I am wondering about the use of gestures in my elementary music classes. I already do a lot of movement and movement activities. Do these count? For instance, when reading rhythms, the students must put them in their hands (personal drums). A rest is both hands thrown (silently) out to the sides. We walk phrases (turning in the other direction to begin a new one), feel fast and slow, high and low, legato (smooth) and staccato, etc. through movement. I use Kodaly hand signs for singing pitches (do re mi, etc.) and also use body positions for pitches, especially with the younger set who have more difficulty with the more complicated hand signs.

Do such whole body movements count as gestures? How might I incorporate gesture into teaching music that is in line with the whole brain teaching methodology?

Another thing I do a lot is teach certain songs with American Sign Language. Would this count?

Thanks for any guidance specific to my specialty.

Diane Woodward aka Cadenza

Hi Karma-

I attended WBT Midwest TODAY and asked Biffle those same questions! So here is what I took from our conversation that may be helpful to you:

Yes, I would most definatlely say whole body movements count as gestures. Any kind of movement connects in the brain. The bigger the movement, the stronger the connection, therefore, whole body movement is great.

Several teachers have started incorporating ASL as gestures. If you explain to the student the meaning behind the gesture (sign language) you have made yet another connection in the brain, therefore enhancing comprehension.

Overall, Biffle stressed that it is YOUR classroom. You have to do what works for you and your students best.

Happy Teaching!
Heather

Heather,

Thank you so much for giving me this information. It confirms what I already thought. My post was two years ago. I now have two years experience using the method, and I have also been to two National Whole Brain Teaching Conferences. I prefer more specific gestures, although I also encourage children to create their own. I have read research that says one of the most important things children must learn early on are "same" and "different". At WBT conferences, they tend to use the words "compare" and "contrast'. To me this is more the jargon that teachers understand, but I think especially younger children are more comfortable with "same and different". At conference they used a hitting fists together gesture (sideways for compare, up and down for different). I much prefer the ASL gestures which are index fingers side by side together for "same" and pulling them apart laterally for "different". I find ASL to be my BEST resource for gestures. I have a wonderful app on my iPhone called "Sign4Me" where I can type in a word, phrase or sentence and the virtual character will sign it for me. I can look at it from virtually any angle. Many signs are based on the manual alphabet which my student love to learn. Signs often have a practical basis, although it may be archaic. But teaching them this meaning does strengthen that connection!

I am glad to learn that all of the movements that I have done for many years prior to discovering WBT "counted".

It takes some modifications to do WBT in the music classroom, but I think it has definitely been worth all of the effort to change my own habits of 20 years and make it work for me.

So we are finishing first quarter today (which is hard to believe). I am using gestures for practically everything. Wanting to hear some of your ideas if you don't mind sharing. Using whole brain the kids now seem to fully understand all the basic note values and can read rythms as I give it to them. I am thrilled!

Heather

Heather, I have my children "write" music as well as read it with their bodies. We play what I call the "Composers Game". I have four pieces of construction paper numbered one through four (using stronger colors for 1 & 3 such as red, yellow and weaker colors for 2 & 4 such as blue and green). Choose the meter to write in (I start them off in 4) and lay out the "beats" across the floor. Choose a "composer". The composer then chooses people from the class and turns them into musical notes. My only rule is that when it is eighth notes, it has to be two people of the same gender so they don't get silly "linking up". The composer puts the notes on the beats.

For instance, he may say, "Joe, you are a tah (quarter note)" and he puts Joe standing straight and tall with arms to his side behind beat one. Jane and Jill, you are "tee tees" (or whatever you say for eighth notes) and puts them on beat two. They have to link their bodies together...across shoulders or link elbows if they prefer. Then he might say "John, you are a Two-oo" (or whatever you say for a half note) and John stands with one foot behind each of beats three and four. The class then claps the measure "tah, tee-tee, two-oo" and I put it on the board. Then we read it from the board (clapping or on instruments). I say, "What do we need?" and they chorus, "a bar line!". Then Joe picks a girl to be the next composer. We continue the game until we have 8 measures and then they decide on either a repeat sign or double bar line and we read the entire composition. (FYI, a whole note is one person who has to lie down across all four beats. A rest turns sideways, gets on knees and sticks arms out like a Z). Even my first graders can compose like this and first through fifth all enjoy the game.

Later pitches can be added to the game. I use body positions rather than Kodaly hand signs. So is on shoulders, mi on waist, do on knees, etc. The composer tells each note in the rhythm what pitch he/she is and they take that position. Then the rest of the students can sing the measure. The notes can be transferred to the staff (I use auto striping across my white board) or the rhythm put up with the names or initials of the pitches under them.

Ladies I am thrilled to read your conversation above! I have been very successful this year, so far, with gestures! I especially love that there is a power pic wall up for daily review with all of the gestures! Are you guys incorporating the power pic wall as well?

Heather Hansen
Wbt Intern
2011/12

Yes, I have a Power Pix wall. Of course, we have to come up with our own Power Pix because none are available for music. But, hey, I can do that! I am attaching a couple of pictures of them, so the colors aren't bright like the real thing, but those are tiffs and I don't think they will upload.

Unfortunately, because we have to make these modifications for our subject; i.e., we don't have a red and a green wall with language and math, we aren't considered to be "model WBT classrooms." But I assure you, I incorporate all aspects of WBT as closely as is possible considering I teach MUSIC. I have plenty of student teachers who observe me, so I am a model even if I am not "official", LOL! I always give them links to the videos and this site.

Heather, I have a lot more Power Pix up now than the photo of the wall on my previous post shows. I took that about the second week of school. I should probably explain the little colored flags. Since I teach kinder through 5th, I needed a way to keep up with to whom I had presented each concept. So I assigned a color to each grade and when they have a lesson that includes the concept, I put their color flag on the power pic. They will remind me if I don't..."We've done that and you haven't given us a flag!" So the flags are a bit of a reward to them, I guess.

Nice job of incorporating WBT into music! Isn't it wonderful that the principles apply across all teaching genres?

Cadenze-

I love, LoVe, LOVE IT!!! I most definatley will be using the composing idea with the kids very soon. What a fun and engaging way to learn to sight read! I can't wait to try it!

I have made some power pics but didn't put them up because I was trying to figure out a way to document who learned what information. Plus I don't want the Kindergarten students to get lost while looking for "their" information on the wall. I printed the notes & rests (quater, half, whole, eighth, etc.) on different color card stock thinking I might try that. I like the look of your pics much better. Wondering if you would be willing to share your school e-mail address with me? We can share files and tweek things till it is just right then post it here for whoever else might be interested What do you think?

Looking forward to hearing from you again.

Heather

Oh, yeah!