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Folk Song

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Breakin Up Christmas - Great folk song to use before or after the holiday!
December 17, 2016

Breakin’ Up Christmas – Connecting Carols and Folk Songs

December can often be a challenging and confusing month for music teachers.  First of all, so many of our all-school or grade-level concerts fall around the holidays which adds a ton of stress and anxiety to the holiday season.  There are also the problems that go along with teaching and […]
December 8, 2016

Auld Lang Syne – Teaching A New Year Folk Song

There are several really awesome “New Year” folk songs that somehow get lost in the shuffle of winter break.  I always plan to teach them, but then either we have a holiday program that takes precedence or a last-minute, all-school assembly or classroom holiday parties… or something else to mess […]
November 27, 2016

Carol of the Bells – Favorite Winter Folk Song

You would think that teaching “Carol of the Bells” should be a slam dunk.  Kids most likely know the song from the radio or tv or a movie soundtrack.  But this is another one of those classic favorites that I would call a “song on the fringe.”  We know it, […]
November 20, 2016

Over the River and Through the Woods – Thanksgiving Song

“Over the River and Through the Woods” is an American classic that I think a lot of folks recognize and love.  It’s one of those ubiquitous songs that pops up now and again and immediately feels familiar.  However, it feels like “Over the River” is one of those songs that […]
I Spied an Awful Turkey
November 12, 2016

As I Came Over Yonder Hill – Song for November

I love finding old and unique folk songs to share with my kiddos.  Folk songs are so fun and quirky and not your typical elementary school fare.  I mean, if you search “elementary school thanksgiving songs” you’ll find lots of songs that are used by teachers in general education classrooms […]
Shoo Turkey Folk Song and Dance
October 30, 2016

Shoo Turkey – A Song for November

This post is also featured on the TpT blog! I stumbled across this awesome little gem of a song when I was looking through Bessie Jones’s book “Step It Down” a year or so ago.  The kiddos love the song but also go crazy for the accompanying dance.  I really […]
January 31, 2016

‘t Smidje – A Dance to Make Your Students Go Wild!

This is a GREAT time of year to be a music teacher.  The kids may be bleary-eyed and overwhelmed with state/local/district/whatever tests but you are well on your way to a fantastic new semester.  We are in prime workshop season and the ideas are flowing!  Many teachers out there are […]
5 ideas to extend lessons and create variety when teaching folk songs!
November 22, 2015

I’ve Taught this Folk Song, Now What?!

If you’ve read any of my blog so far you know that I love teaching folk songs.  Folk songs are great songs with catchy tunes, are excellent for cultural and historical references, and usually have some sort of movement or dance component.  What an exciting way to expand vocabulary!  What an […]
This favorite folk song is great for teaching song form.
October 10, 2015

Turn the Glasses Over – Playing with Form!

I love teaching this fun little folk song, “I’ve been to Harlem” a.k.a. “Turn the Glasses Over,” to my students!  I learned the basic version of the song at my Orff Level 1 training a few years ago and have been playing with how to teach the lesson ever since.​  This year […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]

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