I just finished a 6 week AROUND THE PIANO Artist in Residence with Capitol Heights Elementary School in Maryland-all made possible by The Prince George’s Arts and Humanities Council in cooperation with Prince George’s County Public Schools.

The staff and administration at CHES were wonderful, and the students were great fun!

We sang, danced, laughed, talked, performed, created and learned about Personal Character together. I am better for having spent time with all of you!

FRANKIE GHEE

If you know what all the acronyms mean, you get a gold star⭐️

More sights and sounds of MD!

3rd-grade-ches-igu-music-day-1.mp3

ches-4th-grade-learning-wia-of-myself.mp3

ches-solfege-with-2nd-graders.mp3

Music makes it real🎶🎼🎹

Thanks to Prince George’s Arts and Humanities Council and Prince George’s County Public Schools!

Stay tuned for more sights and sounds…

ches-day-1.mp3

We can tailor Around the Piano sessions to fit your schedule, population, objectives and budget.  However, it is the goal of every Around the Piano program that participants will have a positive experience with group singing, and growth in the following areas: 

·        Increased individual confidence and feeling of acceptance within the group setting

·         Appreciation of music as tool- for communication,  improving health and wellbeing, expressing and preserving culture, connecting diverse populations, teaching concepts, and sharing stories

·         Self-awareness through inquiry and exploration of a Personal Code of Character

·         Group synergy/team building through increased empathy, cooperation and collaboration

·         Improvisation and creative problem solving

·         More Joy, more laughter, more music

                        allaroundthepiano.com

This program was made possible by support from the Prince George’s Arts and Humanities Council!

Integrating Group Singing and Character Education into a Social Studies Class!

Special Thanks to Ms. Olivia Hubbard and the awesome 7th graders in her class, Ms. Emily Wise, Principal Womack, the entire staff and student body of Robert Goddard Montessori School, and the Prince George’s Arts and Humanities Council!!

Contact us for information about how to bring ATP to your school or organization.

SING YOUR HEART OUT, AND SOMEONE WILL HEAR YOU!

The start of a new year or new semester creates a perfect opportunity to begin explicitly teaching students to develop a personal code of character.  Your post-holiday gift can be intentionally creating a haven for self-expression, creativity and empathy in your school.

AROUND THE PIANO/CHARACTER BUILDING SONGS is a resource you can use to get students talking, writing and singing about what it means to “be a good person” or “do the right thing.”  These original songs and lessons will help you get the second half of the school year moving in the right direction.

Be explicit.  Let your students know that you’re using songs to talk about character because music is so very powerful.  Let them know that you’re taking the time to do it because you care about them and you know your group will be better if you get to know each other and feel safe in this space.

1. Bring your group together around the real or imaginary piano in your classroom.  Spend time teaching an ATP song that you feel comfortable with (because you can sing it through like you own it, and the lyrics suite the message you want to share with your group today).

2. Have everyone sit down, preferrably still around the piano, but wherever works.  Start the conversation (example)Let’s talk about Winter Break.  Did you notice anyone doing something surprisingly kind? Surprisingly brave? Surprisingly honest?  What happened? Why do you think it happened that way?  What do you think/hope you would do in a similar situation.  Share a true story of your own.

3. Ask your students to write or draw a short description of their personal experience and what they learned from it or how they felt.

4. Sing the song again as a reminder of where you started.

5. Help your students write new lyrics for the song using ideas from your discussion.

6. As a group, and with great care and respect, sing all of the lyrics your students are willing to share.  Have fun with it.  Try not to make it a test or something that can end in failure.  Celebrate every effort equally.

7. Play with the song.  Encourage your class to create harmonies.  Add rhythm , or instruments or movement all the while singing positive messages over and over again.  Eventually something will stick.😀

*Depending on your group, you might do this in small segments over the course of the semester or make AROUND THE PIANO a regular part of your weekly routine.  Take the steps in the order that fits your classroom and your style.  Remember, you’re doing good work because you’re teaching music and listening to your students.  You can’t lose.

Consider hosting an AROUND THE PIANO workshop for staff in your district.  We would love to work with you!

SING YOUR HEART OUT, AND SOMEONE WILL HEAR YOU!

Around the Piano/Character Building Songs for Teens and Preteens is an engaging resource that promotes social, emotional and character development while improving climate through singing, lyric writing and discussion.

What brings you joy?

What brings you joy?

Thank you Camp Journey!  Thank you Kools!

I had a blast with the campers and team leaders at Camp Journey at Ross Point in Post Falls, Idaho this week.   I  met with a small group of younger campers and loved their willingness to share about favorite songs, sing, dance,  experiment with percussion instruments, play with plastic cups, and cheer for everyone.   Remember 1,2,3,4,5,6,7…..?

I am super impressed with how kind and open everyone was with each other and with me.

If you want to know more about Camp Journey, visit http://rosspoint.org/camp-journey

It’s an amazing program!

p.s.  You can call me “Treble”

This is where we live

Tea Cup and Treble Music Program

Heading to Post Falls for my last session

Woo hoos

Frankie

ABOUT AROUND THE PIANO
Around the Piano is a resource for teachers and team leaders that uses music to get young people talking, writing, singing and creating about character.

During my years of teaching Middle School Choir in Spokane, Washington, I found that my students loved coming down around the piano and singing easy versions of songs like, “Glory, Glory” and “This Little Light of Mine.”  They sang with full voices and without the usual shyness that was the norm for many of them, especially the boys.  When we were around the piano, there was the feeling of singing around the campfire or in the living room during the holidays.  Students sang with ease and confidence.  I started letting them take turns with solos and duets and small group singing.  This became one of our favorite things.  We added percussion, movement, harmonies, and improvisations.  Eventually though, we grew tired of singing the same few songs over and over again, and I was inspired to write my own “Around the Piano” songs.
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In my classroom,  the space around the piano became a safer place to sing out and to make mistakes, a place where only encouraging comments were allowed.  “Around the Piano” became a cue to be more friendly and more brave.  With ATP, the piano is not the important thing.  Songs can be accompanied by any instrument or sung a ‘Capella.  Your “around the piano” space might be a corner in the back of the room or a circle on the floor.  It can even be as simple as a decreased formality and an expectation of welcoming behavior and acceptance.
I used these songs in my classroom to help establish a healthier climate and give students a foundation in concepts of good character which they could build on into adulthood.  Themes of good character are embedded in the “Around the Piano” songs.

The ten songs and lessons in this volume were written specifically to appeal to older students. They are less sing-songy than what I might write for elementary students. However, they are not at all hard to learn and can be easily modified to fit your group.  I have used ATP successfully with elementary, middle school, high school, and adult participants.  I have used ATP in and outside of the music classroom.  One of my favorite experiences was using ATP with several 8th grade English classes in Mead, Washington.

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The ATP lessons help teachers and team leaders use the songs as discussion starters that lead students into story telling and writing lyrics.  When students share and sing each other’s lyrics, some very powerful insights and interpersonal connections are made.  Increased empathy and improved climate are the main outcomes, but the benefits of group singing, discussion and lyric writing can be observed over multiple curriculums.
I hope you will  spend some time on this website, and feel free to contact our team with your questions, and comments.  Please consider  organizing an AROUND THE PIANO training for your staff, school or district.

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In the meantime, sing your heart out, and someone will hear you!
Frankie Valinda Ghee