For a long time, our focus was on engaging the learners and making sure students were “actively engaged” in music-making in the music classroom. But more recently, we have discovered that engagement is not enough. To make an impact and to optimize life-long learning, s...
Sometimes the school year winds down slowly. Often I have a chance to plan and get a head start on next year's musical or winter sings. But this year came to a crashing halt. It was a long, busy, hard year. I haven't had a year like this in a long time....
As the music teacher, it is my job to direct a fifth grade spring musical. I choose the musical and create the cast list but over the years I have learned how to involve my students more and more in the creative process. I truly believe that students should share some...
Last year, my kindergarten students performed in a spring music program for their parents in the music room. I didn't prepare a program of songs and activities ahead of time. Instead, a few months before the performance day, I sat on the floor with the kids and asked...
Each spring, my fourth graders create a rhythmic composition. It’s a major assessment the district uses for the report card. My students always do pretty well on the assessment but many aren’t invested in the project. I knew last year I needed to try something new. I...
This fall, a co-worker and I read, The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires to a classroom of second graders. It is a wonderful book about a little girl who has a passion to create the most magnificent thing but along the way she fails over and over, gets upset and...
This fall has been a busy one. Personally, my husband and I are now parents of a high school student and while I have enjoyed watching our son adjust nicely to high school life, it has been a transition for us. Our daughter is in fifth grade and this fall she turned...
Tim Ferriss discusses in his book, "The 4-Hour Work Workweek" how cutting back to the "minimum effective dose" (MED) can help many optimize time and resources. Basically, learn to work smarter, not harder. The idea that working more is better doesn't always pan out t...
I had the pleasure of attending Artie Almeida's session at the Illinois Music Education Conference in Peoria, IL this past January. Artie has found great success creating playful, engaging ways to teach children musical concepts. At this conference she shared many en...
