FAQ’s

I teach students from kindergarten to grade 6, and would like to purchase only one Teacher’s Guide. Which guide would be more appropriate?

We would recommend the blue guide (PreK-Gr. 3). This guide may be very easily adapted to teach students all the way up to 12 years of age with no problems at all. The gold guide (Gr. 3-7) is definitely too challenging for children under age 7.

 

If I am purchasing the Teacher’s Guide do I need to purchase the “Just for Kids” Guide?

No. The music maps, composer images, and activity pages from the “Just for Kids” Guide are all reproducible in the Teacher’s Guide and are meant to be reproduced for your students’ use.

 

Why would I want to purchase the “Just for Kids” Guides if everything I need is in the Teacher’s Guide?

The main reason would be to motivate and inspire the students to purchase the guides for their own use. The “Just for Kids” Guide has a few different, larger images of the characters from the stories, a different set of composer images, and the story is set in a larger font. It is a child-friendly, very simplified version of the Teacher’s Guides. Teachers are reminded that they will receive 15% of the total sales of the “Just for Kids” Guides.

 

Are the composer images and activity pages in the “Just for Kids” Guides reproducible?

No, they are meant to be used by individual students.

 

When would I circulate the order forms for the “Just for Kids” Guides?

I would recommend that they be given to students after the teacher has taught at least five selections.

 

Would this guide work for someone with little or no music background?

Yes. It is very user-friendly, with detailed lesson plans which lead you through the process step by step. For those who are visual learners, the DVD includes key teaching strategies and the teaching process for each lesson, as well as the final performance of each piece.

 

I do not feel comfortable singing to my students. Will this guide still work for me?

Yes. We have the lyrics sung on the first recording of each selection, so the teacher may simply play the recording for the students, if preferred.

 

Could I integrate this guide into courses other than music?

Yes! Our holistic approach works very well in the following subject areas:

Musical Theatre:  Storytelling and drama plays a large role in the process of teaching every selection.

Phys-ed:  Creative movement and dance is used in every lesson, either as a warm up or to teach how to move to various phrases/sections.

ESL:  The simple lyrics for the music serve as a wonderful learning tool for students learning English. Learning another language through music keeps it fun and interesting for students.

Special Needs:  Many Special Needs teachers are finding our Fun with Composers materials to be a very effective resource for students with special needs. Our simple lyrics, stories and fun music may be used with students of every age and ability. It is a great way to build confidence, as every child is able to participate at a level that he/she feels comfortable with. No child is ever excluded.


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