With upbeat lyrics and award-winning music, Alex and his guitar bring children on a wonderful musical journey. This high-energy program will have students up on their feet, dancing and interacting with the music. Topics of social and emotional awareness are explored through song so that students are more comfortable with their own emotions, and are better able to empathize with others by understanding the commonality of human experience. A wonderful, feel-good program that will leave your students feeling more connected to themselves, each other, and the world around them!

Program Outline:

• Welcome/Introductions (5 Minutes)
  Each school will have 30 seconds to introduce themselves at the beginning of the videoconference. Please share the name of your school, where you are located, and an interesting fact about your school or community. We’ll call on schools in alphabetical order.
  

• Presentation by Alex Mitnick (35 Minutes)
  Join Alex for this fun-filled presentation including interactive song and movement exercises.

• Wrap-Up (5 Minutes)

Pre-Videoconference Activities:

• Activities in the Teacher’s Guide: Review the Teacher’s Guide (under resources) and select activities you’d like to do with students prior to attending the videoconference. Students should be familiar with some of the Kaleidoscope songs.

• Create your school introduction: Each school will have 30 seconds to introduce themselves at the beginning of the videoconference. Please share the name of your school, where you are located, and an interesting fact about your school or community.

Post-Videoconference Activities:

• Reflect: Have students write a written reflection about the program or conduct a classroom dialogue with students. What did they enjoy about the videoconference? What did they learn?

National Educational Standards:

Participation in this program meets the following standards, as outlined by the Consortium of National Arts Education Associations:

• Students sing in groups, blending vocal timbres, matching dynamic levels, and responding to the cues of a conductor
• Students respond through purposeful movement (e.g., swaying, skipping, dramatic play) to selected prominent music characteristics or to specific music events (e.g., meter changes, dynamic changes, same/different sections) while listening to music

About Alex Mitnick:

Alex grew up in the suburbs of Boston and then Philadelphia. He graduated from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia with a degree in Jazz guitar with an emphasis on composition. Alex began teaching music to young children while in college and currently directs the music program from infants to eighth grade at the Princeton Montessori School in Princeton, NJ. He is also on the faculty of the Princeton Center For Teacher Education where he directs workshops for non-“musicians” who wish to incorporate music into their classrooms.