“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/...
It all started out with the idea that I wanted a large xylophone visual to show students how to set up their barred percussion instruments for playing and singing in class. I needed a quick and easy way to display what their own instrument should look like – something they could all see eve...
I will admit, I spend a lot of time on Pinterest browsing ideas, getting inspiration, and seeing how other teachers decorate and plan for teaching. Pinterest can be a really great tool to help you plan for your own classroom and inspire you to try new things. Why not share some of the great idea...
I have a bunch of little catchphrases that I use every day. I think that all teachers do! “One, two, three. Eyes on me!” These quick little sentences help reorient our classes and get kids’ attention. The other day I was in a friend’s classroom and heard her say one...
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 are composing on their o...
This fantastic video uses an old favorite, the Chopsticks song, to teach theme and variation! If I were to incorporate this video in a full lesson about theme and variation, I would probably start by teaching students how to play “Chopsticks” or at least ensure that they already know...
It’s easy to figure out what songs, notes, and skills I need to learn to earn new belts with this simple Recorder Karate hallway display! On each poster students will be able to find information about the song for that specific belt and and new skills that they will have to master. This l...
When you teach music in a school with a seriously limited budget you have to get creative. If you’ve gone through any of my blog posts it’s likely that you’ve seen my DIY projects (and you’ll continue to see them) because I just don’t have the budget at my school to buy anything. I ge...
The summer before my first year of teaching I was swimming with ideas about what songs I wanted to teach, how to set up my classroom, what things I needed to buy or make, and so much more. Like any good education student who has read “The First Days of School” by Harry Wong (this is a MUST read,...
This was a fun game that I happened onto with my third graders late last semester. I found these super cool die-cut monsters at the Dollar Tree and knew that I wanted to make something fun with them. I’m working on expanding my center materials/composition games because I’ll have my third ...
Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes is a classic song that many, many students learn early on in life. Lots of you folks are lucky enough to have this taught at home or in your preschools so that students come in knowing the familiar tune and words. For many teachers, teaching this song would be a ...
I discovered the large Yarn Ball this summer when I took my Orff Level One coursework at Baker University. IT IS AMAZING! Thank you Dena Byers for using/showing me this tool and Jennifer Donovan for teaching me how to make it! It’s a fuzzy poof ball that can be used for nearly anything. The ...