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January 10, 2024

Bate, Bate, Chocolate

I find that I talk about food in my classroom all the time. It’s one common thing that unites all culture and peoples around the world because we all love to eat! Even my English language learners who might be brand new to the country learn food words really fast […]
December 16, 2023

Two Books for Las Posadas

If you’ve spent even a few minutes on my blog you know that I love using children’s books in the classroom.  So it makes sense that in December I like using books to explain holidays, teach songs, and expand the worldview of my students.  I’ve got books for Christmas, St. […]
November 19, 2023

Run, Turkey, Run! – Book Recommendation

With Thanksgiving only one day away, can Turkey find a place to hide from the farmer who’s looking for a plump bird for his family feast?  Maybe he can hide with the pigs . . . or the ducks . . . or the horses . . . Uh-oh! Here […]
December 8, 2019

How to Teach the Nutcracker

Teaching the Nutcracker is one of my favorite things to do every December. I got my first Nutcracker as a gift when I was in second grade and ever since I have loved to find new nutcrackers, retell the classic fairy tale, listen to the music, and share with others. […]
September 29, 2019

Hispanic Heritage Month Books for the Music Room

I once had a professor say that it wasn’t enough to learn about a culture by reading facts, figures, and statistics. This professor assigned novels written by members of certain communities so that we could hear stories and see the culture through the author’s eyes, learning from their perspective. Hispanic […]
Creating and using rhythm dice in your classroom. Great for small groups or learning centers.
July 24, 2019

Rhythm Dice for the Music Room

Have you seen pictures on Pinterest or Facebook with colorful rhythm dice and thought, “How cool! But, how would I use them? Would I need to make them? How should I do that?” I had all of those questions and then one day the dice dropped into my lap and […]
Books for Movement Exploration
September 21, 2018

Children’s Books for Movement Exploration

I love children’s literature and any time I go to the mall, a big box store, or really anywhere that sells anything I always gravitate towards the children’s book section.  One specific thing that I usually look for are books for movement exploration.  If you really look and sift through […]
Children sitting in circle for centers activity.
May 9, 2018

Music Center Logistics – The How, What, and Why

Learning centers can be fun and educational – a place where students get to explore and work with friends to complete objectives.  There is a ton of potential for everything to go right and for students to learn at their own pace and expand their knowledge of a topic while […]
Musicians to celebrate, books to read, songs, games, and lesson ideas.
January 28, 2018

Black History Month in the Music Room

Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing the central role of black people in U.S. history.  Since the mid 1970s, people in the United States have used the month of February to take a critical look at the way that […]
Wooden blocks with nursery rhymes, ukulele chords, and guitar chords, to use in the music room.
January 14, 2018

Nursery Rhyme Blocks from Uncle Goose

I am constantly on the lookout for cool new gadgets, manipulatives, and resources to use in my classroom.  No matter where I go I somehow always find myself browsing through children’s books and toys looking for a way to adapt them for the music room.  I love to jot down […]
Learn about how to use the story Groovy Joe Dance Party Countdown in your Music Classroom!
October 7, 2017

Groovy Joe Dance Party Countdown – Book Recommendation

“Groovy Joe is totally fun.  He’s a song-singing, tail-wagging party of one!”  Who is Groovy Joe, you might ask?  Groovy Joe is a dancing, singing, guitar playing dog and is the literary creation of Eric Litwin, the best-selling author of the original four Pete the Cat books, The Nuts, and now Groovy Joe.  […]
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 […]
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Kansas City

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Mark Sixma