Skip to content
Janine's Music Room

Janine's Music Room

Thoughts from a PYP music teacher

Menu

  • About Me
  • My Teaching
  • Resources
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy

PYP

Three simple steps to developing creativity

Janine's Music Room: 3 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

Janine 1. March 20241. March 2024 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

12 EASY Ideas for Distance Learning in Early Years General Music

The coronavirus situation is still pretty stable, so schools here are open for the foreseeable future. But with schools in harder-hit countries closing, I know I’ll have more colleagues around the world who are forced into online learning or some

Janine 19. February 20203. September 2020 Teacher Tips No Comments Read more

10 Tips for Using Learning Centers in Specialist Classes

I’ve been experimenting with learning stations, or centers, in my music classroom. I’m always intrigued when I walk into classrooms that are set up with exciting experiments, games, and other provocations for learning. But a long time passed between admiring

Janine 16. September 201820. July 2019 Group activity, Teacher Tips No Comments Read more

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,

Janine 26. February 201827. March 2018 Inquiry, Teacher Tips 1 Comment Read more

Using the PYP Attitudes

I was a bit slow to work this out, but having the Learner Profile and Attitudes on my walls had an incredible impact on my teaching. My teacher training, though fairly progressive, did not prepare me for PYP teaching. The

Janine 20. July 20175. August 2017 Teacher Tips No Comments Read more

Using Music to Develop Critical Thinking

For many teachers, making the change to PYP can be overwhelming, not only with all the jargon, but the complete shift in thinking. It’s not that the concepts are strange—it’s not even that we weren’t already doing these things. The

Janine 24. May 201624. May 2016 Inquiry No Comments Read more

Response-ability

Response-ability: I was introduced to this term in a workshop with Cathryn Berger Kaye, a former teacher who focuses on service learning, and it has really stuck with me. Instead of “responsibility” we think about “response-ability”: Anyone has the power to

Janine 13. May 201623. May 2016 Thoughts No Comments Read more

Responding to “I don’t know”

“I don’t know.” It’s a common response from students, particularly on those days when I make a point of calling on students who are avoiding eye contact and trying to hide behind someone. And I will start by saying this:

Janine 21. April 201621. April 2016 Inquiry, Thoughts 1 Comment Read more

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

Janine 5. March 201621. April 2016 Inquiry, Thoughts 2 Comments Read more
  • « Previous

Archives

Categories

  • Assessment
  • Group activity
  • Inquiry
  • Performance
  • Song
  • Teacher Tips
  • Technology
  • Thoughts
  • Uncategorized
  • Unit
  • Whole class activity

Janine's Music Room on Teachers Pay Teachers

High quality teaching assets to wow your students and save you time

Take me there

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org
Copyright © 2025 Janine's Music Room. All rights reserved. Theme Spacious by ThemeGrill. Powered by: WordPress.