Kagan for the Music Classroom
Hey there music teachers! Any of you out there ever heard of Kagan strategies and wondered how they would work in music class? I heard several classroom teachers mention them before, but didn’t really know what it was. I gathered that it was a cool set of strategies you could use in your classroom to […]
Elementary Music Room Setup
Hi readers! The school year is starting soon, and I’ve been busy in my classroom getting everything ready. If you’ve been looking for ideas on classroom setup for your elementary music class, then look no further. I’ve got a couple new ideas this year for my classroom setup that I’m excited to share with you. […]
Top Ten Back to School Music Resources for Elementary Music
Are you looking for some great resources for music teachers to start the year off right? In this post, I would like to share with you some of my favorite music teacher resources that I use in my classroom. These are my go to music resources that I use every year in my elementary music […]
Closing Up Shop: Must Do’s For the End of the Year Post-Planning Days
Congratulations, Teachers! The end of the year is almost here. We’ve made it! But before you start mixing your margaritas and planning your summer travel destinations, there is one more thing to attend to – post-planning. Those one or two days where you feel trapped in your room, waiting for your administrator to check you […]
How to Create Quick and Easy Sub Plans for Elementary Music
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 had a kid, I quickly […]
When You’re Away, the Kids Will Play: Musical Games to Leave With Your Sub Plans
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 Curriculum Fair and I thought […]
Sitspots: Mark Students’ Spots Without Ruining Your Carpet
Readers, I cannot tell you how long I have tried to find a way to mark things on the floor of my room (line for end of class, student spots, etc). However, nothing ever worked. Either it was to flimsy to withstand the daily abuse of kids, or it was something that would destroy my […]
Tips to Land Your Dream Music Teaching Job
Are you a recent grad looking for a music teaching job? Or perhaps you are back out on the job market for the first time in a while. This post will cover the steps before, during and after interviewing for a music teaching position. With the helpful tips I have included, you will be well […]
Get on Your Feet: A New Way to Teach a Song to the Class (part of the Getting Started with Gordon Series)
Usually when teaching a new song, many teachers (including myself) start by having the class echo you in small pieces, gradually adding more until they sing the whole song. This can be efficient, but it can also be problematic. Do you ever have a song you are trying to teach to your kids, but they […]
Getting Started with Gordon: Reading Notation
A couple weeks ago, I started a series – Getting Started on Gordon, to introduce Music Learning Theory to teachers. You can check out the first parts here: Getting Started with Gordon – Intro Getting Started with Gordon – Learning Levels Getting Started with Gordon Demo Video Today I’m going to talk about the last two […]