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Thoughts from a PYP music teacher

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“High” doesn’t mean loud: Clearing up the confusion

Pitch and rhythm are a great pair in early childhood music. Students often use the words “high” and “low” to talk about “loud” and “quiet”, which we want to sort out as early as possible. Teaching in an international school,

Janine 5. June 20215. June 2021 Assessment No Comments Read more

Soundscapes with Listen to the Rain

This is my second book recommendation this month! With no singing allowed under strict covid-19 restrictions, I’ve been diving into more books. Bill Martin, Jr.’s Listen to the Rain provided a great backdrop for my Pre-Kindergarten classes to explore all

Janine 28. March 202111. July 2021 Uncategorized No Comments Read more

12 EASY Ideas for Distance Learning in Elementary General Music

With schools in harder-hit countries closing due to the new coronavirus, I know I’ll have more colleagues around the world who are forced into online learning or some other kind of remote learning (for students without dependable internet access). So

Janine 22. February 20203. September 2020 Teacher Tips No Comments Read more

Composition and Notation, Part II: Moving to Traditional Notation

If you haven’t read Part I, have a look there first. At some point, the graphic notation will start to prove difficult. Students who are making more conscious, precise decisions about dynamics, pitch, and rhythm will need an equally precise

Janine 2. September 20166. August 2016 Thoughts No Comments Read more

Composition and Notation, Part I: Don’t Sweat the Small Staff

I used to get very frustrated trying to teach notation or getting students to accurately notate their compositions on the staff. But I’ve changed, and so can you!* Don’t get bogged down with notating compositions. It kills the creative flow.

Janine 25. August 20166. August 2016 Thoughts No Comments Read more

Composing with Body Percussion

It’s a frustrating thing the day you realize that your Grade 4 students are still confusing beat and rhythm, and that they don’t read rhythms quite as well as you imagined they should. I dare say—and feel free to challenge

Janine 11. January 201626. July 2020 Group activity, Inquiry, Unit No Comments Read more

Composing with Legos

Legos are great for so many reasons. But this year I discovered one more. The most basic LEGO Duplo bricks come in lengths of 2 and 4, which is perfect for all the work we do with 4/4. This wasn’t new

Janine 27. February 201529. October 2015 Group activity No Comments Read more

Expression and the Elements of Music

In Grade 2, I do a focus on the elements of music, reviewing many familiar terms (tempo, dynamics, pitch) and introducing new musical terminology as well. It’s the common PYP cycle of analysis and synthesis: We break the music down

Janine 14. December 20149. August 2015 Group activity, Inquiry, Unit 2 Comments Read more

Trying out GarageBand

I’m dabbling more and more in Apple’s ubiquitous GarageBand now. I used to think it was too complicated for my primary school students (without spending more time than it’s worth, anyway). But as I started playing with it, with very

Janine 4. December 20149. August 2015 Inquiry No Comments Read more

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