Musical Theater, Yodeling and the Senses:

Informational Interview Report

PAIGE

Page surprised us with a great topic, Musical Theater. She specifically focused on the audition process by giving students tips on to get ready for an audition. Fortuna and Nate volunteered to read for two of the characters Paige brought to class. The lesson was dynamic and instructive and Paige was able to convey the importance of auditioning when one wants to be part of a musical play.

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Yodeling Encourages Fun Vocal Play

VICTOR

Victor took a big risk in presenting Yodeling as the topic for his lesson. He explained the origin of the vocal technique, demonstrated how it done, show videos of it and finally, invited the whole class to sing together. What seemed at the beginning like a very difficult task, slowly began to sound like an ensemble. Actually, the song Victor gave the students was sang several times, and every time, not only it sounded better, yodeling and all, but the students began to enjoy it.

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Write Livelihood

ANGELA

Angela taught the last class of the day. She brought our attention to the senses. She introduced her topic by brainstorming and giving examples. She shared pictures for her class of first graders. She connected the concept with drawing examples where the senses are used. The final activity captivated the students attention like not other. Victor and Kennedi volunteered to be blindfolded and create two shapes, individually, with play-doh. Kennedi came up with a duck and Victor with a flower.

Lesson Plan

Objective: Students will be able to identify and describe the five senses - hear, smell, touch, taste, see

Introduction:

●     Ask the students if anyone can tell me the five senses

●     Review each sense and what they do

●     Show examples of what each sense is used for

Evaluation:

●     Make five groups with the students

●     Assign each sense to a group and have them complete the worksheet that goes with their sense

●     Share with the class what they drew

Assessment/Review

●     Complete the My Five Senses worksheet together as a class

●     Review all of the senses

●     Fun Game at the end of class: have two students volunteer and blindfold them so they cannot see. Give them play-doh and tell them to make something with their hands only using their sense of touch. Have the class vote on who’s play-doh creation was better. Relate the game back to how we are we able to distinguish different senses.

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Feedback

"Today in class we had 3 separate lessons. Our first lesson was about auditioning for actors. Paige spoke to us about what to expect in an audition and how to conduct ourselves. We were then given a monologue to practice using the techniques Paige taught us. Our second lesson was conducted by Victor. He told us the history of yodeling, showed us some examples of yodeling and explained how to actually yodel. We were able to then sing as a group using a price of music which Victor handed out. It was really fun to do this as a group. Our last lesson was taught by Ange. Ange informed us on the 5 senses which we use. She went into detail about sight, smell, touch, taste and hearing. I thoroughly enjoyed all the lessons today and it was fun to work in groups with my classmates." Tina

"I liked the way she made it very clear of the five senses and made sure the class understood. The activity helped engage students. The yodeling presentation I also liked. The entire class was engaged because of the music" Tommy

"All of today’s lessons were so much fun and interactive. These lessons would have been awesome for real students because they would have a chance to express themselves. I like how the monologue and five senses group had different elements of theater like the performers and an audience. The yodeling lesson was great because some students may be embarrassed to sing a solo but together it was fun and I can’t wait to show off my new skills." Danielle

"Today I liked learning about auditioning for a play and the 5 senses. Auditioning for a play is very interesting because of the level of preparation that is needed. This is similar to preparing for a job interview. This topic is barely covered since people are more focuses on business careers and I like how Paige shed some light onto this industry. I like learning about the 5 senses because it helped me inspire some creativity in both drawing and sculpting. It was something that I hadn’t done in a while." Victor

"Paige (musical theater): musical theater is fantastic I use to go to a play every time I go to NY. This lesson was great because it’s interesting to know and learn how the actors gets their parts. Victor: at the begging of the lesson I don’t even know what’s yodeling but at the end I had fun. Angela: This activity was very cool she use all The senses. Maybe I would recommend more activities." Fortuna

"Today’s classes were very well thought out and really engaged the class. Paige had a confidence in her that intrigued me to pay more attention to her presentation. The activity was also fun and learning about the skills you need to audition for theatre was very interesting. Victors lesson was one of a kind to say the least. I didn’t know much about yodeling so I enjoyed learning about it and singing along to an old famous yodel song. The last lesson about the five senses also really engaged the class by making us draw something that correlated to one of our five senses. Overall a great day!" Tiff

"Rehearsing for a musical: I liked this lesson because I am very fond of musicals. I liked the teacher's enthusiasm and tone, as when she spoke everyone else was silent and paying attention to what she was saying. It was also nice to see people from the classroom participating, specially for the Peanuts characters because I am a Peanuts fan. Yodeling: This lesson was really funny, and it is always good to have a good laugh in the classroom. I had never heard of this term and he made it very easy to learn and engaging because of how funny it was, I think this is good for kids and their class engagement. The 5 senses: The clay activity was really good, because it was both challenging and engaging since we all wanted to know what they were doing. Probably in a first grade classroom kids would be fighting to participate in the activity."

"The musical audition was a good idea and interesting and new. The yodeling was funny and also interesting to know about didn’t know the background of it nice to know. The play-doh in the last presentation was a nice touch when speaking of the five senses." Joe

"Victors was very creative & interesting & relevant to pop culture because the Wal-Mart kid is very popular right now. I thought he provided a great amount of information before we did the activity. I think for next time he should have someone perform in front of everyone. The Five Senses was also such a great class! Simple, easy and learned a lot. I thought the activity was creative & interesting and something that everyone was active in watching." Paige

"I greatly enjoyed all of the lessons during today’s class. I really liked the use of play-doh to make art and practice our sense of touch. Some improvements on the the warm-up exercises would have been the only things I would change. Overall, the presentations were very interactive and informative." Masai

"Today’s class was really artistic. The first class I learned a lot about auditions because I had no idea what one needed for an audition. The second class was really cool. I learned about yodeling, which was really interesting. And the third class was cute, for little children to learn about the 5 senses.  I think its great that lessons have improved by adding art." Myra

"Musical Class: I found this class really interesting because I have never been taught this before. The videos were especially helpful for this class to understand the different types of musicals and how they work. Yodeling Class: This class was quite funny as yodeling is not a common class to teach. The class singing all together was a nice activity. Five Senses Class: Angela did a really great job using visual representations for this class. It was nice that she included the class during the discussions on her PowerPoint as it kept the class engaged the whole time!"  Kyra

"I liked the yodeling presentation because it was very fun and engaging. It was nice to learn something new. I learned more about theater auditions that I didn’t know about before. I liked getting to practice something people in theater do all the time." Ange

"Today's class was fun. Paige's musical lesson was interesting and I liked that she allowed us to practice our own monologue. Victor's lesson was relevant to current times. The yodeling boy is going viral right now, so it made the lesson fun and exciting. Angela's lesson was cool and I really liked the activity with the blindfolds and the Play-doh. It would be perfect for young kids. It kept my attention, so little kids would be even more captivated." Mackenzie

"I love today’s class, the yodeling was very fun. The class of the 5 senses was very unique and cool with the play-doh game. That small things is what make the difference." Carmen

"Paige: really cool class. Gave a pretty good idea on how to audition for a musical, which is something many of us have not done. Victor: laughed and enjoyed the class a lot. Never imagined myself yodeling, actually really cool. Angela: the activity with the play do was really cool. She gave many examples of what she was teaching, making it easier for us to understand." Isabella

"How to audition for a musical:This lesson was full of lots of insightful tips and fun facts about auditioning for plays. Yodeling: This was an interesting experience and a surprise of a class. It isn't something I ever expected to learn and it was a lot of fun! Senses: I liked how simple and thorough this lesson was. It was perfect for a young class and the activity was great!" Alexia

"I enjoyed the presentations. They were all fun and kept us engaged. I loved that they had interactive and fun activities to keep us intertwined. I learned how to yodel :) Amanda

"I liked Page presentation. Particularly, I loved her spontaneity while presenting. It made the class even better to follow. Also I thought that the activity at the end was good and challenging in the same time!" Lucy

Suggestions

The way a some students were called out and put on the spot in the "auditioning" presentation may not engage everyone in the class and can make some students feel uncomfortable.

There could be planned more dynamic activities with everybody for the three lessons.

More examples of musicals.