The principal keeps telling me that he wants me to concentrate on art (not music), but to do what the teachers request. The fourth and fifth grade teachers want more music than art. This doesn't fit with what I was hired to do!
This morning, after being more bombarded with the idea of teaching more music than art, I talked to the principal to see what I should do or how I should handle this request. He told the teacher that he hired me to mostly do art, but to also do what the teachers request as to music. This situation was so overwhelming since I don't know this music, and I don't have sheet music to help with my learning it and teaching it to the students. Also, how am I supposed to be concentrating on art, when the teachers want music and are so upset that this isn't my main function? I almost started to cry, but told myself to let it go and then started thinking about how I can incorporate both of these ideas.
The fourth grade program isn't too big of a deal since I at least have all the music on CD and cassette tape along with the words written out. My plan is to have them sing the songs once/twice through every time they come in and then to simply play it in the background until it is permanently stuck in their heads! The plan is similar with the fifth grade, except that I don't have a CD (only a DVD which won't play in a CD player, ugh!) of the music or the sheet music and apparently no one has the sheet music! I do have some of the overheads for the music, but I will need to get a working projector, since I tried mine this morning and it doesn't work properly (it's either projected wall size or blurry). I need to somehow get a CD of the Hope of America songs to play while they are working, because the DVD doesn't play loud enough on the computer.
A thought just occurred to me that the art teacher is letting me borrow a TV/DVD player and it should play loud enough on that in order for the students to hear it. That way they will also at times see the actions that go along with the songs, whew! Problem solved.
A few groups of students also haven't finished their portrait drawings or even started them! This morning, as each group came in, I had them all do it as a group with me explaining each step. The majority of them stayed on track a lot better doing it this way rather than having them see the whole thing demo'd and then reproducing it. A few of them struggle with following directions. They want to do things their own way instead of the way that's being taught (it's harder than the way they are used to doing things). I reminded several of them that this is a graded assignment and that they need to follow directions and just do their best!
I'm glad that I get the afternoon break at the high school! What a long morning!
p.s. This morning was faculty pictures. I wonder what they will look like??? I hope mine looks nice!
