music in the classroom

I have had the opportunity lately to sub at many different schools and grade levels. I am, by choice, a high school teacher but have had some great time in the past year with kindergarten classes. What always strikes me is the amount of music the teachers use. They have songs for everything. Songs to wash their hands, songs to get their books out, songs to line up, everything. It is a great tool for getting the kids all focused on the same task (the task the teacher wants them focused on) and getting them quiet at the end of the song. It got me thinking about how as the kids age that music is faded out of the classroom. When I had a high school class of my own I would still play music from time to time but mainly just instrumental stuff as a background. We definitely didn't have any songs.
 This got me thinking about how music was so beneficial to those younger kids and what makes it not used with older ones. It might be the expectation that the older kids don't need a 're-focusing tool' or should be quiet on their own. Which would make sense.
 But then I got to thinking about how music aids in memory. I could probably sing every word to American Pie right now but couldn't recite all the state capitals even though I learned both of those around the same time. But I can recite all the states, in alphabetical order no less. Anyone out there learn the "Fifty Nifty United States" song? Because I bet you are probably singing them right now. So why is music not used more in education? It obviously works.
  Just food for thought for this week.

Compelling Film Storyboard

Hello all!!
 First this was posted on wednesday but apparently the internet doesn't like me and it never uploaded. My fault for not checking. So to those who were waiting with baited breath I apologize. Here they are!!

Before you applaud too loudly I would like to saw I never won the gene pool of drawing skills. So let me walk you through the idea that didn't fully make it from my head to the drawing board.
Frame 1- First we open on a closed door. Excited dog waiting to go out. less than excited owner.
2 - then black. a voice over sighs
3- repeat first clip
4- repeat sigh voice over and black screen
5 - repeat first clip
6 - repeat sigh voice over and black screen
7- First clip again but this time it slows down, door opens and the dog jumps
8 - Screen freezes and words: The Walk dissolve on screen
9- Scene 1: rush outside and then stop and focus on the clouds
10- Between scenes clip of fast/frantic walking
11- Scene 2 : Close up pan through a tree.
12 - frame 10 repeated
13 - Scene 3: cars speeding past.
14 - frame 10 repeated
15 - Scene 4: close up of a squirrel
16 - frame 10 repeated
17 - scene 5: a view through the grass. this will be the only shot as if the walker were a dog
18 - scene 10 repeated
19 - scene 6: viewing the home
20 - scene of relaxing owner and dog together
21 - repeats the first clip (like frame 7) but the words this time are The End

So my thoughts on this "compelling" film are to take that excitement of a walk that the dog has and make the owner (viewer) experience it as well. From interesting angles and shots I want to make the things a owner sees more interesting. Hope you Enjoy!!