I’ve been experimenting with learning stations, or centers, in my music classroom. I’m always intrigued when I walk into classrooms that are set up with exciting experiments, games, and other provocations for learning. But a long time passed between admiring
Classroom management from the first minute
I start every year thinking about changes I’m going to make to improve my classroom management. I have so many colleagues whose calm, quiet, relaxed personalities spread to their students. I think I need to accept that my energetic and
Seesaw – An Introduction for Specialist Teachers
If you don’t know about Seesaw, back up quickly to read what I love about it here. If you are ready to see how specialist teachers can utilize this tool—because let’s face it, very few teaching tools are made with
I Have Found It: A Digital Portfolio Solution
I have been through several attempts at digital portfolios, but last year my school introduced me to one that has my interest: Seesaw. So today I thought I’d share some of the reasons I find it effective with my students.
20+ Questions to Guide Inquiry-Based Learning
A teacher new to PYP asked me recently, “How do you do inquiry in a specialist class?” I remember how confused and overwhelmed I was when I first landed in a PYP school. I was the only music teacher there,
4 Easy Tricks for a Quieter Classroom
Music teachers have an amazing tolerance for noise. All primary school teachers deal with the calling out, the obliviously loud voices, and all that, but the music classroom multiplies that. After all, we don’t usually sit at desks—maybe not in
Don’t Teach
I’m trying to incorporate more singing games and play parties into my music lessons. They are a great way to teach not only singing, but beat, pattern, form, etc. They also develop social skills, like eye contact, holding hands, taking
Dynamic Displays
Do you find it difficult to display all the things you’d like to for your many classes? Try using your interactive whiteboard or projector as a dynamic display for each of your classes. Create a desktop-sized graphic that can be
Using the PYP Attitudes
I was a bit slow to work this out, but having the Learner Profile and Attitudes on my walls had an incredible impact on my teaching. My teacher training, though fairly progressive, did not prepare me for PYP teaching. The
Save Your Voice (And Your Sanity)
Do you have those days when you get home and you just don’t have any voice left? Music classrooms are LOUD—and I’ll be the first to admit that it’s partially due to my loud and excitable personality—but I have often