Activate! By Heidi McCarthy, General Music VP


Free sample? Yes, please. Like most teachers, I am constantly on the lookout for ways to stretch my limited budget dollars. When attending workshops, I creep slowly through the vendor sections, scanning each booth for giveaway egg shakers and sample CDs. I smile hopefully at each person near a cash box who in- evitably looks at me either with understanding eyes and a sympathetic smile while holding out the complimentary “ACME Music Place” ruler, or with a darker, more sinis- ter sneer accompanied by a shake of the head. I scour the booklet of workshop offerings hoping to see the words “recorder provided” or “free music packet” and, when I do, immediately circle the workshop description in dark red pen (appropriated, of course, from a bowl held out by a kind merchant on my second trip through the vendor section.)


Then, one perfectly normal day, my mailbox opened to reveal a slim, brightly colored magazine. Assuming it to be a catalog, I glanced at the cover and was about to toss it aside when the words “promotional sample en- closed” caught my eye. (Promotional? You mean FREE?) The magazine, called “Activate!” was billed as a music classroom magazine for Grades K-6. As I opened the front cover, I noticed a sample list of the magazine contributors and was thrilled to see names such as Artie


Almeida, Loretta Mitchell, and Phyllis Weikart whose materials I use extensively and enjoy. In fact, one of the first activities in the book was “Mister Troll”, a fun game for K-2 students from Loretta Mitchell’s book “1, 2, 3, Echo Me!” with an Orff accompaniment and lesson plan by Donna Dirksing (creator of the “Orff for Every- one” books). The lesson plan listed suggested grade levels, concepts, and the materials one would need to teach the lesson; a clear, simple teaching process followed this. In addition, there were suggestions for ex- panding the lesson plan and for adapting the game and instruments parts for special learners. Other sample activities included movement, instrument parts, composer information, and fun worksheets for various grade levels. I knew that I wanted to subscribe but was apprehensive; surely a magazine with such well-known contributors and interesting lessons would be well out of my price range. Imagine my shock (and delight!) to discover that one year of “Activate!” (with CDs, more on that later) was only $64.95. I immediately sub- scribed via the website, have renewed my subscription each year since, and exclaim its merits to everyone I see.


Each issue of “Activate!” brings new ideas, activities, and literature to use with my students. Most lessons focus on singing, playing recorder, using boomwhackers or classroom instruments, listening, and moving to help all students learn. Concepts include pitch reading, rhythm reading, theory, history, char- acter education, and music traditions from around the world. Studying about jazz? Use the unit “From Rag- time to Jazz” from the April/May 2010 issue to teach students about Scott Joplin, Charlie Parker, Louis Arm- strong, Duke Ellington, and Ella Fitzgerald while listening, composing, and performing. Want to teach a les- son on Beethoven? See the December 2009/January 2010 issue for Doug Goodkin’s “Beethoven’s Funky


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