It’s back to school after a refreshing break, and I’m ready to jump back in! And since I’m learning to enjoy my breaks instead of always working through them, I needed to come back with something that didn’t take much
Write the Room: Notation on the MOVE
Okay, I’m probably pretty late to the game on this, but I saw a friend doing a phonics activity called “Write the Room”, and the kids LOVED it! Even the kids who hated writing were having a blast trotting from
Energize your music class with these Kahoots!
I know I’m really behind the times on this, but I discovered Kahoot! this year, and my music classes can’t get enough of it! After I use one to review a lesson, they always ask for more. If I say
Easy assessment of music concepts—even for a sub!
The chaos of pandemic-year teaching sure compelled me to streamline my assessments! When working with early childhood classes, a lot of the learning is focused around contrasts in four main concepts: duration (long and short), tempo (fast and slow), dynamics
Recorders—at school or at home
Despite many jokes about children playing the recorder, music teachers know that the recorder is an accessible first step towards playing other instruments. It can be difficult for a small child to play a melodic instrument. String instruments require left
Are choice boards really that great? (Yes!)
Choice boards have exploded in popularity, especially with the expansion of online learning. They allow for differentiation, creativity, and student agency. You can use them to practice skills and concepts, build inquiry projects from them, or just use them for
Easy Classroom Hack for Recording
With this brilliant hack, the students aren’t self-conscious, and their individual voices are captured on the computer, louder than the other voices in the room.
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
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.
Google Forms as Exit Slips
Here’s an idea for people who are fortunate enough to have computer access. If you are in a one-to-one school, or even if you have a class set of iPads, this is something to try! Instead of a paper exit