West Music strives to bring you timely updates on new products as they come into the market such as Artie Almeida’s Woods, Metals, Sakers, Skins. We are excited to provide timely information about new print materials on a regular basis to keep you up to speed, along with sharing our insights on how our customers can use these products in the classroom. As usual, please send us your feedback and reviews, or add them to the individual product pages on our website.
Woods, Metals, Shakers, Skins: Hoop Group Activities for Your Active Music Room
by Artie Almeida
Artie Almeida is at it again! This new release is a continuation of Percussion Parade, which was released in February. She had so much information for that book, it had to be broken up. Hence – here comes this new book using Hoop Groups! This book deals with non-pitched percussion instruments – those made with wood, metal, shakers, or skins. Artie uses a hula hoop as an organizing visual and has students gather around various hoops, with each hoop containing a basket of similar timbre instruments. The first half of the book contains lessons about exploring the different timbres of the instruments. The second half has students play the instruments with recordings.
When you purchase Woods, Metals, Shakers, Skins you will receive access to downloads with projectable and printable material to support the lessons. Artie has also created playlists on Spotify and iTunes with suggested recordings for the second half of the book. A variety of music is used, from classical to pop, and Artie even ties one lesson into Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day!
Woods, Metals, Shakers, Skins is a great way to introduce students to the various non-pitched percussion instruments, timbre, improvisation, rhythm, and much more!
Zap! Bam! Now! Superheroes of Music
Written by Lucy A. Warner, Illustrated by Patrick Ackerman
Do your students need a new way to remember their composers? The “Zap!” Superheroes of Music series envisions 12 composers as superheroes. Each composer has a specific “power” that relates to something specific about that composer. For example, Francesca Caccini can tune stringed instruments by sending electrical charges through her super-powered hands. Igor Stravinsky can summon the magical powers of the Firebird to save a Russian prince!
Zap! Bam! Now! is the second book in this series, following Zap! Boom! Pow! Twelve composers are depicted as superheroes with graphic novel-style illustrations in each book. We know your students will love this unique way of learning about composers. Both books contain several resources in the back such as a glossary, a list of musical instruments in the orchestra, a composer timeline, map, and quotes, and a listening/viewing guide to the most significant works of each composer. Visit our website to see which composers are featured in each book.
The Wonder of Music: Celebrating the Importance of Music in All Our Lives!
By John Jacobson and Lynn Brinckmeyer
We always need ways to advocate for music in our schools, and The Wonder of Music presents a creative way to do that! This product contains two sections.
Section One presents a musical revue by John Jacobson and Lynn Brinckmeyer that can be performed with all seven songs, or by choosing individual songs to fit specific occasions. An optional connecting script is provided. Therefore it can be customized to fit any situation. Songs include:
- Music is an Everyday Thing
- Many Things I Learned, I Learned Through Music
- Playing Music is Hard Work
- A Song in My Heart
- Working Together (with Orff Ensemble)
- If I Didn’t Have Music
- Our Place in the Choir
Section Two contains information on ten attributes of music education and how children benefit from them. This section was compiled in partnership with the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) and their Broader Minded Campaign. These attributes are: decision making, grit, multiple ways of knowing, creativity, collaboration, communication, critical thinking, emotional awareness, reflective learning, and process orientation.
This product provides another way to get advocacy information out to the community in the best way possible: performances by the students who benefit!
Available as a teacher edition with student PDFs, or as a Performance Kit (including teacher book, student PDFs, and digital access to audio files).
Watch a preview of the music here!
Ants in My Pants: 13 Funtastic Animal Songs with Creative Movement Concepts for Unison Voices
By Sally K. Albrecht
Have your students curl up like a cat, hop like a bunny, leap like a frog, wiggle like a worm, swim like an otter, and more! This collection of songs about the ways animals move will have your younger students howling and dancing with laughter! Sally Albrecht has created 13 unison songs for in-class exploration or on-stage entertainment! Animals featured include ants, cat, bunny, mouse, lion, frog, worm, turtle, spider, crab, otter, birds, and penguin.
This collection is available as a teacher’s book with reproducible student pages, a separate enhanced CD with audio and PDFs, or as a bundle with book and CD in one. Here are samples of the songs:
Andrea Pelloquin was a Education Consultant specializing in print materials, recorders, Nuvo instruments, and puppets at West Music. She formerly was a public school music teacher and spent the last 15 years in the world of music publishing and retail. She has also maintained a private flute and piano studio for over 20 years.
