Ever wonder how to go about choosing books for your music classroom?

Here are some tips that I use when choosing books to use and create resources for.

1) Artwork-A well designed cover and book will instantly draw the attention of your students and hopefully keep them interested in what you are presenting to them. Also, beautiful artwork is a reflection of the love that went into the book, so I always look for this when choosing something!

2) Wording-Are there many words on a page? Not many? What is the ratio of words to pictures per page? Do the words distract from the picture or allow children to enjoy the artwork? I like books with roughly 2-3 sentences per page so that the book can be a visual as much as an auditory experience for my students.

​3) Rhyming-Do the words rhyme? If so, is it easy to read these rhymes? Usually when all of the words of a book rhyme that gives it several advantages. The first is that the reading of it has a natural flow which help the lesson on this book flow better. The second is that even if a rhyme or song does not exist yet, the book already rhymes which can help students practice keeping a steady beat while reading it. If there is an additional song/rhyme added then one book can cover multiple concepts in one lesson, which is always wonderful.

​4) Pauses-Does the book have convenient stopping points which invites an additional rhyme/song at that moment? This is one of the principles that I have built the majority of my lessons around and thus I try to look for this when book shopping.

5) Interesting storyline-If I cannot add a rhyme or song.....can I make a songtale about the book? 

If you need suggestions on great books, check out Melissa Stouffer's Ultimate Book List here:
https://mrsstouffersmusicroom.com/the-ultimate-music-education-book-list/

Hope these tips are helpful to you when choosing literature for your classroom!

Musically yours,

Polina 

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I have been waiting for a long time to finally have a digital platform to share all of my ideas with the world and here I am! I started this journey in October of 2020 and have since continued working on my TPT store and online presence to share my work. I have created a Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram account for my store as well, however it has taken me a while to create a website. This first blogpost will focus on my process and why I decided to start Creating Musical Literature. 

I became interested in using books when I realized how much more engaging music class can be when I am using them. However, the problem was in relating what the book to music class. Oftentimes, there weren't any songs or chants that went along with it and the book was simply a way to set the tone for another lesson. Thus, I began looking for ways to add songs or rhymes to the books. One way to do this is through looking to see if there are repetitive sections/phrases in the book, after which students can chant or sing something. This gives students an opportunity to be more involved in the story and keeps their attention as they are waiting for the next moment they can make music along with the story. Another way was to simply write a song tale about what is happening in the book to sing after the students have finished reading it, with some song tales offering possibilities for students to insert their own words into the tale, particularly those that talk about wishes and dreams. After I have found a repetitive section, I look for what can be done there..a chant, a song, perhaps both? Then I add instruments if the chant/song calls for it. 

Here are some guidelines that I use when choosing a book to use in my class as well as to write material for:

1) What is the topic I am focusing on-is it loud vs. soft, fast vs. slow? Is it an animal themed lesson? A season themed lesson? Then I pick a book that can fit with one or more of the topics.

2) What are some questions I can ask prior, during and after reading the book? I always try to engage my students through questions so they can practice critical thinking.

3) Are there pre-existing songs/chants that exist for this book?

4) Are there repetitive sections throughout the book where you can insert a chant/song if there isn't one already? This is where I usually look for opportunities to create something to go along with the book. 

5) Are there places where we can do a movement?

6) Is there a puppet that you can use to help you engage the students even more? Since my material is from the primary grades, I use a lot of puppets to have a visual aid that the students can sing/chant to or to demonstrate motions with. I like to use Folkmanis puppets which can be found on Amazon, Ebay, Mercari, etc. 

7) Can you use instruments with the chant/song? If so, how? 

Hope that this helps you understand my work further.  Looking forward to connecting with and learning from you.

Musically yours!

​Polina