Five awesome things I found on Pinterest this month!

December 20, 2013

Five Favorite Pins of December – 2013

I will admit, I spend a lot of time on Pinterest browsing ideas, getting inspiration, and seeing how other teachers decorate and plan for teaching. Pinterest can be a really great tool to help you plan for your own classroom and inspire you to try new things. Why not share some of the great ideas that I found on Pinterest in the last month or so!

This month I’m joining a handful of other music education bloggers to write about five awesome things that I found and pinned on Pinterest this month. Thanks to Mrs. Miracle’s Music Room Blog for hosting this blog link-up! If you are a music education blogger, see the directions at the end of this blog for how to link up and join in the fun.

#1 – Peter and the Wolf Lesson

This is not exactly how I would teach Peter and the Wolf, but this page has lots of fun resources that are easy to download and utilize when you teach Peter and the Wolf. The resources include a biography about Prokofiev, THESE totally awesome free finger puppets, and a great little listening map. AND links to the Disney version of Peter and the Wolf including a cool behind the scenes thing about how it was made, Disney, and Prokofiev! Woo-hoo!

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/374361787746114515/

#2 – The Nutcracker Ballet in Full on YouTube

Did you know that you can watch the full Nutcracker Ballet (multiple versions) on YouTube? Some recordings are the same ones that you could buy in a catalog for $20 but are free online. For the past few years I’ve been using a video from the Royal Ballet in London but I don’t think that’s available any more. Below I’ve posted the link from the video of the San Francisco Ballet:

https://pinterest.com/pin/374361787769157729/

Here’s another version of the ballet and I believe the performers are from the Royal Russian Ballet. I also love this version of the ballet and often show this to students:

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/374361787769157891/

#3 – Frosty the Snowman – MADLIB

This one is a super fun idea and would be a great thing to do during the last week of school, when you need to incorporate more writing, or to hand to teachers after you’ve taught the song. It’s fun to give these resources to homeroom teachers and saves them the time of looking up the content on their own. Maybe your classroom teachers won’t use it, but maybe some will. Worth a try!

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/374361787746976066/

#4 – If You’re Happy And You Know It – Holiday Style

I love these fun and free cards that go along with the song “If You’re Happy And You Know It.” They’re wonderful because you can print and use them in small groups or for a whole class and you can easily use this for a warmup or for movement exploration. There are lots of possibilities with the cards and you can find some of those options on the original blogger’s page. There’s even a nativity version if you’re interested in that!

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/374361787746817936/

#5 – Free Music for Music Teachers

Well, I was going to talk about the free musical download I found for The Ash Grove, a song which I’ve loved for years but honestly cannot tell you why I love it. But when I followed the pin to make sure the link was still working I rediscovered the cool site that it’s connected to. Music for Music Teachers is a GREAT resource for a lot of things and has lots of freebie downloads of music, tips for teaching, and more. Check out the full site when you have a chance… maybe on winter break?

Ash Grove:
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/374361787746845710/

Tips for Teaching Kids With Autism:
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/374361787746995509/

That’s it for my five favorite pins! If you are a music teacher (or a classroom teacher whose ideas could work in the music classroom), and you are interested in joining the linky party and blogging about your five favorite pins this month, head over to Mrs. Miracle’s Music Room Blog to find her post and follow her directions on how to join the party!