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April 4, 2015

Not the Easter Bunny… The Instrument Bunny!!

If you have a rabbit puppet, this lesson is for YOU!  I’ve been buying more puppets and experimenting a lot with puppet use for instruction in the classroom lately.  I definitely got inspired when I recently attended a local Orff chapter workshop with Lynn Kleiner of Music Rhapsody.  She uses […]
Two videos to get your students up and moving in music class!
February 13, 2015

Film Friday – Gummy Bear and Dinosaur Stomp

I think that we all have the one class that walks in the door a little squirrely every time.  They fidget and chat and need something to help them focus before you’re going to get ANYTHING done in class.  You can start with echo clapping, a poem, a game song, […]
Ties make choosing a partner and following directions for folk dancing super simple!
February 5, 2015

Ties for Folk Dancing

I’m always looking for tips and tricks to make classroom management a little easier.  Last summer at my Orff Schulwerk levels training I learned a truly wonderful idea about using ties to simplify folk dance and movement instruction.  Since then I’ve thought of a lot of different ways to use […]
Tubano Tidbits - Ideas for a drum circle
January 24, 2015

Tubano Tidbits:  Ideas from a Drum Circle

Teaching drums to my kids is one of my favorite things to do!  They can’t get enough of the drums and see it as a special treat.  I love it because I can sneak in SO much content and so many concepts and the kids just think that they’re banging […]
O Tannenbaum - Teaching about a tree!
December 13, 2014

O Tannenbaum!  Teaching about a Tree!

Holiday carols are so much fun!  I love introducing my students to carols because they give you a chance to spark the kids’ interest and teach them about other countries, time periods, and (in some cases) different languages.  In that regard they are much like folks songs because they open […]
Teaching form with the Happy Song!
November 15, 2014

Pharrel’s “Happy” Song to Teach Musical Form

I love Pharrel’s “Happy” song and I know that my kids do too!  This summer I was brainstorming a way to use the Happy song in my classroom and it struck me that I could so easily use this fantastic song to teach form to my students.  I developed the […]
If You're Happy and You Know It Clap Your Hands - Blog Post
November 1, 2014

If You’re Happy and You Know It!

  “If You’re Happy and You Know It” is a classic children’s folk song and is so wonderful for so many reasons.  It gives you a chance to talk about improvising new lyrics and coming up with variations.  It gives you a chance to define the word “lyics.”  It allow […]
Beanie Buddies - Great for steady beat, rhythm practice, and more!
October 18, 2014

Beanie Buddies – Great for K-1

In my Orff Level I training we came across a couple fun activities for Beanie Babies that got my brain spinning and thinking about what could be done with those little critters.  Probably a lot of you already use beanie babies or stuffed animals for a variety of things.  In […]
Why should you teach folk songs, what resources to use, and how to go about doing it!
October 4, 2014

Why Teach Folk Songs? – Resources, How-to, and More

I remember when I first started teaching elementary music I spent my first few months teaching fun songs from the written textbooks that I had access to, favorite lessons from local music workshops, and memorable songs from my own childhood music classes.  But then I hit a wall.  When I […]
August 30, 2014

Bring it Home – Make Music Personal!

Well, it has been four years in the making, but I’m finally feeling good about the connections that I’m creating for students when I talk about Charlie Parker.  I’ve always taught them something about Parker or at least tried to bring up his name, but since his birthday comes so […]
Kids in Motion is a fantastic resource for movement in the elementary music classroom!
July 25, 2014

Kids in Motion – A Must Have Movement CD

“Kids in Motion” is a CD that I was introduced to during my student teaching and is a resource that I go back to again and again.  I’ll admit, this album is pretty old and one of MANY on the list of great resources made by creative partners Greg & Steve, […]
This hilarious song is great to help kids understand cumulative form!
April 26, 2014

The Court of King Caratacus – A Cumulative Song

If you’ve never sung or taught the Court of King Caratacus then you NEED to give it a listen and see what you think!  This is one of my all-time favorite cumulative songs and is such a blast to teach to little people.  This song introduces kids to such vivid […]
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