5 Tips for Learning Student Names (and why it matters)

As I continue to think about ways to better reflect, respect, and respond to marginalized people and perspectives in music class, I wanted to remind us all of the importance of remembering to treat each child as an individual. That can be particularly challenging when you teach hundreds of students! One of the most important things we can do as music...

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Race in the Music Room: Representation

Over the last several weeks I have been tackling the topic of inclusion for traditionally marginalized people and perspectives in music education, and today we're talking about race. My focus in this series is threefold: reflecting underrepresented perspectives and people, responding to the needs and perspectives of marginalized...

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Race in the Music Room: Respect

Over the last several weeks I have been tackling the topic of inclusion for traditionally marginalized people and perspectives in music education, and today we're talking about race. This is an emotionally and politically charged topic for many, but also a particularly salient one! I most certainly do not claim to have all of the answers, or to even...

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Planner Setup Tip: Simplifying Weekly Lesson Planning

I made a small but significant change to my planner setup this school year and after test-driving it for a couple of months I'm officially in love! So let me show you what I did and then I'll explain what it is, how I use it, and why it's awesome :) For those who don't know, I designed a planner years ago where I can keep everything in...

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Females in the Music Room

As we continue our conversation on better inclusion for marginalized people groups in our music rooms, today I want to focus on women and girls. With such a high percentage of females in the teaching profession in general, it is in many ways surprising to think that girls are marginalized in any way in our classrooms, but when we consider the structures...

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