Teaching notation for music can often be done in a vacuum. We teach the music notes, but how often do we apply it into songs before, during and after focusing on the new note values? Today I wanted to give you some useful suggestions of tools you can use to
Rhythm poker chips are one of my favorite ways to get some quick composing going on in the classroom. I have bags of red (rest), white (paired eighth), and blue (quarter) poker chips. Usually I have each kid take two quarters, two eighth note pairs and one rest. First, you can
April is the mont that I focus on composing with my students. So the next couple posts will show off the projects I do with different grade levels to sum up some of our knowledge from the year. Then, we have a Composer Fair where parents can check out student
Do you struggle with sub plans for elementary music? The joke often goes it’s easier to come in sick than to write sub plans as a teacher. I remember nights of feverishly (literally) writing lesson plans I could leave for a sub in the morning. It was HORRIBLE! When I
So if you have not yet heard of Recorder Karate, or you’ve heard of it but aren’t that familiar with it, then you want to start here: Recorder Karate Resource Board Today’s post deals with taking the Recorder Karate System and making some small changes to make it work better.
A while back I showed you guys a video about Charlie Parker (set to the Night in Tunisia). Today I pulled that same video back out (I love looping old songs back in later in the year – or in a different grade – in order to teach a new
Today’s post comes courtesy of one of my colleagues – Sydney Johnson. She thought up some awesome musical games that you can leave with a sub, so your kids are actually learning musical content while you are gone! At the Florida Music Conference, she presented this awesome idea at the
This song was a big hit with my fourth graders (they especially liked the part where they get to go “HUH!”). The song is called Calypso Freedom and tells the story of the Freedom Riders, a group of civil right activists who rode integrated busses into the Deep South. For
The Song How many of you have heard of the Caribbean folk song Hill and Gully Rider? If you haven’t I advise you to look into it and add it to your list of go-to songs. There is so much to like about it. First of all, it is about
Coming up with ideas for your elementary music lessons can be hard. Often I find myself staring at a blinking cursor and trying to think of just the right activity to fit my lesson for the week. But then I was scrolling Pinterest and came across a great idea from
I am an elementary music teacher, blogger and mom on a mission to make teaching and lesson planning easier for you. When I’m not working, you can find me at home enjoying life with my husband, daughter and two cats.
