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A fun video to show after teaching the fingerplay.
November 22, 2013

Film Friday – Little Bunny Foo Foo

This is one of my absolute favorite videos to show my first grade students and they LOVE to watch it.  I stumbled across this my first year of teaching and have used it ever since!  Kids love to see a song or story that THEY KNOW turned into a video […]
Five Fat Turkeys - Adding a B section and playing with the form of the song.
November 18, 2013

Five Fat Turkeys – ABA form

“Five Fat Turkeys Are We” is one of my favorite songs to teach to little folks during the holidays.  It’s a fun song with a great story and most importantly it gets kids to think critically. I love asking kids questions and telling the story of the song in a way […]
Best Boomwhacker playing ever! Videos to inspire your students!
November 15, 2013

Film Friday – Plastik Music  — Boomwhacker Craziness!

If you love boomwhackers, then you need to see these videos!  Plastik Music is a musical group that takes famous songs and arranges them for boomwhackers and a variety of other found/converted/created instruments.  Here’s a quick blurb from their website: “From Mozart to Motown, Plastic Musik puts a RADICAL twist […]
This song about a funny dancing clown is a perfect way to encourage creative movement.
November 9, 2013

Punchinello – Improvising Movement

“Punchinello, you funny fellow!”  This is a song that I do each year with my first graders because it’s so much fun and has some awesome curricular connections.  In my district, one of our first quarter curriculum goals says that first grade students are supposed to learn a song to sing […]
A perfect video to teach dynamic differences like piano and forte.
November 8, 2013

Film Friday – Teaching Piano and Forte!

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I LOVE using videos to reinforce concepts that I’m teaching in class.  Videos grab the attention of students and inspire them to look deeper and connect.  I especially love it when I can use music videos of contemporary artists to explain […]
Pumpkin on the Vine - Perfect song for fall with ABA form!
November 5, 2013

The Pumpkin on the Vine – Identifying ABA Form

One of the things that is required in our district curriculum is teaching first graders to identify ABA form in song.  Last year I couldn’t find any songs in my Thanksgiving or Fall repertoire that I really loved that were easy for my kids to see ABA form.  So, I […]
November 1, 2013

Film Friday! – Around the World – Teaching Ostinato

  From the very first time I saw this video, I knew it would be perfect to show to students.  “Around the World” is a famous song by the band Daft Punk and this is the music video that was created to accompany the song.  The famous director/artist Michel Gondry […]
If You're Happy And You Know It book to use in the music classroom!
October 28, 2013

If You’re Happy And You Know It! – Book Recommendation

This is a totally fun book!  I know that many students have the song “If You’re Happy and You Know It…” down pat before they even get to Kindergarten but not my students.  I have a high population of English Language Learners (often called ELLs) and most from low income […]
Music has the power to make us move! Check out this video to see how music inspired one man!
October 25, 2013

Film Friday – Nathan Barnatt dances to Pop Culture

This is a truly fantastic video that will really get your kids talking.  Nathan Barnatt is an American actor, comedian, dancer, and filmmaker who is known for his amazing dance skills.  In this video, the official music video for the mash-up hit “Pop Culture,” Nathan plays a nerdy guy who […]
Wonderful videos to illustrate songs for your primary grades!
October 18, 2013

Film Friday — Super Simple Songs

If you ever find yourself thinking, “Man, I wish I had a high-quality video to reinforce this kids’ song,” then this is the YouTube channel for you!  Today I thought I would give a shout out to Super Simple Songs, a YouTube video channel that I found a few years […]
Five little pumpkins song, great for fall holidays! Blog post includes ideas for poem, movement game, and more!
October 17, 2013

Five Little Pumpkins, sitting on a gate…

Five Little Pumpkins is a classic elementary music song/poem and so much fun!  If you haven’t heard or used this poem you can find resources here.  I use this with my K-1 kids and add a few extra things to reinforce some concepts.  Here’s my process: 1)  The kids learn […]
Using commercials to talk about the importance of music and the arts!
October 11, 2013

Film Friday — Sony Bravia Ads

When it comes to creating inspiriting and visually stunning commercials, no one can beat Sony’s Bravia advertisements.  These videos feature vivid color, interesting and surprising content, and fantastic settings from around the globe.  In this post I’ll be sharing some ideas to incorporate the Sony Bravia videos into your music lessons. Now, […]
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