Art Lesson Plan Website

http://pinterest.com/

Calimax Store Pictures

Calimax

"D'Olancho" the chile salsa salsa picante "D'Olancho"

el heladothe ice cream

 the tomatoes

los tomates

the bananas and onionslos bananos y cebollas

 el queque
the cake

 El pájaro

The bird

Muffin!¡Moffin!

Miercoles 7 diciembre

Programa a desarrollar: 07 de diciembre de 2011 - 7:00 pm

1. Olancho relatos Regionales (Autor: Dario Euceda Roque)

2. Historia de Manto 

3. Mosaico Literario

Maestra de seremonia: Profa. María Luisa Mendoza Aguiluz

At La Casa de la Cultura, I was able to perform for my very first time in Honduras!  I'm proud to say that I've performed in Central America before.  I played in a concert featuring cover songs of the Beatles in 2007. 

Anyway, I had fun playing.  I was a little shy during the days before the event. Sometimes I just don't want people to hear me!  But, then again, that's why I play music.  After all, if a tree falls down in a forest, and no one is there to hear it, then does it make a sound?

I got over it when I practiced playing for my music classes at school. Playing for students always makes music so fulfilling.

I was planning on playing the Honduran National Anthem which is called Tu bandera, Mozart Violin Sonata in B flat Major, and Bach's Partita 3 Gavotte and Rondeau.  I managed to leave the Mozart at school and was asked to play an extra piece.  I played Bach's Air on the G and La Cinquantaine by Gabriel-Marie in between introductions and during topic transitions. 

I had so much fun playing! I loved every moment and was excited to see the crowd it drew.  Teachers that I worked with came, some of my students came, and a variety of others went to the event.  I didn't know many of them, but they seemed to enjoy the event.  Some people said that they had never heard their own national anthem on the violin.  I really liked having so many varying supporters. 

The next day, I had two students turn in extra credit reports for this event. I enjoyed reading what they said because not only did they say how much they loved my playing, but they also said that the books made them be proud to be Olanchanos and basically that they want to remember what their roots are. I was pretty impressed with their connection with the book. They actually paid attention! One girl kept her program.  I told them that I was going to keep their extra credit papers forever. And they received 50 points for writing it.  

I really enjoyed my time with the locals that I met through this time, and I am looking forward to working with La Casa de la Cultura for another recital and the Day-Star School art show.  I'm pleased to know that there are some cultural events going on, and a place that these ideas can come to fruition.

friday. . . calimax . . . what to do what to do

it's friday night in juticalpa.

i'm not going to work (as in enter grades or lesson plan up until january).


i don't even know if i'm going to party.
maybe. but maybe not.

what i might do, however, is take a walk to the local calimax. it's a little store owned by nice people.

things i might buy:
1. a brush to clean the pila
2. toilet paper
3. a tomato
4. already bought beans and tortillas, so can't buy that
5. if  i had a sweet tooth i'd buy ice cream. i'm not that ambitious to do that tonight either.
maybe i could buy matches. or paper towels.

or  just hang out and watch a bit of a novela. the end.

Peter and the Wolf

Peter and the Wolf is an orchestral suite by Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953).  Prokofiev was a pianist and a composer -- he wrote an opera and wrote pieces for the piano before the age of nine.  He was from Ukraine and he traveled to Europe and the United States. In 1936, he wrote Peter and the Wolf for a children's theater in the Soviet Union.

It's a story about a boy who lives with his grandfather.  The boy, Peter, is represented by the string section of the orchestr (notice the melody of the piece).  The grandfather is represented bythe bassoon . The flutes represent the bird, while the duck is depicted by the oboe.  Prokofiev wrote the clarinet to represent the cat and the wolf by the horn section.  Finally, the hunters are represented by the kettle drums.  Peter is told by his grandfather to not go out and look for the wolf, and so of course, Peter goes out and tries to capture the wolf While he tries, his friends the bird and the duck aren't so lucky in the situation because they seem to make a good dinner for the wolf.  However, in this interpretation of the story, there is a happy ending and Peter is a hero and the duck survives.  

Peter and the Wolf Part 1

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Peter and the Wolf Part 2
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ILI3s7Wonvg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>



Some information was gathered from http://www.philtulga.com/Peter.html.

Happy 30th Birthday

So this is me at my recital on my 30th birthday.

I have tried to get the video in but it has not worked yet.

Music Presentation

I organized to have musical instrument presentations in a few of my classes today.
They were pretty successful, and I got to enjoy watching the students explain what they learned in a research project.

I have a few talented students.  Some are shy and recorded themselves play their instruments.  Others actually played their instruments.  And, the rest are going to bring in c.d.s and internet resources over the next few days. 

Did I mention that I played for a few of them?  I'm kinda the only violinist in Juticalpa.  Well, I have a student, and then there's a 10th grader who plays the violin.  There's another violinist in Catacamas, but really, not a whole lot.

After the presentations, I want to get a jam session together for after school.  Actually, I know that I could easily get a few kids to show up even next week if I wanted.  So, I will make this happen and get to know my students a little differently through music and a more relaxed setting.

It's also the beginning of the second partial -- or term.  I have learned a lot and am very eager to implement other classroom ideas.  Plus it's almost Christmas, and I can assign homework: look for Christmas music!!!

A Day on a Farm

Violin lesson #1

I finally started teaching the violin at the Day-Star School!

It was a rocky beginning, but I guess this kind of thing happens sometimes.

I am so happy that my two students showed up.

 In this lesson, I explain the parts of the instruments and how to care for the instruments. 


I did not have any printed music at hand, but taught them the open D string and the open A string.

Plucking, of course. 

I got really into teaching them.

Of course.

I love teaching the violin.

The picture of me conducting shows me how much I love it.   

I have learned a lot since teaching for Wasatch Music Coaching Academy and teaching at

Vista and Day-Star.

 I'm glad that I finally got some lessons going.  I wish the lessons had started sooner, but this works too.  I have a few other students who are interested.  Maybe they will show up to the class on Tuesday.

My new goals are to find some printed music (stop correcting so many papers and find something that works for us!) and organize a few recitals.

First, I want one for just myself and have written a proposal for La Casa de Cultura.

Then, I am going to play for a fair that is going to happen in December.  I'm going to see if there are some students who are interested in playing, or even if they have any suggestions of what music I should learn by ear (popular tunes).

Hopefully I get a few students who can play. Some of my students are actually really good ranchero singers and they make me laugh.  I'm pretty impressed at how they can carry their voices, and we can work on it some more. 

At last, I think I want at least one more recital of some sort sometime before the end of the school year.

Maybe this one can be of my violin students, some of the other musicians, and me.  That way, it can be varied and fun. 

More information to come!

Starlight Mints, my new love

I’ve grown quite fond of Starlight Mints ever since I arrived in Juticalpa. The moment that I saw a small bag of starlight mints at the store La Colonia, I just had to make them part of my life.

I think it's because it was hot when I got here. The minty taste is like Christmas in December (candy canes), and so refreshing in the heat.

(I like the minty flavored candies much more than I do the cinnamon ones.)
What a comforting candy!

Tela Tela Tela Mar Mar Mar

Este fin de semana, los maestros Americanos del Day-Star School fueron a Tela.  Tela es una ciudad pequeña y bonita.  Es una ciudad marinero, y afuera del mar hay mucha vegetación. Además tiene actividades divertidos. Cantamos mucho en la lancha. Las maestras conocieran canciones divertidas y populares.

El sol, las palmas,

el mar y la lluvia. . .

La naturaleza y el olor de la tierra mojada.

El primer día, Melissa, Brittany, y yo alquilamos bicicletas para pasear en los jardines botánicas después de pasar tiempo en el mar. ¡Qué lindo el paseo! No estaba tan largo, pero me divertí el ejercicio. Mi bici tenía una canasta adonde guardé el agua.

El sábado, los maestros rentaron una lancha para ir a Punto Sal. La primera parada, fuimos a caminar por el monte. Hubo un mono en los árboles, y arañas balanceando en sus telarañas delicadas. No hubo jaguares, pero divertimos conociendo la tierra de la selva. Después, fuimos a nadar en un sitio diferente, y antes de comer pescado, tuvimos la oportunidad para nadar en un túnel entre las rocas en el mar. El agua estaba un poco alto y loco, pero sobrevivimos con más energía y gusto. Y por supuesto, almorzamos con el pescado fresco con gallo pinto y tajadas. ¡Qué rico!

Por fin, cenamos con pizza y relajamos como quisiéramos. El siguiente día tuvimos que tomar el autobús para regresar a Juticalpa. Nueve horas de viaje.

Hoy lunes, tuvimos que enseñar como normal. Mi día fue bien y tenía que hacer mucha trabaja para notas de progreso y otras cosas para la escuela. Ya estoy más lista que antes. Tengo muchas ideas nuevas, y emociono para enseñar la música y el arte esta semana.

Week 3: Music makes sounds

This week has been very successful and productive in my art and music classes.  I am locked into what I am teaching, and just looking for ideas that I can engage my students.

Music has been interesting to teach because I know I have to change some of my previous ideas because of resources and culture. I know that what I have experienced with Classical Music back home is quite different than what is available for students here.

This challenge has led me to want to explore folk music from all over the world and even compose for my students in 7^th, 8^th, and 9^th grade. I’ll see what happens. The weeks end up a little differently than I imagine, but the flexibility right now is crucial to what I do for the rest of the year.  I also need to get into the other music room at the school because I know there are other instruments available.  We must make noise and let it become music!

On Wednesday and Thursday I played a song for the 4^th grade classes. They enjoyed it, and it gave me a lot more motivation to teach my 7^th, 8^th, and 9^th grade classes a little differently.  My 9^th grade classes are a lot of fun because of their brilliant ideas. I had a lecture about the elements of music, including Rhythm, Melody, Harmony, and Tone Color. At first I thought that I’d teach the students Tone Color later in the year, but in order to connect with them I decided to teach it right away. I played Mozart and Bruch and they really understood the differences between styles of music. I hope that this week I can do it for the other grades, but it’s a short week and I’m not exactly sure how it is going to go.

I have had my students brainstorm what kinds of instruments they knew. We took notes on the whiteboard and separated the instruments into their families. I have a lot of work to do, but if I am creative in how I present my material, I can get them to learn about and understand music.  I want them to be able to relate to any kind of music they here and become more sensitive to sounds, as well as see the connections between music, other academic disciplines, and the worlds that they know.

Art History

Art History

I'm lesson planning. This website is a pretty decent one, and breaks some important art subjects down. More to come when my lesson plans are done and when I've attempted to teach them to the 7-8-9 grades.

Outside of class. . . this is the inside!

This is my classroom.  This picture has been updated ever since, and I have some added items which I will show in a little bit.  The important thing is that my rules are up, as are the various ways that students should raise their hands. :) Important interrogatives only!

Here we have the Icons of Depth and Complexity (SOO excited to use them!).  I intend to use them for all my classes.  I want them to see connections, big pictures, patterns, relationships . . . all of it.  I think that music and art are just as important as the other academic disciplines, and I can facilitate this kind of thinking in my classes.  (Health, weather, climate, music appreciation, and art. And of course, after school violin!)  I've also got "When I want your attention" and three different ways for the students to raise their hands.  Calendars, grades, schedules. . . . . Did I mention rules, rewards, and disciplinary action?

The back room consists of composers, (all my dead friends, thanks Joe) and musical notation.  Then I also have concepts of each subject I am teaching.  The school also promotes virtues, such as "Responsibility", and I have them posted all over my classroom in a different color. And of course, the students have to turn their assignments in with the appropriate heading, as posted on the lower right hand corner.

Here is my student work board. Not enough paper, but I definitely want those spaces to be covered with student work anyway.

Situated in Aula 202, I get thesegreat views. However, it gets hot, say after about NOON.

But, no matter how hot it is, homemade soups like this CAZUELA are

probably one of the best lunches ever.

¡Que Sabroso! Adiós, mi Aula 202.

Te veo el lunes. ¡¡Casi estoy lista para el primer día de clases!!

El Boqueron

Hoy, fuimos a caminar por un río en este sitio.

¡¡¡Ay!!! ¡Que rico el aire, y que abundante las plantas verdes! Cruzamos el río,

y conocemos a gente muy amables.

El lugar se llama Boquerón, y tomamos un autobús desde Juticalpa. Aquí están mis amigas, Melissa y Brittany. Soy yo en el centro.  El campo es verde con raíces, arboles, flores,

mariposas, plantas, y mucho mas.  No vimos todo en el campo, pero vamos a hacer esta caminata otra vez

en el futuro.

....

Y, sé que mi blo se llama "outside of class" pero como no enseñarte un poco de la escuela antes de empezar el año....

El jardín

y un pastelito pa' comer

con frijoles y pan

con salsa de tomate...

Mañana empezamos

otro da

de trabajo!!!