Free Apps for Rhythmic Practice

During my search for the best free apps for rhythm practice, I came up short handed.  Even though there are tons of rhythm apps available in the App Store, the majority of them are not free.  On the other hand, I did find 2 free apps that are excellent rhythmic review. I hope you enjoy them as much as my students.

Rhythm Cat Lite-  Rhythm Cat Lite is a free app that provides students with a game type of practice.  With this app, lines of rhythms are displayed across the screen.  After the countdown, students tap the rhythms on the green button.  By pressing the green button, the students ry to play the correct rhythms in time with the music.  As the app suggests, it is much easier to play when using headphones.  The lite version features a total of 15 levels.  You can upgrade the app for a cost of $4.99.  The free version is limited in the types of rhythms used.  Below is a screenshot of the screen in Rhythm Cat Lite. 

Rhythm Training (Sight Reader) - The Rhythm Training app is a fantastic free app for sight reading rhythms.  This app features 7 musical instrument options, metronome functions, and beat prompts and hints for user.  The design of the app is organized and very child-friendly. Rhythm Trainer is perfect for beginners or more advance musicians.  It also features multiple levels, at any tempo, with a variety of time signatures and rhythmic values.  Take your students sight reading skills to the next level with this free app!

Out of the free apps available for rhythm, these two were excellent in practicing playing and sight reading all types of rhythmic concepts.  If you find any more free rhythm apps, please let me know, and I would be happy to review them and add them to the list. 

5 Free Music Apps for Melody

We all know that the app store is full of amazing apps.  However, where there are great apps, there are also some app duds.  How do you find the best apps?! Research and practice! After searching on the App Store for ratings, search Google for reviews on apps, read a blog from other teacher's, and use it on your own.  And when I say 'on your own,' you need to learn all of the ins and outs of the app.  You never know what you will discover in an app, and you want to find it before your students do. 

After doing my own research, I want to share my findings with you.  Today, I am going to show you my 5 favorite apps to use for reviewing/teaching melody in the elementary music classroom. Even though I am focusing on melody, these apps can be used for a variety of concepts.  

Here are my 5 favorite apps for melody: 

 Tap and Sing by Storybots - This engaging app allows students to tap and sing with adorable robots while they learn about notes, scales, and chords.  The free version of the app also includes three songs for students to tap and sing along. For the three songs, the student can turn "autoplay" on to watch the robots dance and sing the song or the student can tap the melody on their own with the help of highlighted robots along the way. The app also comes with four syllables for singing: bum, la, Do-Re-Mi, and C-D-E. Use this app in a variety of ways in the elementary music classroom to review melodic concepts. In my classroom, I will sing a pattern on specified Solfege, and the students echo back on the app.  It allows them to visual see the melodic contour and the skips and steps between the pitches.

Monster Chorus - Voted #1 iPad music game for kids, the Monster Chorus app allows students to participate in their on monstrous symphony.  Each monster sings a note, which can make a melodious song.  These beautiful and engaging monsters sing a major scale on a "la" syllable.  The app also includes four songs for students to discover the melody of the song.  My favorite feature of this app is that it allows you to record your own singing voice, and the monsters will echo what you sang.  The app also has numerous hidden sound effects and hidden monsters. 

 Do Re Mi Zoo - This app allows students to play the color-coded piano, which also has cute characters on they keys.  With this app, as you press a piano key, it records the Solfege syllable in a rolling staff at the top of the screen.  Younger age students can also play melodies of familiar songs, such as Addam's Family, Happy Birthday, and We Wish you a Merry Christmas. If you miss a note, it plays a funny sound, too!  You can even Tweet, post, or copy your musical composition that you created. 

Tune Train - Tune is one of my favorite apps to use for melodies.  The goal of Tune Train is to aid children to compose their own melodies while building a world of their own structured by music theory.  The app allows kids to write their own melodies by drawing paths for a train to connect the people through the trees, in the clouds, and on buildings. The trees represent musical pitches, while the buildings represent the chords. The app also includes a teacher's guide to use Tune Train in the classroom.  The game includes multiple levels with a variety of backgrounds.  The app even has an option to show the written music as you compose. 

Do-Re-Mi 123 Lite - This app is great for primary level students.  Learn songs by ear with the help of cute characters.  Not only can students play songs, but there is also a free play option.  The characters sing with Solfege, numbers, colors, and sounds.  This app also has some hidden treats in the background.  You can even record the melody you create! 

Stay tuned next week to find out my favorite free apps for rhythm!

Cyber Sale Linky Party

The holidays are here, and the shopping has begun.  Did you go Black Friday shopping?  Not here...I have never been actually.  I prefer to sit in my nice cozy house, dressed in my PJs, and sipping my hot chocolate as I shop online with just a mouse and a click! What's even better? You will be able to shop for great resources on TPT beginning tomorrow at a major discount! All items in my store, and most stores on TPT, will be offering up to 28% off on their entire store. Just remember to enter the code TPTCYBER to get the sales! 

I am very excited for this sale because my Wish-List is rather full! I mean EXTREMELY full!  This sale will allow me to empty it...well almost empty it :) As part of the sale, I have an abundance of wants!  Today I am going to blog about one new item in my store that will be on sale, another music resources that is on my wish-list, and a non-music item that is on my wish-list.  For this post, I am linking up with Amy Abbott over at Music a la Abbott for the Rockin' Resources Linky Party. 

First, I have just release a new product that I am very excited about! I can't wait to use this in my own classroom in a few weeks, after my four programs are over! My Winter Rhythm Bundle is filled with worksheets, games, activities, and assessments for learning, reviewing, and assessing ta  and ti-ti.  

The Winter Bundle is normally priced at $8.00 for almost 200 pages of resources.  However, it will be priced at 28% off with the promo code. This bundle features composition cards, rhythm cards, a rhythm matching game, a rhythm flipbook, a relay race activity, and much more, all with a wintery twist. 

I have also had my eye on Jamie Parker's Marshmallow Match: Aural Interactive Game for Ta and Ti-Ti.   

This game is not only adorable but is a great assessment tool to test students' aural skills on rhythms using ta and ti-ti.  Students click on the mug, which plays a rhythm using ta and ti-ti.  The students then have to click on the marshmallow that matches the rhythm they heard.  This will be a great review as a whole class or in centers. 

Lastly, oh where do I even begin on my wish list item for a non-music resource.  Let's just say I am kinda obsessed with any and all clipart.  Not only do I enjoy making my own, but I love to use the talented work of others in my creations.  I have recently been reorganizing all of my clipart and graphics, and have discovered that I have a LOT of graphics.  However, graphic artists just keep releasing amazingly adorable products! 

This item by Kelly Benefield has been on my wish-list for a while. I have been needing some new page borders to create worksheets, assessments, etc. I have two of her amazing sets already, but I would like to get her final set! She includes 42 different borders in this bundle with and without fill. 

Well here are three of my wish-list items out of the numerous items on my list!  Don't forget to check out the sale, beginning tomorrow! And make sure you enter the promo code "TPTCYBER" to get the extra discounts!  Happy shopping! 

Thankful for You Event!

900 TPT followers?! Really?! I think I need to pinch myself to make sure I am seeing this right.  What an amazing TPT journey I have had in a very short amount of time. I feel extremely blessed to be a part of the TPT community where I can share my resources to other music teachers around the world.  This has been a fantastic journey, and I can't wait to see where the future takes me! 

With my recent follower growth on TPT, I want to thank each of YOU! I could never have gotten where I am today with out you.  So for the next three days, we are celebrating each dedicated and faithful follower!! Time to THANK YOU! 

As part of my 900 Follower Celebration, I will be hosting three events.  

1. 20% of Sale on all products in my store from November 23rd through November 25th. 
2. $10.00 TPT Gift Card giveaway!
3. Winter Music Bundle giveaway!

And maybe a flash freebie or two along the way! :) Shhh....that's a secret!

So enter the giveaways below for your chances to win! A winner for each will be announced on Wednesday!

$10.00 TPT Gift Card Certificate

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Winter Music Bundle Giveaway!

I am so excited about this giveaway!  I have teamed up with Lindsay Jervis from Lindsay's Kodaly Inspired Classroom to give a lucky winner an amazing bundle of winter-themed music activities. This bundle includes my newly updated Winter Vocal Explorations, recently updated Winter Listening Glyphs, and Lindsay's newly released Winter Lines and Spaces Bulletin Board kit. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

All of the events end at midnight on Tuesday, November 25, 2014.  The winners will be announced on Wednesday morning on the Sew Much Music Facebook page. Again, THANK YOU for all of your support, faithfulness, and dedication to Sew Much Music. I couldn't have done it without you!

13 Nights of Treats and Frights

Have you heard of the spooktacular event coming your way? Starting tomorrow, 29 very talented music teachers are giving away 29 freebies! Yes you heard me......29 FREEBIES! The event will run from October 1st through October 13th.  Each day, two to three teachers will be featured.  Each teacher will have a Halloween/fall-themed freebie for you! Not only will there be a freebie, but each teacher will also have one fall-themed item marked down to 50% off! 

Just search "13Nights" on TPT each day to find all the batty savings and FREEBIES!!! 

I will be featured on Thursday, October 2nd, along with Elaine Ford from Mrs. Ford's Melodies and Malinda Phillips from My Musical Menagerie. 

On that day, I will be giving a brand new item away for FREE! Here it is!!!

These listening glyphs can be used with ANY piece of recorded music for an interactive listening activity.  Simply play a piece of music that you are studying, and students color the picture according to what they hear.  

This FREEBIE comes with 5 different glyph coloring images in two versions: generic terms and proper music terms.  You can use these with all grade levels! 

I have also just uploaded a new set of flipbooks! I have received some major TPT love on my recent composer and instrument flipbooks, so I have made more! I have created rhythm flipbooks with a Halloween twist! 

These flipbooks are a perfect assessment tool for ta's and ti-ti's.  Students simply cut on the dotted lines and paste the Halloween images over the correct rhythm.  

Not only do you get these flipbooks (total of 6), but also a bundle of other activities and worksheets to review ta and ti-ti in a Halloween world.  The Halloween bundle features a Halloween poem written by myself with accompanying worksheets to notate the beat and rhythm of the poem. 

The bundle also features worksheets for categorizing Halloween words, composition activities, and QR code Roll N' Compose! All flipbooks and worksheets feature standard and stick notation! Did I mention it will be 50% off?!  You get all of this for only $3.00 on October 2nd! 

Trust me! You do not want to miss out on this AMAZING 13 day event! Here is a list of the dates and stores involved in this event:

TIP: Enter "13Nights" everyday in TPT for all the savings from Oct. 1 through Oct. 13! 

Thank you Aileen Miracle and Sara Bibee for creating the promos and event list! 

September Currently

September...really?!?!  Where did summer go? But fall is on it's way! Yay! With it already being September, that means it is time to link up with Farley at Oh, Boy 4th Grade for the September Currently. 

Here is what I am 'currently' doing! 

LISTENING- I am currently listening to the "Best of the 90's" on Spotify while I sit next to my teacher BFF, Lindsey at Miss Law's Kinders and blog :) Yes, we are 90's babies! I know, I know...youngins! But it is, oh, so nice, to have a teacher friend that you can just sit, type, talk, and create together!

LOVING- I am REALLY loving this three day Labor Day weekend.  Even though I didn't mark too much off of my to-do list, I got to enjoy quality time with my husband, family, and friends. And I can say I got 'some' of my stuff marked off the to-do list...it just keeps growing. 

THINKING- I have been daydreaming about FALL....my favorite season! I am so many great memories from the fall (band, trips, pumpkin patches, bomb fires, etc).  It also means it is officially time to break out the sweaters, boots, and scarves! Might have to get the s'mores out soon, too...just not at our house!  Unfortunately, we will NOT be hosting bomb fires this year at our house, after my husband accidently burned our entire field during the last bomb fire. Soooo....no more fires of any kind at my house! 

WANTING- I am wanting to finish my two quilts I have started.....one for a mommy-to-be and other for our queen size bed.  The queen size one has been about a year long project, I just literally do not have the space in my house to lay the entire thing out....seriously, nowhere! Even if we move all of our living room furniture, I still can't lay it out! I have to go to my in-laws to finish it! I can't wait to get both quilts done though so I can put them on our barn and get some pictures with my new big girl camera! Here is a quilt I finished last week for an expecting teacher friend of mine! Her little bundle of joy will be here in December. This will be perfect for their IU room! 

NEEDING- I am needing to complete assignments for my online classes, but just thinking about it make me want to cringe! I am trying not to be a procrastinator, but long weekends like this are really testing my procrastinating skills!

3 TRIPS- I have never been to Vegas, but I know my husband and I would absolutely love it! I am making it a goal to go to the TPT conference in Vegas next summer (hopefully it will still be there), and I will take the hubs along with me! I think it is just a place you must see before you die! The other day we were watching the 10 Coolest Places on Earth, and they were showing footage of New Zealand....OH MY! Have you seen that place! With it's massive mountains, unique glaciers, and beautiful water, how could you not want to go here?!?! 

The last place will be Napa Valley! Wine country?!?! Who would not want to go there? I would love to visit this sunny, hilly, country side in our beautiful country!

Thanks for stopping by to see what I am currently doing! Can't wait to see what you are up to!!! 

Teacher Week: Where?

Today I am linking up with Blog Hoppin' for Teacher Week Day 2: Where?   

Since I teach at four elementary schools, I have four classrooms to decorate. Yes..you heard me! Four! Good thing decorating is one of my absolute favorite things to do! Nothing is better than crafting in my book! I love that I can change things up at each school to make each one unique.  Even though I share two of my classrooms with art, I still try to keep it cute! 

But don't worry, I am not going to show you ALL of my schools! :) So for today, I am going to be showing my largest classroom (biggest school).  It is the one I spent the majority of my time getting ready during the summer. I have actually already done my classroom reveal in the music world, but I would love to show you, too! 

Here are pictures of my classroom before I added my personal touch.  These photos were actually taken two years ago, but I really didn't change much during my first two years of teaching. I knew it was time for an extreme makeover, the Jena way! 

So after many, many hours and lots of helping hands from my hubs and my teacher BFF, Lindsey, here is the NEW and IMPROVED music room!!!! 

I am very lucky to work in a supportive school district! They allowed us to paint our classrooms this year, and the school has totally transformed! I first got rid of the 20 year old wallpaper and added a splash of paint! Ok...maybe a little more than a splash...I painted my front wall a sky blue, while the side and back walls are painted a light green.  It has definitely brightened up my dingy room and created a cheery learning and creating musical environment.  

In my classroom, I have a songbird theme.  My students are referred to as songbirds in our newsletters and social media outlets! They love it :)  My bestie, Lindsey, also incorporated a bird theme in her classroom this year.  As a result, we created the silhouette birds to 'fly' around our classrooms and tissue poms to serve as clouds.  She also inspired me to purchase and incorporate the School Girl Style silhouettes around my classroom.  The package came with a swinging girl that fit perfectly with my corner tree that my mother-in-law painted.  Check out the silhouettes and all the other adorableness in Lindsey's kindergarten classroom.  

This adorable boy silhouette was created to hold balloons, but what better way to incorporate a musical theme with a recorder in hand! I think it worked out perfectly and is placed by my door as my students say goodbye in music class.  

After searching on Pinterest, I found this silhouette girl with recorder balloons and knew I HAD to incorporate it into my music classroom! I found some old records, which happened to be kid themed, and placed the beauty on a large empty wall! I am in LOVE with the way it turned out! 

Here is another view of the balloon girl! I also painted my doors and windowsills, then added some cute curtains! 

On my other LARGE blank and boring wall, I added a display of Boomwhackers, practical and pretty! 

I simply added a strip of velcro to the wall and a small piece on the tube.  Now, students can quickly grab the Boomwhacker they need instead of me digging through a laundry basket! 

On my last wall, I cut out letters for the above picture on my Cricut machine! It is in the perfect view spot in my room for my administrators and other teachers to see the cross curricular connections of music! 

I wanted a tree in my classroom to enhance my classroom theme, but also to give the students a whimsical atmosphere.  So I added the tissue poms for leaves and created an instrument paradise :) All of my Orff instruments are placed in this corner. 

  I also added an updated bookcase with labeled containers for smaller percussion instruments.  I painted the bookshelf and added contact paper to the back. All my other instruments are stored in a closet. 

Underneath my dry erase board, I placed recorder fingering posters.  This placement is easy for students to see and provide a quick reference if need be.  

I also made seat crates that are stored underneath my dry erase board.  I created labels to attach with binder rings.  For these crates, I stored movement props, such as parachutes and scarves, puppets, and masks.  By having them in the front of the room, they are easy to access.  Not only are my items neatly organized, but I can pull these crates out for a quick spot to sit for story telling or role playing. 

Next to my board, I have a set of Solfege hand signs and my classroom rules! These are easy to see from any angle in the classroom, especially for those little troublemakers.  

To create more room for movement, I got rid of my big, hunk of metal desk and computer table.  I was thrilled to get rid of my desktop and the table with it!  After getting rid of both, I then had a minor freak out moment of "Where will I put all the little things?"  As a result, I found an adorable table/desk at Office Depot that solved my problems. 

I moved my desk to a corner of my room, and viola, here is my small, but perfect, workspace!  I gave my filing cabinets a makeover, added a homey lamp, and reupholstered my desk chair (mother-in-law to the rescue again!). 

Added some Washi tape to take this plain desk organizer to a cute desk organizer! I also added a touch of Washi tape to the edge of my desk for some cohesion :) 

For all the 'tiny' things,  I made a Teacher Toolbox on top of my bookcase!

 You can also see some more Washi tape ;) Want these labels?! There are editable ones on my TPT store here.  

Here is my new corner! Still need to add a cork board above my desk and finish that bulletin board :) 

I also have two bulletin boards completed: one is in the hallway and one is used for our class rewards system.  Found out more about them here! 

Thanks for taking a step into my music classroom!