April brings Earth Day, which is observed by people in countries all over the world. For the most part, our students have some awareness about the environment, and they quite naturally feel the need to take care of it. No
Instead of “I don’t know”
Okay, the title is a ruse. Children say, “I don’t know.” You can’t stop them. It’s a go-to response, it’s natural, and it’s fine. But what we want is for students to not stop there. “So you don’t know (or
Context, Not Drills
There is a lot of debate about homework these days. When I was in school, homework was pages of multiplication problems, or reading a text and answering simple recall questions (usually worded identically in the question and the text, so
In the Audience: A How-To
We often spend so much time composing, practicing, and performing in Music that we overlook the role of the audience. After all, music practiced for a performance is generally prepared and performed for an audience. And though music as a
Singing Games
I’ve just had a refreshing return to my roots! Today was the last day of a three-day Kodály course with Dr. James Cuskelly. It’s been fifteen years since I was really focused on the Kodály Method, but it was just
What’s on your Walls?
Many PYP schools have guidelines about what should be on the walls, but it is worth stopping to reflect once in a while about what you are doing with this valuable teaching space. That’s right: teaching space. I’ve found that
Exploring Musical Cultures Through Concepts
All the way back to my teacher training, I have always tried to incorporate as much “world music” (sorry, I don’t like that term) into my teaching as possible. From PreK and all the way up, we sing in many
Getting the most out of lessons
A studio teacher friend of mine shared this with me today, and I just want to pass it on. I know that many parents ask me for advice regarding private lessons for their students. Many parents want to start their children
Holiday Concerts
It’s that time of year again. As an international teacher, you would think there is even less pressure to put on a holiday-themed concert. The end of term lends itself to a culminating performance, sure, but with such a diverse
“Sitting Beside” Your Students
Another interesting moment at the weekend’s workshop: I learned that the word “assessment” has its roots in Latin. That’s no surprise, given that a huge chunk of English words have their roots in Latin. What is a surprise is that