Sigma Alpha Iota

MUSIC MEDLEY Help for the Music Classroom By Dorothy Kittaka and Linda White I n our first Music Medley column (Fall 2009) we introduced a new program of one on one mentoring using experienced SAIs in music education to mentor beginning music educators. While several SAI members have signed up to serve as Music Education Muses (MEMs), we would like to enroll at least 10 more. This would allow our seasoned SAI music educators to contribute in a more global manner. We encourage qualified SAIs to apply as MEMs by requesting an application from Dorothy Kittaka at MusicEd@ sai-national.org . Those SAI music educators who would like to have a MEM as a mentor can also request an application from Dorothy at the same email. Exchanging ideas can be very helpful for both the novice and seasoned educator. The MEM mentoring program can be the start of beneficial dialogue where lesson plans, resources, materials and creative ideas are shared, as SAI connections are made across the country. Many school systems do not provide mentors for the arts and SAI's MEM program could be the missing link offering valuable assistance to new teachers. Forms may be downloaded from the national website at sai-national. org on the Music Education page of the Resources section. W e are happy to recommend two resources that will help the classroom teacher: Ballet for Martha: Making Appalachian Spring by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan A most compelling book, Ballet for Martha: Making Appalachian Spring is a classic that belongs in every library. Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan's picture book with watercolor illustrations by Brian Floca tells the story of the creation of Appalachian Spring and the connections of Isamu Noguchi's sets, Aaron Copland's music and Martha Graham's choreography. Their vision is documented from the beginning of the story to the 1944 performance at the Library of Congress. This book highlights the simplicity of the story and the genius of the collaboration: the search by Graham for the perfect movements suggested by Copland's distinct music and the addition of Noguchi's angular, spartan sets. You will want to share the unfolding of this great piece of America's art with your students from grades three through seven. The Kamishibai Classroom, Engaging Multiple Literacies Through the Art of "Paper Theater" By Tara M. McGowan, I got acquainted with Kamishibai ten years ago and was enthralled with the idea of using this unique form of storytelling with my music classes with integration into their classrooms. It helped me create my own ideas of how Kamishibai could be the catalyst for creative thinking, writing, composing, drawing, and The Kamishibai Classroom and Ballet for Martha can be of valuable help to teachers. painting. What Tara M. McGowan has done in her book, The Kamishibai Classroom is to take her brilliant ideas and put them into a book which will help teachers use this engaging form of storytelling in your classrooms. This hands-on elaborately illustrated book contains a gold mine of ideas, which is written in such a way that the step-by-step instructions leave the reader excited to jump into the world of Kamishibai, Japanese "Paper Theater." Kamishibai is the art of storytelling developed in Japan from the late 1920s through 1950. Candy peddlers on bicycles with a small wooden theater containing storycards traveled from neighborhood to neighborhood to make a living telling engaging stories. With the invention of television, the Kamishibai Man lost his audience. However, it is making a comeback in Japan and the United States with many of the stories translated into English. Tara M. McGowan is a doctoral candidate at the University of Pennsylvania in the Language and Literacy in Education division of the Graduate School of Education. She is also a visual artist and storyteller who has spent many years working and studying in Japan. I would highly recommend this book for creative educators who want to spark your lesson plans with a new way of collaboration with other areas of learning. You may get this book and Kamishibai by going to the website: kamishibai.com. The next issue of Pan Pipes will be the composer issue. To continue that theme in our next Music Medley column we will share avenues for teaching students about composers. We would love to include your ideas and ask that you share successful lessons you've used in your classroom or studio. Please send your ideas to Linda.White@fcps.edu. sai-national.orgfall 2010 PAN PIPES 3

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