Bring Summer to the Music Room!

One of the best (and easiest) ways to spice up your lessons and keep students more engaged is to integrate something that students are already thinking about. At the end and beginning of the school year (in the US anyway), what do kids have on their minds? SUMMER! Here are 4 simple ways to take your lessons and instantly make them more engaging by...

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How I Cut Back My Phone Use

I'd like to think that I spend less time in front of a screen than most people my age- I don't even own a television, I rarely have my computer out when the kids are around, and I've always tried to be conscious of how much time I spend on my phone. But the reality is I still spend more time on my phone than I'd like. Thanks to (one of) my 5-year-old's,...

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May Favorites 2017

Another month has flown by, and this one I'm not to sad to see go. May is always so crazy with events, concerts, changing weather, getting ready for summer, and everything in between! Still there were quite a few fun moments too, and plenty of things to love, so today I'm sharing my favorites from this past month. All of the photos below are taken...

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Dance Playlist: 2017 edition

Last year I shared my favorite kid-friendly, school appropriate songs to use for dance parties that are also cool enough for older kids. My students in kindergarten through 6th grade were all happy with those songs every time I used the playlist! I'm back again with more upbeat dance songs that are cool but also kid-friendly (without being edited):...

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Books to Help Little Kids with Big Emotions

While there are many things I absolutely love about 3-5 year olds, the overwhelming bursts of emotion they go through on a daily basis can often be.... well.... challenging to deal with. Similar to puberty, kids this age usually to go through a phase where their emotions are often more than they're equipped to handle. Today I wanted to share a few...

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Review Games for the End of the School Year

As the end of the school year approaches, everyone starts to switch into vacation / party mode. With everyone's brains partially switched off, it's hard to get students motivated to do any kind of standard "class work". But it's also really important to review the concepts you covered this year so that they will remember them more quickly in the fall!...

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Favorite Crockpot Recipes for the Busy Spring Season

Crockpots tend to get a lot of attention in the fall and winter, because it's a great way to simmer up warm and cozy stews, soups, curries, and more. But honestly my favorite time of year to pull out the crockpot is in the spring when, you know, everything in life seems to happen at once and my brain is in a constant state of overload. Here are some...

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Two Words That Transformed My Behavior Management

I teach in a fairly challenging environment for "behavior management". As a result, I've devoted a lot of time and energy to refining my teaching to better manage the behaviors in my classroom and help to foster my students' emotional and social well-being. This has been an evolving process, but recently I've learned the power of one simple, two-word...

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Looking Ahead to Summer Break

Although I make it a point not to count down to vacations, there is still definitely a certain amount of planning that has to happen as summer break approaches! One simple tool I use that helps us to think ahead as a family is our summer bucket list. It's an easy trick but it can really help you feel more prepared going into summer vacation, and it...

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Planner Setup: printing, binding, and organizing

I'm back to talk about planners today and I couldn't be more thrilled! Today we're talking about how to put together your actual planner. If you want to know more about how to get a digital file ready to print, check out yesterday's post. Now that your file is set up exactly the way you want it, it's time to put the actual planner together!!! *this...

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Planner Setup: getting your printables ready to print!

Watch out guys, it's about to get super planner-y up in here this week! :) It's that time of year when all the new teacher planners come out and everyone starts looking ahead to get organized for next year. Many of you know that I create printable planners designed specifically for music teachers (check them out here). As I start setting up my...

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