Eight years ago, I bought six erhus for my third grade classes. At the time, it was a modest idea: breaking down the idea that the violin, viola, cello, and bass are “the string instruments”. It’s an idea that is
25 Tips for De-escalating a Tricky Situation
This started as a list of tips for de-escalating situations with students where there might be a potential disruption, some serious emotional dysregulation, or times when I need to speak to a student after class and one or both of
FREE Professional Development for Music Teachers!
Do any of these sound like you? 🎵 Exhausted from constantly writing lesson plans🎵 Wishing you could get students more engaged🎵 Stuck between concert prep and standards, and wondering how to fit in creativity🎵 Ready to add some new tools
Elementary Music Summit 2026
Thanks for joining me at the Elementary Music Summit for Reggio in the Real World! I really appreciated the opportunity to explore these ideas with you and consider what music learning can look and feel like when children’s curiosity, creativity,
Elementary Music Summit Freebie
I hope you are enjoying the Elementary Music Summit! Click here to download my freebie, “Using Picture Books to Develop Musical Thinking”! For more tips on curating a DEIJ-friendly library, watch here. Check out some (sub-friendly!!) book-based lesson resources here.
Three simple steps to developing creativity
There is no question that creativity is a vital skill for the 21st century. But at the same time, thanks to the increasing obsession with standardized testing and other high levels of quantifiable achievement, creative subjects like art and music
Engaging Your Students Through Inquiry
Thanks for joining me for Engaging Your Students Through Inquiry! You’ve already taken a great step to better teaching and learning in your music classroom. Be sure to subscribe so you you can download your free teacher planning workbook, and
13 Tips for Giving Better Directions
Approaching my 20th year of teaching, I am thinking about how different my practice is now, compared to my first years. There’s so much that methods classes just don’t teach you! Some aspects of teaching can only be learned through
The Easy Guide to Getting Started With Ukuleles
General music teachers are bringing ukuleles into their classrooms now more than ever! And many of you are like me, and never really played the ukulele before bringing it into your classroom. And although I’m not a huge fan of
Vocal Exploration in Music Class
It’s one of the first things you’ll do with your early childhood music classes. The voice is the instrument we carry with us, and vocal exploration exercises help children physically feel pitch changes. Playing with their voices is an important