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Cate Schmittle » Schmittle Bio

Schmittle Bio

Ms. Schmittle holds a K-12 teaching endorsement in music. Ms. Schmittle graduated with honors from Temple University in Philadelphia with degrees in music education and Spanish language and literature. She is certified in all three levels of Orff Schulwurk. She is dedicated to public school education and arts integration. She has been teaching at Decatur since 2015. Her favorite way to teach music is through active music making and utilizing student created performances. When she is not teaching, she enjoys cooking, singing in many choirs in the city, and being outdoors.
Schmittle
Ms. Schmittle with some guitars donated by Little Kids Rock
 

Posts

6th Grade students have been collaborating with 2nd grade music buddies to create music based on emotions. 6th grade students are using a melody created by a 2nd grade student on chrome music lab's Songmaker  and 6th grade students are arranging it on Soundtrap. This project is also a collaboration with Ms. Koreman. Each 6th grade student created art based on orchestral music to inspire their music as well! 
3rd Grade students have started learning a new instrument - the recorder! They ended this week by composing a song using the notes BAG on flat.io and shared them with small groups! This picture is one of their fabulous compositions! 

Partnership with Chicago Symphony Orchestra

Ms. Koreman and Ms. Schmittle are working with the grant program CSO Connect to create arts integrated lessons with the incredible music and leadership of the CSO's Civic Fellows! 2nd grade room 106 and 6th grade students are embarking on this project together. They will be listening, analyzing, composing and creating based on each others ideas all around the essential question: How can music and visual art express emotions?

4th Grade Composers

One of the hardest parts about making and creating music online is lag. We have trouble playing together like we can in person. Despite this, we learn to be better listeners, kinder friends to our classmates, and we endure challenges! Decatur 4th graders created performances anyway with recorders and percussion. They are the owners of their music making - and that is way cool even the virtual space

Music and our Emotions!

Decatur 5th and 6th graders have been learning how to use loops to create music. Each student named 4 emotions they have been having lately. They chose loops to represent each emotion and created a short song. They then presented their work to the class and described how the music fit how they were feeling. It is so important that we take time to talk about how we are feeling and express ourselves inside and outside of the classroom! Great work Decatur students! 
 
I have attached one example. This student was feeling: Tired, Peaceful, Excited, Frustrated. Can you tell what each layer of the music means?
4th Grade students are composers! We used songmaker on chrome music lab to compose BAGE songs for the recorder. We shared them in breakout rooms and learned each other's songs. Some groups even created percussion parts for their music. Awesome job 4th grade students! 
Music Learning Space
The new music space is coming together! This is an incredible classroom where students have access to all the instruments. They can move, play, and learn, and create music from Kindergarten all the way up through middle school. I am so excited to be able to share it with the incredible Decatur community! 

7th Grade Podcast Project

7th grade students have been using soundtrap to create podcasts, product jingles, and cover songs! This week they are even starting working on their own original songs! Click on the file to listen to one of the wonderful podcasts created! 
2nd grade students can play two instruments at once! This week they practiced moving, playing, and chanting in compound meter! They used found percussion instruments and body percussion to perform an ostinato while they spoke our fish poem. Ask your second grade student and they can teach you too! 
Composing
Last week, 1st Grade students used manipulative to create 8 beat patterns made of quarter notes and quarter rests. After, each composer performed their pattern in a unique way. They used instruments and all different types of body percussion like stomping, patting, snapping, or clapping. Ask your student - I bet they would share their pattern with you! 

3rd Grade Explores Electronic Music Making!

3rd grade has done an incredible job exploring a new application on their iPads, GarageBand. They have learned how to record or "sample" a sound and use it to create a melody. They created their own drum tracks using a beat sequencer and they chose loops to add to their creations. There is one project attached here to so can hear what it is like! I can't wait to hear what happens when they apply these new skills into our new project over the next 3 weeks. 

Welcome Back to Music at Decatur!

Hello students and families! I am so excited to see many of you on Tuesday and start the year. Even through google meet we are going to laugh, sing, and play music together! Enjoy my contribution to the vast array of Hamilton parody videos flooding the internet.

Found Drum Challenge

Decatur's 4th and 5th grade students participated in a found drumset challenge! Click on the video to see a few of their creative ideas of how to recreate each sound on the instrument.