Maine Motif Issue 2, Vol. II (Winter, 2018) | Page 20

it in depth, because they’re experiencing it. They’re experiencing what it feels like to
have someone sing a SongTale to them. And my students love it. There’s something
about crowding around and listening to an adult sing to them. It’s the same way that
kids love read-alouds. Even middle-schoolers love read-alouds, because there’s a
human connection. SongTales give us this really developmentally-appropriate
experience they might not experience at home.
And we can give them experiences that are different from… perhaps what we
experienced when we were students. Having parents come into the classroom and
for informances… and having parents say “You’re teaching our kids that? That’s
amazing! How did you…?” And what’s even better is having the opportunity to share
resources with families that they might be able to create a similar experience at
home with their children.
C: Earlier today I had the opportunity to watch the dress rehearsal for your
informance with second, third, and fourth grade students. I also observed your
Kindergarten and first grade students during music class. Something that stood out
to me in both settings is that your students are very aware of being beatful, tuneful,
and artful, because you use that language throughout your classes, and because they
know what their learning targets are. Actually, could you talk about the language you
use for learning targets?