Velvet dreams

Hello there!  How are you?  Well, I hope!  I am really happy to have managed to join up with the Two birds Inspiration Monday challenge today since I've missed it for two weeks!
Up today is Jessica Timberlake (I'm wondering, is she married to Justin?)



As ever, a school version of the outfit!  Every garment I am wearing is in fact thrifted, except the shoes (George at Asda) and earrings. One of the many great benefits of joining in this Monday challenge is the fact that I wear things in my wardrobe that I don't wear very often (which might perhaps beg the point, why have I still got them? In this case, it is ideal costume-wear!).  This Victorian style (?) velvet coat is something I wear very rarely (last worn on this blog last Christmas for a concert in Victorian school marm style).  My inspiration Monday linking dictating my outfit is now known to one member of staff at school.  She asked me how I managed to put together so many different outfits and how I chose what to wear that was so diverse and so I told her I join in with Inspiration Monday though didn't tell her about my blog! She realised it today by my wearing Dalmation shoes!



I am intending to wear Christmas earrings for the last two weeks of term, so here are one none-too-gaudy pair.  Messed around with Editing program for the effects! (Claire's accessories).

Today was great on different levels.  In the morning with both Reception music lessons, I taught them a song-game called 'Bow wow wow'
Bow wow wow (clap partners hand), Whose dog art though? (wag finger at partner) Little Tommy Tucker's dog (hold hands and swap places in the circle) Bow wow wow (clap hands). 
They then turn and face the person on their other side and the process begins again. 

I've never sang or taught it before and it was surprisingly successful! We also learnt Little Johnny dances, also a song I've never taught before, which again, seemed to get them singing really well.  When we listened to Introduction and Royal March of the lions from The carnival of the animals, it was really nice that most of the children said the music reminded them of a lion or another big cat or large grand animal!

In the afternoon, year 6 lessons were on the whole quite good in terms of results.  I introduced them, in the guise of Igor Stravinsky (terrible Russian accent that had them absolutely silent!) to Petroushka and then got them to work on creating different elements of the music in their groups.  What they produced was really rather good, especially one groups whose work ACTUALLY sounded like the real Petroushka!  In this lesson, I actually end up putting the higher attainers together in a group (usually I split them up and mix groups) and the second class produced a highly complex, really rather stunning 8-part polyphony piece! I was rather amazed!  I am sure that tonight, most of the class will go home and listen to Petrouska on Youtube as when I teach this unit of work, I don't play it to them until the very end of term and then they are under threat that 'if your work isn't good, you won't get to listen to it and then you'll NEVER hear it!!!"  It works every time- they believe me and then go home and all voluntarily listen to contemporary classical music on Youtube!!!