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
Observing Earth Day with Your Students
Caring for our environment is becoming more and more important every day, and with Earth Day just around the corner, we have a perfect chance to integrate some environmental consciousness into our learning. Today’s students are very aware of environmental
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,
5 Great Circle Games from Around the World
As I wrote last week, I love to play singing games with my classes. Not only are they fun and catchy, but they offer a lot of teachable content. It’s up to you what you want to pull out, but
5 Great Circle Games for Your Music Class
Singing, games, and holding hands! I love playing circle games with my kids. And my kids love playing them. They love the catchy melodies, the movement, and the challenge: For some games, that’s the challenge of doing the right thing
15 Fun Ways to Learn About Rhythm
I’m totally immersing myself in the philosophy that children need to experience music and internalize it, understanding it with the whole body, before we start “teaching” the elements. In addition, we need to present the learning to our students in
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
Exploring Musical Expression using Carnival of the Animals
One of the most important concepts we teach is communication through music, or what we might call musical expression. Music, I emphasize to my students, is not just here to entertain you or fill the silence at the grocery store.