March Favorites 2018

I love looking back on the month of March because there's always so much to celebrate: the first signs of spring, fun holidays, and of course Music In Our Schools Month! I can't wait to share some of my highlights from this past month with you, and I hope you all had a marvelous March as well! 1. Floral planner spreads With all the snow storms...

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My Favorite Lesson for Teaching Mi / Sol / La

No matter what methodology you use, teaching pitch is a fundamental part of elementary general music. And while there are different schools of thought on the order in which to introduce the different solfege notes (I don't necessarily favor one over any others), at some point most sequences will focus on the combination of mi, sol, and la. Today I...

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Planner Quick Tip: sticker hack

I'm back with another "quick tip" for getting more out of your planner, but this week's tip is less about productivity and more about fun! And saving money. Sound good? Let's get to it! I've talked before about how and why I use "functional decorating" in my planner- read more (and watch me demonstrate a ton more decorating "tips") right here....

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My Favorite Lesson for Teaching Sol / Mi

One of the most fundamental concepts in general music teaching is melody/ pitch. When I'm creating my scope and sequence for all of the grade levels I teach, I always start by mapping out the rhythm and pitch elements I'll be introducing in each grade level. Although there are variation within different methodologies for the exact sequence in which...

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Planner Quick Tip: advance planning for the new year

For those of us on a traditional U.S. school calendar, this is often the time of year when we start looking ahead to dates for next school year. And with all of the concerts, festivals, and springtime chaos to already keep track of for the current school year, it can get pretty confusing trying to keep track of all of those dates and plans! Today I...

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Teaching Recorder: top tips

Teaching recorders can be tons of fun, but it can also be a never-ending headache! Whether you're losing your mind over classes full of squeaks and squawks and snail's pace progress, dreading the idea of putting recorders in every child's hands (and mouths) for the first time ever, or just looking for some new ideas to freshen up your recorder teaching,...

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Planner Quick Tip: snow days

I love having all of my home life plans, school plans, and even my lessons all written in one planner because it is so much easier to keep track of everything and make sure I'm balancing and juggling everything the way I want. But keeping everything in one place definitely forces me to keep my planner super-streamlined! After using the same basic planner...

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5 Things to Stop Saying to Music Teachers

In the spirit of Music In Our Schools Month, today I'm sharing some of the things I've heard people say to me that bother me as a music teacher. And I know from talking with colleagues that I'm not alone! I hope these thoughts help at least one person see how their words may be unintentionally hurting and belittling music teachers, and learn how to...

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Top 5 Easy School Snack Ideas

There's a lot of chatter about school lunches. I've even written about lunchbox ideas quite a few times myself (click here to see those posts). But you know what threw me for a loop this year as my daughters started Kindergarten? Snacks. Nobody warned me that in addition to packing lunches every day I was going to need to pack snacks as well! After...

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