What Makes a Wildcat Wild? from Purposeful Pathways 3 combines singing, movement, instruments, and improvisation into one flexible, classroom-ready experience. Students start with solfa echo patterns to develop pitch awareness, then move into rhythm and music...
My concert is this week! The theme is “Landscapes.” We’ve taken a creative approach, shaping the music to reflect the ideas and sounds of different landscapes, making our performance into a bit of an immersive musical journey. Our process started with a simple...
Whether it’s you or your sub, having a list of possibilities to use for your music class is reassuring and helpful to everyone. Create a framework to work within. Maybe begin with a video, followed by quiet background music while students color or do puzzles. Or...
There are times when I would rather go to school and push through feeling lousy than make sub-plans. Our subs are typically not musicians or music teachers. And on top of it all, our students need us to be there to pull out barred instruments and other classroom...
Music teachers know that March means one thing: Music In Our Schools Month (MIOSM). Created by the National Association for Music Education, this annual celebration highlights the importance of music education in schools. If you’re looking for a Music In Our...
Looking for an easy, meaningful Valentine’s Day activity? A Round My Heart, by Roger Sams, is a sweet, accessible way to explore harmony, listening, and ensemble skills with your students. This 3-part canon layers beautifully and brings a little musical love into your...
Starting a recorder club is a fantastic way to give upper elementary and middle school students a fresh, hands-on ensemble experience. A recorder ensemble helps students build independence on their parts, develop blending and balancing skills, and explore harmony in a...
When we picture recorders in the music classroom, most of us imagine students playing in unison on soprano recorder. But the moment you introduce alto, tenor, or bass recorders, the entire room shifts—students sit up, gasp, and whisper a collective “WOW!” This is...
This season is the perfect time to explore soundscapes with your students! Soundscapes are musical environments that capture a mood, setting, or atmosphere. They’re not about structured rhythm or melody; instead, they use layered sounds to create an almost cinematic...
How I Started with Music Bulletin Board Ideas When I started at my new school, I walked into a building mid-renovation—not a single music bulletin board was up. I was also adjusting to life in a new country, learning unfamiliar systems, routines, and expectations, all...
Meaningful Movement: A Music Teacher’s Guide to Dalcroze Eurhythmics by Marla Butke and David Frego is a practical and easy-to-use resource for music educators who want to integrate Dalcroze-inspired movement into their teaching. With a clear structure and engaging...
In my classroom, I drew and cut out two objects that looked like toolboxes. One is called the rhythm toolbox, and the other is the melody toolbox. I often tell students that they have two toolboxes at their sides, one for rhythm and the other for melody, to help...
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...
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 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 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...
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: 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: 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...
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...
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...
I am consistently surprised by the magic that puppets bring to the music classroom! What I mean is that the connection kids make, including separating my voice from the puppet’s character, always pleasantly shocks me! The puppet can request just about...
Proactive advocacy No matter your situation, building a foundation of support that underscores the value of your program is an important priority. We know music programs often face scrutiny during budget cuts, shifts in curricular philosophy, leadership, or a...
Exploration in the Early Years I’ve received a handful of questions about how I structure the early years music classes I teach. Each school’s expectations have been different, but the one thing I have come to learn is that students thrive on...
Frameworks for Pre-K Lessons Are you teaching Pre-K and looking for a bit of inspiration? Maybe you’re looking for a B-12 shot of inspiration for this unique age group! How might you frame your lesson with Preschoolers? This age group needs a lot of variety in...
Pre-K students, ages 3-5, represent a unique part in a music teacher’s curriculum. Let’s say you have the pleasure of teaching this age group. In that case, you likely know that your lessons thrive on a variety of short singing and movement activities that...
Drum Circle Ideas for the Elementary Classroom Nothing quite spells excitement like a DRUM is placed before a student! Whether you’re using bucket drums, hand drums, or tubanos, the physical act of hitting a drum offers immediate engagement for students. And...
Teacher Talk: Conference! “Tell me, I forget. Show me, I remember. Involve me, I understand.” ~Carl Orff I hope you are gearing up for an exciting American Orff Schulwerk Association (AOSA) conference, November 13-16, 2024 in Des Moines, Iowa! Filled with rich...
I’m certain there are more grant possibilities out there, but here is a start! And hey, just try. Be your authentic self and try. What’s the worst that can happen? They say no and you move on to the next application. You got this, good luck! Found on the American...
Tips for Grant Writing There are institutions, organizations, and companies that really want to support music teachers through grants. It could be yours for the taking, but most often, to ask means writing a grant. Begin by creating a sentence or two (but keep it...
Writing Grants I had a little side-chapter in my career that included starting a nonprofit concert series called, Underground Classical. Its focus was to highlight classically trained musicians who performed completely out-of-the-box repertoire. Beat-boxing flutists,...
Folk dancing is one the most popular components in our lower school music curriculum. Through controlled chaos the dance consistently brings a sense of joy and a feeling of community to its participants. In a subtle way folk dancing encourages risk taking, exercises...
Purposeful Pathways: 1 Rhyme, 5 years! Pathways, possibilities, opportunities…it all points to students learning about music by making music. Purposeful Pathways is designed to be fluid and flexible, allowing you to choose from multiple pathways, making it so...
Imagine: Just before walking out of the building on the last day of school, eager to greet your well deserved summer, you’re informed by your principal that you will be teaching a different grade next year, in addition to what you already teach (cue the distressed...
Teacher Talk This is such a Roger Sams phrase! It makes so much sense! Of course, you know what teacher talk means…all those thoughts, good ideas, insecurities, doubts, and small gems of victory we carry around with us that in many ways might only make sense to us...
Something has been on my mind that is important to share with you! Collaborating with MIE is exciting for me in a couple of different ways. About 2 years ago, I reached out to Beth Ann Hepburn to answer a call put out by AOSA about mentoring teachers. I’ve always had...
Concerts! How many of you are already thinking about concerts for this year? You might be, especially if it’s been scheduled in December or sooner! Concert performances are exciting, especially for the kids, and they can demonstrate all the great things you do in the...
Concerts! Part II Ah concerts….sometimes a double-edged sword. Process over product or product over process, getting a framework in place is a good starting point. I am committed to having our concerts reflect much of what we do in the classroom. I will...
Mallet Technique I am certain that you discussed mallet technique in your Level’s courses, so as you already know, how we hold a pair of mallets to strike barred instruments really affects the quality of sound! Here are a few tips for correct mallet grip: Use a...
First Grade Barred Instrument Lesson: Exploring Sound with Frog and Toad Objective Students will explore sound using barred instruments while practicing good mallet technique, focusing on allowing the mallet to bounce off the bar. Materials Barred instruments...
Exploring Unpitched Percussion Lesson I LOVE the creative possibilities in the music room during October! From songs like, “Who Has Seen the Wind,” to poems and “B” sections about leaves falling, and of course Halloween, I find that students’ imaginations burst with...
At the beginning of the school year, when choosing an instrument to introduce first to students, drums (tubanos) would be high on the list of what I’d put in front of them. Am I crazy? Maybe, but I want students to understand how to approach an instrument...
It’s the start of the year! You can’t wait to pull out instruments! You question whether or not to bring out the big instruments…maybe work up to them. Starting the year slowly and surely by introducing unpitched percussion (UPP) can be a great way to ease into...
Recorders! It had such a positive impact on my elementary music experience that it’s to blame for starting me on my musical path! The rest is history, and here I am, full circle as an elementary music teacher! Now, I know you’re excited and committed to...
I have walked into classrooms that have 40 triangles but only 10 strikers, an entire box full of shekeres in 3 different sizes, and jingle bells to outfit the entire school, but not one decent hand drum or pair of claves! This has kinda been my world since jumping...
Mallets make a difference….a big difference! The mallets you choose to use will affect everyone’s overall playing and listening experience. When it comes to selecting mallets, both teachers and students prioritize two important factors: how the mallet feels in the...
Melodic percussion instruments, or barred instruments like xylophones, glockenspiels, and metallophones are the quintessential set of instruments used in many elementary music settings. They are valuable when accompanying singers, but are even more so when students...
Hey! Hi, friend! I’m talking to you! You! The new teacher of elementary music; Or you, who is reflecting on the school year that has passed and is thinking about how you might like to extend the learning; Or you, who is contemplating if the new year coming up is...
Hi Again! Here is Part II of DRUE BULLINGTON’s fantastic article, as originally seen at Teaching With Orff, discussing all things storage and organization! Thanks again, Drue! The Active Music and Movement Classroom: So Much Fun “in Store!” Drue M....
Hey! I hope this finds off to a great start in your school year! For me this year, I am in a new-ish room, kinda. I may have mentioned our school continues to undergo a major renovation. My room has been painted, new windows installed, same beautiful hardwood...
