should ask students to verbalize or show a thumbs up/down/in the middle rating of how their brain, body, and heart are feeling following this activity. 

7. Goodbye

   • Time: 1-2 minutes

   • Function: closure and transition from music group to their next classroom activity. This allows processing time for the students to center their minds. 

   • Music group leader will use guitar, A cappella singing, or provided recording to sing "Music Time is Over" (Stroud 2022). 

     • Link to recording provided in Materials section

   • Students are given the option to sing, say, or wave goodbye when prompted during song

Hello Song: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1a48JJMMXHTRuA1B8vADUeannZ17kLUaN/view?usp=sharing 

Stephanie Leavell's "Move to the Beat: Video: https://youtu.be/hrbGVGcXB5Q 

Fill the Basket Melody: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1N3Z6_IXpxWW0B0CZeX0Pkhr6ftRkI3ru/view?usp=sharing 

Plant the Tiny Seed Melody: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CbPzCWCDBBM/?utm_medium=copy_link 

Stephanie Leavell's "Breathe" Video: https://youtu.be/_DV-qxbwUo8 

Goodbye Song: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aRj-AIHVcY9VlVjYwtaroPU2E44rYOlZ/view?usp=sharing 

Music Schedule Example: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mLC2dDe-Qd6ve4Kif5qJXDAySnCn6jnUBdxHlTxkZ7M/edit?usp=sharing 

Guitar

Fruits: plastic, printed, drawn, etc.

• Free printable fruits & veggies: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Fruits-and-Vegetables-Flashcards-FREEBIE-2239692?st=948ec53a82a78eedd07602232e294102 

• Free printable fruits & veggies: http://mockeri.com/free-printable-vegetable-flash-cards-and-matching-cards/ 

3 containers with labeled colors: baskets, hats, containers, etc.

• Free printable color labels: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Labels-Editable-8-Colours-2067065?st=06ad04af6a8395e14caf8ec5f0b06ad4 

Plant the Tiny Seed Book: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/plant-the-tiny-seed-christie-matheson?variant=32123131363362