[HANASHIR:4628] Re: 6th and 7th graders

[SingingGr8 <SingingGr8...>]

i am sorry it took me so long to get back to yall but exams came!!!!  anyway, 
now they are over so here is what i think about 6 and 7th graders.  It isnt 
so much what you teach them, although stuff they like can help, it is how you 
teach it to them.  When I teach everyone, including me, sits on the floor.  
There are songsheets waiting for them and I dont even let them have time to 
get them adn start talking.  As they are sitting down I start something they 
know and that is very upbeat.  Shiru shir usually works well.  It also helps 
to start with the same song every time.  But the biggest thing I have found 
that works is to never stop.  Do a lot of songs in the same key so you never 
have to stop, inbetween songs just yell out the number of the song on the 
sheet.  I get about 16-18 songs in 20 minutes.  You have to have a lot of 
energy and give a lot of energy for this to work.  I usually colapsed after 
doing this for three hours straight.  The songs they really like are Shiru 
L'Adonai, Shiru Shir, B'makom, Miriam's Song, Abanibi, Alfred, Not By Might, 
Heveinu, Open Up Our Eyes, Lo Yisa 

I will stop to teach though but i never teach as my first song.  I usually 
start with shiru shir, stop to teach a song, sing through the song, and then 
without stoping to say anything but great job i yell out a new song number.

i guess the other big thing is that it sounds like many people are trying to 
make all of their classes as loud and good as their best class.  Some classes 
are just naturily quieter.  I subed at the temple where I used to teach 4-6th 
the other day and the classes that I once had that were quiet were still 
quiet adn the same with the loud ones.  It isnt their age because now they 
are a year older, it is them.  Sometimes kids are singing but you cant hear 
them and that is ok with me also becasue they are not going to sing out.

Lastly, praise is really important.  It might feel weird ebcause they are 
older but just saying great job in the middle of the song is really good.  
Telling them you know they can sing louder also works adn the congradulating 
them without talking down to them after is really great.

I hope this helps some people becuase i have found this stuff to work well.
B'shira v'shalom,
Beth  

------------------------ hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org -----------------------+
Hosted by Shamash: The Jewish Internet Consortium  http://shamash.org
------------------------ hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org -----------------------=