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Creating and using rhythm dice in your classroom. Great for small groups or learning centers.
July 24, 2019

Rhythm Dice for the Music Room

Have you seen pictures on Pinterest or Facebook with colorful rhythm dice and thought, “How cool! But, how would I use them? Would I need to make them? How should I do that?” I had all of those questions and then one day the dice dropped into my lap and […]
Picking Partners! Here are three simple tips and tricks to get students into groups of two in the music room.
June 18, 2019

Duet Directions – Procedure Tricks for Making Partners

For me, the biggest things are the little things.  I love learning simple tips and tricks from other teachers that help to smooth out the wrinkles in their classrooms and make the teaching process just a little easier.  Teaching a group of 20-30 students at a time can be totally […]
June 6, 2019

Rhythm on the Wall – Content Driven Bulletin Board Ideas

I love the challenge of creating a bulletin board that excites and delights students… but I know that not everyone feels the same. For some folks, coming up with bulletin board ideas and then actually pulling out all the materials to create those displays can be a huge hassle. You […]
April 21, 2019

Decorating for a Concert in the Gym

At my school we have our musical performances in the gym. Not on a stage that’s connected to the gym, just in the open gym. Our student population is large, we don’t have a stage big enough for all the kids, and we just don’t have the option of having […]
Instrument Playing Center with Station Sign.
January 21, 2019

Station Signs for Music Learning Centers

One of the most difficult things about learning centers is the organization, rotation, and logistics.  Center rotations can fall apart when students don’t know where to go or what to do at each station.  If a student needs to move from one station to another I do my best to […]
Books for Movement Exploration
September 21, 2018

Children’s Books for Movement Exploration

I love children’s literature and any time I go to the mall, a big box store, or really anywhere that sells anything I always gravitate towards the children’s book section.  One specific thing that I usually look for are books for movement exploration.  If you really look and sift through […]
Children sitting in circle for centers activity.
May 9, 2018

Music Center Logistics – The How, What, and Why

Learning centers can be fun and educational – a place where students get to explore and work with friends to complete objectives.  There is a ton of potential for everything to go right and for students to learn at their own pace and expand their knowledge of a topic while […]
April 22, 2018

The Five Best Learning Centers for the Music Room

I think that every teacher has heard of “using centers” in the classroom and has probably been asked by an administrator, “How do you incorporate small group learning?”  The concept of learning centers is pretty straightforward:  students work in small groups (usually 2-5 kids each) to complete a specific task.  […]
Pictures of CHAMPS behavior management system posters.
March 18, 2018

CHAMPS for the Music Room

Teachers live in a constant state of change.  Sometimes it feels like every staff development day comes with a new initiative and teaching method to adopt.  And how do you learn about and prepare for this new system?  Teachers might be given a 2 hour training by someone from “central […]
Musicians to celebrate, books to read, songs, games, and lesson ideas.
January 28, 2018

Black History Month in the Music Room

Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing the central role of black people in U.S. history.  Since the mid 1970s, people in the United States have used the month of February to take a critical look at the way that […]
Wooden blocks with nursery rhymes, ukulele chords, and guitar chords, to use in the music room.
January 14, 2018

Nursery Rhyme Blocks from Uncle Goose

I am constantly on the lookout for cool new gadgets, manipulatives, and resources to use in my classroom.  No matter where I go I somehow always find myself browsing through children’s books and toys looking for a way to adapt them for the music room.  I love to jot down […]
Learn about how to use the story Groovy Joe Dance Party Countdown in your Music Classroom!
October 7, 2017

Groovy Joe Dance Party Countdown – Book Recommendation

“Groovy Joe is totally fun.  He’s a song-singing, tail-wagging party of one!”  Who is Groovy Joe, you might ask?  Groovy Joe is a dancing, singing, guitar playing dog and is the literary creation of Eric Litwin, the best-selling author of the original four Pete the Cat books, The Nuts, and now Groovy Joe.  […]
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