Seesaw: Activities for the Music Room
Being relatively new to my school, I’m still adjusting to a schedule where I see students only once a week—a major shift after 21 years of seeing them twice a week. This change has required me to recalibrate my expectations, activities, and overall approach. In the...
Learning Stations In The Music Room
For a long time, I watched my colleagues, who were homeroom teachers, regularly implement learning centers in their classrooms. I loved what I saw: students demonstrating independence, experiencing different opportunities for socialization, and receiving one-on-one...
Snowflakes: A Winter Lesson Plan Part2
Snowflakes Lesson Extension Create a “snowflake dance” Begin class with a “piano story” that explores the motions of floating, twirling, and whirling. Be sure to improvise in a compound meter. Show images of different patterned snowflakes making mention that no two...
Snowflakes: A Winter Lesson Plan, Part 1
“Snowflakes that stay on my nose andmy nose and my lashes.” ~Oscar Hammerstein Ii / Richard Rodgers from The Sound of Music Waking up to a fresh snowfall is a beautiful site, delighting children and teachers alike! Ha-Ha! As we approach the winter solstice, enjoy...
It’s National Ukulele Day
February 2nd is National Ukulele Day! Yes, it’s true! A day made special for ukulele! Thinking about incorporating the ukulele into your curriculum? Ukuleles can be an excellent tool for teaching melody, rhythm, harmony, form, and style concepts. And simply...
Crooked River Choral Project: Part 2
Crooked River Choral Project: FOCUS on the poetry of Robert LouisStevenson Roger Sams has put together three joyous songs for young choirs based on the poetryof Robert Louis Stevenson. They can be performed separately or combined as a suite. Robert Louis Stevenson...
Crooked River Choral Project: Part 1
Crooked River Choral Project: FOCUS on American History through Folk SongAuthor: Georgia Newlin Cyndee Giebler has arranged an easy to sing, crowd-pleasing American folksong, The Erie Canal Song. The Crooked River Choral Project is a collection of artful choral music...
Troika! A Fun Winter Folk Dance
The Troika is a get-your-heart-pumpin’-super fun folk dance perfect for any winter celebration, not just the holidays! Inspired by a horse-drawn sleigh, everything about this dance (except the meter) revolves around the number three. "Troika" means "three" in Russian,...
Beginning Recorder and Millions of Cats
Beginning Recorder and Millions of Cats! Admit it; the combination of words for this article’s title caught your curiosity! And no, I’m not referring to the sound of a beginning recorder player, ha-ha! Curiosity is not killing the cat,,.. But what role does the...
The Magic of Puppets
Puppets can interactively teach songs, allowing students to learn melodies through playful engagement rather than mere repetition.