Elemental Conversations with Victoria Boler Victoria Boler

It’s a common phrase we’ve heard before, and it takes a few different forms….
She always goes first 
He only picks his friends 
I wanted the blue scarf…
What’s our goal in a singing game where we take turns? What happens when we’re not “it” or we don’t have the shiny special role?
Let’s think about….
What our goal is
What skill is missing
When we can practice it
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In This Episode…
00:00 - “I never get a turn”
02:54 - What is Our Goal?
06:45 - What’s the Musical Skill?
007:57 - Locus of Control
10:34 - When do we Practice the Skill?
11:44 - Examples of Practice
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Let’s Connect: 
 Website  | Instagram  | YouTube  | Website | Planning Binder

Show notes here:
https://www.victoriaboler.com/podcast/aimee-pfitzner-singing-games
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I’m thrilled to be sharing this conversation with Aimee Pfitzner, all about singing games in elementary general music. If you’re already familiar with Aimee you’ll know she has so much knowledge and she brings so much experience to the world of children’s games and children’s play. If you don’t already have them, let me recommend her books, which you can find with the link above, along with Aimee’s bio so you learn more about her and connect with her work. 
Aimee and I started talking before the actual interview about her experience moving to her North Carolina campus, and she was sharing so much wisdom I decided to keep it in our recording. So we’ll just jump straight into our conversation as Aimee shares how she got introduced to the Schulwerk. Here is Aimee talking about her early Orff experiences.
In This Episode…
00:00 - Aimee Pfitzner & how Aimee got connected to the Orff Schulwerk
04:44 - Creating musical moments
08:42 - How do we choose singing games for the classroom?
14:01 - the Orff sequence
18:06 - Bump Up Tomato
25:52 - We Are Dancing in the Forest
28:45 - Pacing and taking turns
33:06 - Classroom management in singing games
35:39 - Adapting songs and games
38:13 - Aimee’s favorite singing games
49:41 - Aimee’s books
52:29 - Closing thoughts
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Let’s Connect: 
 Website  | Instagram  | YouTube  | Website | Planning Binder

What are some ways to think about a situation where students don’t sing?
This is a big topic, because there are lots of different reasons that students might not sing, and non-participation can take a lot of different forms! Let’s think about some ways to frame the problem, and some questions to ask as we move toward a solution.
———-In This Episode…
00:00 - My students won’t sing
02:25 - Umbrella Understandings
03:21 - We can’t see motivation
05:22 - We like our students, and our students like us
05:40 - We have consistent routines and procedures
07:02 - We have good relationships with our colleagues
08:23 - This is normal, and we can probably relate
14:33 - What does musicing look like and sound like?
20:09 - Whose music is this?
23:54 - Have we constructed the right task?
25:39 - Activities for scaffolding up
34:54 - Activities for scaffolding down
39: 06 - What’s our experience with managing discomfort?
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Find the full show notes at https://victoriaboler.com/elemental-conversations 
Let’s Connect: 
 Website  | Instagram  | YouTube  | Website | Planning Binder

We’ve all been there!
We teach a song, only to find that students haven’t learned it exactly right. Let’s brainstorm a few possible approaches to the inevitable situation of students singing a song inaccurately.
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In This Episode…
00:00 - When Students Sing a Song Inaccurately
01:28 - Elemental Questions
02:52 - What is the point of the song?
07:31 - How do we build an aural context?
10:04 - Creative listening
14:27 - Listen and move
19:31 - What do students do? What does the teacher do?
28:41 - Troubleshooting
38:20 - Wrapping Up
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Find the full show notes at https://victoriaboler.com/elemental-conversations 
Let’s Connect: 
 Website  | Instagram  | YouTube  | Website | Planning Binder

Full Show notes:
https://victoriaboler.com/elemental-conversations

In this Conversation….
00:00 - Intro
01:27 - About Aileen
04:05 - Benefits of centers
08:33 - Should we do one concept or more than one concept in our centers?
12:38 - Aileen’s “formula” for center categories
20:11 - Setting up for success
26:45 - Choices, classroom management, and assessment : What to think about and options for structuring
32:45 - Centers for student choice: keeping it manageable and giving students ownership
41:53 - Scaffolding centers throughout grade levels
44:33 - Centers for band and choir
48:30 - Final thoughts and advice from Aileen: Giving grace
50:43 - Aileen’s centers course
52:00 - Where to connect with Aileen

01:44 - Nesting Concepts in Elementary General Music
10:10 - Areas of Balance through Tension
12:16 - Emphasizing Music
12:18 - Emphasizing the Child Over the Curriculum Document
15:07 - Emphasizing a Functional Classroom
17:51 - Possible Applications
18:59 - Transferrable Understanding 1: Ensemble
27:05 - Transferrable Understanding 2: Complement
34:07 - Where to Read More