fbpx

Lesson Ideas

Home Lesson Ideas
Ideas, suggestions, and classroom management tips to make teaching recorder a snap!
April 14, 2014

Recorder Tricks and Tidbits #2

We’re edging every closer to the end of the school year but we’re still plugging away with recorders!  My students have really fallen in love with this quirky little instrument and I’m so proud of their progress.  Today I stood back as my kids played “Mambo Mary B-A-G” from the […]
I Want to Sing in Opera - Hilarious video for singing voice
April 4, 2014

Film Friday — I Want To Sing in Opera

  This video has always made me laugh.  Patricia Routledge (you might know her as Hyacinth from the BBC’s “Keeping Up Appearances,”) does a wonderful job of acting as an opera diva and really hamming it up for the audience.  The basic plot is that the soloist who sings about “wanting […]
April 1, 2014

Recorder Tricks and Tidbits #1

So, my first year teaching I hated teaching recorder.  It was so much work and so much logistical planning and so much stress.  It took some time, research, and planning to make it fun.  Now I really like playing and teaching recorder.  Here are some little tips I’ve picked up […]
The Living Piano - Video to use with students
March 21, 2014

Film Friday – The Living Piano

Imagine a giant piano keyboard set up in a park for anyone to play.  Sounds like fun, right?  Step on the keyboard and a note will sound.  Find a friend and you can play a song together.  Now instead of synthesized piano sounds, imagine that any time you step on […]
The Leprechaun Song - Great for improvisation with primary grades.
March 13, 2014

I Caught a Leprechaun – New Fun Song!

I’ve made a podcast episode about this blog post.  Check it out on iTunes or wherever you download podcasts!  You can also listen to the podcast on the web through this link. Every year I tell my K-1 students about the Leprechaun that keeps showing up in my room.  I […]
Taking a famous, kid-favorite theme song and making it new!
February 28, 2014

Film Friday — Angry Birds Cover

  In this fun video, the musicians of the band/group Pomplamoose use video and musical editing to cover the theme from the Angry Birds game.  My students are still absolutely obsessed with Angry Birds and not a day goes by that someone doesn’t walk by wearing a t-shirt with some sort […]
Film Friday - Teaching steady beat with the band Mates of State.
February 21, 2014

Ball Pit Beats with Mates of State

  I love using popular musical genres to help teach classroom concepts.  Kids zero in when you pull up YouTube and get so excited to see real, live musicians performing right in front of them.  Why not use a engaging medium (music videos/YouTube) to reinforce the very thing you’re teaching […]
Watch this amazing video of Adam Ben Ezra and his upright bass!
February 14, 2014

Film Friday – Awesome Upright Bass Solo

I’m always on the lookout for fantastic videos of musicians who excel at their instrument, are amazing singers, etc.  When I stumbled across this video, I knew that it was a must-save because it’s pleasing to watch, has some great musical content, and is relaxing.  Adam Ben Ezra is the musician […]
Star Guitar by the Chemical Brothers as a video listening map.
February 7, 2014

Film Friday – Star Guitar as a Listening Map

Sometimes you need to mix up your music listening examples.  We’re not doing our kids justice if we only stick to classical.  We need to engage students with music that is culturally relevant and prepares them for a lifetime of music-making.  I want to instill in my students a love […]
Here's a new song you can use with your primary grades and ideas about how to build a concert around it.
February 3, 2014

Love Bugs – A New Valentine’s Day Song and Program!

I had an upcoming Valentine’s Day concert with my Kindergarten kiddos and needed a perfect song to tie everything together.  I did a little brainstorming, sat down at the piano, and came up with a silly little Valentine’s Day Song called “Love Bugs!”  I knew I just had to share […]
A GREAT song to teach cumulative form and to get kids moving!
February 2, 2014

The Green Grass Grew All Around

“Green Grass Grew All Around” never fails to excite and delight my students.  No matter their mood when they walk in, this song bring out big smiles and gets kids excited about class.  What’s more, this song is especially great for English Language Learners (abbreviated to ESL/ELL in many places) as it involves some […]
Use every Happy Birthday moment to teach the students theme and variation!
January 20, 2014

Happy Birthday – Teaching Theme and Variation

I try and use all my teaching time wisely.  I’ve worked really hard to get procedures in place so that I can start class right when kiddos walk in the door and keep the pace going until they’re walking out.  There’s not a lot of “downtime” for me unless the kids […]
1 2 3 4 5 6

Kansas City

Teachers Pay Teachers

MakeMomentsMatter@gmail.com