About Me

Home About Me

Hi there! My name is David.

I love teaching music to kids! This school year marks my 14th full year as an educator in public schools. I make music with 500 brilliant, elementary school students on a daily basis at Prairie Ridge Elementary School in the DeSoto School District just outside of Kansas City.

I’m a Nebraska native and Midwesterner at heart. I graduated from Greenville College (IL) in 2008 with a Bachelor’s Degree and then went to the University of Missouri – Kansas City Conservatory where I earned my Master’s Degree studying Choral Conducting and Music Education (2011). I completed my Orff Schulwerk certification at Baker University in KS and I can’t say enough about how happy I am to have taken all three Orff levels and a master class! I pursued further training in Orff Schulwerk and am now an AOSA approved Teacher Educator for Orff Schulwerk pedagogy at summer levels courses.

When not teaching or writing about teaching here on the blog, I do my best to connect with other music educators around the country. I have presented clinics and workshops throughout the country at the local and state levels. I am a past president of the Mid-Michigan Orff Schulwerk Association and am an active member of the American Orff Schulwerk Association. Check out my newest adventure by looking in Apple Podcasts for “Make Moments Matter: A Music Education Podcast!1

Why Make Moments Matter?

Why is this website called ‘Make Moments Matter’? Isn’t it supposed to be about music? “Make Moments Matter” is one of my three main classroom rules (read about them here) and a phrase that helps to guide my life. As teachers we constantly shape the lives of the students we teach through what we share with students and how we react to them. Here is what I tell my students and what I would share with all of you: “Don’t waste an opportunity. Sometimes you only get one chance to do something. When you get your chance, don’t be scared. Don’t be overwhelmed. Don’t run off crying before you try. You can do it! Take a chance! Dream big! Make every moment matter!

Workshops

Workshops In Your Area

I love getting the chance to share lesson ideas, scaffolding tips, dances, games, centers, and so much more through in-person workshops. Below you’ll find a list of all the workshops happening this year as well as workshops I’ve shared in the past. Click through to see if there’s a workshop happening in your area!

Workshops 2024-2025

MusicPlay Virtual Summer Symposium – FREE
“Ukulele: Day One and Beyond!”

September 14, 2024: Capital Area Orff Chapter (Austin, TX)
“Small Steps – Avenues for Improvisation”

September 28, 2024: Treasure State Orff (Missoula, MT)
“The Art of Possibility: Exploring and Expanding our Horizons”

October 12, 2024: North Central Wisconsin Orff Chapter (Stevens Point, WI)
“The Art of Possibility: Exploring and Expanding our Horizons”

October 25, 2024: Manitoba Music Educators Conference – Tempo 2024 (Winnipeg, MA, CAN)
Four Sessions – For details visit conference website.

October 26, 2024: Manitoba Orff Chapter – “Fall Fiesta” (Winnipeg, MA, CAN)
Three Sessions – For details visit conference website.

November 13-16, 2024: American Orff Schulwerk Association National Conference – Des Moines, IA
“Critical Thinking in Orff Schulwerk” – For details visit conference website.

January 31, 2025: Colorado Music Educators Association State Conference (Colorado Springs, CO)
Three Sessions – For details visit conference website.

February 7, 2025: Kentucky Music Educators Association State Conference (Louisville, KY)
Three Sessions – For details visit conference website.

March 1, 2025: Central Ohio Orff Chapter (Plain City, OH)
“Small Steps – Avenues for Improvisation”

March 8, 2025: Utah Orff Chapter (Salt Lake City, UT)
“Critical Thinking in Orff Schulwerk”

Private Workshops for School Districts 2024-2025
Fall 2024 – Sedalia Public Schools, MO

Workshops 2023-2024

July 26, 2023: Kentucky Music Educators – Summer Session (Bowling Green, KY)
“Small Steps – Avenues for Improvisation”

August 3-4, 2023: Wyoming Chapter of American Orff-Schulwerk Association (Cheyenne, WY)
“The Art of Possibility: Exploring and Expanding our Horizons”

September 14-17, 2023: Alaska Orff Chapter (Anchorage, AK)
“The Art of Possibility: Exploring and Expanding our Horizons”

October 14, 2023: Northwest Ohio Chapter of American Orff-Schulwerk Association (Maumee, OH)
“Small Steps – Avenues for Improvisation”

October 21, 2023: Michigan Music Educators General Music Fall Workshop (Detroit, MI)
Three Sessions – For details visit conference website.

January 20, 2024: Simpson College Department of Music (Indianola, IA)
Sing, Play, Think: Critical Thinking for Everyday Learning

February 1-2, 2024: Ohio Music Educators Association State Conference (Columbus, OH)
Various Sessions – For details visit conference website.

February 10, 2024: Oklahoma Orff (Edmond, OK)
“The Art of Possibility: Exploring and Expanding our Horizons”

February 22-23, 2024: New Jersey Music Educators Association State Conference (Atlantic City, NJ)
Various Sessions – For details visit conference website.

March 23, 2024: Greater Augusta Orff Chapter (Augusta, GA)
“Divide & Conquer: Small Groups and Learning Centers”

April 6, 2024: First Iowa Orff Chapter (Cedar Falls, IA)
“It Starts With A Story”

Private Workshops for School Districts 2023-2024
July 2023 – Des Moines Public Schools, IA
January 2024 – Canyon ISD, TX Virtual PD
Spring 2024 – Sedalia Public Schools, MO

Workshops 2022-2023

August 2, 2022: South Dakota Music Educators – Summer Session (Mitchell, SD)
“The Art of Possibility: Exploring and Expanding our Horizons”

August 27, 2022: Memphis Chapter of American Orff-Schulwerk Association (Memphis, TN)
“The Art of Possibility: Exploring and Expanding our Horizons”

September 17, 2022: Pittsburgh Golden Triangle Chapter of American Orff-Schulwerk Association (McDonald, PA)
“Divide and Conquer – Small Groups and Learning Centers”

October 15, 2022: Minnesota Chapter of American Orff-Schulwerk Association (St. Paul, MN)
“Small Steps – Avenues for Improvisation”

October 29, 2022: Berkshire Hudson Valley Chapter of American Orff-Schulwerk Association (Albany, NY)
“The Art of Possibility: Exploring and Expanding our Horizons”

November 3-5, 2022: American Orff Schulwerk Association National Conference – Kansas City, MO
Two Sessions – For details visit conference website.

November 17-19, 2022: Iowa Music Educators Association State Conference (Ames, IA)
Various Sessions – For details visit conference website.

February 3-4, 2023: Utah Music Educators Association State Conference (St. George, UT)
Various Sessions – For details visit conference website.

February 25, 2023: Idaho Orff-Schulwerk Association (Nampa, ID)
“The Art of Possibility: Exploring and Expanding our Horizons”

March 25, 2023: Capital Area Orff Chapter (Austin, TX)
“Small Steps: Avenues for Improvisation”

April 15, 2023: Northwest Arkansas Travelers Orff (Fayetteville, AR)
“Sing, Dance, Create!”

China Education Symposium – Children’s Education Panelist through the Harvard Graduate School of Education
“Children’s Literature in Music Education”

Private Workshops for School Districts 2022-2023
August 2022 – Birdville ISD, TX
January 2022 – Grand Island, NE

Workshops 2021-2022

August 14, 2021: Central Carolina Chapter of American Orff-Schulwerk Association (Durham, NC)
“The Art of Possibility: Exploring and Expanding our Horizons”

September 11th, 2021: Philadephia Area Orff Schulwerk Association (Virtual Workshop)
“Singing Intentionally: Making decisions about what to teach and why”

September 18th, 2021: Greater Chicago American Orff Schulwerk Association(Morton Grove, IL)
“The Art of Possibility: Expanding and Exploring Our Horizons”

September 25th, 2021: St. Louis AOSA Orff Chapter (Ellisville, MO)
“The Art of Possibility: Expanding and Exploring our Horizons”

October 2nd, 2021: Greater Milwaukee Orff Chapter (Oconomowoc, WI)
“The Art of Possibility: Expanding and Exploring our Horizons”

October 9th, 2021: Heart of America Orff Chapter (Belton, MO)
“The Art of Possibility: Expanding and Exploring our Horizons”

October 21-22, 2021: Newfoundland and Labrador Music Educators Association (Virtual Workshop)
Four Sessions – For details visit conference website.

October 22, 2021: Manitoba Music Conference (Virtual Workshop)
“Stories That Sing” – For details visit conference website.

November 3-6, 2021: American Orff Schulwerk Association National Conference – North Charleston, SC
Two Sessions – For details visit conference website.

November 17-18, 2021: Nebraska Music Educators Association (Lincoln, NE)
Four Sessions – For details visit conference website.

November 20, 2021: The Youth Chorus of Kansas City (Kansas City, MO)
“Sing and Play to Start the Day”

December 6, 2021: Music ConstructEd (Virtual Workshop)
“Stories that Sing”

February 12th, 2022: “Sunshine State Workshop” Central Florida Orff Chapter (Virtual Workshop)
“Sunshine State Workshop”

February 25, 2022: Kansas Music Educators Association (Wichita, KS)
Three Sessions – For details visit conference website.

March 5th, 2022: Middle Tennessee AOSA (Virtual Workshop)
“Stories That Sing”

April 9th, 2022: The Maine Chapter – AOSA (Virtual Workshop)
“The Art of Possibility”

May 4th, 2022: Teaching with Orff
“Ctrl+C/Ctrl+V: Copy and Paste Activities for the End of the School Year” with Casey Goryeb and Natasha Thurmon

Private Workshops for School Districts 2021-2022
February 2022 – North Kansas City, MO
March 2022 – Fulton County, GA

Workshops 2020-2021

July 14, 2020: Tennessee Arts Academy – Interlude (Nashville, TN)
“The Tennessee Arts Academy trains more than 300 K–12 educators every summer, who in turn impact over 150,000 Tennessee students each year. This week-long experience is hosted by Belmont University in Nashville”

August 29th, 2020: Atlanta Orff (Virtual Workshop)
“Ukulele Adventure: Resources, Process, Planning, and More!”

October 3rd, 2020: Kansas Orff Chapter (Virtual Workshop)
“Being Intentional: Purposeful Planning with Kids in Mind”

October 10th, 2020: Florida Elementary Music Educators Association (Virtual Workshop)
“Strum Along: Getting Started with Ukuleles”

October 17th, 2020: Tidewater Area Orff Chapter (Virtual Workshop)
“Being Intentional: Purposeful Planning with Kids in Mind”

October 24, 2020: Greater Milwaukee Orff Chapter (Virtual Workshop)
Sing Play Think: Critical Thinking for Everyday Learning

November 7-8, 2020: North Carolina Music Educators Association (Virtual Workshop)
Four Sessions – For details visit conference website.

January 21-23, 2021: Alabama Music Educators Association (Virtual Workshop)
Four Sessions – For details visit conference website.

January 30th, 2021: Northern Plains Kodaly Chapter (Virtual Workshop)
“Ukulele Adventure: Resources, Process, Planning, and More!”

February 6th, 2021: Northwest Arkansas Travelers Orff Chapter (Virtual Workshop)
Stories that Sing! Using Children’s Literature in the Elementary Music Classroom

February 14, 2021: Mississippi Music Educators Association (Virtual Workshop)
Four Sessions – For details visit conference website.

March 21st, 2021: North Dakota Music Educators Association (Virtual Workshop)
Four Sessions – For details visit conference website.

April 17th, 2021: North Florida Orff Chapter (Virtual Workshop)
“The Art of Possibility: Expanding and Exploring our Horizons”

Workshops 2019-2020

July 15-19, 2019: Tennessee Arts Academy (Nashville, TN)
“The Tennessee Arts Academy trains more than 300 K–12 educators every summer, who in turn impact over 150,000 Tennessee students each year. This week-long experience is hosted by Belmont University in Nashville”

September 21st, 2019: Central Arkansas Orff (Little Rock, AR)
“The Art of Possibility: Expanding and Exploring our Horizons”

October 19th, 2019: Tidewater Area Orff Chapter (Norfolk, VA)
“The Art of Possibility: Expanding and Exploring our Horizons”

November 1-2, 2019: Saskatchewan Music Conference (Regina, SK Canada)
Four Sessions – For details visit conference website.

January 16, 2020: Oklahoma Music Educators Association (Tulsa, OK)
Four Sessions – For details visit conference website.

January 23-26, 2020: Georgia Music Educators Association (Athens, GA)
Two Sessions – For details visit conference website.

February 7-8, 2020: South Carolina Music Educators Association (Columbia, SC)
Two Sessions – For details visit conference website.

March 22-24, 2020: North Dakota Music Educators’ Association (Bismarck, ND)
Four Sessions – For details visit conference website.

March 27-28, 2020: Mississippi Music Educators’ Association (Virtual Workshop)
Four Sessions – For details visit conference website.

Private Workshops for School Districts 2019-2020
July 2019 – Cobb County, GA
August 2019 – Cleveland County, NC
October 2019 – Whitfield County, GA

Workshops 2018-2019

August 25, 2018: East Alabama Music Educators Fall Conference (Auburn, AL)
“Divide and Conquer: Small Groups and Learning Centers”

October 13, 2018: South Carolina Foothills Orff (Greenville, SC)
“The Art of Possibility: Expanding and Exploring our Horizons”

September 15, 2018: GMEA District 7 (Rome, GA)
“Divide and Conquer: Small Groups and Learning Centers”

January 25, 2019: Missouri Music Educators (Tan-Tar-A Resort, MO)
Two Sessions – For details visit conference website.

Texas Music Educators (San Antonio, TX)
“Divide and Conquer: Small Groups and Learning Centers”

May 9, 2019: AOSA Profesional Learning Network (Online Event – Available in the AOSA Online Media Library)
“Classroom Routines” – American Orff Schulwerk Association

Private Workshops for School Districts 2019-2020
October 2018 – Amarillo, TX
December 2018 – Geary County, KS
January 2019 – Collinsville, IL
October 2019 – Whitfield County, GA
June 2019- Hinsdale, IL

Workshops 2017-2018

Here is a list of workshops and conference sessions where I presented during the 2018-2019 school year:

November 11-14, 2017: North Carolina Music Educator’s Association Conference (Winston-Salem, NC)

Four Sessions – For details visit conference website.

February 24, 2018: Mid-Michigan Orff Schulwerk Association (Haslett, MI)

“Divide and Conquer: Small Groups and Learning Centers”

March 9, 2018: Detroit Orff Schulwerk Association (Ypsilanti, MI)

“The Art of Possibility: Expanding and Exploring our Horizons”